Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 77 The Awakener

In the dimly lit basement, Suren's gaze fell on the magic circle. Without further hesitation, he drank the "Source Knowledge Condensation" and "Source Knowledge Structure Stabilizer" in his hand.

The two liquids, slightly warm, slid rapidly down Suren's throat as if they were alive, and the burning sensation instantly spread throughout Suren's body.

Suren had no time to savor the strange sensation; he quickly chanted the incantation:

"Based on 'secret knowledge'—"

"It wields the power of secrecy, spying, keeping secrets, and recording."

Suren felt the heat in his body getting worse, and his throat started to go dry. He forced himself to endure the strange feeling and quickened his pace.

"I will uphold the principle of secrecy for the rest of my life."

"Through this ritual, I have transformed my 'Source of Knowledge,' enabling me to ascend to the 'Awakener'!"

The same scene appeared, the magic circle glowed with a purple light, and countless shadowy tentacles appeared at the edge of the magic circle.

Unlike before, those tentacles had become thicker and longer.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. The purple light and tentacles merged into one and shot towards Suren at lightning speed. Before Suren could react, he was entangled by the tentacles.

These tentacles had no physical form, and Suren did not feel any physical touch. However, Suren could feel an intense sense of suffocation, as if these tentacles were gripping his soul.

The delirious murmurs resurfaced in Suren's mind, even more intensely than before. The sounds were like groans in a dream; Suren couldn't understand them, yet they kept churning within him. He could only forcefully try to calm himself and shake off the influence.

As the murmurs began, the purple light continuously seeped into Suren's body, and Suren felt the warmth in his body counteracting the light.

As the two collided, Suren could feel some changes in the "Source Knowledge" in his consciousness. The feeling was mysterious and profound. Suren felt that the "Source Knowledge" was gradually becoming his instinct and becoming more closely connected with him.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just when Suren felt he was about to give up, the rambling in his mind disappeared. He instantly felt a sense of relief, and his whole body felt much lighter.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and everything in the room was as usual, as if nothing had happened.

But Suren knew she had succeeded!

In his mind, the Book of Secrets had returned to its uncorrupted state, and the tentacles on the book had disappeared, proving that advancement could indeed alleviate the corruption.

The number of core secrets that can be recorded in the Book of Secrets has increased to four, the original six ability nodes have increased to eight, and the basic nodes have also been greatly enhanced.

Suren clenched his fists to feel the changes in his body.

Suren could feel that his physical body had not changed; it was still an ordinary person's body. However, his thought process had become much faster.

What Suren found somewhat strange was that his "Source Knowledge" limit had also increased.

According to the information Suren has, promotion does not lead to an increase in the upper limit of "Source Knowledge". Therefore, such an increase is most likely due to the special nature of "Secret Knowledge" itself.

Perhaps this is why Suren, who was previously a "Seeker of Reason," was able to frequently use his abilities.

After checking his physical functions, Suren focused his consciousness on the two newly added nodes. After observing them for a while, he couldn't help but smile.

Although these two new abilities offer no help in combat, they are exactly what Suren needs right now: [Secret Appearance Thousand Faces] and [Cognitive Barrier].

The former, as the name suggests, is a disguise-type ability, while the latter enhances Suren's "information barrier" level, meaning that "agents" need to use special items to spy on Suren.

Looking at these new abilities, a smile appeared on Suren's lips. Having these two abilities meant that he could leave the "Deathbird Monks" at any time and minimize the risk of being tracked.

In addition to the new abilities, Suren's original six abilities have also been enhanced, but Suren doesn't have time to study them slowly for the time being, since he has been in the basement for more than an hour.

Suren took out the "Alchemy Water Bottle" and splashed it twice on the magic circle. The water drew two arcs in the air and finally landed on the magic circle. The ink marks on the magic circle were washed away and gradually turned into intermittent ink stains, making it impossible to see the original shape anymore.

At this moment, William upstairs was pacing back and forth at the bottom of the stairs like an ant on a hot plate.

"That Lord Deathbird has been inside for so long and hasn't come out yet, could it be..." He dared not think any further, and even had an urge to turn around and run away.

Suddenly the basement door opened, startling William so much that he almost turned and ran away. But he mustered his courage and craned his neck to look at the stairs—a young man in a Deathbird uniform was slowly walking up the stairs; it was Suren.

Suren looked at William, who was patting his chest, and found it somewhat amusing.

He pretended to have just gone through a tough battle, with a solemn expression on his face, and said earnestly, "The problem is completely resolved. You can live here without worry for the time being."

"Thank you so much, I really don't know how to thank you enough!" William smiled broadly, his gratitude overflowing. "You are the most selfless person I have ever met!"

Suren felt somewhat unworthy of the honor, and he coughed to cover his embarrassment.

"However, I suggest you hire some workers to renovate this place, since downstairs..." Suren paused, then pointed to the basement, "it's quite a mess down there because of the fighting."

William nodded, still thanking him profusely.

After refusing William's offer of payment, Suren quickly left the haunted house.

Suren walked along the stone path, pondering his next plan.

Now that he had been promoted, the next step was to return the goods to Charles and then casually suggest that he introduce his friends to his caravan.

Soon, Suren arrived at the Tulip Hotel, which was two streets away from the Star Club.

The Tulip Inn is considered one of the more upscale inns in Loren Town. It has three floors and its overall layout is more like a manor. The inn’s front yard has several clumps of carefully trimmed green plants, and is surrounded by a field of tulips.

The hotel's decor leans more towards the Gothic style that Su Lun remembers. Although the world has entered the steam age for many years, Gothic architecture is still the mainstream.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, you are greeted by a warm and inviting lobby. The floor is covered with a wool carpet with a classic pattern, and there are several soft sofas in the lobby. To the right is a neat reception desk, where a young and beautiful receptionist is standing.

Coincidentally, Charles and Loft were sitting on a sofa, talking about something.

Charles paused for a moment upon noticing Suren entering, then stood up, picked up his hat, and tipped it off.

Loft, standing beside him, bowed and then asked with a puzzled look, "Mr. Suren, are you missing some clues?"

"No, I'm here to deliver the mission to you." Suren shook his head, a smile appearing on his lips. "Although we encountered some trouble, fortunately most of the goods have been recovered."

Charles and Loft were stunned. They looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes, even though only a day had passed!