RE: LORD OF TIME

The bright sun slowly rose from behind the Kolva Mountain Range, shining its light upon the world and illuminating everything beneath it.

It was still early morning, with the clock not even reaching 6:30.

However, despite the early hour, the main town of Rosco Barony was unusually lively.

Rosco Barony was just a small barony with only five villages under its rule. The place where William lived wasn’t one of those five villages, but the central town of the barony, where Baron Xing resided.

The Aether Affinity Test would be held in the town’s central square. As such, all the eligible young people had been brought to town by their parents early in the morning.

William’s home was also lively at this moment.

Although the Aether Affinity Test wouldn’t begin until around ten in the morning, Elena and the others were already awake, appearing far more nervous than William, who looked somewhat irritated after being awakened so early by Samuel and Karl.

"It’s just an Aether Affinity Test. Do you guys really need to get so worked up over such a minor thing?"

William yawned as he looked at Karl and Elena, who both looked restless even while eating.

Karl and Elena paused when they heard William’s words and exchanged glances.

"You are right. It’s just an Aether Affinity Test. There is no need to fuss over something like this," Karl said before continuing to eat calmly.

Although he looked calm on the surface, the anxiety in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Elena was the same.

However, in order not to make William anxious, both of them tried their best to appear composed.

William shook his head when he saw this but didn’t say anything, as he understood their concern.

’They are most likely worried that I will be disheartened if it turns out I don’t have any Aether Affinity.’

Breakfast was soon over, and there were still more than three hours left before the Aether Affinity Test began.

"I will go and check the situation in town."

Karl couldn’t sit still after breakfast, so he left.

William didn’t stop him, as he knew that if his father stayed at home, he would simply pace back and forth anxiously the entire time.

There were also a few other children in their neighborhood who would be taking the Aether Affinity Test.

As such, Elena went to chat with their parents to calm her own anxiety.

"Brother, is there any need for you to take this test? Didn’t you say that both of us already have Aether Affinity when you taught me that cultivation technique?" Samuel asked after Karl and Elena left.

"How am I supposed to join an academy if I don’t go through this test?" William replied with a shrug before turning around and walking back toward his room.

"You don’t need to think too much about this so-called test. Since you are already awake, go and do one set of the exercises I taught you."

"Ugh..." Samuel groaned after hearing William’s words, but he still obediently went to the backyard to begin exercising.

Meanwhile, William returned to his room and began thinking about the upcoming event.

’Lucas didn’t come to Rosco Barony in the original timeline, yet he is here this time...’

He sat down on the bed as the thought crossed his mind.

’The reason he is here is most likely because of Vivian’s manipulation. She must have used Mind Suggestion on him to make him come here.’

It was Vivian who had informed him that Lucas would be coming to Rosco Barony. Similar to him, she also possessed memories of the original timeline.

As such, William was almost one hundred percent certain that she was the one who had arranged for Lucas to come to Rosco Barony.

’It’s very likely that she sent Lucas here so I could beat him up and vent my frustration.’

Just as William knew about artifacts and skills capable of tracking people through karma and destiny, Vivian also knew about them.

As such, she definitely didn’t want him to kill Lucas, as doing so would place him in great danger.

In fact, there had been a note inside the storage ring Vivian had sent him.

In that note, she had strictly warned him not to go overboard.

However, she didn’t know that he possessed something capable of perfectly concealing his presence from such tracking skills and artifacts.

Because of that, he had already decided to kill Lucas.

"It’s really strange..." William suddenly thought of something and chuckled.

"In the original timeline, we argued all the time because she always wanted to keep me by her side and never wanted me to get involved in battles or anything dangerous. But now..."

He thought about Lucas, whom she had personally arranged for him to beat up, and couldn’t help but shake his head.

"It seems she really is trying to change."

William then thought about his own behavior and rubbed his forehead.

"I need to improve my behavior as well."

Not to mention anything else, William felt that his current temper was far worse than it used to be.

Just last night, when Dominick said he wanted to drink his parents’ blood, he had nearly lost control and attacked him.

When he walked toward Dominick, he had actually planned to use Overload to catch him off guard and kill him.

Once he activated Overload, he would be able to unleash a strike containing the full power of his body.

Not to mention, he had planned to use his sword during that attack.

If he combined Overload with a sword strike, the attack would receive an additional 350% boost from his Sword Dominator trait.

An attack combining Overload and Sword Dominator was something that even a peak Star Commander would struggle to withstand head-on.

Fortunately, he had regained his senses just before attacking.

If he had really attacked, not only would he have endangered himself, but he would have also placed his family in danger.

His strongest attack would have undoubtedly damaged their house.

It might have even destroyed it completely, burning his entire family alive in the process.

If that had happened, he would never have been able to forgive himself.

’My current way of thinking is still being influenced by the war in which I died before returning to the past. On the battlefield, the simplest way to solve a problem was to cut down your enemies. But I am no longer on the battlefield and can’t continue thinking this way.’

William took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"If I go to the academy with this kind of temper, I might end up breaking those noble brats beyond repair over the slightest provocation."

William shook his head before beginning to cultivate using the Time Star Codex.

Time quietly passed, and soon, two hours had gone by.

"William, hurry up! It’s time to go!"

William heard Elena’s voice from outside and slowly stood up from the bed.

"It’s finally time to meet that bastard..." He muttered under his breath before leaving his room.

Meanwhile, a woman hidden beneath a black cloak quietly entered the main town of Rosco Barony.