Would Azik notice Alaric borrowing his power? No need to worry... the answer was no.
Only a Shadow of Time summoned through a medium would have self-awareness and alert its source. Borrowing power through favorability went undetected.
"Now, I just need to deepen our bond. Azik's favorability is easy to gain early on, but taking it further will require effort. Good thing I have a trump card." Alaric thought, his smile widening.
His trump card was using the Shadow of Time skill to summon Azik's past children, allowing a brief reunion to boost favorability.
But Alaric wouldn't use it lightly. It wasn't about distrusting Azik; rather, he needed to control Azik's memory recovery to avoid triggering a full return to Death Consul mode.
"Pity Klein's not even a Beyonder yet, or I could borrow some power from him." Alaric mused, unfazed. With Klein's rapid advancement, he'd be a powerhouse in a few years... his potential was immense.
"Next stop, the Divination Club." Alaric released Azik's borrowed power, took a detour, and arrived at one of his safehouses. After another disguise, he took a trackless carriage to the Divination Club... the same one Klein joined in the original story.
His target was Hanass Vincent, an Aurora Order member.
Alaric had no intention of killing Hanass to prevent the Tingen crisis. For one, Megose was likely already pregnant with the True Creator's heir by now, so eliminating Hanass wouldn't help. For another, the true culprits of the Tingen incident were Ince Zangwill and 0-08... unless they were dealt with, nothing else mattered.
Alaric's goal was to gauge whether the True Creator could detect him through Hanass and, if so, what attitude he'd take.
The latter was key.
It would shape Alaric's approach to the True Creator and his organization moving forward.
Why not contact Mr. A in Backlund? Simple... Alaric couldn't beat him yet. If Mr. A turned hostile, escaping would be tricky.
Hanass, on the other hand, was manageable.
With that in mind, Alaric entered the Divination Club, registered, paid the fee, and joined. Smiling, he said, "Miss Angelica, I've heard of Mr. Hanass Vincent's reputation long before joining. Is he here today? I'd like him to do a divination for me."
Angelica, at the front desk, wasn't surprised. Hanass had some fame in Tingen's divination circles. She smiled, "Mr. Hanass Vincent is teaching a class right now. You'll need to wait for a divination, but you can sit in on his lesson and ask questions if you'd like."
"Thank you." Alaric said politely, following Angelica to the meeting room and taking a corner seat.
On the platform, a middle-aged man in a black classical robe, with heavy dark circles and distinctive hair, lectured methodically.
Hanass nodded slightly at Alaric's arrival but continued his talk on astrological divination.
At one point, Alaric noticed Hanass tilt his head, as if listening to something, forgetting his lecture mid-sentence.
It lasted three or four seconds, long enough for the other students to look puzzled. Hanass snapped back, his expression fervent, though he quickly turned to hide it.
Before turning, Alaric caught Hanass glancing at him, his gaze not hostile but intensely warm.
Oh, interesting.
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
For the rest of the session, Hanass's teaching pace noticeably quickened. After the class, in the white crystal divination room, Alaric met the Aurora Order member again.
"Your Excellency, what are your orders? Whatever it is, Hanass Vincent will see it done." Hanass said fervently, kneeling on one knee the moment he closed the door.
Alaric wasn't surprised. He'd expected the True Creator's attitude. With memories of their encounter, the True Creator knew Alaric held a trump card capable of mutual destruction and could summon his past self. With such leverage, winning Alaric over was the logical move until his intentions toward the world were clear.
For the True Creator, it was a low-risk, high-reward gamble to gauge Alaric's stance.
Still, confirming it made Alaric chuckle. He sipped the tea on the table and said lightly, "I don't need you to do anything."
Standing, he added, "Remember, you never saw me today."
Alaric had no interest in entangling with Hanass, who was already scripted by 0-08 and would soon draw the Tingen Nighthawks' attention. Alaric wasn't about to invite trouble.
He was here only to confirm the True Creator's stance. Nothing more.
As for Hanass's impending death? That was none of Alaric's concern.
He had no interest in saving a low-value villain with no personal connection.
"Yes!" Hanass froze, confused but not daring to ask why a favored one was here.
He kept his head down, waiting until Alaric left, the door closed, and the footsteps faded. Only then did he look up, exhaling, his expression a mix of fervor and confusion. "Why did His Excellency come here? Could it… could it be for the upcoming sacrifice?"
Whatever Hanass thought, Alaric, now disguised again, took a trackless carriage back to his rented house.