Chapter 384: Sense of Crisis

In the days that follow, Henwell loses all interest in anything else. He spends every day rushing between various projects at the Technical Research Institute. Though people find it a bit strange, they don’t suspect much. After all, many people feel a vague anxiety and fear before their wedding day.

Even Duchess Grace thinks Henwell is just nervous about the upcoming big day, which is why he’s throwing himself into intense work to distract himself.

Is Henwell nervous? Of course! But it’s not because of the wedding.

A month from now, he’s set to embark on a mission to an unknown world, not just an unfamiliar country or continent, but an entirely unknown world!

Not just Henwell, even gods would lie awake at night feeling tense about something like this.

Besides, many things no longer require Henwell’s direct involvement. This period before his wedding is arguably the most relaxed time in his life. Unless it’s a major decision, department heads won’t bother him now.

Henwell finally has plenty of time to assist various projects at the Technical Research Institute. Whether it’s extraordinary alloys or analyzing extraordinary potions, these are projects Henwell personally helped establish, and he’s considered an expert in both.

With Henwell on board, progress on these two projects accelerates noticeably. In just ten days, they develop a new type of extraordinary alloy. There’s also significant advancement in potion analysis.

It’s not that Henwell is a genius, it’s mainly because he holds the authority to make final decisions. Some critical experiments require approval, but with Henwell present, they can bypass that step.

Moreover, Henwell’s arrival opens up access to scarce resources. As long as the research team is qualified, throwing money at the projects really speeds up progress.

Besides spending time at the Technical Research Institute, Henwell also uses this hidden spot to spar with Newwood. Near the explosives workshop in the valley, there’s a training ground.

Right now, the two of them are locked in combat there, leaving behind red and black afterimages as they clash.

Henwell grips two longswords—one held normally, the other reversed. Blood Will shrouds his entire body as he struggles to fend off Newwood’s assault.

Holding the Dawn Greatsword in his left hand, Henwell blocks a heavy slash from Newwood’s long blade, the force knocking him down onto one knee.

But Henwell reacts quickly, thrusting the Dusk Greatsword in his right hand upward toward Newwood’s chin.

Just as the sword tip is about half a foot from Newwood’s face, Henwell halts his strike.

A cold metal presses against his forehead.

Newwood’s left hand grips an old-fashioned flintlock pistol, pressing it against Henwell’s helmet. “Bang! You’re dead again!”

Henwell pushes the gun aside, stands up, stretches his aching body, and then gets back into stance. “Again!”

After a few more minutes, Henwell’s Dawn Greatsword flies out as he half-kneels on the ground. Newwood grabs the back of his helmet, pressing his long blade against Henwell’s neck.

During a break, Henwell frowns. “Is the gap between a Glory Knight and an Iron Knight really this huge?”

Lying under the shade of a tree, Newwood replies, “It’s a big difference since that’s a higher rank. The further you go in cultivation, the greater the gap between ranks becomes. Even within the same rank, different realms can have astonishing differences.”

”But you’ve got one thing wrong, you’re not far behind the Glory Rank in general, just behind me. I’m a full-time fighter for the group, so I naturally have an edge in combat. You still haven’t fully defined your path, so the gap between us is obvious.”

”In reality, though you can’t beat Glory Rank professionals in a straight fight, if you focus on running for your life, you have a good chance.”

Henwell asks, puzzled, “You keep saying I haven’t found my own path yet. I have two extraordinary paths—Blood Will and Armed Civilization. So what does that mean exactly? Because I don’t feel any boost in my combat power from Armed Civilization at all.”

Newwood pulls a blade of grass into his mouth and says, “When you cultivate two powers at the same time, usually only one takes the lead at this stage. It’s like a car with two powertrains, most of the time, only one is actually used. Eventually, you might even forget you have the other extraordinary power.”

”Take your Blood Will, for example. That’s a path that noticeably kicks in during desperate battles. After tough fights, your soul instinctively strengthens it.”

“As for Armed Civilization, I think it really shows when your faction is growing and you’re facing strong enemies.”

”But honestly, don’t overthink it. Just take things step by step. Once you reach Glory Rank, you’ll start tapping into higher-level powers—laws of the universe. At that point, you’ll gradually understand your cultivation system better, and everything will fall into place naturally.”

Henwell isn’t satisfied. “Can you show me the combat power range of Glory Knights on the Abundant Continent?”

Newwood rolls his eyes. “Are you really that scared? Always setting up some unknown powerful enemy?”

Henwell shrugs helplessly. “You’re different. You’re a lone wolf. But I have a big family and a big responsibility. I can’t just hide. The Holy Spirit Church only uses me, and the Veil Organization is lurking nearby, always ready to strike.”

”Both groups have Glory Rank operatives on the Forgotten Continent. If one day I really get targeted by both, I want to have some idea of what I’m up against.”

Reluctantly, Newwood gets up from the grass. “Alright, fine. I’ll try to simulate the combat power of a Glory Knight from the Holy Spirit Church.”

Just as Newwood described, although Henwell isn’t a Glory Rank, he can still hold his own against professionals of that rank for a while thanks to his Blood Will and exceptional physical condition.

This latest fight drags on for over ten minutes before Henwell finally falls.

Newwood sheaths the long blade he had pressed against Henwell’s back and says, “Honestly, you don’t need to worry so much. Like I said, you have two extraordinary paths. Your Armed Civilization just hasn’t been fully developed yet. That doesn’t mean it’s ineffective against enemies.”

“We’re allies, so your Armed Civilization hardly affects me. But if you face experts sent by those two factions, your Armed Civilization will definitely come into play and heavily restrict them. Against weaker Glory Rank fighters, you probably don’t even need to run. You can force them off on your own.”

Henwell asks, “Like Archbishop Ashiburn, who’s a super Glory Rank built up with resources? What if I run into a bloodline user? Should I just run away then?”

Newwood looks at him in surprise. “What are you thinking? When I say weaklings, I mean bloodline professionals. Their power comes from their bloodline abilities, which are exactly the kind that Armed Civilization counters. When they fight you, those so-called bloodline powers actually become a burden.”