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The decrease in the risk of death from any cause was something difficult to interpret, but it was actually a very powerful blessing. Strictly speaking, it meant that the probability of dying was 1% lower in all circumstances likely to lead to death.

This kind of effect was very nebulous and difficult to quantify objectively in practice. If you were shot, did it mean that there was a 1% less chance that a vital organ like the heart or brain would be hit? Or did it mean that the prognosis for a gunshot wound to the heart was improved?

If it was the first case, then it meant that his luck and that of the other villagers had just increased. If it was the second case, it was not as miraculous since a brain or heart injury was typically 100% lethal. Taking 1% off an absolute probability would not make any difference. If that was the case, then Faulch\'s Blessing was far more impressive than he had imagined, defying both logic and the laws of physics.

Ikaris had no way to verify which hypothesis was correct. Perhaps it was a jumble of all these ideas.

What he was sure of, however, was that in the long run the average lifespan of Last Saint\'s population would increase by 1% as a result. The reduction in Undead hostility was an unexpected benefit, useless almost everywhere in the Forsaken Lands but a boon on Cutthroat Island and the Warring Lands as a whole.

The increased power of the Darkness and Death element spells, as well as the reduction in their casting cost, was also a game changer. Ikaris was now even more confident about the future of Last Saint.

As he envisioned the future blessings after the temple had been upgraded a few more times, the teenager couldn\'t help but laugh like an idiot, drawing leering looks from the nearby villagers. Perhaps the ultimate Blessing of Faulch was to make the population immune to Death itself. He was looking forward to the next developments.

There was also another hidden advantage that he soon noticed. He was considered the temple\'s official priest. His status as a Nephilim had apparently been recognized by the Night Saint and he had been directly appointed unaware of anything.

"I wasn\'t sure if Faulch would accept you knowing that I stole the feather of one of his angels, but I\'m relieved..." Magnus finally said in a very strange voice.

Presumably, he had expected Faulch to ignore or punish them. It was an unexpected conclusion, but by far the best one.

Ikaris had an inkling of what was really bothering the Vampire when the latter had displayed an unambiguous lack of enthusiasm and snorted softly. He then left Faulch Temple with a pleased smile, then lingered momentarily at Kinah Prayer Hall, wondering if he should attempt a heartfelt prayer to contact the Knowledge Saint.

In the end, he gave up, deeming that it was already late and better to stop on a high note.

"Getting Kinah\'s support is theoretically easier than getting Faulch\'s, but it\'s also more dangerous." Magnus reminded him sternly. "Remember that the Confederation frowns on the worship of the two sister Saints."

"I know, stop worrying." Ikaris pursed his lips in annoyance.

They had already discussed this at length, and he had long since made the decision to take the risk. He had grown up in a world where technology and knowledge were valued and he didn\'t want to give them up in this world of magic either.

The boy, now more masculine in physique and size, wandered around a bit more, thinking about who he would take with him to Tartarus Shade for the opening day of the Academy.

Tactically, the more people he enrolled in the Academy the better for Last Saint\'s development, but he also had to consider his territory\'s security and the impact on his cash flow.

Ellie and Malia had received 500 gold coins as his retinue and he didn\'t have to worry about the two women. Assuming that each villager returned to Last Saint every night, he would have to spend at least 2 gold coins a day for each of them. Over the year, even counting holidays and vacations, this would amount to at least 500 gold coins per person.

Even if Last Saint had around 5100 gold coins in theory, if Ikaris took too many people with him this amount would be squandered very quickly. Until he had secured a reliable source of income, he couldn\'t take many people with him. And these people had to have a genuine thirst for learning and great potential.

On the flip side, Last Saint also needed to be defended in his absence. In the end, after getting their agreement he decided to take four people to Tartarus Shade with him the next day: Nardor, Danchun, Kellam and Taguchi.

Ikaris would have gladly brought other people like Plume, Ezrog or Liam, but he needed them to ensure the security and smooth running of the village.

Without Plume, there were no competent healers nor anyone to oversee the plantations. Ezrog was too stupid to sit in a chair all day, while Liam was the strongest in the village in both his and Malia\'s absence. He controlled the Werewolves and since he didn\'t fully trust him yet, he needed Ezrog to keep him in check.

The reason he chose Taguchi and not another earthling was because Taguchi had the same inquisitive and creative mind as he did. They were intelligent people who wanted to understand magic and harness its infinite potential. The Academy was the perfect place for them. On top of that, Taguchi was a Werewolf himself and wouldn\'t embarrass him too much.

Once the people were decided, Ikaris returned to his home and after a rather quiet dinner with the two women he set his mind on a completely different issue: the advancement of his Village to the next Grade.

The condition for the upgrade was a population threshold to be reached just like for the previous Grade, namely 500 inhabitants. But this time, there was also another condition to fulfill: He had to raise his Commoner rank to Baronet.

If Ikaris didn\'t have the System he would have thought that he had to obtain this nobility rank through an official decree of House Morgunis, but the Elsisn Stele obviously had a very different conception of nobility.

To become a Baronet in the eyes of the Stele, he had to obtain Achievement Points. 100 points. Actually, he had already earned 50 by conquering the Hellhound Pack and 25 by upgrading Last Saint Village to Grade 2. So he was only 25 points short, and that wasn\'t a big problem in itself.

What he was worried about was that upgrading Last Saint and his nobility rank in the future would only become more difficult. It was imperative that he identify all viable methods of obtaining these Achievement Points. So far he had only found two: Conquering enemy territory and upgrading his village.

He was not thrilled with the idea that these Achievement Points could only be obtained through war, even though he knew that war was inevitable as long as he had a desire to expand. With his cautious nature, he would have preferred to develop Last Saint quietly for as long as possible until his nation was invincible before going on the offensive.

The constraint created by his insufficient nobility rank seriously compromised his plans.

\'The best course of action is to bring the topic up in conversation with the other Lords tomorrow.\' Ikaris concluded mentally, adding another chore to his long list of things to do once he returned to Tartarus Shade.

"I\'m sorry I can\'t help you more than that." Magnus sheepishly apologized. "I inherited the throne from my father by blood right and his nation was already an empire at this point. I have no idea what our ancestors had to do to develop it. In my opinion, an official title of nobility may well be equivalent to the Stele nobility rank provided your people and neighboring kingdoms recognize your status."

"In other words, if I can convince the other Lords and Houses of Tartarus Shade that I deserve a certain title of nobility, the Stele would also recognize it, saving me time and a significant number of Achievement Points?" Ikaris summarized calmly before letting out a small laugh. "It\'s not absurd, but I have a feeling that if my rank was then taken away from me for some reason that the Stele would strip me of it too. Earning those Achievement Points is a much more reliable solution in the long run."

Magnus was silent for a moment but eventually agreed with him. He hadn\'t experienced these difficulties, but the boy\'s reasoning made sense. It was better to rely on oneself. Only in this way would his strength be real.

Night fell and Ikaris instinctively opened the pores of his skin to voraciously suck in the Darkness and Death particles saturating the air after the Black Fog rolled in. Compared to a few days ago, he could easily make out the presence of Undeads swarming in the darkness outside. If he wanted to, by resorting to a Necromancy Spell he could even try to recruit some of them.

He quickly gave up on this idea and brought out Magnus\' old jewelry box again. An egg-sized ruby emitting a soft, dim light appeared in his hand, its hypnotic light eerily illuminating his face.

Magnus\' Bloodspark. Now that Ikaris had completed the initial assimilation of his Nephilim of Faulch and Dire Black Werewolf Bloodlines he had no intention of stopping there.

It was time to become a Vampire as well.