章節 8: Chapter 7 The First Family Meeting

Under the first rays of morning sunlight, the whole world seemed enshrouded in a gentle haze.

Karl became distinctly aware of the arrival of two other members of the Fischer family, for he could sense their bloodline through the favored imprint with utmost clarity, even predicting their exact time of arrival at the cabin.

Three days had passed since the attack by the evil cultists and the night the girl received her imprint, yet Irene still hadn't figured out how to obtain the Mysterious rare artifact.

For a girl not widely experienced, it was indeed too difficult.

She sat in the cabin caring for her younger brother, slowly lifting her hand that bore the red imprint, feeling she ought to do something with this power.

But the plans in her head remained vague and indistinct, unable to take shape.

Just as Irene was at her wits' end, she suddenly felt the crimson imprint on the back of her hand grow warm as if a connection was forming from somewhere nearby.

Instinctively, she looked up towards the outside of the cabin; a wood cart drawn by a black horse made its way slowly, leaving deep ruts in the muddy ground.

Irene unconsciously swallowed, knowing all too clearly that the ashes of the evil cultists were buried under that stretch of mud.

Lucius and Byrne, standing beside the wooden cart, were also taken aback as they felt a subtle sensation in their bloodline connection, pinpointing this place as the source that called to them in the night.

Lucius, out of habit, squinted his eyes, cautiously gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.

Irene emerged from the cabin cradling her swaddled younger brother, looking perplexed at the unfamiliar faces from Nasir Town, and asked, "Who are you?"

Byrne instinctively shrank back behind his father, not daring to face the strangers.

Lucius replied with a smile, "I'm a retired old mercenary, my name is Lucius Fischer. And what's your name, little girl?"

Irene was taken aback for a moment; the man before her also bore the Fischer name. What exactly was going on?

She vaguely remembered her father mentioning he had an uncle, but it seemed too coincidental that this man could be him.

Byrne, standing behind Lucius, suddenly looked up and said, "Father, she could very likely be my cousin."

Many questions in Lucius's mind suddenly cleared as he asked with a continued smile, "How did you figure that out?"

Byrne, still very nervous, went on to explain,

"Well, father, you once mentioned having a brother in Nasir, and she has that crimson imprint on her hand. I surmise, um, that could likely be an artifact arising from our bloodline connection."

Hearing this, Irene took a deep breath, understanding that both men were her kin and had probably come here in response to the call of the Lord of the Lost.

So that was it; the girl suddenly realized the true significance of the crimson imprint.

Trying to keep calm, she said, "It is a gift from the great Lord of the Lost. From now on, members of the Fischer family will all be His followers, and I too am a child of the Fischer family."

Lucius nodded silently, his eyes sparkling with intelligence as he brushed aside his languid demeanor and continued,

"It seems you are indeed my brother's daughter. Why haven't I seen him or your mother? And about everything concerning the Lord of the Lost... please tell us in detail."

Mid-sentence, Lucius had already seen the undisguised sorrow in Irene's expression and immediately surmised that his brother's current situation could not be a good one; his expression also became somber.

"Brother, perhaps I should have come back sooner."

The socially anxious Byrne hesitantly asked a question.

"This mysterious being you speak of, is He truly a god? Even if He is a deity, He could also be an Evil God, right? Does the Fischer family really have to worship Him?"

Hearing the questioning voice, Irene's face turned cold, and the displeasure in her gaze made Byrne shiver.

"You have no right to question Him!"

She shook her head, turned, and went back inside the cabin, leaving the father and son outside exchanging confused looks.

Karl observed the two newcomers quietly.

The older man was a weathered, experienced mercenary, clearly the most useful "piece" in the Fischer family's current situation.

Noon.

The "Blazing Sun" and "Radiant Sun" both hung high above, casting their nearly endless warmth.

"Please, look and see that everything I have said is true, and this is the Extraordinary power bestowed upon me by the Lord of the Lost."

Irene had already put down her brother, her expression serene as she raised a hand and summoned a subtle, soothing emerald glow, exuding an air as if spring had arrived.

Lucius and Byrne stood inside the cabin, dumbstruck by the scene, their gaze upon the transparent bottle turning uneasy, not knowing what to make of it.

Karl could clearly sense the specific content of their emotions.

Byrne, the nervous and timid boy, felt an oppressive curiosity amid his unease. He was fascinated by "his own" existence, yet too fearful to attempt exploring it.

He understood the mysterious being symbolized power and held great danger.

The thirty-something Lucius looked calm, but in reality, he was deliberately hiding astonishment, joy, worry, greed, and finally, some kind of resoluteness.

It was as if he had made an important decision, hoping to capitalize on the current opportunity to accomplish something. Even the deep-rooted laziness and decadence within him were instantly swept away.

Karl knew very well that Lucius and his son were shocked by the extraordinary power displayed by Irene!

Whether spellcasters or Bloodline Knights, the Extraordinary Exponents of the Ouden Continent were born with spellcasting talent or the corresponding bloodline, giving them the chance to advance further and become an Extraordinary Exponent.

Talent and bloodline determine the majority of people's ultimate potential in life.

As for Mysterious rare artifacts or the blessings of mysterious beings, those are ultimately just temporary or snatchable sources of extraordinary power.

Ordinary humans without the spellcasting talent or bloodline could never truly possess extraordinary power!

Yet the power he possessed broke such ironclad rules!

Lucius revealed a smile that was hard to conceal, suppressing the excitement deep in his heart, and said respectfully,

"Great Lord of the Lost, I am Lucius, the eldest male of the Fischer family."

"The Fischer family will absolutely serve you, with loyalty and utmost effort. Everything we do is for your great revival!"

Though he said this, in the depths of his eyes there was actually no reverence.

The man just wanted to use the suddenly appeared mysterious power for his own gain.

A man blinded by greed, but he could still make a suitable "pawn," Karl silently assessed Lucius. Relying solely on the young siblings was not enough to accomplish much, so he did not mind having a "pawn" with his own thoughts.

So, in the next moment, Karl once again conveyed his will.

He granted Lucius the "protect" power contained in the purple finger amulet.

Although it was much weaker than the "healing" rune power in the transparent bottle, the "protect" rune could still play a significant role in low-level conflicts.

Suddenly, Lucius became aware of the great presence of the Lord of the Lost, an immense power beyond description. The black cross radiance flickered continuously inside the transparent bottle, and compared to it, his own existence seemed as insignificant as the most humble dust in the world!

How magnificent!

All the plots in his mind dissipated in an instant, leaving only fear and even the urge to prostrate himself on the ground.

How foolish he had been to think of using such a magnificent being!

In the next moment, a purple glow slowly emerged in the awe-filled eyes of Lucius.

He felt a strong power granted to the depths of his soul, which he could activate through the connection with the Lord of the Lost.

Upon tentatively activating this extraordinary power, Lucius sensed something within him depleting slightly, followed by an invisible repulsive force surrounding him, capable of effectively defending against external attacks.

Ordinary people might never encounter extraordinary power in their lifetimes, but now Lucius effortlessly possessed it, and he couldn't help being extremely excited!

"So this is the legendary extraordinary power. Great Lord of the Lost, thank you for your blessing. I, of the Fischer family, will devote everything to assist in your revival!"

Lucius was ecstatic, and Byrne, not far off, was also deeply moved, acutely aware that his destiny had changed completely from that moment onward.

The future was uncertain; despite his excitement, the young man also felt a great deal of tension and fear surge in his heart.

The Lord of the Lost, who controlled the fate of the Fischer family, what kind of deity was He?

And what would our future be?

After pondering for a moment, Lucius respectfully lowered his head and asked, "Great Lord of the Lost, something inside me seemed to have been consumed just now. What was that vanishing thing?"

"Could it possibly be the Magic Power mentioned by spellcasters?"

Karl thought for a moment deep inside, clearly recognizing the importance of teaching the family basic mystical knowledge, which could spare members of the Fischer family from many detours.

Even though conveying information would consume spirituality, and the larger the amount of information, the greater the consumption, Karl still decided to transfer basic mystical knowledge at the cost of sacrificing some spirituality.

He planned to pass on only one set of mystical knowledge; the rest of the family members only needed to consult the beneficiary of that knowledge.

As for whom to impart this knowledge to, Karl had already made his choice.

"Great Lord of the Lost, I feel Your will. Are You planning to generously bestow upon me mystical knowledge?"

Irene looked up reverently, realizing that the great god was about to give her the precious mystical knowledge.

She was ready.

Karl no longer hesitated and transferred the mystical knowledge to her.

In an instant, the girl felt dizzy and a sudden, sharp pain flooded into her brain, making her feel as though she was about to split apart and collapse to the ground.

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章節 9: Chapter 8 Granting Knowledge

An immense volume of knowledge surged up in an instant, and Irene felt an extremely intense dizziness come over her, as if everything around her was spinning.

Her vision blurred, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus on any object. She attempted to steady her staggering body, only to feel as if the ground beneath her feet had lost its gravity.

It was as though invisible hands were squeezing Irene's brain, making it impossible for her to think or concentrate.

For a long, lingering moment, Irene felt as if her deep soul was isolated from the real world, trapped within a boundless void, until the multitude of knowledge gradually digested.

"Ugh."

Irene gradually regained consciousness as she retched, her eyes still somewhat empty and unfocused.

Lucius and Byrne stood dumbfounded, exchanging worried and concerned glances, with no idea what had suddenly happened to Irene.

Although they had only met her today, the girl was undeniably their blood relative, naturally evoking a sense of closeness between them.

It seemed that an excessive amount of knowledge indeed harmed both body and mind—whoever said that learning is always beneficial clearly hadn't considered this. Karl immediately realized that he must not impart so much knowledge next time; the fragile mortals might easily break as a result.

The bodies and minds of mortals appeared to be much more fragile than he had imagined.

Yet I digested that knowledge so easily.

Deep inside, Karl suddenly realized that there was a great difference between himself and ordinary mortals.

The confusion in Irene's eyes gradually receded, replaced by deep shock, unhidden admiration, and reverence.

Just now, the gate to a new world had opened to her.

It was the gate to the Power of Consecution, a type of extraordinary power she had never heard of before. According to the knowledge given by the great Lord of the Lost, no other extraordinary exponents on the continent mastered the Power of Consecution.

She slowly turned to the other two and said, "I have received precious knowledge contained in the oracle of the Lord of the Lost."

"We must gather extraordinary materials imbued with Spirituality. The Lord of the Lost will then knock on the Spirit Realm's gate, and in the Spirit Realm, imprint the Spiritual Laws of the Power of Consecution."

"After that, we can craft Magic Potions to obtain the power of Consecution—a power that comes from the deepest part of the soul, far superior to any other extraordinary power on the continent!"

Lucius and Byrne listened quietly, their eyes brimming with unmasked curiosity, delight, and excitement.

As long as they collected enough extraordinary materials to make Magic Potions, they could gain powerful extraordinary powers!

Lucius, with his decade-long career as a mercenary, had also seen what it meant to be an extraordinary exponent, and he roughly knew the differences between spellcasters and warriors, but he was not so clear about specific knowledge of Magic Power, power of Bloodline, and other extraordinary domains.

He was very aware of one thing, however—that extraordinary materials were extremely precious!

"If we want to get extraordinary materials, the simplest and most conventional means is to trade with money, but currently, the Fischer family is almost penniless."

After contemplating, Lucius looked seriously at his niece. The power she had just displayed was extremely important; healing talent was always one of the most precious kinds.

"However, with Irene's power, it's not impossible for us to make enough money in a short term."

"By using the power to heal others, right?"

Irene didn't object at all; in fact, she was grateful to have the ability to repay the Lord of the Lost and help her family members.

Lucius's expression suddenly turned very serious, and he solemnly said to Irene and Byrne:

"Right, there is something I must make clear to you, and perhaps it's the most important thing!"

Over the years, he had traveled to many places and had even witnessed the arbiters from the True Gods Church slaughtering the villages of heretics with his own eyes.

On the continent, all religious groups not recognized by the True Gods Church were outlawed heretic existences; evil cultists could be killed in any nation without trial.

"All members of the Fischer family must keep the great secret of the Lord of the Lost, never divulging even a single word about His existence!"

"The True Gods Church harbors great hostility towards all mystical beings apart from the True Gods themselves, especially those deities not recognized by the mainstream…"

True Gods Church?

Listening silently, Karl delved deep into thought; he could sense the varying strengths of the ten seals deep within his soul, but the entities that had placed those seals undoubtedly possessed substantial and undeniable power.

He couldn't help but follow that train of thought; could it be that the entities that sealed his soul's memories were actually the so-called gods worshiped by the True Gods Church?

"Yes, you must learn to keep secrets."

Byrne nodded slightly, also feeling that the existence of the Lord of the Lost inherently contained immense danger. If exposed, the entire Fischer family would be doomed beyond recovery; they absolutely had to act cautiously.

He agreed with his father's view, saying timidly and nervously,

"Father is right, according to what I've read in books, our identities are considered extremely evil in the eyes of the church. Keeping secrets is the most important principle."

Lucius added, "What needs to be kept secret is the very existence of the Lord of the Lost. Irene, on the other hand, doesn't need to hide her power deliberately, because among spellcasters, there are those who wield healing magic."

"In fact, in order to accumulate money, displaying that healing ability is necessary."

Irene pondered, realizing that money was indeed a resource she must possess to obtain extraordinary materials and mysterious rare artifacts.

However, with her limited perspective, she still didn't quite understand how to exchange her powers for money. Would she have to go to the market and heal diseases for the merchants? Perhaps that was indeed a possibility.

Uncle Lucius's face showed a lazy expression once again as he smiled and said, "Don't be anxious, I'm going to Nasir City to scout around for information and look for opportunities we can take advantage of."

At night, in the taverns of Nasir Town.

The spacious hall was filled with rough but sturdy wooden tables and chairs, and the dim, faint light from the lanterns hung on the walls.

The sailors and fishermen of the port city of Nasir were the mainstay of the tavern, their loud chatter and laughter unending.

Lucius, looking languid, pushed open the door and strolled in, tossing a silver coin up and down in his hand.

He extended his hand and deftly flicked the silver coin, which leaped out and landed perfectly on the table in front of the bartender.

"Barkeep, I'll need a few pints of malt beer, ah, and it would be nice to have someone to chat with, I'll buy them a drink, too."

Lucius sat down with a smile, quickly attracting the attention of those around him.

The tavern was undoubtedly the most convenient place to gather local information, and he soon began to learn about the various powers within this port city, important figures, and even some "get rich" channels.

Come the early hours of the morning, Lucius left the tavern, drunk, with a few armed sailors stealthily trailing behind.

Before he left town, he suddenly drew his sword and loudly warned,

"I advise you not to think that a foreign mercenary who has killed many is a so-called 'easy target.' Be careful, lest you pay with your lives."

After his rebuke, the sailors didn't follow any further.

Once outside the town, Lucius suddenly felt it was a pity; with the extraordinary power granted by that great entity, he had no need to fear those fellows and could have instead gained an unexpected windfall.

Before entering Nasir Town, Lucius had already had his son test the actual effect of the "protective runes" that came with extraordinary power—attacks from common folk wielding swords could basically be stopped.

As a veteran battle-hardened mercenary, he knew well that with this power he stood head and shoulders above the common folk.

"It truly is power beyond the mundane..."

But then he thought, if he killed them, he might offend the local dockside merchant powers, and Lucius felt it was better not to engage in a fight.

"After all, suitable targets have already been identified; what remains to be seen is just how strong Irene's healing power is."

He had already set his sights on the real "easy targets" of Nasir Town.

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