MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1229: Jarod

Anthony turned to the side. With the Inscription Pen in his hand, he began constructing the Runes, Formations, and Rune Formations throughout his own cottage. He wasn’t bothered about Nathaniel and the others finding out what he had done. One Rune Formation possessed the function of purifying Origin Essence to the highest degree possible, while another generated it at an almost endless rate and with an absurd level of efficiency.

Scattered throughout the house were minor Runes such as Cleaning Runes, alongside Formations that would automatically return a chair that had been moved out of place back to its original position whenever it was no longer in use. There were also subtle Formations that regulated temperature, prevented dust from accumulating, strengthened the walls against damage, and maintained a pleasant atmosphere within the cottage at all times. None of them were flashy, but together they transformed the residence into something that was both comfortable and extraordinarily efficient.

After Anthony was done, he simply stepped outside with calm ease and a smile on his face. The moment he stepped out, the male servant who had been standing outside patiently, not daring to enter without permission, immediately bowed in greeting.

“I greet the Lord,” the servant stated. Although he had only just met Anthony, his voice was filled with respect and a hint of awe.

Anthony didn’t need to think much to understand why. This place was reserved for Core Elders, and not even Inner Elders could enter without permission, let alone ordinary disciples. Yet a servant now possessed the authority to move in and out as he pleased.

And, of course, the servant also understood that anyone residing within the Core Elders’ district possessed strength equal to, or even surpassing, that of the other Core Elders.

“Just call me Anthony. You can drop the ‘Lord’ since that isn’t my name,” Anthony said with a small shake of his head.

The servant rose ever so slightly from his bowing posture. He stood at six feet six inches tall, remarkably tall for someone serving as a servant. However, Anthony himself already stood at a towering seven feet in height.

“I do not know your title, hence why I address you as Lord,” the servant replied respectfully.

“No need for that either. Anthony is fine,” Anthony stated, already noticing that everyone who possessed a Title seemed to lose their given name for some reason.

“As you command, Lor—… Anthony,” the young man immediately corrected himself.

Anthony nodded. He wasn’t someone who cared for titles, nor did he enjoy people constantly attaching honorifics and prefixes to his name. His name alone should be more than enough to speak for itself. Besides, Anthony was fairly certain the young man before him was probably older than he was.

“What’s your name?” Anthony asked, his sky-blue eyes remaining fixed on the young man.

“Jarod,” he replied as he stood upright. His hair was black, his eyes were equally black, and he possessed a face that was only slightly above average in appearance, nothing particularly remarkable beyond that.

“You can go inside and take a look around the interior of the cottage. Familiarize yourself with both it and the surrounding environment,” Anthony instructed calmly.

He didn’t bother asking the young man what skills he possessed. Anthony already knew that servants were trained in virtually every household duty imaginable.

“Thank you, A… Anthony,” Jarod replied, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable addressing Anthony directly by his name.

Anthony’s gaze shifted towards Jarod’s fingers, yet he saw no Space Ring. He raised an eyebrow in mild confusion before deciding to ask, “Where is your luggage?”

Jarod, who had been about to bow before entering the cottage, paused in confusion at what Anthony meant. However, realization quickly dawned upon him, and he immediately replied.

“Servants have their own living quarters within the Sect, and the distance isn’t far, so I simply travel back and forth every day,” Jarod answered.

“Go back and bring your belongings. The cottage has nearly ten rooms. Pick whichever one you like and stay there,” Anthony said, his gaze still fixed upon Jarod.

Jarod was completely stunned. He hadn’t expected things to develop in this direction. He certainly wouldn’t be the first live-in servant, as quite a few servants already lived together with their respective Lords, enjoying tremendous benefits. Although they weren’t exactly official benefits, as anything their Lords discarded as worthless trash was often considered priceless treasure by ordinary servants. So yes, even scraps could become life-changing opportunities in their eyes.

Jarod could already picture his status rising within the servant quarters. He imagined people trying to curry favor with him, hoping to gain even the slightest connection to a Core Elder. He could already envision himself bragging to his friends and fellow servants about this incredible stroke of fortune. No, this wasn’t merely a windfall, it was a stormfall.

Normally, most live-in servants were women. Female cultivators generally preferred female servants because they understood one another better. Meanwhile, many male cultivators selected female servants for reasons that ranged from perfectly innocent to rather questionable. However, having the privilege of choosing the gender of one’s servant was a luxury reserved almost exclusively for outstanding geniuses. Everyone else simply received a servant of their own gender through the Sect’s standard arrangements.

“I will not betray your trust in me,” Jarod immediately declared as he bowed deeply in gratitude. He understood that becoming a live-in servant under a Lord or Master required a tremendous amount of trust. After all, during such an arrangement, servants inevitably saw and heard many things that ordinary people were never meant to witness.

“No need to thank me. Instead, show me what you’re capable of, your cooking, for example,” Anthony replied with a casual wave of his hand as he gazed towards the distant horizon.

Although he could easily purchase food from the System, he genuinely wanted to taste something prepared by a local cook, especially one trained as a servant within the Null Sect.

“You may leave. I’ll be heading to the Heavenly Library. Get yourself settled in, and have the food prepared by the time I return,” Anthony instructed calmly.

“As you command,” Jarod replied with another respectful bow before turning around and walking away. The enormous smile he had been desperately holding back in Anthony’s presence finally spread across his face the moment he was out of sight.

Watching the young man hurry away, a thought suddenly crossed Anthony’s mind. Thought Conception immediately activated as he willed Jarod’s history and personal information into existence. Anthony simply wanted to verify whether the young man was some sort of spy. After all, it wouldn’t have been impossible for one of the Core Elders to secretly instruct the servant to observe him and report everything back.

Reading through the information before him, Anthony discovered that Jarod possessed nothing more than an ordinary background, the typical servant’s starter pack.

His parents had died, prompting him to seek refuge within the Null Sect in hopes of beginning a new life. After arriving, he discovered that he possessed a small amount of cultivation talent and subsequently joined the Outer Disciples. Unfortunately, he reached the absolute peak of his talent after only a decade of cultivation, never progressing beyond the very first cultivation rank. With no hope of advancing any further, he had only two choices: return to live among ordinary mortals or remain within the Sect as a servant. Jarod ultimately chose the latter.

At this moment, the young man was twenty-seven years old.

Anthony merely shook his head, feeling no particular pity for Jarod, as there were billions of people who had been dealt similar hands throughout existence. Still, he couldn’t help but sigh quietly at the unfortunate fate the young man had received.

Seeing that nobody had planted Jarod as a spy, nor was he involved in anything suspicious or underhanded, Anthony simply stopped thinking about him and resumed his journey towards the Heavenly Library. Thought Conception activated once again as a portal silently opened before him. Without sparing even a single glance behind him, Anthony stepped through it, vanishing from the area completely as though he had never been there in the first place.

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