I Hate Systems

Investigating the history and Lore of Systems, defeating them, foiling their plans, etc. all such things would allow him to level up the fastest.

But, that meant he would be living a high-profile life. If he was alone, such a thing was possible. But, there was Stencil too accompanying him. He wished to provide her with a stable life. So, even if it proved to be inferior and less efficient, he wished to level up through conventional ways.

But, it might take him decades just to gain a level in this manner.

Compass Carburettor then focused on the lady, continuing to hear her recount some more of her experiences.

Currently, her goal was to investigate an underground organisation that was operating in the Xetuka Kingdom which had clues related to her mother. She believed that her mother was still alive.

At present, she had a clue that pointed toward an informant working for this underground organisation. And it seemed his home was located nearby the back alley where she was found by Compass Carburettor.

She called herself Gehera, child to a human man and a Titan woman.  Appearance-wise, she seemed human, lacking any traits related to the Titans.

Even her profession was that of a Cartographer. But, Compass Carburettor was aware that when the right conditions were met, she would be able to access the Titan bloodline dormant within her.

And, the Personal Fragment in her body was the key to that.

"Hmm, I can help you." Compass Carburettor nodded after some time passed, seeing Gehera tearing up in response, expressing her gratitude. "But, you shouldn't be reckless. Let's make the necessary preparations first."

He then decided that it was a good time to contact Stencil and bring her over to have fun solving this mystery. But just as he was able to contact her through a Mental Energy stream, she did the same first.

[Dad, I saw Wayna heading towards a certain abandoned house. I'm tailing after her.]

[Idiot, don't be reckless!]

[I'll be careful. I'm not young, you know.]

Compass Carburettor got up with a start, panicking for a moment, startling Gehera at his abrupt action. He then stared at the Mental Energy stream trailing from him to Stencil, watching the stream curve in a certain direction.

He summoned his Anthozoa and shot out a Dragon Bullet, causing it to morph into a Mental Energy dragon that entered the Mental Energy stream, travelling through it like a fish before appearing beside Stencil in an instant, observing where she was headed.

[Ugh, dad, I'll be careful. Why are you worried so much?]

Stencil's voice sounded a bit annoyed, noticing his actions as he wasn't being subtle about it. Aware that he was somewhat overprotective about her, she didn't say anything otherwise.

After all, she had been hurt twice, brutally. So, it remained on his mind, wishing to always be with her so that he could protect her. Therefore, she didn't argue with him and instead convinced him calmly.

[Wayna seems more guarded against you than me, dad. Maybe even if she can't perceive anything regarding you, the Main Character fragment in her might be reacting to you. That could also be the reason. Instead, there wouldn't be such a reaction toward me. So, I can investigate things better.]

She then continued, sensing his emotions.

[Besides, I think you stumbled upon a clue too, right? Let's act separately for the time being, dad. We'll race to see who solves this mystery first, alright?]

[Just be…careful, alright? The mystery can go to hell for all I care. Just promise me that you'll remain safe.]

[Alright, I will.]

The Mental Energy dragon hovering beside her then vanished as Stencil smiled in response, hailing a carriage as she took on a different route, intending to coincidentally come across Wayna.

Even though Compass Carburettor left Stencil to her own devices, he didn't wish for her to come under harm.

Gazing at Gehera, he smiled wryly, "I sensed something amiss for a moment. Maybe it's just my senses, you see. I have just arrived at this town today."

"I s-see," Gehera nodded in response, calming down as she patted her chest, feeling the loud thumping of her heart.

Compass Carburettor instantly lost interest in everything, his mind failing to work as he was tensed, nervous about Stencil's situation. This Fantasy World wasn't in the least safe, as countless hidden powers had existed for many millennia without being destroyed.

So, stumbling upon them was tantamount to suicide. And in such a case, he didn't wish to leave his one and only daughter alone.

But it was her desire. Even though he wished to honour it, he had zero guarantees in maintaining it for more than a couple of minutes.

Finally, he decided, smiling as he motioned for Gehera to follow him while the index finger of his left gently touched the sides of the table.

Core Skill—Lore!

[There once existed a tool, a weapon of…]

The sentence in English formed at the side of the table, seemingly inscribed using Mental Energy, vanishing after a moment, causing a subtle fluctuation to seep into the place.

He then accompanied Gehera to exit the restaurant.

A couple of minutes later, a man wearing long robes appeared in the place, frowning as he looked at the table, inspecting it but failing to find anything amiss.

"Strange, I definitely sensed a terrifying power fluctuation from here…" He muttered, looking around as he observed the people nearby, with none able to even notice his presence.

His long robes cascaded over the floor but didn't touch it. His hair was long, almost reaching his feet while his beard touched his hip. Even his eyebrows had grown long enough to cover the sides of his face.

Sporting a heavenly countenance, the man seemed neither young nor old, standing at the location for a couple more seconds. His poise was grand, vast akin to a pillar shouldering the skies themselves.

'Did some troublesome existence make its way into our world?' He frowned, failing to find anything despite all his power. He then snapped his finger before vanishing.

And in response, the table turned into dust. Immediately after, a mysterious set of words floated out of them, intending to fly into the wall when the man appeared once again, extending his hand to grab hold of the set of words, frowning when they slipped through his hand, entering the wall before disappearing.