After bidding farewell to Rick, both grandparents turned to look at Ray, who stared back at them with innocent eyes. Diana chuckled at the brat. That adorable face might have worked a few hours ago, but not anymore. They were still mind-blown by Ray's formation technique—at only six years old! And on top of that, he had given Rick such a brilliant idea. The two of them were now filled with questions.
William finally asked, "Ray, who are you?"
Ray replied with four words, "A future genius inventor!"
Diana nodded this time. For the first time, she didn't give Ray a chop on the head. After all, even if Ray were the reincarnation of someone from a past life, he was only 24 years old in that life—and he had no understanding of magic. But his comprehension and learning abilities were top-notch. And he'd been working relentlessly every single day.
It seemed like he was addicted to formation. He would read books tirelessly, connect runes again and again, make mistakes, jot down those mistakes in notebooks, revise, and repeat the process. He'd ask Diana thousands of questions until he finally managed to complete his formation.
Ray had so many goals and ambitions—to transform this boring world into one full of wonder and enjoyment. He wanted others to experience the excitement he felt in his previous world.
Diana wholeheartedly agreed with him and proudly bragged about her son. "He's not just a genius in formation—he's also a genius with the sword. Do you know, he's already learned sword force at the age of six? He's talented in formation too, and although he's still far behind the princess, he's already begun learning runes."
William then asked, "So, little genius, do you have any plans for a formation master like me?"
Ray shook his head. "For now, I have nothing."
Diana had considered involving her father, but she knew how loyal he was to the king—he would give his life for him. She was planning to talk to her mother and see if there might be another way.
Of course, this is a made-up story meant to make everyone believe her.
William then asked, "So, little Ray, what about these watches? Can you make more of them?"
Ray shook his head again and said, "My soul power is too low. You see, the tower I created is connected to my soul. And it seems that one tower is my limit."
William wasn't ready to give up. "Then can I help you power those towers?"
Ray once more shook his head. "I don't know. I gave it to Mother for safekeeping. I also let her study it to see if she could learn something from it. I've already given her all the methods, but she hasn't been able to replicate it."
Diana nodded in agreement and brought out the tower for them to see. William examined it but had no idea what it was made of.
Before William could ask to keep it for research, Diana snatched it back and firmly said, "Since it's connected to Ray, I won't give it to you, Father. If it gets stolen or broken, it could harm Ray. And I know how crazy you get when you're interested in something. You'd break it just to learn how it works."
William opened his mouth to protest, but no words came. Because what she said was true. He would definitely go that far. Holding the tower in his hands earlier, he had almost forgotten it was built by Ray—and had already started examining it like a lab specimen. He might have truly broken it, not even considering Ray's feelings.
Ray shot him a suspicious look after hearing Diana's warning. When William saw the look Ray was giving him and tried to explain, Brenda didn't give him the chance.
"It's true, little Ray, be careful," Brenda said. "This old fellow always goes overboard. He's broken so many of my children's formations without a hint of regret. And worst of all, he sometimes brags about learning from breaking them."
Ray, in a mock-scared voice, said, "If I ever get another idea, I'm not inviting you, Grandfather."
Hearing that, both Diana and Brenda burst out laughing. William tried to coax little Ray and explain himself, but even he couldn't believe his own excuses.
"I've left some work at my shop," William said at last, attempting to save face. "You all continue talking. I'll see you at lunch."
With that, he turned and hurried off, much to everyone's amusement.
Ray and the others chuckled at William's funny exit.
Brenda then said, "Come to my room. It seems you have something to tell me, Diana."
Diana nodded and followed her inside. Once there, she quickly constructed her own formation to prevent anyone—especially her father—from overhearing their conversation. She cast three layers of formation, just in case.
The three of them sat around a table—Diana and Ray on one side, Brenda opposite them.
Diana got straight to the point. "How loyal is Father to the king?"
Brenda replied, "If you're wondering what would happen if Ray gave an idea to William, your guess is as good as mine. He'd hand it over to the king without hesitation. If you want my advice, don't share anything with that man. William's father was the same—they trust the king too much."
Brenda's tone turned sad as she added, "You remember what he did to his brother's formation, right? William's younger brother, Daniel, was a genius inventor in formations. He created a formation that could accelerate spiritual energy gathering. William, that fool, took the finished product and bragged about it to the king. The king loved it—and William handed it over immediately. The issue wasn't just giving the formation—it was giving away the rights to produce and sell it as well. That meant the king's men would mass-produce and sell the formation."
Diana nodded grimly. "That was the day Uncle Daniel went to the king to ask for the rights back. But the king refused. Uncle Daniel asked Father for help—but he was betrayed. He left the family. And the worst part? The next day, he joined the Ashbourne Kingdom—our enemy."
Brenda shook her head. "Daniel has since made three more powerful formations. Combined with his original spiritual gathering one, that makes four. And I warned William—give Daniel back the rights. But no! Now the enemy kingdom has become stronger because of those formations. We used to have the upper hand—now our kingdom is falling behind."
Diana asked softly, "Did Father ever regret it?"
Brenda sighed. "Regret? Not even a little. No! He calls Daniel a traitor for leaving the kingdom."
Ray's expression turned cold. "I would probably do the same if I were in that situation. I truly love Grandfather, but if he ever betrayed me like that—sold me out, gave away the selling rights to my wristwatch—I'd never come back to this house. Fortunately, I'm not part of the Spencer family. He has no legal claim to my inventions."
Brenda and Diana could both feel the anger in Ray's voice as he said this.
Ray then turned to Diana. "Why did you want to give my wristwatch to Grandfather instead of Grandmother?"
Diana replied, "It was just to keep in contact with him. Besides, I know this product can't be sold or misused—the user must give blood to become its master. I plan to give the next one to Mother when your soul cultivation increases."
Ray pulled out another wristwatch. "Forget it. I was going to give this to Princess Alice next week—but Grandmother is more important. Grandmother, would you like to have it?"
Brenda smiled. "Since you intended it as a gift for the princess, I can wait until next time."
Ray nodded. "I will make one for you later when my cultivation for soul increases. But Grandmother—earlier I said no to Grandfather. Would you be willing to do business with my new idea?"