From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Before leaving Nasir Town, Mr. Byrne first checked the barrier spell protecting the town.

Viscount Bast had once given him a bag of black stones, which were actually "barrier markers" created through alchemy.

He had buried the barrier markers around the town, and by chanting the spells inscribed on the stones, he could activate them.

Once activated, they would generate a barrier spell known as "Dark Mirror," which would continuously consume the magic power inherent in the stones while manifesting strange black mirrors in various selectable locations within the barrier's range.

In principle, it was a simple transport array that carried the power of a curse.

The activator could allow certain individuals to freely enter and leave through the Black Mirror, transporting them to different locations around the town, while the enemies within the barrier range would be persistently suppressed and weakened by the curse power of the Black Mirror.

Byrne was grateful to Viscount Bast; the "Dark Mirror" barrier spell wasn't ordinary merchandise but a Level 2 magic barrier that even an ordinary baronial family couldn't afford.

Although he knew Viscount Bast surely had his own motives, Byrne couldn't help but feel grateful.

His weakness was always falling for an "emotional play."

"Very well, the barrier can still be activated at any time. As long as they stay within its range, the Fischer family can even handle a mid-level Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent," he said.

With the church divided and the emergence of the Spirit Realm, he who was well-read in history, knew that the collapse of the old order was just a matter of time and the world would become increasingly chaotic.

The Fischer family was still very weak, and the time they had to grow stronger was diminishing.

----

Ourde Village was a barren place, with its northern forest being the most noteworthy feature.

The forest itself was part of the vast northern expanse of Nasir, where a kind of flower that was completely invisible to human eyes during the day, called "Night Orchid Crystal," would emit a pale blue glow at night.

It was a Class 2 Extraordinary Material and an annual steady source of income.

Beyond that, it would also attract mysterious creatures lured by the scent of the Night Orchid Crystals, occasionally even attracting low-level Transmutation magic beasts.

In other words, it produced Class 2 Extraordinary Materials regularly and occasionally yielded materials of the third classification, making it quite valuable.

The Kesse family even gradually perished in the struggle for the resources within this forest.

Byrne and Chris hid in the forest, silently waiting for Baron Leander to bring his men over.

"Honestly, the excuse he made had some basis, as the unique scent of the Night Orchid Crystals does occasionally attract mysterious creatures," Byrne said.

"But there were still flaws in his words. I've read a book about mysterious creatures, where it's mentioned that the gray horn deer is actually a pure carnivore that doesn't eat plants," Chris responded, silently listening.

Suddenly, Chris knelt down, carefully picked up a strand of light green hair from the ground.

It was almost indistinguishable from the weeds on the ground, very hard to spot, but Chris's keen perception still managed to find it.

"..."

He stared at the hair for a long time before shaking his head and passing it to Byrne.

"Chris, do you think this is the hair of some mysterious creature, or of a person?"

After Byrne received the light green hair, pale blue circles of light emerged in his eyes, and he began to deconstruct its composition through his "Deconstructive Perspective."

The results made him pause for a long moment, as an image he had not thought of for a long time surfaced in his mind.

The emerald figure with light green hair flowing like a waterfall, bright eyes, an elf of such beauty she seemed beyond the ordinary.

"It belongs to an emerald elf. It seems there are elves wandering nearby," Byrne murmured after a pause.

"You might have heard as well, Chris, about the rumors of elves frequenting the land of the four towns. And... I did truly see her when I was younger," he added gravely.

"I'm not certain whether that elf harbors any ill will, but if, Chris, you determine the presence of hostility, we must kill her at the first opportunity!" urged Byrne.

An emerald elf that had roamed the East Coast Province alone for years was not to be trifled with, especially in a forest they favored. If there was any sign of hostility, the situation could become very tricky.

Byrne knew the importance of preemptive action, if the elf showed the slightest hostility, they would need to act immediately.

Eventually, Baron Leander arrived at the forest with two Bloodline Knights and several dozen guards.

He appeared to know exactly where his target was and immediately headed deeper into the forest.

Chris, using his "Tracking Senses," and Byrne followed from hundreds of meters away, and during their movement, Chris, expressionless, found another strand of light green hair.

"It seems the emerald elf is indeed nearby," Byrne nodded, even more confident in his assessment.

They continued along the trail indicated by the breath lines and footprints Chris's "Tracking Senses" had observed, only to find that the men had stopped and were resting near a river.

Chris quickly sensed something was amiss—not everyone had ceased moving.

The men of Baron Leander stood by the river while he disappeared, continuing alone in another direction.

"They've split up," Chris said calmly.

Byrne nodded lightly, making a judgment in his mind, and said,

"It seems that hunting the mysterious creature is indeed just a ruse. He even wants to avoid his own men, definitely up to something very secretive and important."

He looked steadily at Chris and continued,

"Chris, distinguish Baron Leander's scent and traces, and continue tracking. As for the others, don't bother with them, they know nothing at all."

Chris nodded, carefully discerning the scent unique to Baron Leander.

Afterward, the two circled around the people waiting by the river, following Leander's trail further, even reaching the edge of this stretch of forest, about to enter the vast jungle.

Finally, Byrne and Chris stopped in front of a cave.

Surrounded by an abundance of green vegetation, its interior emitted a strange aura. Looking from the outside in, not a trace of light or shadow could be seen, as if it were a terrifying demon's lair completely isolated from the real world.

"He went in," Chris stated calmly.

Frowning, he added, "A very peculiar power. The scent has vanished. Something mysterious..."

Actually, Chris didn't need to say it; Byrne also sensed it naturally.

He could distinctly feel the strong vibrancy of spirituality.

Ever since he had reached the 3rd Rank, his intuition had become increasingly sharp in response to various mysterious powers Byrne felt that the stronger the strength of a Consecution Extraordinary Exponent, the more intense the reaction to various mysterious powers.

So, what could possibly be inside the cave that caused such intense spiritual vibrations?

After pondering for a moment, Byrne shook his head and said, "Don't act recklessly, Chris. Wait while I search."

He calmly waved his hand in front of him, and the gasified spiritual power materialized out of thin air—solidifying and gathering into a mysterious existence identical to Byrne's appearance and form.

"Body Double."

Byrne commanded his Body Double to enter the cave with the strange aura first, simultaneously switching his own perspective to that of the Body Double.

The expressionless Body Double Byrne stepped into the dark, lightless cave, as if stepping into an entirely different world, his vision gradually succumbing to complete darkness.

Suddenly, Byrne felt a strong sense of unease!

"Chris..."

Just as he began to shout, he felt a heaviness in his head.

The next moment, everything around him underwent a complete transformation—the lush forest turned into crumbling ruins made of crystal, which emitted a luminescent glow. Byrne looked up in utter astonishment and saw a towering, awe-inspiring crystal palace!

The crystal palace was immense, each crystal clear and intricately carved with complex and exquisite silver patterns. Sunlight filtered through the crystal walls, causing the entire palace to shimmer with iridescent colors.

A broad and elegant crystal staircase wound upwards, leading to the higher floors of the palace. Mysterious golden materials formed the balustrades on either side, gleaming with a faint light.

The whole crystal palace radiated a sense of solemnity and sanctity that unavoidably shook one's soul, as if witnessing the legendary realm of myths.

Byrne suddenly realized something—this place was the Spirit Realm, and he had arrived in the Spirit Realm in the form of a consciousness!

The real him was probably asleep. No, that wasn't right—how could this be happening, why would there be a gateway connecting the real world to the Spirit Realm?

"What exactly is going on? I clearly didn't drink the dreaming potion, nor did I travel through the Dreamwoods."

His heart was full of shock and astonishment, and he instinctively wanted to look up at the glorious figure of the Lord of the Lost, but was startlingly unable to see Him due to the obstruction of the crystal vault.

Because he could not see the great Lord of the Lost, the unease in Byrne's heart intensified.

"Eh, Mr. Byrne, why are you here too?"

The sudden voice made him turn abruptly, only to see the figure of Baron Leander appearing in the distance. The old man looked at him with surprise, his mouth twitching slightly, holding a very strange egg in his arms.

The egg was over thirty centimeters in diameter with a shell completely made of crystal around which scales had naturally grown, resembling an exquisitely lifelike work of art.

Byrne's gaze was immediately drawn to the crystal egg; of all known mysterious creature eggs, there's actually only one type that has scales growing on its shell!

A crystal... dragon egg?

However, he merely took a distant look when he suddenly heard Baron Leander's angry and near-mad yelling.

"Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Byrne! What are you looking at? This is mine, no one can take it away, hahaha! I knew it, you want to steal it, don't you!"

"Damn it, I knew it!"

Bad news—he's completely lost it!

Even if this guy doesn't go mad, he most likely won't let me leave here alive!

Byrne could feel the sweat drenching his back. Before he could even answer, he sensed that a profound danger was imminent!