From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

"Please smile a bit more, Lord Darren."

In the courtyard of the Fischer family manor, the sunlight gently draped over every inch of the land, casting a golden veil over the decades-old building.

Lush trees surrounded the area, occasionally revealing mottled shadows through the leaves.

"Everyone stay ready, I'm about to take the photo!"

A group of people gathered in the courtyard, adorned in various outfits, their faces brimming with excitement and joy.

Since acquiring the latest silverback camera from a Lorne citizen, the younger members of the Fischer family had been pestering their elders to take photos.

A Daybreaker, who had long embarked on the Path of Wholeheartedness, now served as the photographer, standing opposite the middle of the crowd, focusing intently through the latest silverback camera to capture the light.

He crouched down to find the best angle, ensuring everyone's faces were filled with satisfaction and happiness.

"Okay! I've taken it!"

As the sun set, the horizon gradually took on an orange glow, casting a dreamlike hue over the courtyard of Fischer Manor.

"That's a wrap!"

The smile quickly faded from Darren's face.

He nodded slightly to Vanessa, who led several of the Fischer youngsters away.

The current Darren was already a man in his fifties, his hair no longer as thick and black as in his youth, but speckled with silver strands, and his facial features showed signs of aging, with faint lines at the corners of his eyes.

However, these signs of aging did not detract from his charm; rather, they added a new depth to his demeanor.

Many people said he had become more like his father, but Darren knew well that the "malice" deep within him had never changed.

I am different from my father; he truly was a good man.

Darren slowly shook his head.

"Lilian, how wonderful it would be if you were here too..."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His youngest sister Lilian had already been lying weakly in bed, likely not long for this world, and over the years, Darren had found it hard to be joyful.

Though Lilian's "Spirit-returning Tree" could heal all sorts of diseases and pains.

It was still powerless against the passage of life.

The arrival of the Tranquility Songster brought significant changes to the Fischer family.

A lot had happened over ten years.

Christine had given birth to two more children, seven-year-old Arte and five-year-old Delia.

Strangely, the two children born after the birth of the "Demonic Woman" Hecate, were completely free of any disabilities, just like normal children.

Both Vanessa and Chris were relieved by this.

Meanwhile, Darren's son Felix and Karno had both disappeared for exactly ten years, and to this day, the Fischer family still had no idea where they had gone.

Throughout these ten years, Helen never married nor fell in love with anyone.

She said she could not imagine marrying someone she did not love, nor could she envision falling for anyone in the real world.

Helen always said she could see the life forms in the Spirit Realm, feeling they understood her better and were more accepting of her.

Her condition became increasingly frequent, wildly ecstatic at times, talking incessantly, and during her depressive lows, she would hide in unknown corners, wishing to be undiscovered by anyone.

At times, people would see Helen talking to the air, unsure whether she was genuinely communicating with life forms from the Spirit Realm or if it was just her condition.

However, she always refused to let Lilian treat her because only in such a state could Helen become a genius on the Path of Wholeheartedness.

"Perhaps a genius on the Path of Wholeheartedness must be a madman."

Over ten years, Helen had completely mastered the Power of Consecution of the "Artist" and had the chance to step onto the 4th Rank of the Path of Wholeheartedness, the "Treasure Appraiser."

Unfortunately, without the great Lord of the Lost to ignite the initial step,

She never had the opportunity to become a "Treasure Appraiser."

Darren shook his head.

In fact, whether it was him, Yeager, or Theo, they had all recently fully mastered the 4th Rank Power of Consecution.

The three of them just had to complete the ritual, and they could ascend to the 5th Rank!

Although Theo's talent in the Power of Consecution wasn't high, the astonishing longevity he possessed was, in a sense, a powerful gift!

The current old butler was already over ninety years old, and though his physical condition had noticeably declined, probably capable of using nearly half of the physical quality endowed by the Power of Consecution, he could still run, jump, and even fight. Find your adventure at empire

The now over-fifty Darren saw it clearly: if he did not break through to the 5th Rank himself, his physical condition would continue to decline after his sixties, although his Spiritual Power would not be affected by aging.

In the past ten years, the greatest influence on the Fischer family was that the great Lord of the Lost had not provided any response!

No more Divine Oracles descended!

Lying weak and aged on her bed, Lilian often said that it was He who had eliminated the Tranquility Songster who attempted to destroy the world, and thus the great Lord of the Lost fell into a brief slumber after saving the world. He would soon awaken.

She also said that everyone should firmly believe in the great Lord of the Lost, for even though He might temporarily be asleep, He would still protect the fate of the Fischer family.

Darren clenched his fists, raised his head, and looked to the sky, murmuring to himself.

"Lord of the Lost, the destination of our souls…"

"Please awaken soon."

Just then, two people walked in from outside the door.

One was a frail old man whose face resembled that of an owl, and the other, a silver-haired young girl.

Darren was immediately astonished. With various security measures and secret guards surrounding Fischer Manor, it was unbelievable that someone could appear before him unnoticed!

He noticed that the silver-haired girl seemed to be a half-orc, with some hair on her hands.

"Excuse me, is this Fischer Manor?"

The old man slowly began to speak, his voice deep yet filled with strength, as if he was someone who had survived countless tribulations.

Darren squinted his eyes and asked cautiously,

"Who are you?"

Were they Monarch powerful experts?

The silver-haired girl remained expressionless, like a delicate doll, while the old man gently nodded and spoke calmly, "Indeed, I should introduce myself first, my apologies for losing my manners."

"I am from the Splitting Blade; most call me 'Black Falcon'."

Darren's expression changed.

He had not heard of 'Black Falcon' but was familiar with the Splitting Blade, one of the lower-tier organizations in Claud World's top secret organization, the Primordial Tree.

And the powerful Primordial Tree had always been secretly trying to manipulate the entire world, making each of its lower-tier organizations exceedingly dangerous.

The Splitting Blade originated from northwestern Ouden Continent. According to the intelligence he grasped via the "Black Tide," half of the members of the Splitting Blade were Tuns People, likely having an official background from Tuns.

This was an organization adept at instigating wars; its true leader's identity always remained undisclosed, and invariably, where they appeared, a country would soon erupt in war, causing countless deaths.

Darren immediately asked warily, "What are you here for?"

Black Falcon shook his head and smiled, saying, "Don't act rashly, we mean no harm. We merely wish to cooperate with you."

"Do you know what the third most powerful country is, apart from Lorne and the Seven Stars?"

Darren knew the answer deep down but still deliberately offered three possibilities, wanting to watch the other party's reaction to each answer to gauge the old man's stance.

"The Terell Church State of the Southern Continent? The Silvermoon City States of the western continent? The Thrums Dukedom?"

Black Falcon spoke calmly:

"The culture and economy of the Terell Church State are very backward; they even implement an explicit slavery system, having nothing worthwhile except for that 'Child of the Sun God.'"

"The so-called Silvermoon City States are just a loose coalition, just over a dozen small forces, similar in strength to Dragon Bay, the Triangle City States, and your Eastern Four Kingdoms."

"You clearly know, within the Ouden Continent, the third most powerful country is undoubtedly the northwestern Thrums Dukedom!"

He paused, his tone undisguisedly proud and his voice growing more resonant as he continued,

"That country filled with many half-orcs, where people are born fighters, growing up in icy and snow-covered conditions, who often became slaves but have now grown independent and strong, always possessing immense resilience."

"And we, the Splitting Blade, are an organization born from the Thrums Dukedom, and one day, we will unsheath our blades to split the flesh and blood of the Lorne citizens and the people of the Seven Stars."

Darren remained silent, saying nothing.

The old man paused for a moment before continuing,

"I know you have always been cooperating with the Lorne citizens, but whether it's the Lorne citizens or the people of the Seven Stars, they both want to dominate the continent and will eventually become enemies of your Cyart people. Like us Tuns people, the Cyart people share common enemies and pressures."

"When the laws of the gods completely fail and The Oath no longer holds any effect, Lorne and the Seven Stars will quickly devour the entire Ouden Continent!"

Abruptly, Darren respectfully asked, "Who exactly are you?"

The old man's voice, devil-like, deep, magnetic, and seductive, his eyes' pride unable to be hidden or needing to be hidden,

"As I said, I am Black Falcon, but as it happens, the current Emperor of Tuns is my pupil, so I indeed represent many thoughts of the Tuns people."

"Let's join forces, Cyart people!"