Robert's heart gave a sudden wrench, and he told himself in bleak silence: yes, Yar was but a tool, not truly a woman. Yet damn it all—why must she be nothing more than a tool!?
With a bitter smile he murmured, "Her name is Yar, not that woman! Father, my knowledge of divine force and divine gifts is shallow—help me think of a way, any way, to gather enough energy to awaken Yar once more."
Luo Xiong, past his sixtieth year and possessed of far greater experience than Robert, furrowed his brow. His thoughts, always more careful and thorough than his son's, turned grave. "Before we speak of reviving Yar, let me ask you: why would she, a being such as she is, recognize you—a mere noble youth—as her master? Can you be certain she harbors no ulterior design?"
Robert faltered. His exchanges with Yar had indeed been hasty, leaving many matters unresolved—foremost among them, why she had chosen him at all. After some thought, he replied, "Father, if Yar wished me harm, she could have left my soul trapped forever within the Dream-Sea. What could I possibly possess that she would covet? I believe Yar will not harm me!"
Stubbornly, he shook his head. It almost amused him—he was no longer a child who acted upon mere instinct. Yet in matters concerning Yar, he would rather trust his heart than doubt it. To him, Yar was perfection itself.
He raised his left hand and slipped off his glove. "Though Yar never had time to explain, I think her choice to merge with my left hand must surely be tied to it. But aside from having been burned in the furnace, my hand…"
Robert spoke on, lost in speculation, unaware that at the mention of his left hand, Luo Xiong had silently lowered his head, his expression turning faintly strange.
Unwilling to hear more, Luo Xiong suddenly looked up with a laugh. "As long as you are certain Yar is true to you, that is enough. Leave your left hand aside… As for absorbing energy—difficult it is, yet not impossible!"
Robert's heart leapt, and he pushed aside his doubts about the hand to listen to his father's reasoning.
"To devour divine power and divine gifts, the most direct method is to secretly capture a few divine followers and drain them. But though we are hardly saints, we are not so depraved as to slaughter the innocent merely to revive a woman. Besides, weak followers are useless, while those with great divine gifts are powerful figures we dare not provoke!"
Robert nodded, his brows knitting in thought.
"Thus," Luo Xiong continued, "our hope lies with creatures infused with divine gifts—or with crystals of divinity themselves."
"Creatures and relics…" Robert mused. "Father, as the greatest fighter in Moonwatch City, can you estimate how much divine energy lies within the Academy's first and fourth crystals, plus a smaller one? I must calculate exactly how much it would take to rouse Yar for even ten minutes."
Luo Xiong drew out a pipe, lighting it in silence before answering. "Seventh son, you know how divine energy is ranked among the faithful, do you not?"
"Of course I do. Your worthless boy spent six years repeating the first-year curriculum abroad—I've learned those basics six times over!"
Robert could not help but laugh wryly, then recited: "The gods divide divine gifts into seven stages: Acolyte, Disciple, Warden, Guide, Guardian, Hero, and finally Saint—wielders of mankind's pinnacle power. Each stage is split into nine ranks. And you, Father, are ninth rank of the fourth stage—the highest in Moonwatch City!"
Luo Xiong nodded. "Then hear me: the Academy's fourth crystal was a gift from the Emperor himself, four centuries past. Its divine power is no less than what I, your father, possess."
Robert started. If that was the fourth, then how formidable must the first be?
"That first crystal," Luo Xiong said solemnly, "is even more extraordinary. It was bestowed by the Yaran Holy See upon the four finest academies of the thirteen southeastern empires. Its divine energy matches the fourth rank of the fifth stage—a Guardian of the fourth level!"
He paused, then concluded, "By my reckoning, if you wish Yar to awaken for ten minutes, you must drain the power of at least an eighth-rank Guardian. By fortune—or misfortune—that happens to be the strength of one Michel, captain of the idol's procession."
Robert's heart grew heavy. Crystals of such caliber were priceless, and the thought of obtaining them was daunting.
For an instant, he considered draining Michel himself. But he quickly dismissed the notion. Even setting aside the cruelty of harming an innocent man, the disparity in strength was vast. As Yar had said, Robert would need to touch Michel with all six points to begin the absorption. But would an eighth-rank Guardian ever allow him near? A single surge of Michel's force could slay him from a hundred paces.
Sensing his son's unease, Luo Xiong chuckled. "Seventh son, this morning you shattered the first and fourth crystals. Yet the Academy still holds the second and third. This afternoon I shall go to Donald—by fair means or foul, I'll make that old goat hand them over!"
Warmth swelled in Robert's chest. If the second and third crystals combined could indeed rouse Yar, even for ten minutes, then hope was within reach. His throat tightened as he whispered, "Thank you, Father. And thank you also on Yar's behalf."
Luo Xiong laughed heartily, throwing an arm around his son's shoulders. "Foolish boy, what thanks are owed between father and son? Yar is now of the Luo household as well—no need for gratitude. Ah! But damn it all, with Yar living within you, how am I to take you carousing in the brothels now?"
Robert echoed his father's mock lament with feigned dismay, though inside he felt only warmth. Compared with other noble youths raised under harsh and rigid tutelage, to have such a father was fortune indeed.
When their plans were settled, Luo Xiong led his son before the ancestral tablets. Together they honored Robert's seven mothers and six elder siblings, while Luo Xiong declared with fervor that Yar too was now of their family, and thus owed the same rite of introduction. Watching his father proudly curse the God of Propriety, boasting that not only had he not died alone but even gained a new daughter, Robert discreetly wiped at the corner of his eye.
Their devotions complete, Luo Xiong prepared to visit the Academy in pursuit of the crystals. Yet before he could depart, messengers arrived with an austere decree:
"His Excellency Michel of the Holy See has taken residence at Aemiseir Academy. Robert is ordered to present himself before sunset to submit to a full inquiry regarding the alteration of his divine gift."