Minutes before.
Caleb hurried to search for Bradley, and when he finally found him, he relayed what Marcus had asked.
Bradley was walking around in a cloak, alongside four other younger-looking individuals.
Three men and a woman.
Since Marcus had given him the go-ahead to pick proteges, Bradley had taken his time vetting out people who were capable of the job.
Though Marcus had asked him not to be too strict when it came to the age of whoever he picked, Bradley didn't want anyone older than him.
He found the idea to be… uncomfortable.
And since the pay and benefits that came with the positions were very attractive to the Agardians, a lot of people registered.
After much deliberation and tests, he had settled on these four.
The youngest of them, Gibson, who was picked for his fast thinking and ability to adapt.
Tigger, a tan-skinned youngster who was fairly educated and was an able scribe. His handwriting and ways with words quickly caught Bradley's eye.
Ramy, another young man who had a knack for personnel coordination and human resources. One would say that he had a glib tongue, as he could negotiate with the wind.
And then Winny, the only female who was picked. And arguably, the most talented amongst the proteges, Bradley would say.
She was well educated and well traveled, capable of speaking the six major languages of the Sal continent.
Making her a rare breed amongst those who applied.
In fact, Bradley had thought her to be a spy when she first applied.
He had only accepted her application after investigating her origins.
Winny's grandparents were Agardians who had gathered some coins and sent their children out to learn and flourish.
However, after flourishing, none of their kids returned to take their parents away, nor did they send word back.
When Winny found out about this, she made it her life's goal to at least see who her grandparents were, and with that in mind, she left home.
Not long after she made it to Agard, she was captured and imprisoned by the Faceless Order.
…
"The young lord said that?" Bradley questioned as his brows furrowed.
He rubbed his thumb on his palm as he began to think.
Bradley was unable to understand Marcus's reasoning behind the order he gave.
Regardless, he complied.
Bradley wasn't scared that their mantra would be exposed, no.
They had found a way around that.
Even currently, not everyone who had awakened their Blood Force with the Blood Bane Arts had done so with the knowledge of the mantra.
Rather, they realized that the mantra could be recited nine times over the blood, causing the energies within to activate and stay activated for almost an hour.
All that remained was for one to get in the tub and absorb the blood.
The younger population still within the accepted age of Blood Force awakening had awakened without the mantra.
Marcus preferred that they find their own paths.
While the older ones were taught the mantra, or else, without it, they had no chance of success.
Though there were some caveats.
Those who awakened with the mantra were evidently stronger than the others who didn't, especially because of the trace of beastly aura they acquired after awakening.
"Ramy, Tigger, go and let the storekeeper know that we need three tubs filled with high-rank Feral Beast blood. If there's none, then a diluted peak-rank Feral blood would suffice. Be quick about it; Lord Marcus will be needing it soon."
"Yes, sir!" The two ran off to carry out this order.
Not long after, they had set up three tubs filled with high-rank Feral Beast blood.
Not long after they were done setting the tubs up, Marcus had entered the stables.
From a distance, Bradley stood and watched as Marcus was interacting with the students.
He was still trying to figure out what this young lord of his was thinking.
And then he saw Marcus clap and laugh.
Wait… Bradley blinked a few times. He recognized that expression and mannerism.
Lord Marcus, you don't plan on scamming these people, right?
Suddenly, every question he had about what Marcus was thinking started working themselves out.
Bradley sighed and shook his head. "Poor students."
…
Marcus wasn't aware of what Bradley was thinking, and even if he was, he wouldn't care.
At the moment, he was more occupied by the feeling of almost achieving something.
That suspense.
The first person to rush forward was Eddy. It was obvious that he had fewer reservations than the other two.
While they still held skepticism, Eddy had already done away with his.
Not even a shred of fear was on his face, just yearning and conviction.
If this blood can permanently increase my strength, then there'll be no need for me to keep on secretly using that drug.
Eddy paused before the boiling tub of blood and let the heat hit his face.
He could sense that there was potent energy within the tub. "It's a high-rank Feral Beast's blood."
At the moment he said this, both Veronica and Sam had come to the same conclusion.
And they all couldn't help but wonder how much force Marcus had mobilized to take down the beast from whence this blood came.
How many had died?
They had no idea, but they had to respect the young lord's resourcefulness.
It was easy to guess where they had been hunting the beast; after all, who on the Sal continent didn't know of the Daze Mountains.
Suddenly, a voice, only heard by Veronica, spoke. "Young mistress, the energy within this blood of tub… It's very pure and almost ancient." She began. "I think it will have a very positive effect on your special constitution and body overall."
Veronica stared at the blood with a lot of questions in her mind, but she said nothing and stepped into it.
Almost immediately, Eddy got into his own tub too.
Only after both of them had settled in their tubs did Sam get into his.
He waited to see if there would be adverse effects, or if there was some sort of secret ploy that Marcus was playing and they didn't know.
However, after entering the tub, he came to realize that there was nothing of the sort.
Rather, great energy that seemed to match and mix well with his Blood Force rushed into his body from his skin.
Despite the blood being hot, they all seemed not to notice it, as their minds were overtaken by the energy in the blood.
Sam immediately got the urge to tear his clothes off so that the blood could contact his skin even better.
But he held himself back.
Soon, all three of them lost themselves in the intoxicating nature of the blood induced by the mantra of the Blood Bane Arts.
The unbridled, beastly energy within the blood coursed through their bloodstreams, mixing with their Blood Force and making them stronger.
For Eddy in particular, the energy seemed to have inspired some illusion in his mind, or perhaps it was his great desire for power that could draw his family's awe.
He saw himself growing into one of the most powerful figures in Ulha.
With just a swing of his blade, he could slice through seas and mountains.
He would stand on the clouds and look down upon those who had looked down on him.
That feeling was intoxicating and euphoric, to the point where Eddy couldn't tell the difference between the illusion and reality for a little while.
And then his euphoria came to an abrupt stop, as did the beastly energy that was fueling his growth.
He opened his eyes to reality, back to the stables and a smiling Marcus.
"So, what do you think?" He asked.
Eddy remained speechless and looked at what was left of the liquid in the tub.
It had almost turned transparent, like water, save for the few white blobs that looked a bit like fat, floating around it.
"Have I absorbed it all?" Eddy asked, feeling a bit regretful.
He wasn't able to totally focus on cultivating as his mind was occupied by that lucid illusion.
However, he could feel that he had gotten stronger.
As someone who had been stuck on the mid-rank level of the Tidal Wave stage, he could feel that he was infinitely close to breaking through to the high-rank.
But he needed that push to get there.
Eddy quickly stood up and jumped out of the tub, landing before Marcus.
"Lord Marcus, please, how can I get more? What will it cost me to get more of this?"
As he was asking this, Sam and Veronica had already awakened from their cultivation.
They too had the crippling urge to ask Marcus the same question.
Not because they had never seen anything that could assist them in bettering their strengths, but rather, because they had never felt anything like this.
This was the case especially for Eddy and Veronica.
As for Sam, he didn't let his face portray his thoughts, but his mind was running circles trying to figure things out.
Got em! They are hooked now!
Marcus's smile threatened to widen, but he suppressed it by shaking his head.
"I'm afraid that I can't provide you with any more of this."
Their faces fell. This was an answer they were expecting to hear but hoped otherwise.
"Unless…" Marcus added, and subtly but surely, their ears pricked up.