Besides the small bump in the road concerning the laser sword, the other gains from the raid were in order. There was so much stuff it was hard to keep track. Carlo in Zetel was still taking inventory. Viers kept sending updates of the latest info from Baharir’s soul search. The Level 4’s soul was -admirably but futilely- resisting Viers’ soul search, withholding important memories from him.

  Level 4 Pathseekers instinctively became aware of the trinity of existence: mind, body, and soul. They didn't need the affinity. Most began to improve the three when they reached Level 4 because it brought immense benefits. The Level 4 peak Baharir was quite well versed in the matter of the soul but compared to Viers, it was as if comparing the radiance of a firefly to the radiance of the sun.

  Viers would get what he wanted eventually. Besides, the truly important items were already in Viers’ possession. Baharir was the type to keep those types of items in his personal inventory space. Viers and most of the Pathseekers in the world were the same so it wasn't strange.

  The two cults were of use to him during the raid and they got their own share of rewards from the raid. However, while he had some interest in seeing Izabella grow because she was his creature, the Blood Church and the Bone Ravens were nothing to Viers.

  Viers had a plan to put the devil cults and the Estellian Church against one another. They were always at odds but Viers could now influence their action. Tips about a certain individual here, incriminating evidence there, vulnerabilities of a specific base, and so on. With all the soul searching Viers had gathered, he’d collected a lot of strings to pull.

  Just like the raid earlier, Viers gathered the souls of the dead cultists in the aftermath. The info that their souls contained would be a deadly bullet if he shared it with the Church and its affiliate, the Silver Legion.

  It could also be done in reverse. He wouldn't ask much, just souls of the enemy and a little cut of the goodies as fee. If he continued to supply info in scale he should be able to play the powerbroker between those two sides.

  He had Izabella on the demon worshiper side but none on the Church’s side. That was until Ciel came along. She could serve as a counterbalance. She should be happy having the opportunity to stamp out sinners and heretics.

  He didn't wish for cults to get too strong but he was also afraid of the Church not having enough problems and being able to allocate resources to the more unimportant things, like hunting Tanael. The more they destroyed each other, the better it would be for him.

  Well, at any rate Ciel is busy right now. Playing the powerbroker is also hella risky. Perhaps once I become Level 5. Viers Corporation is nowhere strong enough to make a dent in those two behemoths and their deities. They are still too big for my britches. Speaking of cultists...

  When he met Izabella face to face, he sensed that she had changed. Viers already had info that some members at the top of the Blood Church were vampires and Izabella had hinted she was attempting to become one in their conversations. It seemed that she succeeded. He didn't know the specifics yet and made a mental note to probe later.

  Her soul had a transformation but the pacts between them remained intact. Viers examined this using a very critical eye. As long as it holds, Izabella could never betray him. A measure of comfort, but still Viers won't let his guard down. The other side got a Devil Goddess as a patron deity. It would be foolish to underestimate them.

  At any rate, Izabella's end goal was to storm the Tower of Remorse, initiate a prison breakout and save her sister who was incarcerated there. That day was coming closer and closer. If circumstances allowed, Viers wanted to participate. He had plans for the inmates.

  Ahem, Blackbeard and Impel Down, ahem ahem, Viers coughed in his mind to no one in particular.

  With the wealth he got from the raid, Viers could hire every carriage in the capitol, order them to the Valentine Duchy, and still have enough to buy a big house with a swimming pool at the heart of the Crimson Capital.

  Baharir single-handedly held the profits of an entire city for a hundred years. Most of that sweet fruit now belonged to Viers.

  Not long ago, he also filled his coffers from selling a certain Level 5 nephew. A congratulatory donation for his Level 4 Ascension.

  His warehouse-sized wallet was about to burst.

  Viers pitied the good and proper Pathseekers like Croix and Ciel. It was truly as the saying goes: nice people finish last.

  Meanwhile, I’m shooting past with the speed of sound. Don't mind me.

  The proof backed him on this. When Viers first met Ciel, he was a Level 1 and Ciel was Level 2. At Valkut, they were both Level 3 but she had a higher cultivation base than him. Now, they were both Level 4 low even though Ciel was four years older. Viers felt he already surpassed her since he just bagged a two-century-old Level 4 peak.

  Who was Ciel Valentine? She was a duke’s daughter, which meant she was as highborn as it got. From lineage to education, she’d got the best that money could buy. In the Silver Legion she was counted as one of the most promising in the younger generation. Ciel was a world-class standard. The common Pathseekers couldn't dream of matching her prowess but Viers had surpassed her.

  And yet you must remain grounded, Viers boy. No need for bloating your ego. Can I still win against Ciel if she goes all out, especially with the Divine Weapon? A question that needs no answer. Just keep your head down, Mr. Villain. Now I'm Avel, a Level 3 vassal of Croix playing in this Grand Prix. Just keep being Eminence in Shadow until you’re too strong to be challenged. What's the downside anyway?

  Material treasures were nice but Viers was always partial to the inside of a man’s head. Since Baharir’s Imaginary Domain allowed him to command all four of the basic elements, his study on the four branches was quite substantial. His insight and comprehension over the two hundred years of his life made for good learning material since Viers used water. Many of his allies could benefit too, like the former three tenants, Boram, Faiya, and so on.

  The Blood Church got the Artes of the Magisterium during the raid but Viers got the copies. The good Artes could be used or improved for the Viers Corp. members. By selling them Viers would gain coins too. He got the Magisterium brand so people shouldn't question the quality.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Special mentions went to the very unique signature Artes. The Artes that became the core of a Pathseeker’s ‘build’. Naturally, Baharir had several, as did Lykin.

  The late Bone Raven assassin got plundered for goodies. The Level 4 femme fatale gave a happy surprise.

  From Izabella Viers came to know the three top-tier Blood Artes that the Blood Church regarded as lineage treasures. One of the three, Blood Seraph, Izabella learned and while Viers was unable to get a complete copy, Viers made a satisfyingly strong Arte from its concept, Proof of Death Arte.

  The Bone Ravens had something similar.

  Way back when he was a Level 2, Viers already had a brush with the assassin cultists. From the low ranking members he stole the Fade in Shadow Arte. Stealth was very important in an assassin’s kit and this Arte allowed one to become almost invisible in places that were dark, further mastery erased the likes of scent and presence.

  Viers used the Arte as Tanael and the Bone Ravens were not pleased. They had sent hunters for the Arte theft. Of course, Viers killed them all.

  Fade in Shadow was a versatile Arte. It was even usable by those without shadow or darkness affinity, although those possessing suitable affinity made the Arte more effective. The Arte contributed a lot when he was doing no-good clandestine works. The Arte was one of the reasons why the assassins were feared; it facilitated their capability to deliver a sudden fatal strike from a blindspot.

  As a high-ranking member of the cult, Lykin had something better.

  Turned out Fade in Shadow was a lesser version of another Arte. It was called Vanish in Abyss. Only the important members of the Bone Ravens were allowed to learn the Arte. It was better in every way and had no disadvantages. It was like trading a normal car with a Lamborghini.

  Now the legend of Arsène the elusive thief can soar even further, khukhukhu.

  While this meant he was throwing an even bigger mud ball at the Bone Ravens’ faces, Viers didn't care. They were already enemies anyway. Besides, an even better stealth Arte meant he got a bigger chance of escaping from a stronger enemy, like the Level 6 immortals that were hunting him. He knew it was a minuscule chance but every bit should help.

  Viers also got the knowledge about the Fell affinities but he had no intention of delving into it for the time being. More countermeasures against it would suffice.

  His battles against the Level 4s showed things that he should improve. His Imaginary Domain was broken twice! The Domain’s special ability was borderline cheating but it was clear his skill with a Domain was still immature. Baharir and Lykin both overcame his Domain.

  He needed to strengthen it. Enveloped by his Sea of Life and Death should be certain death for his foe. Thankfully he now knew how they did it and had a lot of other Level 4 souls and some Level 5s to improve other aspects of his Domain. He just needed time to study and practice. In his next battle, his Domain wouldn't be so embarrassingly brittle.

  Also, he realized a misunderstanding about the Domain’s special ability. Originally he thought it was making the enemy lose their lifespan.

  In truth, the Domain was making life veering towards death and the reverse.

  He wondered what this meant when there were dead people in his Domain. Would they return to life? Become undead?

  Viers was no stranger to necromancy. He had a lot of knowledge about the death arts from the soul internet and his soul affinity was uniquely suited for it. He had even used it from time to time, however, Viers never intended to make necromancy a cornerstone of his build.

  What about his Domain then? He had no answer at this time. He himself seemed unaffected by the Domain’s effect. Something he was truly grateful for. This was just like a poisonous animal was immune to its own poison.

  Another improvement Viers meant to pursue revolved around his soul foundation.

  His Pathseeker progress was progressing nicely. A Level 4 at his age was simply exceptional. Like every other Level 4, Viers meant to improve the trinity of existence. Normally at the Level 4 stage, people would only lay the foundation. The earnest improvement was at Level 5.

  In Viers’ case, his soul foundation was at the endpoint of what the Level 5 peaks aimed for. By eating thousands of souls of his fellow humans, Viers already evolved his Mortal Soul to Grand Soul when he was Level 3. This was one of the reasons his soul Artes were so strong. Not to mention most of his opponent's inadequate defense and knowledge about soul Artes.

  He was unable to progress further at the time but by becoming Level 4 he felt the limit had been lifted.

  After Grand Soul is Hallow Soul. If there are other stages after that I currently lack the knowledge. I stocked quite a bit of human souls in Tartarus, those that had no value left after complete soul searches. The long-unused Myriad Souls in One Arte will be of use again. Only, my mind and body are so far behind though.

  Viers hesitated pushing his soul foundation too far. He had been progressing his body and mind cultivation but just slightly. In the three years between his Level 3 peak and Level 4, he had a choice, to improve his body and mind, or raise his quality as Level 4. He opted for the latter.

  Because Viers didn't mean to become an all-rounder. He’d rather stand at the peak of a field than be in the middle of all three. In xianxia stories, the MC doing bodily cultivation while the normal cultivators were not was a common plot point. For reasons that eluded him, Viers was unmotivated to make his body, mind, and soul foundation at equal height and improve all three at the same pace. Not to mention his lack of body and mind affinity would make the progress much slower.

  He’d long decided to make his soul the main point of his trinity. He’d improve the body and mind part to the point they were firmly supporting his soul and no further. In other words, the bare minimum to keep the trinity existential balance.

  It was simply his style.

  Lastly, while his future prospects seemed clear, he knew how easily it could be cut off prematurely. All it took was a much stronger Pathseeker to appear in front of him. Viers experienced this twice so far. The first was Freya. The second was the Dumuzin cult master at Valkut.

  He survived both times but he never wanted to experience such defeats ever again.

  With the immortals’ arrival, odds were they would be the next ones giving Viers the gift of defeat.

  I have got the Mystic Star Shroud from Aletro, my chief protection from my pursuers. Recently I’ve tripled my usage of Insignificant Fate Arte. Improved Mind Curtain Arte to prevent mind peeper. If things got really bad, I’d become a monster and live my life under the sea for a few decades or centuries until I grew enough to rival them. I’ve more than enough contingencies. What’s left is to cultivate aggressively. My cultivation momentum is really strong right now, snowballing from my previous success. Must keep at it.

  Viers finished charting his near-future objectives.

  So much insight from the Magisterium raid. A long time coming, I suppose. My first real battle after three years of lull. There’s so much to do, and so many interesting ideas to implement. Path of Power is so fun!

  The carriage had come close to the border town. Round 3 of the Grand Prix would soon begin in earnest. Strangely enough, even though he was in a tournament arc, Viers didn't feel the tournament was all that important to his Pathseeker journey. His trial in the Book World was more impactful.

  Perhaps it’s because I’m not the 'Main Character' of this Latias story.

  Viers looked at Croix for a short while.

  Come to think of it, perhaps Countess Grace will make a move. Since the Tanael deal is complete, she has all she needs.

  Viers amusedly wondered if there would be a palace for Croix even if he became king. He just hoped the royal vault would be untouched. Croix promised him a pick of any treasure that was in there.