Chapter 15: Start, Awakening, Truth
Two months had elapsed since Lucen convened that pivotal strategic meeting with Diana and Lunaria in his private chambers. Since then, Lucen's daily operations had crystallized into a relentless cycle of discipline and training—study sessions with his literary tutor in the morning, followed by rigorous swordsmanship drills, and evenings reserved for rest and reflection. This closed-loop system, driven by Lucen's singular focus, pushed him to the brink of his physical and mental limits.
Lucen's research identified a dimensional constant: both this world and the Blue Planet shared identical calendars—seven-day weeks and 365-day years. Diana corroborated this fact, suggesting an immutable rule transcending dimensional boundaries—a revelation Lucen processed with corporate-like curiosity.
Every week's end, Lucen was summoned to dine with his parents in his mother's basement tunnel—an obligation that had become a strategic intelligence-gathering exercise. It was during these family meetings that Lucen discerned the bitter truth behind his mother's banishment: it was due to Lucen's failure to inherit the Dragon Heart.
Lucen recognized this as a deliberate misdirection—a false narrative likely propagated by someone within their trusted circle. He tasked Lunaria with an internal investigation. She reported last night that the prime suspect appeared to be one of his mother's maids—an expendable pawn in a larger scheme. Lucen, piecing together the facts with ruthless clarity, concluded that his father either knew and was complicit, or was simply incompetent and did nothing.
I was right—I need to leave this cursed family behind. I must find out if my mother also knows the truth.
Over the past two weeks, Lunaria executed a parallel operation without Lucen's full knowledge: leveraging the blood contract ritual with Lucen's blood obtained previously, she recruited new assets—exclusively women, as flagged by the system's constant notifications. Lucen, dismissing this detail as a cultural peculiarity, instructed the system to suppress further alerts. Whether this was a calculated move or executive fatigue remains unclear, but he opted to let Lunaria manage this operational nuance.
Fast forward four months—today marked a critical milestone. Lucen and Lunaria discreetly absconded from the castle, aided by a high-value teleportation scroll procured through covert business dealings with the Magic Tower. This scroll, restricted to a two-person payload, necessitated Diana's continued confinement within Lucen's summoning space—a convenient if not entirely strategic measure to avoid explaining her sudden presence to castle denizens.
To prove Lucen's fear was justified, his nanny had grown suspicious of his increasingly intimate bond with Lunaria. She reported these concerns to Lucen's mother, prompting a conversation that left Lucen both bewildered and appalled:
"Lucen," she said with measured candor, "even though you are still small, you cannot marry a slave who serves you in life and death. If you desire her so much, make her your mistress instead."
Lucen was shocked upon hearing this and choked on his tea in surprise.
Refusing to be deterred by such backward thinking, Lucen pivoted back to operational priorities. He summoned Diana and ventured into the barren wastelands with Lunaria at his side. Their expedition was both a test of combat readiness and a resource-gathering mission. Lucen's business ventures with the Magic Tower had yielded a substantial arsenal of explosive scrolls—an invaluable tactical advantage that transformed their monster-hunting efforts into a streamlined, high-efficiency operation.
By the end of that night, Lucen's level advanced to nine—a testament to his adaptability and relentless drive.
After another four months, he secured the rare resources necessary to awaken Diana's Ice Heavenly Vein via the Magic Tower. To avoid detection by castle surveillance, Lucen decided to travel to the barren land via teleport. He convened a private operational briefing with both Lunaria and Diana, methodically outlining the system's detailed instructions for the next phase.
Following the system's protocol with executive precision, Lucen presented Diana with the requisite elixir—an enigmatic substance that would catalyze her evolution. Without hesitation, Diana ingested it, her unwavering trust in Lucen manifest in the determined glint of her eyes.
In the instant the elixir touched her lips, a dramatic transformation unfolded. Diana's body radiated an icy aura of overwhelming intensity; the very ground around them froze solid. Her once-black hair shimmered with a silvery-blue luminescence, and her eyes adopted the same ethereal hue—an apparition of glacial majesty evoking the image of an Ice Goddess descended from the heavens.
As Diana's power surged, she began to absorb not the qi of Murim but the pure mana saturating this world. Lucen noted the distinction keenly—whereas Murim's environment had been entirely devoid of mana, this world was abundant with it, fundamentally altering Diana's potential. The system initiated a real-time analytical report, confirming Lucen's hypothesis.
System Report:Analysis complete. The evolution and activation of Diana's Heavenly Ice Vein are successful. Diana de Lucen has ascended to level 15 and now possesses the unique ability 'Frozen World.' This ability enables the user to transform all surrounding matter into ice and manipulate it freely at will.
Congratulations. You have successfully embarked on the journey of a true Summoner. You are hereby rewarded with 100,000 points and the title: 'Owner of the Ice Goddess.'
Lucen's brows arched with corporate curiosity at the title's phrasing. He scrutinized its descriptor:
Owner of the Ice Goddess:The once-fallen Ice Goddess's abilities have been reawakened within Diana de Lucen. She is now recognized as the heir to the Ice Goddess. Should she acquire full qualification, she may ascend as the Goddess of Ice herself. As her master, Lucen is granted the title 'Owner of the Ice Goddess.'
Title Reward: Ice Domain—a downgraded version of 'Frozen World' that enables the creation and control of an ice domain.
The magnitude of the title and its implications for Diana's future were sobering. Lucen understood Diana was no longer merely his summoned companion—she had become an integral component of his strategic operations and his potential ascent within this world's power hierarchy.
As the system's final chime faded, Diana's consciousness slipped away—her body, now taller and more regal, collapsing in a faint. She was, after all, a child of merely seven years, and this transformation exacted a considerable toll. With swift executive judgment, Lucen dispatched Diana to recuperate within his summoning space, ensuring her safety and ongoing operational integrity.
Turning his attention to Lunaria, Lucen posed a critical question with characteristic corporate directness:"Lunaria, are you still not ready to become a mage?"
Lunaria responded with a silent shake of her head—her eyes clear and unwavering, yet resolute in their refusal.
Lucen accepted this with pragmatism—each asset's growth is unique, and he would neither rush nor coerce her beyond her limits.