The Deceitful One

While Bryan was thinking about meeting his old friends, Dillon and Meryl were flabbergasted. They couldn\'t believe that someone could give away a potion recipe and meditation technique for a Rank 1 Path so easily!

For a moment, they even thought that Bryan was just playing around with them. They looked into each other\'s eyes and could see the shock as well as excitement in them.

Meryl then turned to look at Bryan and asked, "Mr. Lombardi, are you serious?"

"Hmm?" Bryan looked at her, puzzled, "Why wouldn\'t I be?"

"I mean to say, the potion recipe and the meditation technique would surely cost a lot of money. Would being your guide for merely a few days really suffice?" Meryl inquired.

"Ah!" Bryan finally understood what was happening. A meditation technique and potion recipe for Rank 1 were indeed expensive. The two of them could easily cost over 500 pounds.

However, Bryan was really not in need of money at the moment and according to his plan, he would be making tons of it in the near future. That\'s why he was so easygoing about it.

He waved his hand nonchalantly and replied, "It doesn\'t matter. If you still think being my guide is insufficient, then you can think of it as owing me a favor."

"It\'s a deal!" Dillon eagerly replied with a wide grin. Meryl, on the other hand, felt a little hesitant. After all, owing a Transcendent a favor was no small deal.

However, the allure of getting a meditation technique and potion recipe for Rank 1 was simply too great. After all, their families wouldn\'t provide it to them. Not anytime soon, at the very least.

She thought that Bryan would take advantage of them but to her surprise, she saw Bryan shake his head.

"You both must think about it for a couple of days. After all, this is a big decision and will alter the course of your life. Moreover, Illusion Path isn\'t the only Path there is as I\'m sure you already know." Bryan replied as he wiped his lips with a napkin.

Dillon felt as if he was doused by a bucket of cold water. However, he felt that Bryan did make sense. Hence, he silently pondered on what Bryan just said.

Meryl inquired, "Just how many Paths are there?"

"Before that," Bryan cut her off, "I must ask the two of you, just how did you come to know about the existence of Transcendents?"

After all, this was an imperative question.

Meryl and Dillon then went on to explain how they hailed from Transcendent families. Turns out, both their families were immensely wealthy.

Although they did not have nobility titles, but because both their families were engaged in commerce and worked directly with the state and royalty, they were able to get to where they were today.

And the reason why their family didn\'t help them become Transcendents yet, made Bryan chuckle.

"So, you\'re saying your families are very protective of you. And that\'s why they didn\'t allow you to become Transcendents till now?"

Dillon and Meryl nodded their heads in embarrassment.

Bryan couldn\'t help but sigh, "Well, that\'s a good problem to have."

"Back to the topic of Paths," he continued, "There all sorts of Paths in this world, ranging from the elemental ones and going all the way to ones that are elusive and conceptual, for example, Fate, Wisdom, Time, Soul, etc.

"So, before choosing which Path you wish to embark upon, you both should thoroughly do your research. Since you hail from a family of Transcendents, I\'m sure you will be able to find some information about it."

Dillon and Meryl thought that this was reasonable. All of a sudden, the former felt that Bryan might not be that bad of a person, after all. Otherwise, he wouldn\'t have gone to such lengths to explain such things.

"And after that, if you still wish to embark on the Illusion Path, then I can give the meditation technique and the potion recipe to you. If not, then I can suggest you some Transcendent Conventions here in Nadir." Bryan added.

Dillon asked curiously, "What are Transcendent Conventions?"

Bryan waved his hand, "I\'ll tell you about them later."

"And one more thing," Bryan reminded, "Don\'t expect me to babysit you and teach you the ways of a Transcendent and how to navigate this supernatural world. Is that clear?"

Dillon and Meryl nodded solemnly. Just the fact that Bryan was willing to give them such vital information, was already more than enough for them. They knew better than to ask for more.

"Now, if you both will be kind enough to show me around the city. I also need to buy a house." Bryan leaned back in his chair.

"No problem!" Dillon replied with bright eyes. His attitude toward Bryan had completely flipped 180 degrees.

"Do you have a preference for the neighborhood where you wish to buy a house? Or do you want us to recommend?" Meryl asked politely.

Bryan nodded, "One moment."

He then relaxed his body and took a few deep breaths. After getting into a trance-like state, his eyes turned silver underneath the blindfold.

Dream Divination!

\'Abigail Watson and Amy Watson\'s house in Nadir…\' Bryan repeated this statement in his mind a few times until he finally received a revelation from the Dreamworld!

In his vision, he saw a tidy neighborhood that had rows of houses on both sides of the streets. The footpaths were planted with luscious verdant trees that only added more beauty to this neighborhood.

Just one look at it and Bryan could tell that this was an extremely affluent neighborhood. The people walking on the streets wore expensive and good-looking clothes.

There were cars parked throughout the street in front of their respective houses. Moreover, all the houses here were at least two-storied or higher. And the architecture spoke volumes about just how much money had been invested.

Furthermore, in the near distance, Bryan could also see a large Church. Upon looking at the Church\'s symbol, he finally realized why it felt as if this neighborhood was a mixture of concrete and flourishing greenery.

It was because of its vicinity to the Church of the Earth Mother!

Bryan\'s eyes finally returned to normal after he confirmed the name of the neighborhood where Abigail and little Amy were in.

He extended out his spiritual sense to look at Dillon and Meryl but was surprised to see the way they were looking at him.

"What\'s the matter?" He inquired, puzzled.

"J-Just now…" Dillon gulped, "Mr. Lombardi, w-what exactly happened?"

"We felt a strange atmosphere around you the moment you leaned back in your chair. It felt…almost magical!" Meryl added, her eyes shining brightly.

"Ah," Bryan nodded, "I was looking where to buy a house."

"Amazing!" Dillon was enamored, "You can even do something like that with Transcendent powers?"

"I guess, not everyone." Bryan shrugged, "Call the server."

Dillon snapped out of his daydreaming and waved at the server. When the bill arrived, he insisted on paying for everything. Bryan didn\'t care and let him.

After the bill was paid. The trio left the restaurant. They then waited for Dillon\'s private car to pick them up. After about a few minutes, the three of them got inside the car.

Dillon looked at Bryan who was petting Benny on his lap, and asked, "Where are we headed?"

"Calm Springs neighborhood," Bryan replied succinctly.

Dillon as well as Meryl were slightly taken aback. After all, this was one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Nadir. Although the couple knew that Bryan was wealthy, it wasn\'t until now that they actually confirmed just how rich he was.

If one could afford to buy a house in Calm Springs, much less rent. It was evident, that they were very rich.

Apart from the area where the Royal Palace was located, Calm Springs fell under the top five most wealthy neighborhoods in Nadir!

"Do we know an exact location?" Meryl asked politely, "After all, Calm Springs is a very big neighborhood."

"You can drop me anywhere near the Church of the Earth Mother," Bryan replied.

Meryl raised her eyebrows in surprise, "How did you know there was a Church there?"

Bryan didn\'t reply. He simply smiled in return.

Meryl tactfully didn\'t ask further. Dillon on the other hand, instructed the driver and the car finally drove away. On the way to Calm Springs, the couple proactively showed Bryan all the common places in Nadir.

From places where he could go shopping, to locations of good restaurants, the business district, the location of the stock market—basically almost everything that happened to be on their way.

Bryan patiently listened to them and memorized all the important places. This was the reason why he needed a local resident to guide him in the city.

If he had done the same thing by himself, it would have taken him a lot more time.

After a thirty-minute drive, the car finally reached the Calm Springs neighborhood. Bryan was still trying to get used to the massive traffic here in Nadir. There were just too many cars here!

"You can stop right here," Bryan instructed. In the distance, he could see Abigail\'s house that he had seen in the vision.

Dillon instructed the driver to stop. He then looked at Bryan and stated, "Are you sure you don\'t need help looking for a house through a real estate agency?"

Bryan shook his head, "I\'ll manage."

Meryl then took out a small card from her purse and respectfully handed it to Bryan, "You can contact me through this number."

Bryan took the card that displayed Meryl\'s name and an eight-digit number. He couldn\'t help but ask, "What\'s this for?"

Meryl looked at him in a confused manner, "This is the number to my telephone."

Bryan\'s eyes widened in shock as he thought inwardly, \'Don\'t tell me! They\'ve already invented the phone while I was away!?\'