Evelyn Allen said faintly, “If I report this news after some time, those old guys who’ve been secretly tripping me up will definitely have a spectacular ending, won’t they?”

“...Wait!”

Dylan Lane suddenly felt a chill at the back of his head. “You’re telling me this so casually—aren’t you afraid I’ll spill the beans? You’re not planning to silence me, are you?”

“I’m telling you precisely because I want you to spread the word.”

Evelyn Allen casually swung the little pouch at her fingertips and said lightly, “Aren’t you always so proud of your communication skills? Then hurry up and tell them: their lives are in my hands. If they want to keep living their happy, parasitic lives, they’d better come and beg me for mercy…”

Damn!

Dylan Lane couldn’t help wanting to slap himself twice. Why did he have to run his mouth and ask so much? No, why did he have to poke fun at her just now?

And look what happened—he got caught in her trap in less than ten minutes.

Isn’t this woman’s sense of revenge a bit too intense?

After a long moment of shock and regret, Dylan Lane keenly realized the biggest problem: “But even if they’re willing to bow their heads, you still need to be sure you can resolve the incident, right?”

“Who says I can’t?”

Evelyn Allen turned around. Although she wasn’t smiling, her eyes were full of mockery. “But do you really want to know?”

Sorry, I don’t want to know at all!

Dylan Lane’s expression twitched, snuffing out his last bit of curiosity. This woman is just too much...

.

.

“I do want to!”

At Henry Parker’s home on the other end, facing Crow’s question, the boy nodded and answered without hesitation.

Do you long to have a soul?

For such a sudden question and a scene that felt like a devil’s temptation, most people might hesitate for a moment, but he didn’t even pause.

After experiencing the recent string of fantastical events and understanding his own situation, he’d grown a bit bolder: after all, if he couldn’t get through this, he’d be dead anyway—what was there to be afraid of?

Although he didn’t really know what a soul actually was, that didn’t stop Henry Parker from longing for one. Not only that, he also longed for money, power, and boobs... But come to think of it, isn’t a soul something everyone should have?

Crow retorted, “In fairy tales, everyone gets a happy ending too—do you really believe that?”

Not seeing the inner struggle she’d expected left her a bit disappointed, and even her explanation became listless. “The dividing line between ordinary people and the Ascended is the existence of a soul.

In this era, there exists a creation called the ‘Sea of Silver’—no, it should be called a naturally formed, vast source, also known as a perpetual miracle, one of the origins that created this immense world.

And at its true core, the Sea of Silver is formed by the convergence of the source projections of all humans. It’s said that this invisible ocean is unimaginably vast, and all human intelligence in existence is just a branch that flows from it.

To embark on the path of Ascension is to let your iron nature pass through the Sea of Silver and be sublimated into a Golden Soul—that was the original goal of alchemy.

Only then can a person possess a soul and be called an ‘Ascended.’

Otherwise, your cognition and consciousness can only rely on the fleeting sparks in your brain’s neural synapses, unable to face the darkness and storms beyond the present world...”

“You keep talking about the present world and the borderlands—are there really other worlds?” Henry Parker interjected.

“In a way, yes. And not just one, but thousands upon thousands...” Crow cackled. “But that’s not something you need to worry about right now. You should focus on figuring out how to awaken your soul first.”

“...” Henry Parker could only listen intently.

“Currently, the Astronomical Society is responsible for guarding the Sea of Silver. Based on the rate at which humanity’s source accumulates, there are about three to four hundred slots each year. But you won’t get a turn—before you even come out, all the slots are divided up by the various branches of the Administration, and the list is booked up ten years in advance... In reality, most Ascended don’t rely on the Astronomical Society’s special permission, but awaken on their own, like stowaways. That’s the path you’ll have to take.”

Henry Parker swallowed and nodded seriously. “And then?”

“For others, this process is incredibly difficult—like a modern person leaving the city to survive in the wild, only even more dangerous. It’s like boarding a rocket with barely any supplies and blasting out of the atmosphere—not only do you have to break free from the pull of the Sea of Silver, but you also have to face all sorts of accidents and challenges. No one knows what awaits them.

To succeed, you need both strength and luck, but even with both, it’s far from a sure thing.

You need abundant source, intense stimulation, the right opportunity, and a bit of luck... It’s often like winning the lottery—impossible to replicate. Luckily, with such a huge population, there are always one or two who make it.”

“What about those who fail?” Henry Parker asked.

Crow seemed to smile but said nothing, and Henry Parker felt a chill in his heart.

“But don’t worry, that’s not something you need to be concerned about.”