Chapter 158: Operative

A spatial fissure materialized out of thin air above the Abyssal World-Forge.

Theo stepped onto the floating courtyard, followed by Seraphina and Cassia.

By his side, Seraphina blinked, her eyes lowering in a moment of self-blame. She felt it was her own incompetence that had forced her Master to deploy a clone down the mountain to deal with House Rullus in the first place.

"You two have exerted yourselves in the Spire," Theo said, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Go freshen up. We can review the loot later."

"Master, are you not going to bathe first?" Seraphina insisted.

"Master, it is not good to skip baths!" Cassia quickly agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Very well. You two rest first," Theo’s lips twitched in amusement. He didn’t reject their proposal, turning and heading directly for the Forge’s Aether-Pool pavilion.

Seeing this, Nova, the World-Forge’s Aether-sprite, darted over to the lounger beneath the Astral Enlightenment Tree and promptly fell asleep.

"Cassia, return to your quarters and digest the combat experience from the Spire," Seraphina instructed her junior.

She then returned to her own room, locking the door and setting up two privacy wards. With a flushed face, she retrieved her Master’s discarded outer robes from her storage ring...

Inside the pavilion, Theo sank into the warm, glowing Aether-fluid of the pool. He exhaled a long breath and opened his interface. He had already bulk-processed the staggering amount of loot the girls had brought back from the Primeval Spire.

"System. Open the panel."

[Host: Theo]

[Faction: Abyssal Syndicate]

[Class: Parasite (Tier 5 - Vanguard Realm)]

[Merit Points: 7,943,000]

[Disciples: Seraphina (Tier 5 - Vanguard), Cassia (Tier 3 - Vanguard)]

"Nearly eight million points..." Theo clicked his tongue. "It is almost enough to push my meridians straight into the Supreme tier! However, the scaling cost is absurd. If this continues, will I have to assassinate Primeval Gods just to afford a class upgrade?"

Theo stared at the monumental sum, sighing at the exponential difficulty of progression.

[System Alert: Host’s accumulated Merit Points have exceeded one million. Auto-Assimilation Matrix unlocked.]

"Oh? Auto-Assimilation?"

[By activating the Matrix within the World-Forge, the system will consume a set amount of points daily to forcefully inject refined Aether into the Host, achieving ten times the standard cultivation efficiency.]

[Tier 1: 10,000 points daily = 100,000 units of Aether density.]

[Tier 2: 100,000 points daily = 1,000,000 units of Aether density.]

[Tier 3: 1,000,000 points daily = 10,000,000 units of Aether density.]

[Please select an activation tier.]

Theo’s eyes lit up. While this didn’t provide instantaneous upgrades like direct tier-purchasing, the tenfold return on investment was extraordinary!

With his current seven million points, he could sustain the matrix indefinitely. The only catch was that it only functioned within the World-Forge, likely because generating that much Aether in the outside world would drain the surrounding provinces dry and trigger a cataclysm.

"Activate Tier 1," Theo commanded.

At his current Vanguard tier, a standard minor realm breakthrough required roughly one hundred thousand units of Aether. With the Tier 1 setting, he would passively break through a minor internal boundary every single day, just by existing.

Furthermore, he still had several untouched Provincial-grade artifacts from the Spire’s upper floors waiting to be processed. Once he liquidated everything, his balance would easily cross ten million. At that point, he could activate Tier 2 and cruise into the Supreme tier in his sleep.

[Auto-Assimilation Matrix: Tier 1 activated.]

Instantly, Theo felt the World-Forge’s atmosphere shift. A vast, invisible current of pure Aether began seeping directly into his pores, circulating through his meridians without causing the slightest turbulence.

"Excellent. Finally, a streamlined path to the Primeval tier," Theo nodded in satisfaction.

He soaked in the Aether-fluid for another hour before rising. He grabbed a set of crisp, clean Syndicate robes from the rack, leaving his old garments behind. Given his unique physical constitution, worldly dust and karmic residue could not taint him; the bath was purely for mental relaxation.

Once dressed, Theo leisurely exited the pavilion.

Just as he stepped into the courtyard, he noticed Seraphina gently pushing open the door to his private quarters, her arms full of his freshly washed and folded clothes.

"M-Master?"

Feeling his gaze, Seraphina froze. She turned her head, her eyes widening behind her spectacles as she saw him standing at the pavilion entrance, smiling lightly.

"It is alright," Theo chuckled softly.

He had always been aware that Seraphina secretly washed and folded his discarded clothes. He just hadn’t expected the Syndicate’s most lethal operative to look so entirely flustered about it.

"Ah... M-Master..." Seraphina stammered, her face turning crimson from her collar to the tips of her ears. She struggled to form a coherent sentence, burying her chin into the stack of robes to avoid his gaze.

"You are very considerate," Theo said, stepping closer. "You always ensure my garments are cleaned and replaced perfectly. By the way, what kind of detergent do you use? It has a very subtle, pleasant fragrance."

He had noticed the unique scent on his robes recently and was genuinely curious.

"Ah? Oh... um," Seraphina squeaked, her blush deepening. "I use a... a special kind of fragrance. If the Boss likes it, then that is great! This is simply the duty of a senior operative!"

...

While his main body remained in the Abyssal World-Forge, one of Theo’s Shadow-Clones was currently standing in a pristine courtyard within the Imperial Capital.

"You are more important to the Syndicate than ascending to the Primeval tier!" Theo declared, his expression a mask of solemn sincerity.

His words silenced Princess Aurelia. She had meant to say more, but the sheer weight of his statement robbed her of her voice. For billions of cultivators across the Empire, reaching the Primeval tier was the deepest, most desperate desire. Most knew they would never achieve it, but they dreamed of seizing any fortuitous encounter.

Yet, Theo had placed her above it. His actions proved it.

Her heart raced, hammering against her ribs. "Theo... do you want to...?" she asked softly, her head lowered, a blush creeping up her neck.