From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Adrian's eyes lit up, and then he listened as Byrne continued.

"Although Garcia is belligerent and bloodthirsty, he is actually a person with strong judgement and meticulousness. Our secret alliance cannot be kept hidden forever, it can only fool him for a while,"

Adrian couldn't help himself and asked further, "And after that period of time?"

Byrne smiled, took a sip of tea, his fingers curling slightly as he calmly said, "In a few months, Garcia might just suddenly die of illness, don't you think, haha! After all, aside from the great gods, no one can predict what will happen tomorrow!"

Could Viscount Garcia die?

Adrian was startled, looking at Byrne who was still smiling with a face full of astonishment, not daring to ask further, his back drenched with sweat once again.

Byrne smiled and quickly moved past the previous subject, "Evangeline is a good girl, once she grows up, an alliance between our two families wouldn't be so bad."

Adrian was stunned for a moment, smiled wryly, and shook his head, "That matter is not urgent."

Evangeline had inherited the strong power of Bloodline, and could possibly be qualified to become the next head of the family. To marry her off in an alliance would be contrary to the family's interests.

However, he also knew that Byrne was just speaking casually.

After Adrian had left, Byrne pondered for a long time before picking up the book he had set down and continued reading calmly.

Compared to other times, he still felt that only the time spent reading could completely relax a person.

Dealing with the Arwen family wasn't a difficult task, but declaring all-out war on them was definitely a bad move.

Byrne was well aware that since the Fischer family had defeated many strong enemies several times before, Viscount Garcia must have sensed that something was amiss.

He feared the hidden strength of the Fischer family and had chosen to treat the Arwen family as cannon fodder, all to probe their true capabilities.

Byrne murmured to himself, "Viscount Garcia, it seems you're set on eliminating the Fischers."

Theo suddenly entered, saying respectfully, "Master, Mr. John is not going to make it."

Byrne put down the book and was silent for a long time.

"John."

Was he going to die?

Byrne still remembered the first pot of gold for the family, which was earned by his father taking Irene to work with John; now, the shrewd maritime merchant was finally about to be carried away by the cruel Grim Reaper of time.

"Hmm, I will go have a look."

In twenty years, John's family had grown more powerful, relying on the formidable influence of the Fischers, and had become a significant maritime merchant family on the East Coast Province.

When he arrived at the mansion of John's family, it was already surrounded by many people, all connections John had cultivated over the years.

Everyone who saw Byrne bowed their heads in respect, and no one dared to speak loudly.

The eldest son of John, upon seeing Baron Byrne, came forward to bow, his eyes red as he said:

"You've finally arrived, Your Excellency Byrne, my father has been hoping to see you; he is, he is nearly gone now. Madam Irene said that it was his time, and there was simply no treating him."

"Hmm."

Byrne nodded calmly and then entered John's room alone but left Theo and the servants along with people from John's family in the drawing room, waiting in silence.

That room was the very one where John had almost died from illness but was cured by Irene; it was also the place where the Fischer family made their first fortune.

The elderly John, with a face full of wrinkles and snow-white hair, lay on the bed, gasping weakly; it was quite apparent he didn't have much time left.

The room was dark, as no lamps were lit because as soon as there was light, the dying John would scream and wail uncontrollably.

"Mr. John, I've come," Byrne said in a gentle voice, walking slowly in the darkness, calmly sitting beside the old man.

In recent years, John had been spending a fortune on messages from the Spirit Realm and mystical drugs, making several trips to the Spirit Realm, hoping to find an adventure that would turn ordinary people into Extraordinary Exponents. Yet, he never achieved a good outcome.

The cunning and shrewd man was indeed quite lucky in the Spirit Realm; despite being an ordinary human, he never died even once, or perhaps because he was too cautious, he failed to reap the rewards he truly desired.

Exhausted, John barely managed to open his eyes and stared into the darkness at Byrne, his face completely obscured, and he lamented,

"So you've come, His Excellency Byrne. It's unthinkable that just a blink of an eye and twenty years have gone by, so fast, so very fast..."

"Haha, I remember you were just a child back then, even too scared to talk to strangers!"

Byrne in the darkness nodded calmly, saying, "Yes, time does fly."

John fell silent for a long while, then suddenly asked, "Actually, there's something I've never been able to figure out. Does your Fischer family have some kind of special method to turn an ordinary person into an Extraordinary Exponent?"

Byrne in the darkness fell silent for a long time, so long that John began to feel afraid.

"Yes."

Indeed, it was so. A flood of realizations came to John in an instant, and he began to shake uncontrollably, unable to stop himself from shouting out loud.

"I understand now, I've figured it all out! So that's how it is, that's how it is... No wonder Madam Irene talked to me about heretic views several times. I understand everything now!"

"Byrne! You clearly knew my dream! All these years, the price I paid was all for the Extraordinary power!"

He reached out frantically, fiercely pointing at Byrne and screaming,

"How bitterly you've concealed the truth from me! How miserably you've deceived me! Hahaha, I hate you! Fischers, you bunch of swindlers, you heretics!"

Suddenly, Byrne grabbed John's hand tightly, staring into his eyes with a cold gaze.

"Really? Do you also deserve to wield the true power?"

"John, by now you should clearly understand that the Fischers did offer you opportunities. You were just too shrewd, never wanting to deeply bind yourself with us, right?"

He lowered his voice, continuing, "Risk and reward are proportional, don't you understand this as a merchant braving the seas?"

John felt an intense pain in his hand, shocked, in the darkness he could see that man's eyes, as deep as the ocean, like a dim, lightless vortex, easily piercing through all secrets and swallowing everything around it.

He was terrified, his body shaking and writhing like a weakened worm, completely powerless!

In the darkness, Byrne continued speaking in an even tone, "Does anyone else in your family know of your conjecture just now?"

John, trembling with fear, realized that the man before him was no longer the timid boy who dared not meet people, but a person of high stature who could demand his entire family's life with a single word.

"No, no! Don't kill them, I beg you, Byrne, it's only me who's gone mad!"

Byrne nodded calmly, speaking gently,

"Hmm, if you are telling the truth, John, I remember your youngest son hasn't taken a wife yet, so let Theo's eldest daughter marry him."

John took a deep breath, a bitter smile on his face as he said,

"Good, good, good, from now on, the Fischer family will handle everything of ours! My children, they are all willing to serve you..."

"I have prepared the transfer contract, and I've signed it too, it's under my, my pillow, cough cough cough, cough..."

Byrne nodded gently, sincerely saying, "You can rest assured, I guarantee that your family will not decline in the next few decades."

John finally let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and realized that certain qualities of Byrne remained unchanged.

Byrne left the room calmly, stepping into the hall and looking at the members of the John family; they all looked back at him immediately.

He took a deep breath, his eyes reddening, and tears could be seen blurring his vision.

"Please accept my condolences, Mr. John, the forever loyal friend of the Fischer family, has just passed away."

"I believe he is now in the embrace of the deities, assured to find true peace."