Chapter 7: Embracing Uncertainty

Jack arrived at Ronik's house after a bit of searching around. The small Tudor-style building was wedged between a large inn and a manor owned by a wealthy merchant.

The house was shrouded in darkness due to the shadows cast on it by the two larger buildings beside it. Old Ronik never bothered to light up the place.

Jack entered the unlocked front door and made a brief tour of the house. The building had a simple design, containing a small living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

All the rooms were appropriately furnished, and the cold and dark atmosphere of the house gave all dark elves that visited it a cozy vibe.

[At this point, I'm already portraying behavioral traits similar to those of a genuine dark elf.] Jack smiled wearily, savoring the atmosphere the house provided.

[I guess this isn't a bad thing; it will help disguise the fact that I'm not one… or am I?] Jack sat on one of the wooden chairs in the living room, staring blankly at the window.

[Well, It doesn't matter. My main goal remains the same – I need strength if I want to survive. What I'm called is secondary,] Jack's thoughts slowly gained clarity.

He left the living room and tidied up the secondary bedroom. By the time he was done, a significant amount of time had passed.

Recalling his appointment with the receptionist, Jack decided to head to the guild.

On the way, he noticed the streets had become lively again, with various individuals moving about the streets and heading to different places.

Contrary to Jack's previous visit, the guildhall was filled with mercenaries. The majority of the mercenaries were drinking and recounting tales of their adventures, while a smaller group of them gathered around the mission board looking for suitable missions.

Ignoring the few stares, Jack moved straight to the receptionist's table. Taking a glance, he noticed the female receptionist from earlier was absent.

Walking up to one of the receptionists, Jack spoke, "I'm here to receive my identification pass."

The receptionist stopped what he was working on and addressed Jack, "Name," he asked plainly. He had short green hair and emerald eyes, he wore the Raven guild's trademark black and white uniform.

"... Zaos," Jack responded. He had almost instinctively spoken his real name.

[This is a pain,] he lamented in his heart.

[Maybe I should just accept this kid's name from now on?] He thought silently.

"One second," the male dark-haired receptionist responded as he began searching through the drawers of the desk.

[It's more convenient that way at least… ] Jack, now Zaos sighed.

"Here." The male receptionist handed Zaos the identification card and went back to his work.

Looking at the name written on the metal card, Zaos sighed once more.

[There is no going back now.] He left the guild and returned to Ronik's house.

By the time he arrived, Ronik was already sitting in the living room, he had a bowl of what seemed to be herbal soup in his hands.

"Did you go for a tour?" Ronik inquired as Zaos entered the living room.

Zaos shook his head, "I went to retrieve my identification pass," he answered, flashing the metal card at Ronik.

"Oh! I forgot you need one of those… You didn't add the clan's name right?" Ronik asked, his tone serious.

"I didn't," Zaos affirmed, he took a seat on the wooden chair opposite Ronik.

"That's good… '' Ronik heaved a sigh of relief.

"There used to be a time when we didn't have to worry about our social status, but those vile mystic humans killed the clan leader!" Ronik's face flushed with anger.

At the mention of the war, Zaos' expression became serious, he leaned forward and asked Ronik, "Mr. Ronik, is the war going to resume soon?"

Ronik shook his head, "I don't know, there is a possibility, but the other mystic nations might not directly move against the rest of our elven tribes. For now, those useless light elves and the dark mystics are in a deadlock…" Ronik speculated.

"The most plausible scenario now is that the light elves' territory becomes a battlefield that will draw in its alliances and enemies," Ronik spoke while stroking his long beard.

Zaos signed in relief, if things went the way Ronik had speculated, then he didn't have much to worry about.

[As long as the war is confined to the light elves' territory, I can continue building up my strength in the meantime!] Jack rejoiced at the fact.

"Anyways, you don't have much to worry about. For now, you should focus on evolving your rank. Don't let our royal bloodline go to waste," Ronik instructed in a serious tone.

"Yes, sir," Zaos responded, his heart skipping a beat at the mention of the topic.

Ronik nodded, "Have some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day," he said as he took his leave.

Zaos also left the living room, he headed to the room arranged and lay on the bed contemplating.

[Now that he mentioned it, will my bloodline affect my evolution?] Zaos recalled the memories of the past Zaos on bloodlines.

Bloodlines were lineages created by the first-generation elves. There were multiple different grades of bloodline, weaker bloodlines restricted the elves' evolution while stronger bloodlines aided them.

Bloodlines shaped the structure of the elven society, making it so that stronger bloodline clans ruled over weaker ones.

The Qildor clan's royal bloodline was categorized as a top-grade bloodline in the elven society. It meant that as long as an individual from the Qildor clan diligently cultivated their edict rune, they could evolve into a Royal Elf; a ranking that was only below the strongest individuals in the world.

[The Qildor clan's bloodline is a dark elf bloodline… it should only have power over a darkness element edict rune, while mine is a void element edict rune… how will this affect my evolution?] Zaos sighed.

[It seems I'll have to undergo my evolution in private, there might be some unforeseen oddities during the process.] Zaos cursed under his breath.

[Forget it, I'll tackle the situation when it occurs.] Zaos got into a more comfortable position and fell asleep.