From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

In the cellar of Fischer Manor, the core trio of the family were going over the whole affair from beginning to end, pondering over their next steps.

Byrne breathed a sigh of relief, still somewhat wary, and said with a mix of fortune, “Thank goodness we notified the Lion clan in advance, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

Then, confusion appeared in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but look towards Irene, continuing to say,

“Those …those so-called followers of the Lord of the Lost spoken of by the Black Lion—what is that about? According to him, a town on the East Coast was sacrificed by the Lost followers, and everyone in the town died.”

The news of the town’s destruction had not yet spread, but Byrne understood it was only a matter of time before it did, and the term “Lost followers” would become a hot topic.

“Despicable imposters!”

Irene was filled with anger, almost gnashing her teeth when discussing the topic of “other followers of the Lord of the Lost.”

How could there be other followers of the Lord of the Lost? Those who suddenly emerged were without doubt frauds, imposters, utterly nauseating!

She was about to say that those who impersonate false beliefs deserve no good end, must forever descend to hell, but then she suddenly remembered that the Fischer family was also impersonating members of the Sea God Cult at night, and she fell silent.

“It seems we are of the same mind.”

Byrne nodded his head, speaking with utmost seriousness, “Just as we impersonate members of the Sea God Cult, there are also those who impersonate followers of the Lord of the Lost.”

“They offered an entire town as a sacrifice in the name of the followers of the Lord of the Lost, one can only wonder which evil being they offered it to, and what boon they expect to receive. This event has not spread widely yet, but it will surely shake the major churches as well as the entire Cyart Kingdom!”

He recalled everything he experienced at the Alchemy Council and took a deep breath.

Although he did not know the specific reasons, people had already started searching for traces of the Lord of the Lost in the Eastern Four Kingdoms, and now they could further narrow down their search area.

“In time, more and more forces will head to the East Coast Province. Some hope to find the followers of the Lord of the Lost while others intend to impersonate them, engaging in secretive, dark deeds.”

With his piece said, he fell silent. A tense and oppressive atmosphere spread in the cellar, and everyone understood that the actions of the Dawn Church would have to be even more hidden and cautious, as the likelihood of being discovered was getting higher.

Irene wasn’t afraid in the face of a more chaotic situation and asked about the next topic,

“What are we going to do next? We have already caused the downfall of the Kesse family, but there are still loose ends that haven’t been properly tied up.”

Byrne pondered for a moment before nodding and beginning to speak,

“Indeed, there is much to be done. We need to take over the territory of the Kesse family and not give the Leander family, let alone the Garcia family, any chance.”

He paused suddenly as he said this.

“As for the matter of Theo’s son, I had actually anticipated it already, but at that time I had no way to provide a solution. Now, however, there are ways for him to vent his hatred.”

Irene also sighed about Theo’s situation, then instructed, “Besides this, remember to reward Vanessa and the others. Although everyone has been loyal all along, we cannot neglect rewards and punishments.”

“Yes, of course I understand.”

Byrne immediately responded.

This emergency family meeting thus concluded, with Chris standing silently on the side throughout, not uttering an extra word.

Meanwhile, Karl, floating high in the air, was quietly listening to the entire family meeting.

When he heard about the followers of the Lord of the Lost offering an entire town as sacrifice, he experienced an inexplicable feeling.

Which Lost followers?

Why do I not know about them?

Soon after, Karl realized there must be others impersonating his followers, performing those acts not permitted by people.

The situation on the East Coast was becoming more complicated.

It wasn’t just this force that suddenly appeared impersonating his followers; there were other secret organizations like the Sea God Cult, the Alchemy Council, and the group that had recently tried to abduct Chris.

All of them had different goals and intentions, emerging one after another amidst the divisions and internal strife of the major churches, secretly pushing the East Coast Province towards even greater chaos.

Without a doubt, for the very weak Fischer family, the future environment of the East Coast Province would become more perilous and chaotic.

They would need to be more cautious and gain more strength to overcome the numerous difficulties that would inevitably arise.

What truly concerned Karl was that “constellation” trying to take Chris.

“That one” appeared to be not of this world, but from another dimension.

What Chris saw was merely its projection.

Yet the being, by mere projection, was already a hugely exaggerated presence, and even toward the entire Claud World, it posed a great threat.

“An otherworldly god?”

——

After the family meeting concluded, Byrne left Fischer Manor at once to find the despondent Theo.

Theo’s state was indeed dire. He was in a tavern in the West City District, furiously downing rum, reeking of alcohol from head to toe.

“Captain Theo, drink up, keep drinking, it’ll all be better when you’re drunk.”

Quite a few of the Fischer family’s guards were surrounding him, trying their best to console this respected captain who had lost his son in middle age.

Theo said nothing, just silently drinking on and on.

While they were at the tavern, the rest of the Nasir citizens maintained their silence.

Everyone could see that Mr. Theo was in sorrow, so no one dared to let out a laugh.

In several taverns around Nasir Town, there was an unwritten rule that certain individuals could drink whatever they wanted for free; the establishments would not charge these individuals, and the esteemed Theo was clearly on that list.

Seeing something was seriously off with Mr. Theo of the Fischer family, the tavern owner voluntarily had the maids bring round after round of drinks.

“`

Byrne abruptly pushed the door open, ignored the salutes of those around him, and calmly issued an order.

“Everyone, leave.”

Upon hearing the command, the patrons of the tavern quickly left, their movements efficient, with no one daring to ask a single question.

The tavern owner approached respectfully and bowed, “Respected Lord Baron, may I inquire…”

Byrne did not even glance at him but calmly said, “You too, leave.”

“Very well, my lord.”

The tavern owner and the attendants left without question, quickly vacating the premises that were actually their own.

The family guards had already taken up positions on both sides. Byrne slowly approached Theo, looking at the middle-aged man who was drunk to the point of stupor, and felt very uncomfortable himself.

Still, he tried to remain as composed as possible as he spoke,

“The family still needs you, Theo. Take some men and take over those villages. Your actions must be swift enough; we have to have everything in order before the Garcia family realizes what’s happened.”

Theo silently continued to drink his wine, which was one of the pains of becoming an Extraordinary Exponent, as getting oneself drunk had become a difficult task.

Byrne’s discomfort at seeing a core member of the family in such a state of decline was uncontrollable, knowing that Theo needed something to release his inner turmoil.

Otherwise, he would be completely incapacitated.

Byrne leaned over and whispered into the middle-aged man’s ear,

“The Kesse family is no more, but many managers of those villages are their kin, and it’s possible that among them are those connected to the incident involving your son.”

“If you’re too late, they might all escape; no one is going to wait for your revenge.”

Theo froze for a moment, then suddenly stood up and turned to the family guards standing on both sides.

“All of you, come with me!” he yelled, leading everyone out of the tavern.

Byrne picked up an unfinished cup of wine and drank it down.

For over twenty years, he had never allowed himself to get drunk.

Byrne actually had an inward aversion to the messy state of being completely drunk, unable to control his consciousness.

To him, that condition—devoid of almost all reason—seemed even more terrifying than the temporary loss of Consecution power.

“I’m sorry, Theo…”

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t handle everything; I can only do what I’m supposed to do within the scope of power I can reach.”

Those who had participated in the downfall of the Kesse family, including Vanessa, each received a reward of fifty Gold Coins.

They might not care, or even feel that taking part in a battle for the Fischer family was a matter of course, but Byrne knew he absolutely could not fail to provide a reward.

Byrne had read many history books, and many dissatisfactions or even betrayals in history often sprouted from the smallest grievances.

The takeover of Kesse territories began immediately.

The nearby Leander family, and even the more distant Garcia family, were taken by surprise; the Fischer family had already swiftly occupied several villages.

Two knight clans affiliated with the Kesse family tried to resist, even hoping to seek refuge with the Garcia family, but the Fischer family did not go easy on them, sending them to meet Baron Kesse without delay.

Meanwhile, one knight clan fled with their entire family, leaving the jurisdiction of the four towns, while another knight clan chose to submit to the Fischer.

They were the Abbot knight family, who had a pair of sibling Bloodline Knights in their thirties.

The Kesse family had long wanted to swallow the Abbott family’s fortunes, so their dissatisfaction was preexistent, and they strongly supported the Fischer’s actions.

The greedy actions of the Fischer family soon shocked all the clans in the region of the four towns.

Baron Leander wrote a letter to Byrne, expressing great surprise at the sudden fall of the Kesse family, followed by a condemnation of the despicable Sea God Cult.

He also hoped to gain control of a village, thinking the two families could more or less be considered allies, and that he, after all, had the merit of “guiding” the Fischer family.

But Byrne ignored the letter outright, finding Baron Leander’s tone rather amusing.

In his study, Byrne summoned Vanessa to entrust her with an important task.

“Vanessa, there’s something I need you to handle. Remember, it must be done well.”

He spoke with all seriousness, “All the spoils we’ve gathered from the Kesse family these days, including those Mysterious rare artifacts and valuable jewels, are to be sent as gifts to the Lion clan.”

“Just say, it’s to thank them for their guidance on establishing the Fischer’s factories in town.”

Vanessa wasn’t at all surprised and inquired slightly bowing, “Do we send a third or half, my lord?”

“All of it.”

Byrne spoke without hesitation, emphasizing his tone deliberately.

Several days later, the downfall of the Kesse family as well as the Fischer family’s movements became known.

But what truly shocked people was the disappearance of a town in the southern part of the East Coast Province.

It vanished into thin air, leaving no trace in the world, and the name of the “culprit” behind this frightening sacrifice by the evil cultists quickly spread.

“The Lost follower!”

A few days passed,

A arrogant carriage from the Garcia family slowly arrived in Nasir Town, blatantly ignoring the welcoming party, and drove straight to the Fischer’s doorstep, intent on demanding justice.

However, when they saw the carriages parked outside adorned with the emblems of the Lion clan, they silently drove away from Nasir Town.

Never to return.