Chapter 54: Chapter 54: High-Position Big Shot
’Do all you High-ranking Powerhouses walk like that?’
Lloyd grumbled inwardly and secretly activated his Inspection ability.
[Ding~ Inspection complete.]
[■■■■■■■■]
’Seriously? It’s just a bunch of garbled text?’
Lloyd remembered that even the Chief Judge only showed up as ’??’. It had never been this bad.
This meant the butler, Randolph, was equipped with some kind of counter-surveillance or anti-scrying measure. It could be a certain Extraordinary Ability, a Holy Artifact, or even a small, portable Orbit.
Lloyd had no time to dwell on it. He hurried over to greet them.
"Long time no see, Miss Desda. Your presence makes me feel quite..."
He had meant to offer some respectable pleasantries, but Miss Desda cut him off by giving him a polite hug. Then, she said with an amused tone:
"I can’t believe it’s only been half a year, and you’re already getting so formal with me. Is it because you joined the Judgement Hall? Decided you need to keep your distance from us ordinary mortals?"
Lloyd grew flustered and quickly tried to explain.
"Er... no, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just..."
Evelor, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in to help him.
"Yi is just trying to act a little more mature in front of you, Miss Desda."
"Pfft~ I’m just teasing him. You don’t have to be so protective all the time, you know. You’ll make me jealous..."
Miss Desda flashed a mischievous grin and gave Evelor’s soft cheeks a firm pinch before turning back to Lloyd.
"Alright, jokes aside. Congratulations on your promotion, Lloyd. As expected, you never disappoint."
The butler, Randolph, chose this moment to step forward and present an exquisite gift box.
"Young Master Lloyd, this is a promotion gift from my lady."
Lloyd accepted the gift box and quickly replied.
"Mr. Randolph, please stop calling me that. Just my name is fine."
The butler’s speech and mannerisms were always humble and polite; he kept a low profile and used honorifics with everyone. Before, when Lloyd didn’t know any better, he hadn’t thought much of being called ’Young Master’. But things were different now, and he couldn’t stomach the title.
The butler maintained his amiable smile, glanced at Lloyd’s uniform, and replied:
"Very well. It seems Lloyd has learned much at the Holy Judgment Court, completing his Enlightenment so quickly. You are indeed the talented young man my lady thinks so highly of."
Lloyd hadn’t detected any sign of his inspiration being probed, yet he had a feeling the butler had already gotten a good read on his apparent power level...
Fortunately, the butler likely couldn’t see through the underlying Twist system. After all, not even a Veto Saint had been able to detect anything unusual about it.
"Alright, let’s all have a seat and chat."
Evelor ushered everyone to their seats.
During the meal that followed, the conversation first turned to Lloyd’s recent experiences. Naturally, he gave them the "good news only" version.
Miss Desda seemed to take him at his word, encouraging Lloyd to keep it up. Randolph, the butler, simply maintained a faint smile, likely seeing the truth but choosing not to expose it.
The conversation soon shifted to the hot topic of the day: the "Great Expansion." It was all anyone was talking about lately, from the newspapers and radio to casual after-dinner conversations.
Lloyd, however, wasn’t particularly interested in the subject. He only ever read the entertainment section of the daily paper, so all he could do was listen as Miss Desda spoke.
"My father is very interested in it; he started investing and making plans early on. He wants to bring my two older brothers and a few of my uncles in on it, too. If you hadn’t joined the Holy Judgment Court, Lloyd, I was actually planning to recommend you for a position working for my brother..."
Miss Desda’s father was a famous real estate tycoon, so of course he was particularly enthusiastic about the Great Expansion. Even she looked eager to get in on the action.
This was the very reason she had pushed Lloyd so hard to major in civil engineering back in the day.
The butler, however, added a quiet reminder.
"Once the Great Expansion officially begins, things will likely get more difficult for you."
"Mm... I’ll be ready."
Lloyd nodded.
The Great Expansion involved venturing into the Wilderness, beyond humanity’s current sphere of influence, to establish new cities and resource points. It was destined to be a long, vast, and difficult process, one that would surely be fraught with countless dangers and require an immense investment of time, manpower, and materials.
Consequently, not everyone was optimistic about the endeavor. There were countless opponents who believed that life was good enough as it was. Why waste so much manpower and resources?
Humanity had undertaken many great expansions before, as well as countless smaller-scale ventures to expand city limits and secure new resource points. There had been successes and crushing defeats, making it difficult to pass judgment on the merits of such efforts.
But regardless, humanity had ultimately established the six great city-clusters of the present day, providing the foundation for a Prosperous and Contented life.
Even though Lloyd wasn’t paying much attention to this Great Expansion, he wasn’t against it either.
Of course, he had no intention of participating, either. He was completely unmoved by the slogans trumpeted in the papers, things like "A Golden Opportunity for the Younger Generation!" and "The Great Frontier Stage—If You’ve Got What It Takes, Come On Down!"
’If I left, what would happen to my sister?’
Soon, after a delightful dinner enjoyed by all, Miss Desda dragged Lloyd and his sister out for dessert, and they continued their conversation at a high-end dessert salon she had founded.
This quickly devolved into the two ladies huddled together over the latest issue of a fashion magazine, critiquing the styles and occasionally letting out delicate giggles.
Lloyd, meanwhile, sat beside the butler, wanting to ask for some guidance. However, his gaze kept unintentionally drifting to the man’s legs.
Though the butler’s posture was perfectly straight and elegant, beyond reproach, Lloyd couldn’t shake the feeling that the man’s lower body was somehow... empty.
The butler didn’t seem to mind his staring. He just smiled and said nonchalantly:
"This is the price I paid for my seventh Transcendence."
Lloyd was left completely stunned.
’The seventh time? A Tier Seven powerhouse?’
’Aren’t they called ’Ascenders’?’
Each time an Extraordinary Being completes a Transcendence, they are considered to have advanced one Tier. People have a common title for each Tier—
The first time, after completing Enlightenment, they are called ’Novices.’
The second time, they are ’Seekers.’ The third, ’Explorers.’ The fourth, ’Practitioners.’
The fifth, ’Transcenders.’ The sixth, ’Guides.’ The seventh, ’Ascenders.’ And the eighth, ’Deputies.’
And the ninth time brings one to the level of ’Saint Ascender,’ the realm of the Saints.
Lloyd had previously suspected that this reserved and humble butler was of a high Tier.
Normally, a Tier Five was already considered a High-ranking Powerhouse.
He just never imagined the butler was already Tier Seven, only two steps away from becoming a Saint.
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