The next morning, soft sunlight filtered into the small room through the slightly open window, bringing with it the gentle warmth and the chirping of distant birds.
The sun's rays fell on Ventair's sleeping face.
His brows furrowed, then slowly his eyes opened, revealing deep pupils.
He turned to look at the ceiling, finding himself in an unfamiliar place.
His mind was still hazy, and as he wondered where he was, he suddenly remembered he had arrived at a human village with a plan to gather energy that very morning.
He sat up and looked out the window. It was already bright, and the villagers had begun their daily routines.
He got out of bed and greeted his angels:
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Lord of Heavens." x4
The clear voices of the angels replied to him. After the morning greetings, he intended to take a bath.
He instructed Abyzarai and Belloniel to cover the eyes of the two perverted angels, then undressed and immersed himself in the bathtub.
However, while bathing, he constantly felt watched, making him rush to finish and get out.
After his bath, he stepped out, dried himself, and put on his mask.
He then donned a black cloak that concealed his figure, over a white inner robe.
He locked his room door and went down to the main hall.
He noticed the area seemed sparse and less crowded, likely because it was morning and people were busy.
Still, a few adventurers were eating breakfast, while others checked maps or prepared their weapons.
At the reception desk, more expedition teams arrived, and some also departed.
He walked past them and headed straight out of the village.
Along the way, the scenery remained bustling and vibrant, unlike the quiet village scenes he was accustomed to.
As he walked, he wondered what a town or city would be like if a mere village was this lively.
A moment later, he reached the village gate and passed by the guards he had met yesterday.
They merely glanced at him before turning away. Ventair walked a short distance away from the village perimeter.
Seeing no one around, he quietly summoned Abyzarai and Seraphiel.
He whispered, "The two of you, come out."
Following his words, two streams of golden and dark light flew out from his body, forming a dazzling vortex of energy.
From this vortex, two exquisite forms gradually emerged, like pearls being separated from their shells.
First appeared Seraphiel, with transcendent beauty, her two-toned eyes sparkling like stars, and lustrous golden hair flowing down to her waist.
Next was Abyzarai, with an enchanting and seductive beauty, her eyes also two-toned like Seraphiel's but red and purple, with silver-white hair cascading down her back.
Behind them were slightly translucent energy wings, emitting a soft glow – golden for Seraphiel and black for Abyzarai.
Ventair had seen them many times, yet he still admired their beauty.
They truly lived up to their reputation as angels personally designed by him and enhanced by primordial energy, making their forms even more stunning.
After appearing, the two looked at him and bowed their heads.
"Greetings, Lord of Heavens."
Hearing their greeting, though he was somewhat used to it, he still felt a bit awkward.
Moreover, calling him that in a crowded place would be strange, so he decided to change their way of addressing him.
"From now on, you can call me 'Master,' all of you, including Mechaniel and Belloniel."
Hearing the change in address, they did not question it but simply obeyed Ventair unconditionally.
"Yes, Master." x4
Hearing this, he nodded in satisfaction.
He took out two more masks similar to his own and two more black cloaks, telling them to wear them to cover their faces and bodies.
He also told them to put away their wings, as they would draw unnecessary attention.
Seeing that they were fully dressed, he checked his current energy reserves: 3600 basic energy and 0.6 primordial energy.
With this much energy, he could create more angels, but he would save it for after this energy-gathering session.
With preparations complete, he walked ahead, with the two angels following him back into the village.
At the village gate, the two guards saw Ventair leading two strangers and questioned him.
"Who are those two behind you?"
He calmly replied, "They are my teammates. I just went out to pick them up."
Understanding, the guards allowed the three of them to enter.
However, the two guards still found their group's attire strange, wondering if the entire team consisted of assassins.
Ignoring the guards' suspicions, the three successfully entered the village. Ventair then quietly asked the two angels behind him,
"Can the two of you do it?"
Abyzarai: "Rest assured, Master. As soon as I entered this village, I could feel quite a few negative emotions. I can easily go there and absorb them."
Seraphiel: "Me too, Master. I have also sensed various positive emotions that I can absorb."
Hearing their words, he nodded, reassured.
"Then, the two of you, split up now and go absorb emotions. Return when it gets dark and give me the energy you've converted."
"Yes, Master." x2
After that, the two separated and went in different directions.
As for him, he planned to head to the village's adventurer guild headquarters.
It wasn't far from the inn; he only needed to walk a short distance.
He intended to go there to accept some quests and receive his guild member badge.
From his research yesterday, official guild members would have a guild badge.
New members, however, would not, allowing them time to consider whether to continue this profession.
After a week of completing low-level guild quests, if new members still wished to be adventurers, they would be granted a black guild badge.
Within the guild, the color and material of the badge represented their rank, and the guild had the following hierarchy:
1.Black: Levels 0-3
2.White: Levels 4-5
3.Bronze: Levels 6-7
4.Silver: Levels 8-9
5.Gold: Level 10
6.Platinum: Transcendent (Strong Being)
7.Diamond: Evolved (Evolved Being)
These were the most easily recognizable ranks based on the badge's color and material. After Diamond, each person would receive a red badge, and with each rank increase, a star would be added, corresponding to:
8.Elite (1 star): King
9.Master (2 stars): Emperor
10.Grandmaster (3 stars): Proto-Saint
11.Warlord (4 stars): Saint
12.War God (5 stars): Ascended Deity
These were the ranks within the adventurer guild.
The scale of this guild quite surprised him, as it existed throughout the human continent and was founded by three Ascended Deity-level humans after the racial war.
Every village, town, and city also had an adventurer guild presence.
In a village, the manager would be of Platinum rank, equivalent to the power of a Transcendent (Strong Being).
He also heard that the village chief was a Transcendent (Strong Being) as well.
Therefore, there were two Transcendent (Strong Being) individuals in this village.
However, compared to him, they were still too weak.
Thus, it could be said that he was stronger than everyone in this village, not to mention his four angels and the angels he would create in the future.
With such thoughts, he felt a bit confident moving around this village.
With that in mind, he proceeded toward the guild headquarters.