From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

He met with Byrne and the old priest inside the church.

“It’s you again?”

Assistant Priest Zayne still remembered Byrne, having met him once years ago because of the Spawn of the Abyss incident.

He sat in the chair, squinting as he sized up Byrne, sensing that the man had become much more composed.

“Years ago you told me that you were a Bloodline Knight, as well as a Transmutation-type spellcaster. Back then it didn’t matter whether you concealed anything, but now that you have reached the Level of Transmutation, you must demonstrate and clarify everything in detail with me.”

As an auditor, he too had a corresponding responsibility. If the auditee did not meet the qualifications and still became a baron, then Zayne would also be punished once the matter was exposed.

Byrne found it strange; shouldn’t it be the “Transmutation Level”? Why did the other person say “Level of Transmutation”?

In the common language of the Ouden Continent, Transmutation and Level of Transmutation are two completely different terms, so he could easily make out the difference.

But Byrne wasn’t foolish enough to remind the Assistant Priest of his mistake, he simply began showcasing the spells he had mastered.

What he needed to pretend to be was a Transmutation-type spellcaster who had reached Level 2.

Spellcasters who reached the Level of Transmutation through training inheritance and Magic Potions would see their mental power increase several-fold, improving both output and recovery efficiency.

At the same time, the number of spell models one could remember in their mind would increase from three to five.

The biggest difference was that with more acute control over mental power, Level 2 spellcasters could master several universal spellcraft techniques.

The five universal spellcasting techniques were “Proclamation,” “Silent Casting,” “Expansion,” “Twin,” and “Strengthen.”

They could use several times more mental power to make their next spell gain entirely different new effects.

It could be by pre-emptively “proclaiming” the effect of their spell to increase the chance of hitting, or by increasing the range of the spell effect through “Expansion,” or releasing the same spell twice simultaneously with “Twin,” casting spells without uttering a sound with “Silent Casting,” and the most straightforward act of amplifying the spell’s power, “Strengthen.”

The spell Byrne was to showcase was “Speed Sketching,” the one he was most adept at using daily.

He didn’t show his “Pre-made Drawing,” but drew on the spot instead, while pretending to chant a spell under his breath.

By then, the debilitating effect caused by his “Speed Sketching” had improved a lot, to the point where even steel could become as fragile as old clothes.

“Indeed, this is not an effect that a Beginning Level spellcaster could attain. It’s even a great threat to Extraordinary Exponents at the Transmutation Level,” the Assistant Priest noted as he watched a suit of iron armor easily torn to shreds, nodding thoughtfully.

“Speaking of which, what do you think about the term ‘Level of Transmutation’? Don’t you think it’s much better than ‘Transmutation’?”

Byrne paused for a moment, then quickly responded:

“Indeed, describing the transition from Level 1 to Level 2 as qualitative change triggered by quantitative change makes it sound more fitting than a simple transition of matter.”

“Good, that’s what I think too,” the Assistant Priest said with a smile, nodding happily.

“Now, the church is considering renaming Level 2.”

A name change?

Byrne fell into contemplation, feeling that there must be more to it than simply changing a name.

The Assistant Priest got up from his seat and slowly said, hands behind his back:

“The main issue is that some old fellows disagree. In fact, many of the rules set hundreds of years ago, or even earlier, should also be changed.”

“Do you think I’m right?”

Without hesitation, Byrne nodded and smiled: “It’s true. Knowledge and rules need to progress to keep up with the changing times.”

Assistant Priest Zayne burst into laughter and said, “Hahaha, very well, Baron Byrne. It seems your thoughts coincide with ours.”

“The times have changed, and the church needs a bit of change internally!”

The old priest stood to one side, silent, a wry smile on his face.

Byrne nodded with a smile, but inside, his heart was hit by a storm of shock.

He had long heard that the situation within the major churches was unstable. Had the internal split and strife within the Tempest Church reached such a point that it was now being openly revealed to outsiders?

The Fischer family had accurately predicted the time when the Assistant Priest would arrive, and their celebration banquet had been scheduled for this very day.

Any delay of even a day was undesirable for the busy Assistant Priest, who did not wish to stay any longer than necessary.

However, seeing that the timing was just right, and Byrne’s response had satisfied him, Zayne ultimately decided to attend the celebration banquet.

The turnout for this celebration banquet was quite substantial, with well over a hundred guests.

It was not just the wealthy and powerful from Nasir Town, but also knightly families and influential families from many surrounding villages had sent representatives.

Upon seeing Zayne, the Deputy of the Tempest Bishop, everyone was extremely surprised, and they all tried ways to ingratiate themselves with this truly important figure.

Zayne maintained an indifferent demeanor throughout, only speaking proactively to Byrne and the old priest.

His status was extremely high, second only to the Tempest Bishop and the East Coast Governor.

In the East Coast Province with millions of people, only the “Fox” of the Lion clan, Viscount Bast, and the ‘Black Hawk’ of the Eagle clan, Viscount Zavier, could speak with Zayne as equals.

And compared to the intimidating Tempest Bishop, the perpetually busy Assistant Priest seemed more like the one wielding actual power.

Thus, for ordinary knights and the wealthy, Zayne had no energy or inclination to bother with them, and eventually, he left the banquet early to rest as he was somewhat tired.

Byrne could distinctly feel a collective sigh of relief from everyone once the influential figure had left, and the tension noticeably eased.

However, their gaze toward him and other members of the Fischer family, like Irene, was now filled with even more respect.

This was particularly true for those from knight families not based in Nasir Town.

They had long heard of the formidable reputation of the Fischer family of Nasir Town but had never known the true extent of it until they met in person and realized that this family was indeed impressive and even had connections with influential figures in the Tempest Church.

At that moment, Vanessa ran over and whispered in Irene’s ear, “Madame Director, more important guests have arrived.”

“Who?” Irene immediately asked.

Vanessa replied calmly, “People from two baronial families from around Nasir Town have come together.”

It wasn’t unexpected.

Irene nodded her head; it was quite normal for neighboring families to visit, participate in the celebration banquet, and foster good relations with the future baronial family.

But one thing did surprise her.

How did two baronial families, which were known to be fiercely antagonistic toward each other, come together?

To the west and south of Nasir Town, there were two baronial families: the Kesse family and the Leander family.

The Kesse family’s knightly Bloodline “Blackstone Iron Dragon” possessed the power of bodily draconic transformation, thus they were also known as the “Dragon Scale clan.” Their family estate was west of Nasir Town, controlling three knight families.

The Leander family, located to the south of Nasir Town, had the Bloodline power of the “Forest Dragon Mammoth” which allowed control over plants; they held sway over two knight families.

These two families had always been at odds with each other, frequently involved in disputes and even violent altercations, having even killed members of the rival family.

Soon, Byrne and others like Irene saw the representatives from the two baronial families, which were the heads of their respective families.

The head of the Kesse family was a middle-aged man in very neat and splendid clothing, tall and with slightly dark skin, features sharp as though cut by a knife, and broad shoulders.

The most noteworthy aspect was his orange-yellow eyes, slitted like a snake’s, giving off a demonic vibe.

The head of the Leander family was an elderly man with a kind and benevolent appearance, over sixty years old and slightly corpulent.

He squinted as he eyed Byrne and the others, pondering something all the while.

Byrne smiled outwardly while inwardly knowing that both families were uninvited guests.

In recent months, Baron Hovern’s mental instability had become common knowledge across the four towns of the East Coast.

After receiving accurate information, the Kesse and Leander families had not hesitated to probe the nearly leaderless Nasir Town.