Sungguh, siapa sang pernah berpikir sekalian diri bakal merindukan sekolah? Dia bahkan turun ke dalam tropi dengan bawaan seorang siswi pindahan...\n\nSeorang siswi pindahan yang justru beku lumpuh karena kecemasan saat dia dan Jake muncul di padang rumput di luar mansion yang kebesaran untuk ukurannya di dalam Order of the Malefic Viper. Tangan Jake digenggam erat oleh Scarlett hingga tak ada cara untuk melepaskannya sementara sang gadis ular coba memproses segala sesuain yang terjadi. \n\nu201cIu2026 apau2026 apakah cacing itu adalahu2026?u201d bisikisu Scarlett pelan-pelu. \n\nu201cChosen of Snappy? Iya,u201d konfirmasi Jake dengan santai. u201cAh, tapi simpan rahasia ini juga. Aku belum benar-benar dibahas dengan Sandy, tapi sepertinya lebih baik kita simpan dulu.u201d \n\nu201cWiu2026 akankahu201du201d\n\nu201cTidak, Sandy tidak peduli sama sekali terhadap hal-hal kecil seperti hal yang kamu pikirkan,u201d jawab Jake, sudah tahu apa yang ingin ditanyakan Scarlett sebelum dia bertanya. Menghabiskan begitu banyak waktu bersama Miranda memang tak memberinya banyak tempat untuk bersikeras, apalagi sekarang dia sudah tahu begitu banyak soal Order dan strukturnya, sekaligus betapa pentingnya seorang Lord Protector. \n\nScarlett kelihatan akan bertanya lebih lanjut, hingga sebuah gerak datang dari dalam mansion. Jake melirik ke sana dan tersenyum saat seorang wajah familiar muncul ke luar. Mata sang elf melebar lebar saat melihatnya. \n\nu201cLord Thayne!u201d teriaknya lalu berlari cepat menemuiinya. Jake memperhatikan levelnya sudah naik lagi, dan cukup cepat pula. \n\n[Elf u2013 lvl 163] \n\nu201cSudah lama sekali,u201d salam Jake sambil mengangguk. \n\nScarlett pun akhirnya melepaskan genggamannya saat memandang elf yang sedang berlari with a frown. Meira sepertinya tak begitu memedulikan Scarlett saat berhenti beberapa meter dari Jake. \n\nu201cSelamat datang kembali di Order, Lord Thayne!u201d katanya sambil membungkuk dalam sebuah senyum dalam. \n\nJake pun tersenyum saja melihatnya berdiri begitu saja. Dia tak bertanya mengapa dia tiba-tiba pergi belakangan ketika Ellu2019Hakan menyerang, tapi menunggu Jake memberitahu sendiri. Jika Jake memilih untuk memberitahu. Selain itu, Jake juga melihat bahwa dia benar-benar memperhatikan hal-hal di sekitarnya saat memandang ke arah tertentu di halaman. Cukup luas memang, karena rumputnya sudah rapi-rapi dan diresminkan menjadi sebuah formasi besar dengan benda besar di tengahnya u2014 sebuah jenis batu besar berlubang. \n\nItu tadi lingkaran ritual Pollendust Bee Queen. Jake tak pernah lupa soalnya, dan dia senang melihat Meira juga tak pernah lupa. \n\nu201cApakah progress-nya baik-baik saja untuk lingkaran itu?u201d tanyakan Jake sambil memandangnya. \n\nu201cIya, my lord! Saat kebetulan Ayah/Bapa pergi, aku mengambil inisiatif dan mengumpulkan beberapa core ekstra ketika kehabisan, hanya untuk terus mengisi energi ke dalamnya. Aku minta maaf jika hal itu berlebihan,u201d kata Meira sambil meminta ampun. \n\nu201cKamu mengutaskan ritual itu; kenapa hal itu bisa berlebihan?u201d Jake tersenyum. Ritualnya memang sudah berjalan dengan baik, sesuai keinginkannya. Dengan setiap hari, energi di dalam telur yang disimpan di dalam ruang ekspansi interior batu itu semakin kuat. Masih dalam keadaan tidak aktif, namun Jake sedang membangun sesuatu. Dia sudah lama menunda untuk menyelesaikan ritual dan benar-benar mengaktifkan Bee Queen karena satu alasan sederhana: dia tak ingin mendapatkan Seekor Ratu dengan grade D. \n\nJake ingin memunculkan seekor Ratu dengan grade C. Monster serangga u2014 atau ectognamorphs u2014 cukup berbeda dibandingkan jenis monster lain, dan ratu justru jauh lebih berbeda lagi. Mereka memang merupakan ras yang bersistem kasta, dan Jake ingin mendapatkan Ratu yang kuat sejak awal. Peluang untuk melahirkan apa yang dijelaskan buku sebagai u201cHive Queenu201d sejati memang rendah jika dilalui evolusi biasa, namun Jake percaya bisa mencapainya lewat ritual ini dan dengan sedikit u201csaus khusus Jakeu201d. \n\nJake tidak lengah akan pengaruh yang cukup besar dia kirim ke makhluk peliharaannya. Sylphie dan Sandy adalah bukti apa yang terjadi ketika Jake turung tangan, meskipun sedikit pun, dalam proses evolusi. Bagaimana atau kenapa dia sebegini, Jake tak tahu, namun dia yakin ini erat kaitanya dengan Bloodline-nya. \n\nUntuk memunculkan seekor Ratu grade C, ada beberapa syarat yang harus dipenuhi. Syarat terpentingnya adalah sumber energi di dalam ritual harus setingkatnya setidaknya C, artinya Jake harus setidaknya berada di level C untuk mendapatkan hasil yang diinginkan. Namun, bukan berarti Jake menunggu evolusinya dulu sebelum bereksperimen u2014 telurnya juga butuh waktu yang cukup lama untuk tumbuh. \n\nSebelum telur itu bisa menyerap energi grade C, ia harus tumbuh cukup dulu melalui penyerapan energi grade D dan Records. Inilah yang sedang dia atau Meira lakukan, dan ini membantu menciptakan fondasi yang kuat. Setelah jenuh, Jake bisa memperkenalkan energi grade C, yang berharap bisa menyebabkan perubahan kualitatif dan mengubahnya menjadi telur grade C yang nantinya bisa dia mutasi lebih lanjut dengan Jake Records. \n\nu201cTerima kasih, Lord Thayne,u201d kata Meira masih sambil membungkuk meskipun Jake sudah bilang tak apa-apa. Akhirnya, dia berbalik dan memandang Scarlett. u201cBolehkah aku bertanya siapa tamu Yang Mulia bawa?u201d \n\nJake merasa ada penekanan aneh pada kata u201cmyu201d tapi tak benar-benar memikirkannya. Mungkin dia salah paham saja. \n\nu201cScarlett, Meira, Meira, Scarlett,u201d perkenalkan Jake cepat. u201cMeira bekerja di sini dan adalah seorang teman, dan Scarlett adalah teman dari planet asalku yang sudah membantuku berkali-kali.u201d \n\nu201cSenang bertemu denganmu,u201d bungkuk Meira ke arah Scarlett. \n\nScarlett berpandangan antara Jake dan Meira sebelum sedikit membungkuk ke arah Meira. u201cSenang juga bertemu.u201d \n\nJake senang melihat mereka sopan-santun satu sama lain. Jauh lebih baik dibandingkan terakhir kali dia memperkenalkan teman-temannya. u201cApa kabar selama aku pergi?u201d tanyakan dia ke elf. \n\nu201cIya, Lord Thayne. Aku tetap mengikuti pelajaran secara rutin, dan Grand Elder yang terhormat masih mengajariku hampir setiap hari hingga baru-baru ini,u201d jawab dia dengan senyum lebar. u201cGrand Elder pasti juga akan senang menyambutmu kembali. Namun, aku belum bertemu dengan Grand Elder selama satu minggu terakhir karena dia sibuk membantu Malefic One yang membuatnya memberiku materi untuk belajar mandiri.u201d \n\nScarlett tertarik pada sebutan Malefic One dan memandang Meira agak aneh. Jake sisipan di untuk menjelaskan. \n\nu201cMeira sedang diajari oleh Duskleaf, murid setia Viper,u201d jelaskan dia. \n\nJake sudah pikir penjelasan ini akan membantu, tapi tak cukup juga. Sang gadis ular lagi-lagi jadi gemeteran dan memeluk tangan Scarlett. \n\nu201cMohon maaf karena aku tak mengenali Grand Disciple dari Malefic One,u201d katanya. \n\nu201cOke, semua nama saja, kalian berdua. Selain itu, kalau kamu juga bergabung ke Order nanti, aku yakin Duskleaf akan dengan senang hati memberimu beberapa saran-sarannya,u201d kata Jake sambil mengangguk kepalanya. u201cTapi pertama, kita harus masuk ke Order dulu, ya.u201d \n\nu201cBagaimana caranya mengikuti langkah ini, Yang Mulia?u201d tanya Scarlett dengan serius. \n\nu201cItuu2026u201d Jake hendak menjawab tapi dia terhenti. Dia u2026 agak bingung juga. Dia pernah bergabung dengan Akademi Order, tapi, renungkannya, Jake pernah benar-benar bergabung dengan Order? Apa artinya benar-benar bergabung dalam konteks ini? Dia tahu dari pelajaran propaganda Viridia bahwa bagi siapa saja yang memiliki sebuah Blessing, menjadi anggota hanyalah sebuah formalitas, jadi seharusnya tak susah. Cuma dia tak tahu persis caranya. \n\nBayang-bayang sebelumnya, mungkin sebaiknya dia lebih perhatian waktu pelajaranu2026 \n\nu201cApakah kamu pandai dalam alkimia?u201d tanya Jake. \n\nu201cSayangnya, kemampuan kami terbatas hanya pada budidaya racun pribadi,u201d akui Scarlett. Tak ada unsur malu atau malu pun dalam pernyataannya. Yang bagus bagi Jake karena dia tak melihat hal itu sebagai kekurangan. Fokus adalah fokus. \n\nJake tahu bahwa sebagai anggota Order, Scarlett akan secara setengah-setuju bergabung dengan Akademi juga, artinya dia bisa mengikuti pelajaran jika inginkan. Beberapa pelajaran pertarungan mungkin menarik baginya. Ini agak seperti Draskil yang pasti tak tertarik sama sekali pada alkimia tradisional. \n\nKetika dia merenungkan cara membuatnya bergabung, Meira berkomentar. \n\nu201cMy Lord, setiap pejabat Order of the Malefic Viper yang resmi mampu menginisiasi anggota baru, dan mereka yang memiliki peringkat yang mencukupi bisa memberikan keanggotaan tanpa persetujuan lanjutan selama langkah-langkah yang tepat dilakukan,u201d jelaskan dia. \n\nu201cOh?u201d kelihatan terkejut Jake. u201cApakah kamu sedang mencari-cari untuk bergabung ke Order?u201d \n\nu201cSayau2026 pernah mengikuti pelajaran tentang itu,u201d jawabnya. Jake mengerutkan kening menyadari dari nada suaranya bahwa ini bukan pelajaran akademi tapi yang dipelajari sebelum dia mulai bekerja untuk Jake. Memang masuk akal. Jake ingat si vampir tukang upgrade that helped him upgrade necklacenya dan penjelasannya tentang bagaimana ia dulunya seorang budak. Tentu saja para budak diajari cara berhenti jadi budak dan setidaknya bisa bergabung, untuk memberi harapan palsu. \n\nu201cApa langkah-langkah ini melibatkan apa saja?u201d tanya Jake lebih lanjut. \n\nu201cPersetujuan pribadi dari seorang anggota, penandatanganan kontrak dengan isi yang disepakati, dan evaluasi bakat. Biasanya juga akan dilakukan pencarian latar belakang dan pembacaan karmic,u201djelaskan Meira. u201cNamun, bagi mereka yang memiliki Blessing, semua hal di atas tidak diperlukan kecuali kontrak isi, dan kontrak itu hanya akan mengatur bahwa keanggotaan tetap aktif selama Blessing tidak dicabut atau ditolak. Setidaknya untuk Blessing tier rendahu2026 tak pasti apa prosedurnya untuk Blessing yang lebih besar atau Divine, belum lagi True Blessing.u201d \n\nJake mengangguk. Membuatnya bergabung seharusnya cukup mudah. Ia juga senang terkejut dengan Meira yang sekarang bisa berbicara begitu banyak, terutama tanpa tersenyam. Jake merasa bangga. \n\nu201cTerima kasih sudah menjelaskan, Meira,u201d kata Jake sambil tersenyum dan memberi jempolnya. \n\nu201cAkuu2026 hanya melakukan yang diharapkan,u201d bisikisnya sambil canggung. \n\nDan kami kembali lagi. \n\nJake mengangguk kepalanya lalu memandang Scarlett. \n\nu201cSepertinya masuk untukmu cukup mudah. Mau kita selesaikan sekarang juga?u201d \n\nJake bukan orang yang suka menunda-nunda, meskipun baru saja kembali. \n\nu201cYa, tolong!u201d angguk Scarlett seolah diminta jika dia mau menyentuh harta karun alami dengan toksisitas tinggi. \n\nJake mengeluarkan token-nya dan merasakan energinya kembali aktif setel
Bab 575 - Kembali di Musim Baru Sekolah
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Man, who would have ever thought that one could miss school? He even leaned into tropes by bringing a transfer student along…
A transfer student that was frozen in panic even as she and Jake appeared in the grassy area outside of his way too large mansion in the Order of the Malefic Viper. Jake’s hand was squeezed so hard he had no way of releasing it as poor Scarlett tried to process everything.
“I… is… is the worm the…?” Scarlett stammered out nervously.
“Chosen of Snappy? Yep,” Jake confirmed casually. “Ah, but keep that a secret too. I haven’t really discussed it with Sandy, but we may as well keep it hidden.”
“Wi… will-“
“No, Sandy does not give a flying fuck about any kind of perceived disrespect or whatever,” Jake answered, already knowing what the poor snake girl wanted to ask. Spending so much time with Miranda really hadn’t done her much good on that front as she now knew far more about the Order and the structure, as well as how important of a character the Lord Protector was.
Scarlett looked like she was about to ask more as movement came from within the mansion. Jake looked over and smiled as a familiar face peeked her head out. The elf’s eyes opened wide as she saw him.
“Lord Thayne!” she yelled and quickly ran out and over to him. Jake noticed her level had grown yet again and quite fast too.
[Elf – lvl 163]
“It’s been too long,” Jake waved at her.
Scarlett also finally let go of his hand as she stared at the elven woman running over with a frown. Meira barely seemed to notice the snake girl as she stopped a few steps from Jake.
“Welcome back to the Order, Lord Thayne!” she said with a deep bow and a smile.
Jake smiled as she just stood there. She didn’t ask why he had left so suddenly back when Ell’Hakan had invaded but would wait for him to tell her himself. If he wanted to tell her. Coupled with her progress, Jake also saw she had tended to things properly as she looked over to a certain spot on the lawn. Quite a large spot as the grass had been cleared, and a large formation was made instead with an object placed in the middle – a large boulder of sorts with holes in.
It was the Pollendust Bee Queen ritual circle. Jake had not forgotten it, and he was glad to see that neither had Meira.
“Are things progressing well with the circle?” Jake asked Meira as he looked at it.
“Yes, my lord! In your absence, I had taken the initiative and acquired some extra cores when I ran out to keep supplying it with energy, and I apologize if that was overstepping,” Meira said apologetically.
“You prioritized the ritual; why would that be overstepping?” Jake smiled. The ritual had indeed progressed as he wanted, and with every passing day, the energy within the egg that the boulder housed in its spatially expanded interior grew stronger and stronger. Still dormant, mind you, but Jake was building up to something. He had delayed finishing the ritual and actually awakening the Bee Queen for quite a simple reason: he didn’t want a D-grade Queen.
Jake wanted to hatch a C-grade. Insect monsters – or ectognamorphs – were quite a bit different than other monster types, and queens were even more different. They were very much a caste-based race, and Jake wanted a powerful Queen from the get-go. The chances of birthing what the books described as a true “Hive Queen” were low if done through evolution, but Jake believed it was possible to do using this ritual and some special Jake sauce.
He was not ignorant of the effect he apparently had on beasts and monsters. Sylphie and Sandy were proof of what happened when Jake interfered in the evolutionary process, even just by a little. How or why he was like that, he didn’t know, but he knew it had to have something to do with his Bloodline.
Anyway, to hatch a C-grade, there were some requirements. The most important of which was the source of energy in the ritual having to be at least of that level, meaning Jake had to at least be C-grade to get the result he wanted. However, it wasn’t like he was delaying spawning a C-grade only because he had to wait for his own evolution, as the egg also needed ample time to grow.
Before the egg could even absorb C-grade energy, it needed to grow enough through the absorption of D-grade energy and Records. That is what Jake was currently doing – or had Meira do – and it helped create a powerful foundation. Once it was saturated, Jake could introduce C-grade energy, hopefully leading to a qualitative change and making it into a C-grade egg that Jake could further mutate using Jake Records.
“Thank you, Lord Thayne,” Meira still bowed, even if Jake said it was fine. Finally, she turned and looked at Scarlett. “May I know who the guest My Lord has brought along is?”
He felt like she had an odd emphasis on the word “my” but didn’t really think about it. He probably misunderstood.
“Scarlett, Meira, Meira, Scarlett,” Jake quickly introduced them. “Meira works here and is a friend, and Scarlett is a friend from my home planet that helped me out quite a few times.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Meira bowed to Scarlett.
Scarlett looked between Jake and Meira before slightly bowing to Meira. “Nice to meet you too.”
Jake was happy to see them be polite to each other. Way better than the last time he introduced friends to each other. “Have you been doing well while I was gone?” Jake asked the elf.
“Yes, Lord Thayne. I have attended lessons regularly, and the honored Grand Elder still taught me nearly daily until recently,” she answered with a big smile. “The Grand Elder will surely also be happy to welcome you back. However, I have not seen the Grand Elder for the last week as he has been busy assisting the Malefic One, making him leave me with self-study material.”
Scarlett perked up at the mention of the Malefic One and looked at Meira again a bit weirdly. Jake butted in to explain. “Meira is getting taught by Duskleaf, the disciple of the Viper.”
He had thought that explanation would help, but no. The poor snake girl once again became nervous and bowed. “I apologize for not recognizing the Grand Disciple of the Malefic One.”
“Okay, none of that. Use names, you two. Besides, if you join the Order too, I am sure Duskleaf would also give you a few tips here and there,” Jake said with a shake of his head. “But first, we have to get you into the Order, of course.”
“How would one undertake such an honor?” Scarlett asked with much interest.
“That…” Jake was about to answer when he stopped. He… kind of didn’t know? He had joined the Academy of the Order, but, thinking about it, had Jake ever properly joined the Order? What did it even mean to properly join the Order? He knew from Viridia’s propaganda lesson that for anyone with a Blessing, becoming a member was just a formality, so it shouldn’t be a challenge. He just wasn’t sure how it could be done.
In retrospect, maybe he should have paid more attention during the lesson…
“Do you have any talent in alchemy?” Jake asked her.
“Sadly, this one is only skilled in the cultivation of personal venoms,” Scarlett admitted. There was no hint of shame or embarrassment in the statement, though. Which was good, as Jake didn’t see it as a demerit either. Being specialized was good.
Jake knew that as a member of the Order, Scarlett would also semi-join the Academy in that she could attend lessons if she wanted. The few combat lessons there were would maybe interest her. It would be a bit like Draskil, who Jake knew wasn’t really into any kind of traditional alchemy either.
As he considered how to make her join, Meira spoke up. “My Lord, any official from the Order of the Malefic Viper is capable of initiating new members into the Order, and those with sufficient rank can grant membership without further approval as long as the proper steps are undertaken.”
“Oh?” Jake asked, surprised. “Have you been looking into joining the Order?”
“I… had lessons about it,” she answered. Jake frowned as he knew from her tone she didn’t talk about Academy lessons but those she got before she came to work for Jake. It did make sense, though. Jake remembered the vampire crafter who had helped him upgrade his necklace and her explanation of how she had been a slave once. It made sense that slaves were taught how to potentially stop being slaves and join, at the very least, to give them false hope.
“What do these steps entail?” Jake inquired further.
“Personal approval of a member, signage of a contract with agreed-upon terms, and an evaluation of talent. Usually, a background search will also be done, along with a karmic reading,” Meira dutifully explained. “However, for those with Blessings, none of this is needed besides the contract of terms, and all the contract will entail is that membership remains active as long as the Blessing is not withdrawn or denounced. At least for lower-tier Blessings… I am not sure about the procedures for those with Greater or Divine Blessings, much less a True Blessing.”
Jake nodded. Getting her to join should be easy enough, then. He was also pleasantly surprised by Meira, as getting her to talk so much tended to be damn hard, especially with her not getting nervous. She had spoken with great confidence, and Jake felt oddly proud of her.
“Thanks for the explanation, Meira,” Jake smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.
“It… I only did as expected…” she muttered nervously.
And we’re back.
Shaking his head, Jake turned to Scarlett. “Seems like getting you in should be easy enough. Wanna get it fixed right away?”
Jake was not one to delay things, even if he had just returned.
“Yes, please!” Scarlett nodded as if she had just been asked if she wanted a high-tier natural treasure with toxic properties.
Taking out his token, Jake felt how it was now active again after returning. The token did not work on Earth for obvious reasons as it functioned off some grand formation somewhere in the Order, Jake reckoned. He infused energy into it and made a call to someone he hadn’t contracted in a while.
It connected, and he instantly heard her voice.
“Lord Thayne! It has been quite a while since anyone heard anything from you. Is everything all right? Did you enter secluded training? Ah, sorry for blabbering; I assume you contacted me for a reason. What can I do for you?” Irin the succubus asked. She was an official of the Order and the first one Jake thought to contact. He did also have the contact information of the Hall Master, Viridia, but it seemed a bit much to call the CEO of a company with billions of workers to help register a new employee.
“Hey Irin, been a while, yeah. And everything is fine; I just had to deal with some issues back on Earth. An enemy Chosen thought it was a good idea to invade the planet and raise a ruckus, so I had a civil war and an asshole Chosen to deal with before I could return. It is fixed for now, but still annoying. Anyway, the reason I contacted you was that I brought along a friend from my home planet who would like to join the Order of the Malefic Viper. She got a Blessing, so it should be possible, right?” Jake asked her while also explaining what he had been up to. It just seemed nice to tell her after he had gone AWOL.
After a brief period of silence, she responded.
“That sounds… way above my pay grade. The Chosen stuff. When it comes to joining the Order, it is nothing more than a meager formality only simplified further by her already having a Blessing. Would it be possible for me to come by?” Irin asked.
“Sure thing,” Jake approved.
“I will be around in a few minutes. Good to hear from you again, Lord Thayne,” Irin finished. He disconnected the call and turned back to Scarlett.
“I will have a friend come by in a bit to help you join,” Jake said with a smile.
“Thank you!” Scarlett bowed once more.
Jake went over to do a quick check-up of the Bee Queen formation while he waited and made sure nothing had gone awry. As he analyzed the formation, he noticed a few spots where it felt… lacking. Jake was not sure that was wrong, but he knew there were faint flaws or at least places with room for improvement. He made mental notes to address this later and once more thanked his high Perception for allowing him to notice the problem. Without the stat growth he had experienced since he upgraded the formation last, he would not have noticed these minor elements at all.
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