Alistair froze, the quill dropping from his hand and splattering black ink onto his documents. He stood up abruptly, a look of pure, unadulterated joy bursting across his face.
"What?! Awakened Spirit Realm in a single day?!" Alistair gasped, his eyes shining with intense greed and ambition. "A Heavenly Spirit Veins Physique! Hahaha! I knew it! Investing in her was the greatest decision I've ever made! If we bind her to Soaring Cloud City, our territory's standing in the empire will skyrocket!"
"B-But City Lord..." Patrick interrupted nervously, leaning in. "There is more. Dylan explicitly mentioned that her breakthrough was entirely facilitated by Lady Victoria. She personally used her own peak Mortal Severing energy to guide and stabilize the girl's spirit veins..."
The ecstatic grin on Alistair's face instantly vanished. The air in the study turned heavy and stale.
