Emerging from his soul realm, Sokram allowed himself a brief but restorative sleep.

Despite resting for only a few hours, the silvery glow of the moonlight filtering through his bedroom window invigorated him, bolstered by his Lunar Energy Regeneration ability.

As dawn lingered just beyond the horizon, Sokram rose, determined to make the most of the quiet hours before the city stirred.

He set about preparing for the day ahead, his mind already racing with plans and possibilities.

He began by handwriting several blood contracts and technique scrolls, meticulously crafting each one with precision.

Once satisfied with his work, he turned his focus inward, engaging in cultivation until morning.

Reaching Tier 2 was crucial, not just because it would allow him to advance further but also because it would give Hannah no excuse to delay teaching him alchemy any longer.

However, the only thing that interested him in advancing his cultivation beyond that was the increase in power.

As for Ascension, he understood that the best way to raise his Level of Existence from Awakened to the Ascendant realm was through Biomancy, a skill he couldn’t yet justify knowing.

Moreover, another impediment would be entering the Reformation Level of Existence before coming of age with his body not fully mature, which could lead to complications.

Reforming something that wasn’t fully formed was a risky endeavor, and Sokram wasn’t one to take risks for no reward.

When he stopped cultivating, he had made a minor advancement toward Tier 2.

Such was the advantage of cultivating Chaos Energy; not only was it a far more potent form of energy, but it also allowed for faster progression in the lower realms.

However, Sokram knew that after reaching the Transcendental Level, the number of bottlenecks one would face would become unbearable, often leading to stagnation.

But if he could acquire the knowledge he needed, the fate of his entire planet, and perhaps even his galaxy, could change faster than even Fate herself could interfere.

Not that he distrusted Fate, but he knew she had her own set of rules to follow.

She wasn’t a person with free will; she was the personification of one of the forces of creation within the Multidimensional Plane of Existence.

Sokram understood that the only reason he was still alive after meeting her was both her fear of him and that his return from the future was fated.

A fate not even the personification of Fate could fully comprehend.

When he descended the stairs, he found his master, Leona, and his grandmothers, Margiory and Hannah, already there.

They were re-watching the recordings of the second day of his hunt. Sokram chuckled at the sight. "Heh, you’re still on that?"

"Oh, good morning, darling. Ready to start the day?" Hannah asked, looking away from the crystal's projection and smiling at him.

"Sure," Sokram replied, grabbing a quick bite to eat. "I’ll eat something, and then we can start our rounds."

He hinted that today’s agenda would be more extensive than they had anticipated.

But they had no objection to that. As Margiory expressed, "Alright, good thing I’m wearing my work shoes. I also need to get better acquainted with Eversnow."

While Sokram ate, he multitasked, pulling out a stack of blank scrolls and beginning to write.

Hannah always found the sight of Sokram’s multitasking amusing.

To her, it looked like he was racing against time, though she didn’t realize how accurate that observation was.

By the time he finished eating, he had written ten scrolls.

Margiory, who had been peeking at them, grew curious. "What are you writing these techniques for?"

Sokram flashed her a greedy smile, never lifting his eyes from the scroll he was working on.

"Business, Nana. A very lucrative one at that," he said, his mind already calculating the potential profits and alliances this venture could bring.

“Baby, if you need anything, you know you can always ask, don’t you?” Margiory asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she struggled to understand why he appeared so intent on gathering funds.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Hannah, too, had picked up on this behavior the previous night, sensing that Sokram was orchestrating something, something he wasn’t quite ready to reveal.

"I know, Nana," Sokram replied, finally looking up from the scroll.

His gaze shifted between the three women in front of him. "I’ll tell you all more soon. For now, trust me, alright?"

Leona barely acknowledged him, simply nodding in agreement.

Although she worried and was quite overly protective of him, she trusted him completely.

Hannah raised an eyebrow teasingly but eventually sighed and nodded, giving up on prying further.

Margiory, however, was the only one who pressed the issue.

"I'll trust you," Margiory said, her voice softening as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "But don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything. You don’t have to carry everything on your own, baby. Promise me that?"

"I promise you, Nana," Sokram said with a warm smile before returning to his writing and eating.

Half an hour later, he stored twenty-five scrolls in his Void Glove, and they set out for the day.

Sokram was surprised to find Periklis waiting right in front of their estate. Glancing at Leona, he smiled. "Thanks, Master. I was going to get him first, haha."

"I figured as much," Leona replied. "He’s quite the wild one, but look how he perked up when he saw you."

She would have been impressed if anyone else had tamed such a spirited bird, but it suited her disciple perfectly.

Their first stop was the South Gates Stables.

Oliver, the stable manager, was tending to a few tamed wolves when he noticed Sokram entering alongside three women.

He quickly recognized Leona, who was very famous in the city, and Hannah, whose arrival years prior had stirred quite a bit of gossip.

But Margiory’s presence frightened him.

Any self-respecting merchant knew who she was.

"Look, I don’t want any trouble," Oliver said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"It was a fair deal. The boy gave me the technique, and I gave him a Thunder Peko." His fear was evident in his tone.

Sokram laughed lightly, amused by the man’s panic.

"Haha, old man, you sure get scared easily. Don’t worry, they’re only here as witnesses. I’m still not of age and can’t sign any business contracts without a family witness."

Despite Sokram’s reassurance, the looks Oliver received from the three women made it clear that any wrong move could cost him dearly.

Oliver sighed in defeat.

He had been waiting for Sokram’s return, trying to come up with a way to gain the upper hand in their negotiations.

But now, with Sokram’s formidable entourage, he knew that was impossible.

Oliver led them to his office, the air thick with the scent of hay and animal musk.

Margiory looked around, her expression growing increasingly concerned as she took in the state of the stables.

The wooden beams were weathered, and the stalls were in disrepair, with patches of straw scattered across the dirt floor.

The faint sound of wolves growling in the distance added to the uneasy atmosphere.

She couldn’t understand what Sokram had seen in this place to begin with.

The sight of Oliver’s office did little to improve her impression; if anything, it only deepened her worries.

As they sat and started negotiating, Sokram took the lead while Hannah and Margiory observed, intrigued.

Leona didn’t pay much attention, but the little she caught on also left her puzzled.

The negotiations, however, proceeded smoothly.

The presence of the three women made Oliver less inclined to try to take advantage of Sokram.

But even so, Sokram surprised him with the generosity of the deal he offered.

“…So let me get this straight,” Oliver began, incredulous. “You’re offering to supply the mages, the taming, and the training techniques, while I’ll be responsible for finding the magical beasts and coordinating with your hunting team? My staff will manage the stables, and all you want is fifty percent of the profits?”

His disbelief was palpable, mirrored by the astonished expressions of Margiory and Hannah.

"Yes," Sokram said. "Although I could make a lot of money selling these techniques, I could only sell them a few times before they became old news. But by lending them to you under contract..."

Sokram summoned two handwritten blood contracts, placing one on the table for Oliver and handing the other to Margiory.

"...I’ll get a steady income as long as you do the work. And if at any point you stop pulling your weight, I can readily cancel the contract on my end. So, even if you’ve learned the techniques, by contract, you can’t teach or resell them."

Sokram smiled as Oliver’s expression grew increasingly flabbergasted with each line he read.

Even with all his years of experience, Oliver couldn’t find a single loophole in the contract.

Margiory, too, was impressed. "When did you learn to make contracts like these?" she asked, her tone a mix of astonishment and pride.

Sokram smiled, pointing at his glove.

Margiory instantly understood that he had learned it from his books.

But Oliver still had one lingering question. "Why me?"

Sokram had anticipated this. "Because you have something no one else has. It’s either knowledge or an artifact. Getting four Thunder Pekos as young as those isn’t something just anyone could do."

Sokram summoned thirteen sealed scrolls onto the table. "But something tells me you have the means to not only get Elemental Pekos but other magical beasts, too. Am I right?"

Oliver swallowed hard.

Sokram’s guess was spot-on, if it was even a guess at all.

The surprised expressions on the faces of the women accompanying Sokram confirmed that this was the first time they were hearing about it, too.

Oliver was very confident in his abilities as both a businessman and a judge of character, so he could tell at least that much.

But while weighing Sokram’s words, Oliver reflected on his circumstances.

Years ago, during one of his expeditions to capture beasts for taming, Oliver had stumbled upon a wandering merchant in a remote village.

The merchant’s cart was filled with strange artifacts, each radiating a faint, otherworldly glow.

One item in particular had called out to him, its aura resonating with something deep within him.

Despite the exorbitant price, Oliver had purchased it, driven by a gut feeling he couldn’t ignore.

Months of painstaking research later, he discovered its true potential: the artifact could track the energy flow of any Magical or Chaos bird kind of beast.

The only detail was that it only tracked hatchlings, chicks, or very young birds.

It was a risky investment, but one that had paid off handsomely.

Sokram’s voice brought Oliver out of his daze.

"But don’t worry, we won’t pry, nor will we try to take whatever’s yours. All I’m putting on the table is something I have that you need, while you’re adding something only you can provide. That’s why I came to you first."