Jacob took a long puff out of a cigarette while laying down on the roof of one of the houses in Blacksoil.

He could still feel the warm medicinal energy of the Alchemic Gnocchi al Pesto he had made. Man, that had truly been something he was proud of. One day, he would fight the Nine Hells, all the Alchemists who ever lived. But it was worth it.

“You know, once, we actually tried to poison Frederick,” Jacob remembered. “There is a plant that makes your ass project-sh*t for days once you mix it right. So we fed a tea to him with a concoction of that inside of it.”

“Really? Wow, that does sound like something we would do,” Francis was smoking a cigarette of his own. He hadn’t been there for Frederick’s death and never really liked the guy, but Jacob had told him that he had behaved like a Hero in the end. “So, did he sh*t himself?”

“Nope. The bastard’s talent and body were so good he didn’t even notice. He even asked for more of that tea after,” Jacob snorted, almost choking on the smoke entering his lungs.

“God,” Francis started chuckling.

They stayed like that for a while, with Jacob telling some funny stories and Francis listening, laughing, and giving a few comments here and there.

“Jake,” he asked at some point, “how did I die?”

“Choking on a d*ck, I would say—the usual. But, at least you died doing something you love,” Jacob offered.

“Oh man, I love it. So old and still the same jokes. It’s like you have gone senile,” Francis commented drily.

“Well,” Jacob got a bit more serious, “to be honest, it was quite simple. Only few people I saw died very heroic or pregnant deaths. You died impaled by a Demonic Beast with very long claws, a Plain Stalker. Same for Helena. I hid, pissed myself, and miraculously managed to jump from some trees to some other trees until I got to the top of Claire Mountain. I stayed there a while, then got back when the horde fell back to attack other places.”

“Are you telling me I died a common death and you were the only one who got out of St. Peter alive?” Francis asked with wide eyes.

“Amateur’s luck, I’d say. But yes, to my knowledge, I was the only one to get out of St. Peter alive that day, save for Frederick and his father. Other people also fled before the tide of Demonic Beasts became too dense to run away from. They even reached where I was hidden, but they didn’t spot me. My cultivation was so weak it must not have alerted them.”

Francis stared for so long at Jacob he had to light his cigarette up again.

“Wow,” his friend took a long puff. Whether you are detached from the facts or not, knowing about your own death is always a shock.

“Well, I’ll stay away from the Plain Stalkers in this life, then,” Francis said.

“Oh, but they run so fast, Francis. Not sure that’s going to happen,” Jacob sneaked a hard poke to Francis's side, making him almost jump off the roof.

“You fu**ing idiot! Stop that! Stop!”

Jacob poked Francis again, and they got tangled. They slid down from the roof, falling headfirst. It was the second floor, but they were both Cultivators now.

Francis was nursing a slight bruise on his head while Jacob laughed out loud like an idiot.

“F*ck’s sake, grandpa, tone it down!” Francis complained.

“Oh man, I’m so looking forward to this new life now,” Jacob turned so that Francis could not see his face.

“Me too, Jake, me too,” Francis added, turning too toward the opposite side.

Men weren’t supposed to see what they were both secretly doing.

…

Epagogia spotted Juliet training in the forest.

The girl was moving rapidly using the Martial Style Jacob had taught her. It was based on the Sacred Queen Phoenix Constitution’s main user’s style. It had been modified and adapted with the years by Patriarchs of the Phoenix Sect.

“Good moves for an amateur,” Epagogia applauded from the side, looking up and down at Juliet’s sweaty figure.

“Epagogia,” Juliet said non-plussed.

“In the flesh,” the woman looked around the trees as if something was interesting on them.

“What do you want?”

Juliet still wasn’t a big fan of the woman. Even if the Devil had not been trying to get in bed with Jacob, she still would have found her irritating.

“Shouldn’t you be more fun compared to Helena? I thought she was supposed to be the strict and just one.”

“Helena’s just a b*tch, for what’s worth it. Even if she was nice with Jacob, she’s still a b*tch. I don’t know if you have any idea what she pulled off with him. And, by the way, I am whatever the f*ck I want,” Juliet’s temper flared.

She was finding it very difficult to act as mature as she would have liked.

“You know, Juliet, you are trying to act a bit too mature! I would love it if you gave me some material to discredit Helena. In fact, even if you and her think you are not participating in the run for Jacob, I’ll take all the mud I can dig on you both. But for the sake of being entertained, just stop acting like Jacob.”

“What do you mean?” Juliet asked.

“Oh, you know, so serious. I went around asking a few questions,” Epagogia said while snapping her fingers and turning off the camouflage she was wearing. “I’ve discovered you were quite the free spirit, not unlike me, uh? But from what I’ve seen, you are keeping your temper under control a bit too much.”

“I’m just trying to avoid being immature,” Juliet gritted her teeth.

“Sure, sure, little boy. But what if you can be mature and yourself? What’s the problem with having a temper, with being a rebel? We need some rebels. Jacob, especially, needs someone who will say no and stand his ground. Too many yes-men around, and we might even elect him our personal dictator. So, why don’t you start acting a bit more like you?”

Juliet felt a surge of blood go to her head after the words of that pretentious, arrogant woman who had no business meddling with whomever she wanted to become.

“You want to see some ‘real Juliet’ moves?” Juliet asked with a note of sarcasm in her tone.

“Oh, that would be delightful!”

“Well, Jacob told me that you are so strong that it’s incredible, right? Peak of the fu**ing Mantis realm?” Juliet started reaching for the rage and started channeling it into the Phoenix’s flames in her body.

“Oh yeah, definitely the stronger fighter around here, little boy,” Epagogia winked at her.

“Well, let’s see about that, then.”

Juliet’s aura released a ripple into the air while preparing herself to fight with the woman.

Forbidden Technique 43, Great Realm Leap, Third Tier

“In fact, Jacob doesn’t know the details about my last rise in power. He still thinks Helena’s the strongest; therefore, he might be wrong about you too. He’s been so busy with his Alchemy that he’s not even asked. And without asking, you can keep something a little secret from the Ancestral Bond too. Even if not for long.”

Juliet’s body exploded with golden flames.

Phoenix’s True Fire