From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

"If we fail, we will be counting on you, Madam Ariel, to save us."

In an inn at Rus City, Chris stood calmly by the window, maintaining his usual silence.

While Byrne smiled at the woman sitting at the table, hidden within a red cloak, his tone betraying reverence.

Ariel sat there, pondering for a moment, before looking at them impatiently and saying:

"Do you really have to kill that black dragon? And you insist on not needing my help throughout the process?"

"Yes."

Byrne nodded firmly.

"Both the former and the latter are matters on which our Fischer family insists."

"Stars Mortal" Ariel, an important member of the Romann family, had come to assist Chris and Byrne in fulfillment of an interfamily alliance.

According to Byrne, the Monarch inheritance that Chris had received could only be assured through killing.

Their chosen victim was a very odd black dragon, an archenemy of the Fischer family, responsible for the deaths of people important to Byrne's father, Lucius.

Revenge.

Indeed, a classic nobility drama.

Ariel did not wish to inquire further, sensing that members of the Fischer family were somewhat "stubborn"; grievances from the previous generation being remembered decades later, unlike the Romann family, who did not hold onto past hates with such tenacity.

They preferred to look forward.

Of course, amongst the many noble families, there were not a few like the Fischer family, sworn to revenge; so, her lack of surprise was expected.

"Fine, if your lives are threatened and you need my rescue, just look towards me, or notify me in some other way," she said coolly, nodding her agreement.

"As long as the enemy is not much stronger than me, I will come to save you by all means. Of course, if I too cannot handle it, I will make my exit first," Ariel promised.

After receiving the promise, Byrne bowed deeply, expressing his genuine gratitude:

"Ah, Madam Ariel, thank you for your assistance. I extend my preemptive thanks on behalf of the Fischer family."

Years of association had taught him that although Ariel was irascible and hot-tempered, she also possessed commendable qualities such as keeping her word and never betraying others.

In some ways, she was perhaps not mature enough, but her company gave Byrne a sense of ease and reassurance.

He took a deep breath and continued, "Next, we need to communicate with the Castleton family to prevent any chaos from arising."

"The famed 'Flaming Blood Proud Dragon' family, whose bodies, according to legend, also carry the blood of dragons."

——

A few days later, in the biggest casino at Rus City.

"I won, hahaha, I won again!"

Disguised, Byrne gambled in various casinos, and for seven straight days, he had won a fortune in Rus City's casinos!

"Heh, who dares to gamble with me now? Who else? Anyone who can beat me can take all the money I've won!"

Holding a deck of cards, Byrne mocked loudly dozens of times.

"I will not break the promise I just made!"

In those seven days, everyone from ranking officials to common workers in Rus City challenged him, yet not a single one of the hundreds of challengers could win against him!

That was, of course, because Byrne was using his extraordinary power without any restraint.

All sorts of people, disbelieving in curses, came to gamble against Byrne in the casino, but they invariably lost miserably and left swearing under their breath.

Occasionally, those who couldn't afford their losses would try to flip the tables, only to be escorted out by the casino's attendants, as violence was prohibited.

"Who else? A bunch of cowards, hahaha!"

Byrne deliberately laughed out loud, but no one from the surrounding crowd approached.

The gamblers looked at each other, not wanting to challenge him further; those who had been defeated more than once had formed a clear consensus deep down.

That is, the man they were facing was cheating using extraordinary power!

No matter how good someone's luck or skill might be, it wasn't possible to win over a hundred times without a single loss.

Knowing this, the gamblers understood that they should not offend him and naturally, didn't want to go on and continue giving away their money.

What people didn't understand, however, was why the big casino's owner, who was usually against the use of extraordinary power within his establishment, had not stepped in to stop this stranger's behavior this time.

The casino owner was the nephew of a Lord Viscount, and shouldn't have been afraid of an Extraordinary Exponent; everyone really couldn't figure out the background of that guy.

Still no challenger?

Byrne sighed deep inside. From the various clues they had pieced together, the black dragon known as "Black Ash" seemed to respond to those so-called "evil ones."

It was quite possible that it would suddenly appear nearby, forcing those who had committed sins to partake in a gambling game.

Both he and Chris, one constantly cheating at gambling houses, the other incessantly stealing at taverns, theoretically had a high chance of attracting it.

In fact, they didn't even need to make "Black Ash" come over and start the game; they just needed "Black Ash" to hear rumors and come closer.

Byrne had obtained an alchemical tool that could sense dragons from the "Dragon Taming Lord" Aldrich, and even before searching for the other party, he had already set up those alchemical tools at many locations throughout the entire city.

If it came near to observe, Byrne would immediately know its location.

Then even if "Black Ash" didn't want contact with Byrne and Chris, it wouldn't have a choice!

However, several more days passed by, and Byrne and the others were still fruitless, then they received the latest information.

"Black Ash" had appeared in another city nearby.

The name of that city was Willowdale, the largest city in Glenborough Province, and also the base of the "Flaming Blood Proud Dragon" Castleton family.

The Castleton family was one of the top four families among the Eight Great Families of Cyart, and the family head, Vlad Castleton, was the "Volcano Dragon," a mid-level Monarch powerful expert of Marquis rank.

Marquis Vlad had inherited the very powerful ancient dragon tribe's "Burning Dragon" bloodline power.

The Burning Dragon was one of the four Dragon Kings in the giant dragon legends of Claud World and was said to have Heavenly Enlightenment Level power. They once ruled the entire world.

Until the most powerful among the dragons, the "Sky Dragon," tried to ascend to divinity, which brought divine punishment. The deities brought everything to ruin, reshuffling civilization from that moment on.

Marquis Vlad was one of the four mid-level Monarch powerful experts of Cyart, a man very fond of warfare, hot-tempered, impulsive, cruel, and tyrannical.

He was almost a madman and even killed his own son in public during a quarrel!

However, some elders say that Marquis Vlad was not always like this and that his personality had completely changed due to the permanent cost he paid for using a forbidden rare artifact.

Besides the Cyart King, Duke Black Iron, and Marquis Vlad, the last mid-level Monarch of the Extraordinary nobility in the Cyart Kingdom was the family head of the "Fog Wayfarer" from the Abernathy family, "White Spirit."

That was an unusually mysterious being who always acted alone and had rarely been seen in recent years; the last appearance of "White Spirit" in front of people was during the Rhea war period.

To continue tracking "Black Ash," they soon hurried to Willowdale.

The two of them continued to follow their previous approach to attract "Black Ash".

"How much longer do we need to look for? I'll give you ten more days," said Madam Ariel, who was getting impatient.

If it weren't for Chris' imminent breakthrough to Monarch Level, which would greatly influence the power dynamic, as a Monarch powerful expert of the Romann family, it was rather beneath her dignity to be running around with two Transmutation Extraordinary Exponents.

Several more days passed, and Byrne was still completely empty-handed, without any sight of "Black Ash."

However, today he did have an "unexpected gain."

That day, as soon as Byrne arrived at the gambling house, he found it deserted, with a middle-aged man with a resolute face waiting for him.

"You, are you from the Fischer family?"

The middle-aged man in front of him was dressed in a robe, with black and red fabric sparkling faintly in the sunlight.

His face was weather-beaten, and there was a hint of brutality in his experienced eyes, giving off an untouchable, beast-like vibe, very resolute as if containing untold stories.

The middle-aged man stood with straight shoulders, as if bearing heavy responsibility, and his words revealed unshakeable determination.

For some reason, the next instant Byrne felt an overwhelming fear of death.

He immediately realized!

The middle-aged man in front of him was definitely a very powerful Extraordinary Exponent!

"May I ask who Your Excellency is? I am indeed from the Fischer family, Byrne Fischer," he replied with a slight nod, taking a deep breath, the sound of his voice revealing undisguised respect; deep down he mostly guessed who he was meeting.

In fact, when he came to this city, he already had a premonition that he would encounter some notable figures from the Castleton family.

He even had a contingency plan in place, informing Chris and Ariel about what to do if they encountered someone from the Castleton family.

"I am Vlad Castleton, the family head of the Flaming Blood Proud Dragon," Marquis Vlad stated his identity with casual indifference, sitting down slowly and pridefully said:

"Fisherman, I've heard that you have been looking for a black dragon around here. Truth be told, you're simply wasting your time; you're probably searching for something that doesn't exist."

"A nonexistent entity?" Byrne frowned deeply, also feeling that the situation with that black dragon was very peculiar.

Marquis Vlad stared at him with an oppressive look, and continued to speak:

"The legend of 'Black Ash' involves a powerful forbidden rare artifact."