Chapter 90: Chapter 90

This time, candidates meticulously questioned the Justiciars, delving into every detail of the new flawless contracts.

After the contracts were signed, Sokram asked to see the Records of everyone.

Knowing they were protected and that they could limit what he could see, they all agreed.

When it came to probing their Cores, two of them were reproved immediately after Sokram inspected them.

The reason he gave them was that their Cores were not dense, as they should be showing signs that they used cheap medicine to increase their cultivation.

But the real reason? Their energy reeked of Vital Energy twisted into Death Energy; in other words, they were necromancers.

Sokram paid them ten gold coins each and dismissed them, thanking them for their participation.

But as soon as they left the hall, he sent a voice transmission to Sayuri, who was hidden in the shadows, explaining the situation.

He also reported it to Leona and Miralyn, but asked them to wait until Sayuri properly investigated the matter.

When Vanda's turn came, Sokram's surprise was palpable.

She was undeniably a diamond in the rough.

She had two perfectly balanced Vital and Aura cores inside her heart. Sokram realized she possessed the innate potential to discover Titan Force on her own, a feat few could achieve.

But now it wouldn’t be necessary, as he would teach her instead.

Sokram’s part in the selection ended after this, and he returned home to train and cultivate with his team.

Since Sayuri was helping his family, he didn’t need to work on guiding her Core conversion that day.

But the selection was far from over; the next duo to lead the selection process were Brunhild and Hilda, aided by Miralyn, but also Leona, who led the crowd to the Academy’s Training grounds.

At first, the Head of the academy was reluctant to help Sokram’s family. But a few days before this selection, Sokram made a generous donation to the City’s Academy.

Sokram d twenty training methods, keys to unlocking rare classes if mastered.

Though Sokram had shrewdly used Hannah's and Margiory's names for credibility, the Academy Head recognized the legitimacy of the methods and cultivation techniques at first glance.

So, when his two mothers, his master, and his grandmothers entered the academy training ground, the Academy’s Head and some members of the academy administration received them with open arms, which served as a nice show for their potential future employees.

Hilda and Leona were very rigorous in the physical examination, pushing the candidates to their limit, testing endurance, strength, fighting skills, and a few other things they considered necessary.

When that phase concluded, four other candidates were eliminated.

By late afternoon, it was Hannah’s turn to test their minds, one by one. She led them into a closed room and served an alchemical tea.

The scent of the tea was calming, but underneath it lurked something bitter, something that pulled their minds inward, and before they even realized the illusion had begun.

The real reason she did that was to look for more spies, and there were more of them in the mix, one sleeper agent from Dracony and two others from the Steelhearts.

She recorded the information she extracted from them during the drug and hypnosis-empowered interrogation in recording crystals, then killed them on the spot.

Disintegrating their bodies into nothingness.

And no one asked questions either.

And lastly, it was evening already, and Margiory's turn arrived.

Stolen novel; please report.

Under Sokram’s request, she tested all the candidates for awakened bloodline gifts.

Mixed with psychological tests designed by Sokram as a last filter to ensure only the most loyal would pass.

The reason for the selection screen and all the tests was that although well-written and hard to break, blood contracts weren’t sure-proof.

As in everything in the Path of Evolution, if there’s a will, there’s a way.

Sokram had already dismissed his team and the girls when, while meditating, Alain came to warn him that the selection had finished.

They rushed back to the palace hall, arriving there, Sokram wasn’t at all disappointed.

The four siblings, Vanda, Rinan, and Stone, were among the selected.

By the end of the selection process, out of over a hundred candidates, his family selected thirty.

Sokram found all of them sitting and waiting, and once they saw him enter, a few tired faces lit up with enthusiasm.

Sokram summoned thirty contracts, each having more than a hundred pages.

And handed it to the Justiciars, who had just come back just a little before him.

The air shifted as the Justiciars each called three candidates, the heavy thud of their boots echoing across the chamber as they divided.

The weight of the thick contracts shimmered faintly with mana, and the room held its breath.

Sokram took the stand, addressing the selected candidates, his face once neutral, now carrying a sincere smile, “Congratulations to you all for having passed the tests. There won’t be any other tests, but I came here to explain why probing your Cores was necessary.”

“But I can only do that after the Justiciars leave, so if you have any doubts about the contracts, please address them with the Justiciars now.”

The candidates pored over the contracts, fingers tracing clauses, voices a low hum of murmured questions.

Blood-Ink was still fresh on the parchment, and the mana swirling around each contract served as a reminder of the weight of this decision, which only made the candidates more eager to clarify their doubts as Justiciars sighed, repeating answers over and over.

Sokram, spotting a confident grin, went to talk with his family. “So what do you think about those I marked?”

Hilda met his gaze, proud but also taken aback, “Your eyes for talent are scary sometimes.”

Hannah nodded, just as amazed, “Are you sure your Dragon Sight didn’t evolve to Agorath’s King Sight?’

“My eyes are still gray, Nana,” Sokram hinted, and everyone knew that King’s Sight would turn the eyes of any dragon into golden eyes.

“I was joking, darling, but I believed that talent of yours has something to do with her training, right?” Hannah pointed at Leona, and Sokram nodded.

“Yes, it’s because of the Killing Blade Art, the first thing she taught me was to read someone to discover if I can kill them easily or if I should prepare to retreat,” Sokram explained.

And Leona complemented, “But after some time, it becomes a habit to detect people with good potential.” Dıscover more novels at novèlfire.net

“That explains why you brought them,” Margiory pitched in, pointing at the four siblings.

“Purely luck, I found them at the entrance and knew my disciple would be disappointed if he lost talented people because one of the palace’s guards was moody.” Leona shrugged, smiling at Sokram.

A warmth spread through his chest, fanning the flames of his purpose, the reason he had returned.

Moments reminded him of what he’d been fighting to reclaim. ‘This is why I came back. Why being alone again isn’t an option.’

But then, remembering something important, he turned to Margiory, “Any bloodline gifts?”

Margiory handed him a sheet of paper:

Frinna: Shadow Magic High Affinity, Lunar Energy Regeneration, Phantom Reflexes.

Thinor: Shadow Magic High Affinity, Lunar Energy Regeneration.

Mujur: Lunar Energy Regeneration, Phantom Reflexes.

Alinir: Shadow Magic High Affinity, Phantom Reflexes.

Rinan: Light Magic High Affinity, Solar Energy Regeneration.

Vanda: Meldsight, Kinetic Precision.

“Six of them, hm?” Sokram was surprised, more so when he confirmed what he had suspected all along: the four siblings had bloodline gifts.

But now, confirming it, he was even happier he had found them again because in this timeline, he had the knowledge to help them develop it further.

“I was surprised as well; we could even train that half-dwarf girl to become a blacksmith.” Margiory joked, but Sokram knew Vanda would never.

Mainly because he had finally remembered who she was.

In his past timeline, she was known as Bloody Hammer Slaughterer.

A title she gained after leaving trails of corpses in Frostaxe after her family was killed during Eversnow’s fall.

“I don’t think she would like that; she seems more like the type who likes to be wild, free, and outside of the city’s walls.”

But just as Sokram finished speaking, they heard a voice calling from below the stand.

“Sir, please, can I sign the contract? They are just repeating the same things over and over…” Vanda almost pleaded, asking Sokram.

“Sure, you can, but are you sure you want to sign it before knowing every detail?” Sokram asked, subtly hinting at the words he had spoken when the test started.

But Vanda grinned at him, “You said there wouldn’t be any more tests, so now it's my turn to test you. These contracts work both ways, right? A two-way Oath? So sign it first, and then we can work together.”

Sokram blinked, stunned by her boldness, then laughed, a full, genuine sound he hadn’t let out in weeks.

Everyone around looked at him in shock, but while reaching for her contract after finally managing to stop laughing, he met Vanda’s gaze with a grin, “We’re going to be very good friends, Vanda.”

And signed the contract, handing it to her.

“Yeah, I think so too. I like the wise and cunning type.” Vanda responded, matching his grin as they shook hands.

Seeing that scene, the others stopped hesitating and decided to sign their contracts as well.

The Justiciar left the room, and they had barely reached the end of the hallway when they heard the loud cheer and celebrations.

Whatever benefit Sokram offered, his employees made them go mad with joy.

Inside the room, Sokram had just dissipated the spheres of Vital Magic, Titan Force, and Spirit Magic.

His newly hired Hunting Squad looked at him with shining eyes full of ambition, admiration, and a renewed will to follow him and his family wherever they went.