Raphael stared blankly for a moment, this was an issue he'd genuinely never considered. But anyway, having a high status meant he had to study a lot, so he had indeed read related ancient texts.
"From what I've read, the ancients said that people can hardly remember anything from their first three years after birth. I'm the same, for the first three years I wasn't without consciousness, but my brain wasn't developed enough, so having many experiences was pretty much the same as having none. Nine is the largest number, and because of that, the heavens give people nine years to experience this world. The ancients believed that someone who understands nothing of the world would not be able to use the power from this world."
Leo and Michael both listened intently, not missing a single word. They quickly focused on the most important point, which was the last sentence.
Someone who understands nothing of the world cannot use the world's power, but what about the two of them? They were completely not like that, having already experienced decades of life.
The two worlds might not be the same, but aside from magical elements, what's the difference? Moreover, do ordinary people even get a chance to come into contact with those fantastical things?
Through contact with the villagers, they both saw that the ordinary folk here were no different from where they used to live. Because of that, a bold idea formed in their heads.
Leo glanced at Michael, Michael also looked at him. Without saying a word, they both knew the other was thinking the same thing.
"So just how does a twelve-year-old become a contractor?" Leo suppressed the excitement in his heart and spoke up.
The chance of success was very close now. He could feel it. His intuition, his belief, both told him that today was the day he would become a contractor.
"Um, wait a moment..."
Raphael stood up and rummaged around the house looking for something. The house wasn't big, and he found the thing in an instant.
Leo's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't thought there would be such 'cultured' items in his house. In Raphael's hand were a few pieces of old, darkened paper along with a pen and an ink stick. He ground the ink and then started drawing something on the paper.
The two of them, seeing Raphael's strange action, couldn't hold back their curiosity and moved closer to observe. They saw Raphael drawing a circle, inside of which were strange patterns and symbols like some kind of ancient script.
Raphael's memory really was beyond reproach. It had been decades since he last saw this thing, yet he could still remember every detail inside.
'System, what is he drawing?'
[System scanning...]
[You can consider it a special type of magic circle that connects a person and this world. It falls within the category of world rules, so no energy is needed to activate it. It can be understood that anyone holding that thing can use it if they meet the activation conditions.]
'That convenient? Makes sense, I guess.'
Michael nodded slightly. If you really needed a contractor to perform an awakening, then who helped the very first contractor awaken?
Not long after, Raphael put the pen down. Who knows what his artistic ability was like, but in terms of copying accuracy, his hand must be nearly as good as a printing press.
"Drawing by hand is such a hassle. If you had a stamp, you could just stamp one and be done, wouldn't need to waste time like this." Raphael muttered.
This was the first time he had drawn by hand. Before, matters like this were all handled by subordinates. As a person of power, who has time to do these things anyway? But now he was just a fugitive hiding in a desolate place. That glorious past only remained in memory.
He took the paper to in front of Leo, pointing at the circle which was only slightly larger than a palm.
"This is the awakening ritual. As long as a person of the right age holds this paper, or anything with this circle on it, in their hand, they can become a contractor."
"Huh? That simple?"
Leo felt his ears might be broken, he didn't hear that clearly. Could miraculous power be obtained in such a simple way?
"What else did you want? Did you think you needed some rare medicinal herbs or something? Those things have supportive effects, but people who take shortcuts easily degenerate into lazy bums. In my opinion, you shouldn't use them, better to be a bit slower but not make serious mistakes."
Even though he didn't like the idea of Leo becoming stronger and then running all over the continent causing trouble, he still gave cultivation advice. It wasn't because his temperament suddenly changed or anything like that, but he had been in contact long enough to understand that even if Leo was only as strong as an ant, he still wouldn't stop. For Leo to focus on cultivating might not be a bad thing. That way Leo wouldn't have time to go making revolution anymore.
Michael stared intently at that piece of paper, starting to deduce whether he himself could use it or not. Suddenly he remembered the 'encyclopedia' next to him, which was the system.
'System, can I use that thing right now? According to Raphael's explanation, people just need to have lived long enough. Counting both lives, I'm clearly of age.'
[According to system analysis, you can currently become a contractor.]
Hearing that, his face immediately showed joy, but in less than a second the system cut off his emotion.
[But this is not normal for this world, so some auxiliary factors are needed. Soul age is just one of them, there's also an as yet undetermined price to pay.]
???
Saying that is the same as not saying anything! If the system doesn't know the price, how could Michael know? Does he really have to wait another six years?
For now, he could only continue observing the situation. Leo was, after all, the chosen one type, perhaps he really would have some method.
Raphael didn't have a shred of wariness as he handed the paper to Leo. What could a six-year-old child possibly use to awaken? When he was young, he had held this thing and played with it many times too, without any special feeling at all.