Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Eve inquired about the Spiritual States of a few other individuals, but they were all minor characters in the original novel, and she couldn't recall if there were any discrepancies.

While she was still lost in thought, all the Class B children had completed their awakenings. The alchemist in charge was now calling out the names of the Class A students from a list.

"Next, Grace. Eve, prepare yourself."

Many eyes turned towards them. Regardless, Eve and her two companions were quite conspicuous among this group of branch family children.

First, there was the Class A psychic talent unearthed from a mid-tier planet, a favorite of the Second Steward. Then, upon entering the main family, she clashed with the young master of the direct lineage, once again drawing significant attention. Whether out of anticipation or schadenfreude, many present were curious about what their Spiritual States would manifest as.

Grace sat opposite the Grand Alchemist overseeing the awakening. The alchemist handed her a bottle of deep-blue liquid, within which faint golden glimmers shimmered, making the potion as beautiful as a starry sky.

Grace drank it in one gulp, then closed her eyes and entered a meditative state. Under the alchemist’s guidance, her consciousness spontaneously communicated with her Spiritual State.

Gradually, shallow puddles appeared around her feet, and a subtle floral fragrance diffused outwards from Grace.

Small gasps rippled through the crowd. To manifest a tangible environmental spiritual illusion immediately upon awakening was a characteristic typically seen only in high-level Spiritual State awakenings.

Grace, immersed in her own conscious world, remained utterly oblivious to the astonishment around her.

Behind her, a towering phantom gradually solidified into a physical form—a massive vine plant adorned with light purple, bell-shaped flowers.

"Class A Spiritual State, Burst Wind Chime," the alchemist stated impassively, instructing her assistant to record Grace’s Spiritual State. Then, picking up a stimulant spray from her left, she sprayed it in front of Grace, who jolted awake as if startled from a dream, her eyes snapping open.

"You need to practice controlling your Spiritual State more. You were overly immersed just now and needed external intervention to awaken," the alchemist admonished, then called out the next name from the list, "Next, Eve. Dick, prepare yourself."

Walking down the awakening platform under a myriad of envious or jealous gazes, Grace and Eve exchanged a knowing high-five as they passed each other. Grace then pinpointed Cecil in the crowd, his expression sour. A wicked curl touched her lips, revealing a smile full of malice.

*Just you wait,* Grace silently conveyed to Cecil.

Psychic power and Spiritual State levels were not strictly equivalent. Psychic power was primarily utilized in piloting mechs, with higher levels allowing for the operation of more advanced models. However, beyond psychic level, piloting skill and mech performance also significantly influenced a mech's efficacy.

Spiritual States, conversely, held absolute sway. In one-on-one confrontations, Spiritual States followed a clear hierarchy.

For instance, Cecil’s Silver Moon Clematis was S-class, while Grace’s Burst Wind Chime was A-class. Theoretically, Cecil should have a suppressive advantage over Grace.

Unfortunately, as a supportive Spiritual State focused on healing and enhancement, the Silver Moon Clematis, even with a certain level advantage, would be utterly defenseless against a highly explosive offensive Spiritual State like the Burst Wind Chime in a direct confrontation.

More importantly, once Grace awakened the Burst Wind Chime, the family’s future allocation of resources to her would be boundless, as such a potent offensive Spiritual State paired perfectly with Cecil’s supportive abilities.

Regardless of how much Grace might leverage this newfound favor, if Cecil ever wished to target her in the future, he would first have to contend with the family’s approval.

*Let’s just be a master and subordinate who torment each other,* Grace thought rebelliously. *As long as Cecil also suffers, I believe that in this head-on clash, I won’t be the first to break.*

Meanwhile, Eve sat on the awakening platform and, like Grace before her, drank a bottle of deep-blue alchemical potion.

After the potion entered her mouth, she even had the leisure to savor it—sweet and sour, quite palatable. The alchemist glanced at her and instructed, "Close your eyes, focus, and try to communicate with your Spiritual State."

Eve complied.

The moment she closed her eyes, Eve felt as if she had sunk into an extraordinarily peculiar realm. She stood in a vast expanse of white, surrounded by utter emptiness.

The sky was white, and what she stood on was also white, like water but not quite water. The back of her hand brushed against a dull, intangible sensation, like wind but not entirely wind.

Remembering that her Spiritual State was the Stormeye Butterfly, Eve tried calling for the butterfly to come in her mind.

The wind gradually intensified, and in her conscious world, Eve’s long hair billowed. It felt as if something light and beautiful had settled on her head, but what descended wasn't a butterfly—it was a beam of pure moonlight.

The pristine white sky was torn open as if by a brutal giant hand, revealing its true, gloomy nature. Above the overcast sky hung a full moon, bright as a silver platter.

Pale, bluish iridescent scales refracted brilliant light in the moonlight, and then an almost imperceptible weight settled onto the girl’s shoulder.

Eve turned her head and first saw several slender, segmented legs attached to a furry body. Then, she saw the butterfly in its entirety.

Massive, beautiful, shimmering with the gentle radiance of moonlight.

The butterfly’s wings were layered with patterns of light gold and white halos, dazzling to the eye. With each gentle flap, it left trails of silvery-blue stardust in the air.

The butterfly’s black eyes quietly watched Eve before slowly, affectionately, pressing its body against her silver hair and pale face. Even though it was an insect, Eve felt as if it were a kitten, cozying up to its owner who had just returned home, exposing its fuzzy belly in a display of affection.

She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her butterfly.

But the moment she made contact, the world collapsed. The moon shattered into pieces, falling into the water. Only the butterfly flapped its wings twice, remaining steadily perched on her shoulder.

Eve heard uncontrolled exclamations from the people around her, even more exaggerated than the gasps for Grace. Like a butterfly suddenly dropped into the real world, she snapped her eyes open, filled with instant stress and tension. But the butterfly emitted a silent, soothing wave, calming her rapidly and naturally, as peacefully as a falling leaf.

"S-class Spiritual State, Luna Butterfly!"

No one could remain indifferent in the presence of such a beautiful, massive creature. The alchemist was stunned for a full half minute before saying tremulously as she called for the assistant to record Eve’s Spiritual State.

As a renowned four-star miracle Grand Alchemist from the Alchemist Association, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Others might not be certain, but she had been fortunate enough to see holographic records of the former first commander of the Insectoid war.

In the records, that commander, also from the Medici family, had a Spiritual State that was exactly such a beautiful, strangely moonlit white-gold butterfly.

She couldn't help but marvel at her luck today—not only presiding over the awakening of the next Medici family head, witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the Silver Moon Clematis in full bloom up close, but also personally awakening a Luna Butterfly Spiritual State bearer, witnessing two legendary Spiritual State awakenings in a row.

It was the Luna Butterfly!

This was no ordinary S-class Spiritual State. Even among the Medici family’s three supreme S-class Spiritual States, the Luna Butterfly was the rarest and most mysterious.

After inwardly marveling at her fortune, the alchemist stood up and bowed from a distance to the beaming Medici Patriarch, offering congratulations: "Congratulations, Your Grace. The Medici family will undoubtedly rise even higher in the next hundred years."

The Medici Patriarch also laughed heartily, cupping his hands in return: "You honor me, you honor me."

Everyone had thought the Medici family heir was the least outstanding among the four great families’ successors, destined for a tough future in the next century. But no one had expected them to have hidden a Luna Butterfly awakened. If not for the need to invite a four-star alchemist for Psychic awakenings, this young awakened might have truly become the family’s secret weapon.

Moreover, she was a girl—if she were to marry the Young Master in the future, the Medici family’s next heir would undoubtedly be a supreme S-class Spiritual State.

The alchemist resolved to report to the association president immediately upon returning. Their approach to engaging with the Medici family would likely need to change henceforth.

Many in the crowd were entranced by the exceptionally beautiful giant butterfly, and even Eve herself was rather bewildered.

Luna Butterfly?

What Luna Butterfly? Wasn’t she supposed to have the Stormeye Butterfly?

—Could it be that her Spiritual State had also been affected by the ‘butterfly effect’, directly upgrading and ascending to S-class on the spot?

*The more panicked others are, the calmer I must be.* Eve cleared her throat lightly, feigning an air of having expected this all along, and calmly tapped the antennae of the large butterfly on her shoulder.

In response, the Luna Butterfly gently flapped its wings twice, drawing two trails of starlight in the air before gradually dissolving into glittering stardust and vanishing.

Yet, Eve abruptly felt a new entity in her spiritual world, faintly perceptible. Upon closer perception, it was the Luna Butterfly. The fluctuating perception was because it kept flying around in her spiritual world, without any aloofness, its cute and lively demeanor making Eve couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing that Eve could dismiss her Spiritual State so effortlessly right after awakening, the alchemist sighed and said, "Your control over your Spiritual State is also excellent. Well, I have nothing else to advise. You may go."

She called out, "Last one, Dick."

When Eve passed shoulder-to-shoulder with Dick, she, like Grace before her, encouragingly patted his shoulder. Dick nodded at her, his expression showing an indescribable determination.

...Just moments ago, Eve had awakened an S-level Spiritual State while Grace had awakened an A-level one. At this point, his pressure was off the charts.

Grace gleefully leaned close to Eve's ear and whispered, "Did you see Cecil's expression just now? It was priceless! Now he’s not the only one who can strut around like he owns the place!"

"Not necessarily," Eve replied without much joy. In the original plot, she had only awakened an A-level Stormeye Butterfly and still became Cecil’s fiancée. Now that she had awakened an S-level Spiritual State, Sparti had even less reason to let her go. "It might just bring new troubles."

As the initial euphoria of pride for her friend gradually faded, Grace also began to understand the underlying implications. Her smile slowly dropped, and she muttered, "Yeah, you’re right."

"The last Luna Butterfly awakener was the head of the Medici family. But Lord Sparti won’t allow you to threaten his son’s position, yet he’d still want to use you. The most likely outcome is that he’ll arrange an engagement between you and Cecil."

Grace couldn’t help clicking her tongue. "Honestly, that’s kind of cold-hearted. How can anyone use someone so thoroughly?"

"He probably even sees it as a form of appreciation—after all, becoming the future lady of the house means real power as the rightful second-in-command," Eve said, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer for fear of letting her rebellious real opinions slip. She quickly changed the subject, "Let’s just watch Dick’s Spiritual State awakening first."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced around the room. Aside from the obvious mechanical cameras, the Medici estate was also filled with countless undetectable alchemically crafted cameras—a secret known only to the family head, their heir, and the First Steward. This was also the reason Luo Lin’s later rebellion within the family failed in the original plot.

The real scrutiny began the moment they stepped into the main Medici residence. The children were under constant surveillance, assessment, and tiering. To secure higher ratings and more resources, Eve had been pretending from the moment she entered—acting obedient, sensible, and responsible, appearing both dependable and up to the task.

Sometimes, Eve genuinely felt that alchemy in this world was something truly miraculous. It could brew potions and create all sorts of strange, functional gadgets—even more versatile than Doraemon’s pocket.

If given the chance, she’d really like to try learning it. In her previous life, she never received an owl-delivered acceptance letter to a magic academy, so why not take the initiative to study alchemy in this life?

Dick awakened as expected, just as described in the original plot, an A-level Spiritual State—the Mayfly. Both he and Grace, as Eve’s closest companions, awakened Spiritual States identical to those in the original plot. Only Luo Lin awakened something completely different—the Sky Vine, which made Eve somewhat uncertain whether this was a ripple effect from her transmigration.

Before she could dwell on it too long, after everyone’s Spiritual States had been awakened, someone quietly notified her to go to the adjacent room—the family head wished to speak with her.

Eve suddenly looked up and met Cecil’s gaze. Unusually, he wasn’t scowling but was instead studying her thoughtfully.

Their eyes met in the air, and Cecil’s eyebrow quirked slightly. A strange expression—a mix of scorn and forced patience—crossed his arrogant face before he averted his gaze first.

Eve’s heart sank.

Sure enough, as soon as she entered the adjacent room, she saw Sparti sitting in a chair, smiling amiably at her. The First Steward stood closely behind him, still dressed in that peculiar silver-gray robe that enveloped his entire body.

Eve paused. Sparti’s smile reminded her of those smarmy insurance salesmen who specialize in scamming the elderly.

Even the esteemed First Steward didn’t have a seat, yet Eve was honored to be invited by the family head to sit in the room’s only other chair. She sat down cautiously and respectfully, only to hear Sparti speak politely.

"Eve, I’ve actually had high hopes for you since you entered the main family."

*Hadn’t she only been here for less than a day?*

"During my observations of you, I’ve found that you are not only exceptionally talented but also a very sensible child. I know geniuses like you usually have a bit of a temper—Cecil is like that, and so are those two friends around you. But you’re different. You’re very mature, understanding, and you have a good restraining influence on those around you."

"I’ve already learned the details of this morning’s conflict between you and Cecil. It was indeed Cecil’s fault, and I have no intention of holding it against you. On the contrary, I think what you said was very reasonable and demonstrated the demeanor of a family leader."

*No, she actually had quite a temper too; it was all just an act for the cameras.*

And what did he mean by "holding it against her"...? Wasn’t the morning conflict entirely Cecil’s doing in the first place? Eve gave Sparti a strange look, feeling a strong sense of resistance to whatever he was about to say next.

Unfortunately, Sparti didn’t pick up on her hint and continued leisurely, "—So, Eve, what I mean is, if I were to grant you a position alongside Cecil, could you work together without friction and fully support him? Or rather, what are your thoughts on Cecil?"

Eve: "..."

No, and she thought Cecil was hopeless.