Immortal Creed

Liens and Lucrezia quickly arrived at the meeting site, where many people were already seated around a makeshift conference table. Although they weren't the last to arrive, they were close to it.

Seeing them enter the meeting room, the others nodded in greeting, and a few enthusiastic ones even waved happily at them.

"Over here, over here."

Isabelle waved happily, gesturing.

Of course, she wasn't calling out to Liens, who barely left his room all day, but to the charismatic Lucrezia, who attracted attention wherever she went.

"Excuse me."

Lucrezia quietly said goodbye to Liens, then stepped towards the seat next to Isabelle.

Liens looked at Lucrezia, then at the smiling Isabelle, wondering when their relationship had become so good. Was it the attraction between women of the same age?

Although from her appearance, Isabelle didn't look like a young woman in her twenties; she looked more like a 14 or 15-year-old girl, or even younger.

However, the Life fluctuations emanating from her body still indicated that she was an adult.

Moreover, when Isabelle introduced herself earlier, she specifically mentioned this, seemingly very concerned about being treated like a child.

"Is Lucrezia planning to develop her into a member of her faction as well?"

Liens thought to himself. He recalled the discussion he had with Lucrezia two days prior about the "mutual influence between divinity and magic," and the examples she gave at the time seemed quite realistic.

His thoughts raced, but Liens didn't stop walking. With a calm expression, he sat down in the empty seat reserved for their faction.

Seeing Lucrezia sit next to Isabelle, Uria awkwardly lowered his hand. Perhaps a little embarrassed by his earlier action, he subconsciously straightened his face and sat upright, adopting a state of seriously attending the meeting.

Donahue, who was nearby, smiled and gently pushed a teacup in front of Liens, asking in a gentle tone, "Would you like some tea?"

Donahue Charles, one of the members of Lucrezia's faction. From his appearance and Life fluctuations, his age was probably between thirty-five and forty.

He had a proper appearance and a well-proportioned physique. Most of the time, he faced others with a gentle expression. His short blue hair seemed to hint at his identity as a Water Great Knight.

Overall, Donahue gave off the impression of a handsome and gentle uncle type.

"Thank you."

Liens pondered Donahue's information in his mind, while nodding and saying thank you. Then, he picked up the teacup from the table and took a small sip.

The tea was excellent. Before even tasting it, he could smell a fresh and pleasant aroma. It was smooth upon entry, initially slightly bitter, but quickly transformed into sweetness. After drinking, the aroma and flavor lingered in his mouth, leaving a lasting aftertaste.

"Very good tea."

Liens took another sip, then put down the teacup, simply stating his evaluation. Although he could have used more elegant words to describe the tea, there was no need.

Donahue merely wanted to use this tea to initiate a conversation between them; a simple good or bad was sufficient.

As for why Donahue had to be so circuitous in asking Liens if he was willing to communicate with him?

It was because Liens gave off an overly reclusive impression. Since joining the Rebel Army, besides Lucrezia, who communicated with him frequently, others rarely even saw him.

Now that Lucrezia was sitting with Isabelle, it was only natural for him, as the elder brother of their faction, to take on the task of maintaining relations between the two sides and bringing Liens closer to them.

Hearing Liens's reply, the smile on Donahue's face deepened a few shades. Then, as if complaining, he said to Liens, "It's good that you like it. There aren't many people here who like to drink tea. On weekdays, I can't even find a fellow enthusiast to drink tea with."

"The tea tastes too bland; wine is more refreshing to drink."

As if finding a topic to avoid his awkwardness, Uria, who was nearby, suddenly interjected.

"Alcohol harms the body. When you reach my age, you'll understand the importance of daily body maintenance."

Donahue's expression seemed to recall something, and he looked somewhat emotional.

"Don't think that a Great Knight's body is immune to all diseases. Some diseases are parasitic within us, and because our physiques are very strong, it's actually very difficult to detect that we're sick."

"By the time we start to feel discomfort in our bodies, the root of the disease has already spread throughout most of the body. At that point, it becomes difficult to treat."

Donahue's face became more serious as he earnestly said to Uria.

"There's a specific type of alchemical potion that mimics this disease; it has a long incubation period and is very difficult to detect. Once the potion's toxicity spreads, it becomes almost incurable."

"Even if the potion's toxicity is successfully removed, the body will already be riddled with holes and not what it once was."

"Therefore, it's very necessary to pay close attention to your body on a daily basis, lest you suffer losses and still think it's just your body failing."

"Alright, alright, I get it... Oh, right, Liens, have your injuries healed? You haven't left your room these past few days, not even eating. Everyone's a bit worried about your condition."

Donahue illustrated the importance of daily body care with examples, and seeing him start to ramble, Uria, who didn't want to hear him lecture further, immediately shifted the topic to Liens.

"My injuries have mostly healed. I've been cultivating indoors these past few days. The reason I don't eat is because I no longer need to ingest food to sustain my body's activities."

Liens calmly responded to Uria's question.

"The Grandmaster Realm is that amazing? You can live without eating!"

Uria's expression was somewhat astonished, seemingly very surprised that Liens didn't need to eat.

"Oh, right, since your injuries have mostly healed, how about we have a sparring session later? Just to stretch our muscles."

Uria then extended an invitation to Liens for a sparring match.

Uria Gray, one of the members of Lucrezia's faction, a Fire Great Knight, skilled with a spear. His Spirit Phase takes the form of a white wolf, and his strength is not as high as Count Bard's.

He was around twenty-five years old, with a handsome appearance and short, dark brown hair. Overall, he gave off the impression of a sunny and outgoing handsome man.

Uria and Donahue were both nobles of the Hartwin Kingdom. It was unknown what promise Lucrezia had made to them to make them lead their families in rebellion against the kingdom.

Hearing Uria's challenge, Liens immediately recalled his intelligence.

Then, he thought for a moment and decided that refusing this sparring match would leave a negative impression of being unapproachable, affecting internal Rebel Army relations and faction camaraderie. So, he nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, after the meeting, we'll go to the training ground together."

Uria said happily. Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly asked Liens curiously, "Liens, how old are you? You look a bit too young. You're not in the same situation as Isabelle, are you?"

"Sixteen."

Liens responded calmly.

Upon hearing this, the others in the meeting room looked at Liens with some surprise, seemingly unable to believe that his true age was so young.

The meeting room was briefly quiet due to Liens's revelation of his age, until a slightly mature voice broke the silence.

"Apologies, I'm late because I had a very important potion to formulate... Hmm, what's going on, everyone?"

A beautiful woman with glasses, a mature appearance, and a well-developed figure entered the meeting room, somewhat puzzled by the strange situation occurring within it.

This was Valerie, one of the three Priests within the Rebel Army, and also an alchemist. Most of the Rebel Army's potions were made by her and her apprentices.