From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Everyone realized that re-establishing Nasir North City would be a long-term endeavor.

At night, in the potion workshop of the Fischer family,

Byrne sat at his desk, supporting his wire-rimmed glasses, as his feather pen continuously wrote words that flowed with force and fluidity across the paper.

“In Extraordinary Realm combat, the six most important elements are ‘intelligence, cooperation, timing, distance, relationships of restraint, and mobility.’

“The most critical intelligence includes, but is not limited to, the enemy’s abilities, item status, ally’s abilities, item status, and even various detailed information about the terrain and weather.”

As he wrote this, he reminisced about the various teachings of his father and thought about the few battles he had experienced himself.

“Cooperation is also crucial; the sum of Extraordinary powers often exceeds the additive combination where one plus one is greater than two. Outstanding cooperation can create miracles, while poor cooperation can drag each other down.”

Byrne, illuminated by the oil lamp, penned down the experience he had summarized.

He deeply hoped to compile a general combat guide for the later members of the Fischer family, rather than them having to grasp it through lessons of blood and tears.

From the bottom of his heart, Byrne felt that the ability to learn and inherit knowledge was extremely important, perhaps even the most important ability humans could have.

Just after he finished writing everything, he suddenly felt his Spirituality boiling over, although it only lasted for a brief few seconds, it was extremely noticeable!

He had found it!

“Great, I finally found the direction for the promotion ritual!”

Byrne was overjoyed; it was such a relief. Although there were multiple paths to ascend to the 3rd Rank, as a forerunner, he could only grope in the darkness for the way forward.

Having only received hints about “knowledge” and “mysterious,” he had done many things related to both, yet there had been no sign of promotion.

“So that’s it, I have finally found a way.”

Byrne stood up with a joyful expression and mumbled as he paced, “Hmm, as long as I ‘create a certain number of complete Mysterious Knowledge Inheritances, accompanied by the corresponding Magic Potion,’ I can ascend to a higher rank and master the Power of Consecution at the 3rd Rank of the Path of Knowledge!”

But he knew that creating Mysterious Knowledge Heritages was actually a difficult task.

It required the Extraordinary Exponent to possess enough insight and summarizing abilities, and the entire process had to be a genuine creation from the heart; any help from others would likely result in no effect from the ritual.

Byrne knew that the Consecution Extraordinary Exponent at the 1st Rank was roughly equivalent to a low-level Beginning, while those at the 2nd Rank were roughly equivalent to a high-level Beginning.

If he could reach the 3rd Rank, his strength would basically be comparable to a low-level Transmutation Bloodline Knight or Spellcaster!

Remembering the terror of the black-robed evil cultist, suddenly, he felt a tremendous sense of anticipation that he too could soon touch such powerful forces!

“As long as I can ascend to the 3rd Rank, many of the family’s difficulties will be easily resolved!”

Beginning and Transmutation, just like the knight clans dependent upon the nobles and the noble families with private soldiers over their lands, there was a fundamental difference between the two.

Byrne, filled with excitement, didn’t sleep the whole night. Early in the morning, just as he was about to sleep, a servant respectfully informed him that a significant figure from the Tempest Church, the Deputy of the Great Priest, had arrived in Nasir.

One cannot neglect a big shot from the Tempest Church. Byrne quickly got dressed, tidied his appearance, and then headed to the church in Nasir.

At the church, Byrne saw the old priest standing next to a young man with respectful deference.

The young man had dark blue hair, his eyes filled with arrogance and disdain. He was tall and extremely thin, with his pale hands showing no sign of blood.

He seemed to be complaining, looking dissatisfied.

“The diocese of over a million people on the East Coast Province, I have to run for any minor or major issues. The Great Priest gets to enjoy his ease while I, the deputy, am running myself ragged.”

Just approaching, from dozens of meters away, Byrne felt an incredibly intense and powerful presence!

It was an unstoppable force, like a deep-sea vortex that could destroy everything, swirling around the man and causing immense shock in people’s hearts! Absolutely impossible to ignore or resist!

Byrne and the old priest were sweating profusely, unable to speak where they stood, and hardly able to look directly at the young man who had reached a high-level Transmutation.

Why was that presence so terrifyingly manifested?

He had attended several feasts in Fein City, where those big shots were like ordinary people, their presence never bursting out like this in terror.

Viscount Bast had even behaved very warmly toward Byrne during a crime incident, speaking in an easygoing tone.

If Byrne hadn’t already known the identity of the other, he never would have guessed he was a great overlord who stood above hundreds of thousands of people.

Only now did he finally understand how vast the difference between himself and those big shots was, like an insect that could be crushed at any moment.

Suddenly, that strong presence vanished as if it had never existed, and the young Assistant Priest shook his head, saying,

“I am in a ‘Metamorphosis Phase,’ and occasionally, I can’t suppress the outward spread of my presence.”

He wasn’t apologizing, just explaining the reason, as he saw no need to apologize to such minor characters.

Byrne finally breathed a sigh of relief; facing that human-shaped deep-sea vortex had almost made it difficult for him to breathe normally.

“Byrne of the Fischer family?” the Assistant Priest asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Assistant sir, I am Byrne.”

Byrne remained sufficiently respectful, but the other’s next words left him unsure how to respond.

The Assistant Priest calmly continued to ask, “Does your family worship the Tempest Overlord?”

“The Lord of Salvation…” Byrne could only reply through gritted teeth.

“Haha, you don’t seem that hypocritical. Sooner or later, you will clash with the people of the Salvation Church.”

The Assistant Priest’s sneer persisted, clearly harboring a great prejudice against the Salvation Church.

“Alright, regarding the matter of the evil cultist, you just answer whatever I ask you next.”

The Assistant Priest waved his hand and began to ask questions one by one, and Byrne answered fluently. Of course, what he recounted was not the truth but another version of the “facts.”

“Right, you initially said that the guy had a Treasure-class Mysterious rare artifact on him. Was it taken by your Fischer family afterward?”

He suddenly gazed at the other with a playful look in his eyes.

Byrne’s face changed slightly.

Could it be that the Assistant Priest wanted to force him to hand over the item? But that Mysterious rare artifact had become a sacrificial offering to the Lord of the Lost.

“Logically, I have the right to confiscate the possessions of evil cultists, but since your family has contributed to fighting against the evil cultists, consider it a reward for you.”

He looked at Byrne, who was stunned, and sneered coldly, “Don’t put on that face. Humph, a Treasure-class Mysterious rare artifact is not significant enough to make me shameless.”

“However, if it were a Forbidden rare artifact, even one with a three-digit number, I would definitely snatch it up.”

He suddenly stretched out his hand and said, “Give me your flintlock.”

Byrne, without refusing, handed over the gun and saw the Assistant Priest aim the flintlock at his own head and fire without hesitation.

“Bang!”

The next moment, the Assistant Priest caught the bullet that flew out with his other hand.

“How could such a toy possibly shake the status of an Extraordinary Exponent? That evil cultist actually suffered severe injuries from so many bullets. Was it caused by your power?”

Byrne nodded in acknowledgment, appearing sincere as he said, “In fact, I am not only a knight but also have the talent of a transformation-type Spellcaster. At that time, I weakened the opponent’s defense with a Spell.”

“Then you really are one in a million, a lucky fellow.”

The Assistant Priest only chuckled in response to the explanation and nodded, not commenting further but merely acknowledging.

“That will be all for now, as the Church has many other matters that require my attention.”

The old Priest, puzzled, looked up and asked, “So, Great Priest Assistant, what about my punishment from the Church?”

“Punishment? Why should I punish you?”

Upon hearing the old Priest’s query, the Assistant Priest shook his head expressionlessly and then said calmly,

“You are just a fringe figure of the Tempest Church, and the final situation has long exceeded your capabilities. Since the main culprits haven’t escaped, why should I punish you?”

The old Priest bowed his head and let out a long sigh, sinking into deep silence and self-blame.

Byrne could feel that, despite the Assistant Priest’s disregard for others’ feelings when speaking, he seemed to be a decent person.

After leaving the church, the Assistant Priest, surrounded by servants, furrowed his brow, feeling the need to pay closer attention to this town called Nasir in the future.

The Child of the Abyss had ultimately been destroyed abruptly, most likely by the secret intervention of a Monarch-level power.

A so-called miracle? Hmph, what a strange expression, it’s utterly impossible.

The several major churches are all very clear. Decades ago, the gods became increasingly silent. The last divine decree on the Ouden Continent even dated back to ten years ago. How could there be a miracle now?

—-

Months later, Byrne and Margaret’s second child was born.

It was a girl.

She looked just like Chris and Darren had years ago, very fragile and delicate, with a complex red brand on her hand.

The entire family gathered around the baby, each one of them looking very happy.

Byrne had already discussed with his wife about the child’s name; since it was a daughter, they would call her Lilian.

Lilian, meaning “The Oath with the Gods.”

The townspeople came to congratulate them one after another. Because the Fischer family had presided over the reconstruction efforts, their reputation had climbed another rung with several hundred townspeople bringing gifts.

Many of those who brought gifts were even people made homeless by the disaster, offering their few remaining treasured possessions, hoping to repay the Fischer family.

At night, the chubby little Darren bit his finger, seemingly entranced as he looked at his sister in the cradle, then smiled and handed over a piece of hidden candy.

“Eat candy, eat candy! Sister, eat candy!”

The small baby’s hand instinctively clutched the candy, utterly oblivious to what was happening in the outside world.