Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1028  Sorry

Old Bramaʼs face turned malevolent for just a moment before he calmed down. He exhaled a breath and shook his head. To Sylasʼ surprise, he then turned his gaze toward him.

”Sorry, boy.”

Sylas raised an internal eyebrow. Sorry for what, exactly? For dragging him into this mess?

”Niafon, what brings you here today?” the old man asked calmly.

”I think you know that already. I felt you trying to speed someone through the protocols.”

”It seems you have a little bit of respect after all.”

”Well, I wouldnʼt blame a little girl from being influenced by her own grandfather, now would I? Do you think Iʼm some sort of monster only here to target you? The mistakes youʼve made are of your own making. My Auran Race and your Unitaurs had a harmonious relationship otherwise.”

”Donʼt speak to me as though I am a child. What do you want?”

”Oh? Youʼre so insistent on this? This is already the third time youʼve done this. The result in the end is always the same.”

”Just say it.”

”You know the rules, Old Brama. You canʼt give someone this sort of clearance unless theyʼve both proven themselves trustworthy and actually worthy. Talent is just one aspect. Unless he can walk the Golden Grove, the rest is worthless.”

”You know well that the Golden Grove is nothing more than a fairy tale.”

”Your ancestors would be sad to hear you say that.”

”And yours would be rolling in their graves watching you hold their guild back for the sake of immediate profits over long-term growth.”

”In case youʼve forgotten, Old Brama, your ʼlittle projectʼ isnʼt just some minor inconvenience. You wiped out half of our capital in just 30 years. You were given more than enough rope. Donʼt pretend as though you are a victim now.”

Old Brama sneered. ”And how much have my UniForges made back for you?”

”For me? I have personally made no money from them at all. If you want to speak of the Golden Grove, then you have indeed done a great service. But it isnʼt the place of the old to ruin the futures of the young.”

Old Brama waved a hand, starting to get annoyed all over again. The image in the air wavered wildly and almost shattered, but just barely managed to wiggle its way back to existence.

”Iʼll take that as a yes, then,” the Buddha projection said with a smile. Finally, he turned to Sylas for the first time. ”Megean will escort you to where you need to go. And…”

Niafon frowned, looking at Lorien as though he didnʼt really understand why she was here. After a while, he shook his head as though he couldnʼt be bothered. Then vanished.

”What is the Golden Grove?” Sylas asked as though he didnʼt already know the answer.

The old man looked at him, sighed again, and then vanished.

Sylas raised an eyebrow and looked at Megean.

”Come with me…”

…

For the first time, Sylas entered a location of the Golden Grove that was surrounded by true hustle and bustle. Races of all shapes and sizes walked around, each one seemingly hurrying as though their hair had been lit on fire.

It reminded Sylas a lot of how Megean and her grandfather had been running around earlier. It seemed that this was just the natural state of these merchants.

Many turned to look at Sylas. But it was hard to tell if that was because he was the only natural human here, or if it was because of Megean.

What he did notice, though, was that Megean, while she refused a few glances, didnʼt have many people who lingered on her at all. It seemed that she flew under the radar for the most part.

At the center of a huge open-concept foyer, there was a golden tree with a thickness in the hundreds of meters. Its canopy seemed to cover the dome of the skies, and countless receptionist desks were carved into its body.

Megean, almost too quickly, walked up to one and spoke out a string of words.

”Golden Grove Trial.”

Sylas shook his head inwardly. She still hadnʼt explained it at all, but he also knew why. This time it wasnʼt because she was incompetent, but instead because explaining would actually be a detriment.

The test wasnʼt exactly the same every time, and ironically enough, if you couldnʼt figure out the best path forward yourself, then you would be out of luck.

The Trial itself, though, wasnʼt just a test of Talent, but also Character. Which was actually exactly why Sylas understood the way the old man felt.

Much like how Sylas felt about his Will when he first entered this world… how could you possibly test his Character?

It turned out that he was right about Will. The system wasnʼt very good at measuring it at all, and ultimately, two people with the exact same stat points could have vastly different Will strengths.

And now, this thing was definitely far inferior to the system. So what chance did it stand in testing something so complex?

Sylas suddenly frowned, his gaze turning sharp as he looked around.

Megean had spoken the word so quickly and suddenly, almost muttering it under her breath. And yet, almost the entire foyer froze, countless gazes looking over.

”For him?” the receptionist asked calmly as though she couldnʼt sense the change.

”Yes.” Megean said even quicker.

”Place your hand here, please. Youʼll be teleporting in…” she waited for Sylas to put his hand down before the countdown began. ”… Three… two…”

Sylas felt an odd sense sweep over him, but his senses were sharp enough to know it wasnʼt coming from the Runes he had just placed his hand on.

He looked back to see an Auran approaching from a distance, his age likely around the same as Megean.

There was a sharpness to him the other Aurans he had met hadnʼt had, and while there was a refreshing smile on his face, Sylas could feel the ill intent.

”… One…”

Sylas vanished.