After a round of pleasantries in Altair's room, Vivian left alone, having agreed to be picked up that afternoon.
Altair went downstairs to eat breakfast.
Because he had the extra task of consuming a Potion this morning, it was nearly nine o'clock by the time Altair went downstairs to eat.
Hahn had already gone out to the Servants Association to hire a housekeeper and some maids.
The reason was Madam Anna. Ever since she became Altair's tutor, she would seek out Hahn whenever there was an issue.
Thus, a loophole was discovered: there was no housekeeper, not enough maids, not even a dedicated personal maid, and the Count even had to dress himself.
As an Etiquette Teacher, Madam Anna was inherently strict, and her daily life adhered to 'rules' as the highest standard. This incident instantly caused her to 'break down,' and she thoroughly scolded Hahn, leaving him utterly defenseless. Even Old Clayton was included in the reprimand.
[Writing up to this point, I hope readers remember our domain name: Taiwan Novel Network, accompanying your reading, super thoughtful.]
This made Old Clayton completely lose face. He never expected that, nearing 70 years old, he would encounter the greatest Waterloo of his life: having his work negated by someone else, and an 'outsider' at that.
From that afternoon onward, Altair did not see his Butler again. When they met three days later, the Butler expressed that the situation was caused by his own work negligence... Altair, who was privy to the full situation, explained things to Old Clayton and Madam Anna, taking all the blame upon himself.
Poor Hahn! He was in his forties yet was still 'beaten up' by his own father. He had originally intended to hire a housekeeper and maids in Tingen City, but Altair refused, citing the need to find new staff again once they returned to Backlund.
Therefore, the first thing he did after returning was go to the Servants Association. He went to interview candidates early this morning, and only those who passed Hahn's screening would be presented to Altair for selection.
The candidates didn't return until close to noon, stating that they needed to wait longer, as none of the people introduced by the Servants Association that morning were suitable.
After lunch, Hahn led the way into the Sheffield Family vault.
Altair naturally knew where the family vault was, but the one he was entering was the 'true vault.'
Old Sheffield had left in a hurry and hadn't had time to tell Altair, so Hahn had to lead the way.
Altair looked at the layers of Spiritual Walls around them and asked, "Is this the Sheffield Family's vault for Beyonder materials?"
Hahn replied, "Not entirely. These are mostly low-Sequence materials, with the highest known reaching Sequence 6. Some unknown materials are distinguished by their level of spirituality; those with low spirituality are kept here, and those with excessive spirituality are placed in the Core Vault."
"The innermost area is the Sheffield Family's 'Core Vault,' but I am not clear on what is kept inside."
"We just entered the first layer of doors, which can only be opened with a special key. The innermost door has a special Array, and only you can open it. The method is simply for you to genuinely wish to open it."
Following Hahn's guidance, Altair looked toward the door and casually asked, "Why is the Crimson Moon of the Evernight Goddess carved on it?"
Hearing Altair's words, Hahn smiled slightly and said, "Because the 'Crimson Moon' offers greater advantages in sealing and suppression. Although previous family heads rarely worshipped the Evernight Goddess, the Church has no reason to help, but we can pay them."
"Although annual maintenance is required and we donate a lot of gold pounds to the Church of the Evernight Goddess, it is well worth the cost."
Hearing Hahn's reply, Altair thought to himself, "Could this be the 'Chanis Gate'? No, it shouldn't be! That door requires people's faith as energy for suppression."
Since my family clearly doesn't worship Her, there is no energy source for suppression. It must be something similar.
Stopping his thoughts, Altair immediately asked, "Hahn, do you have an inventory list? I need to retrieve some materials."
Hahn opened a nearby cabinet, took out a thick book, and handed it to Altair, saying, "This is the inventory I compiled two months ago. You can take a look, and if you find the materials you need, I can help you open the Spiritual Wall."
After casually flipping through a couple of pages, Altair found some of the materials he needed and said, "No need. I just require a few simple materials to prepare for starting my occultism lessons."
"Oh, right, Hahn, please arrange a carriage now. I need to go out this afternoon."
...Watching Hahn leave, Altair began searching for the materials he needed.
There were no ready-made Beyonder characteristics for Spectator, Apothecary, or Savant, as these three Pathways are relatively unique. Essentially, there are no 'Wild Beyonders' following these three Pathways.
Spectator:
Main Ingredients: A pair of eyes from an adult Manhal Fish, 35 milliliters of Horned Black Fish blood.
Supplementary Ingredients: 80 milliliters of pure water + 5 drops of Colchicum essence, 13 grams of Ox-tooth Peony powder, 7 petals of Elf Flower.
Apothecary:
Main Ingredients: The horn of an adult Unicorn Pegasus, 3 grams of Crown Jellyfish venom crystal.
Supplementary Ingredients: 100 milliliters of adult Unicorn Pegasus blood, 7 tentacles of the Crown Jellyfish, 10 grams of Arsenic Powder, the rhizome of Black Henbane... After finding the necessary materials using the ledger numbers, Altair used a Silver Dagger to open the Spiritual Wall.
He took out the materials, packaged them, and returned to his bedroom to concoct his Potions.
Following the recipe strictly, after completing the Potions, he looked at the three cups before him. They matched the descriptions in the recipes. He randomly picked one and drank it immediately.
Delicious. The Spectator Pathway Potion tasted like strawberry.
The Savant Pathway Potion tasted like sparkling water.
Ugh! The Apothecary Pathway Potion was bitter!
The 'Spectator Pathway' brought observation skills and the ability to analyze micro-expressions.
The 'Savant Pathway' brought the ability to manufacture Aqua Regia and Mechanical Capabilities.
The partial fusion of the two Pathways granted Altair enhanced memory and learning capabilities.
The 'Apothecary Pathway' brought the ability to mix pharmaceuticals and a special health-related 'Spirit Vision.'
It seems I don't have to worry about taking so many classes in the future. With this memory ability, as Roselle famously said, even if I transmigrated back, relying on this ability would make me at least the Top Scholar of a Province.
I can now be considered well-rounded: I have observation skills, mechanical and Potion-making abilities, and high offensive power.
But I likely won't be able to advance in Sequence anytime soon. Simply acting out the 'Assassin' Potion requires at least four more months, especially since I'm an Assassin who knows nothing.
No one would actually become an Assassin just because they finished drinking the Potion, right... Da da da.
Altair saw Hahn standing at the door after it opened and asked.
"What is it, Hahn?"
"I just received many letters, all sent by your various Professional Tutors, such as those for painting, piano, dance, etiquette, fashion, jewelry, history, and so on. You need to review them and reply."
Seeing the stack of letters in Hahn's hand, Altair gasped in surprise, lamenting how many tutors he had!
Taking the letters, Altair immediately said, "I'll read the contents first, then write the replies. Aren't you going out later?"
"I still need to go to the Servants Association for another round of interviews at three o'clock this afternoon."
While Hahn was still speaking, Altair, out of curiosity, used 'Spirit Vision' to observe the fading 'purple' color around Hahn's head, and immediately said, "Hahn, don't rush too much. Remember to get some good rest."