From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

In the basement of the Fischer Manor, Chris, Byrne, and Irene gathered together once again.

For twenty-one years, the three siblings had weathered storms together, supporting one another through crisis after crisis, gradually pulling the once extremely weak Fischer family back on its feet.

Going forward, they would continue to support this boat that was carrying an increasing number of people.

Irene looked down at the sheet of paper in her hand, upon which Chris had written very neatly his conjecture concerning the ritual needed to ascend to the fourth rank of the Path of Tranquility.

"The conjecture for the ascension ritual to the 4th Rank of the Path of Tranquility requires a person of Tranquility to kill a sinner with Extraordinary power. The greater the sinner's crimes, the more potent their strength, the more evil the person is, the better the feedback effect of the ascension ritual will be."

Killing, huh?

Irene pondered, finding an unusually tight connection between the Path of Tranquility and death.

"How did you come to this conjecture about the ritual?"

After reading the paper, Byrne quickly asked the question Chris completely didn't want to hear.

Chris deeply furrowed his brow; he really couldn't be bothered to explain too much.

"Speak up; this is very important. I want to record all the experiences and encounters we have had with the Power of Consecution for the sake of our family's future,"

said Byrne with a smile on his face, knowing full well that under normal circumstances Chris wouldn't want to talk much, but still compelled him to continue.

Chris, rather helplessly, took out a pen and paper to write down his experiences from the past year.

A year ago, upon his departure from the family, he had wandered in various places throughout the East Coast Province, constantly reflecting on the key to the Path of Tranquility.

Silence, death, the calm within.

He could sense why the Path of Tranquility was so well-suited for him.

Thus, Chris started with his own experience with the Path of Tranquility, engaging in many activities related to "silence, death, the calm within."

He had killed certain individuals, cut off all contact with people, and even tried not speaking for three months.

Byrne nodded slightly and finally asked, "In the end, you discovered that killing the guilty allowed spirituality to boil from deep within the soul?"

"Yes."

Chris replied softly, confirming it was so.

Irene knew Chris was not fond of speaking and was also beginning to understand that communicating with others in his state could affect his progress on the Path of Tranquility.

So she turned to Byrne and spoke in Chris's stead:

"It's not just as simple as killing the guilty; there is also a requirement of quality."

"He has already killed thirteen Extraordinary Exponents at the Beginning Level who were guilty, but only the first twelve showed signs of stirring spirituality, with the thirteenth having no effect."

Irene shook her head and continued,

"It is far from enough. Even though he has already killed twelve guilty at the Beginning Level, it is still not enough. He likely has to kill several at the Transmutation Level to successfully ascend."

Irene paused for a moment, her eyes filled with seriousness, and emphasized,

"And it has to be the more powerful and the more sinful the Extraordinary Exponents are, the stronger the feedback effect for the ascension ritual will be."

So that was it.

Byrne nodded lightly, now comprehensively understanding the ascension ritual for the 4th Rank of the Path of Tranquility.

However, finding guilty Extraordinary Exponents at the Transmutation Level wasn't like picking vegetables in the market. Even for the elusive Chris, it wasn't easy to just kill them off.

And there was another important question.

"I also want to know, just how is 'guilt' actually defined?"

He suddenly thought of this, contemplating as he spoke: "In fact, definitions of guilt can vary in different regions, usually, in the eyes of the law, murder is a sin, but in many places, there are different distinctions."

"For instance, in the Terrara Church State to the south of the continent, high-ranking individuals killing a slave is not only not a sin but is also considered an act of mercy."

"Take Viscount Garcia, for example. He has slaughtered many Rhea People in wars, yet in Cyart, it is regarded as military merit, even seen as heroic."

"Also, if a noble in a certain place is very cruel, and some Extraordinary Exponent without legal status is commissioned by the common people to assassinate him, committing an act of justice – would that be considered a sin?"

"So, how exactly should 'sin' be defined?"

He actually wanted to add, in front of Irene, that offending the great Lord of the Lost was certainly considered a severe sin in her heart, but it might not be the same in the eyes of others.

However, Byrne only pondered for a moment and immediately requested forgiveness from the Lord of the Lost in his heart, realizing how impudent he had been.

Chris shook his head, speaking calmly, "It is based on the person of Tranquility's own perception as the standard."

So that was it, now it was clear. Byrne gently nodded, took out his pen and notebook, and recorded the extremely important information to save time for future family members who might embark on the Path of Tranquility.

Then, he asked directly:

"So, Chris, what kind of person do you think is guilty?"

"..."

Chris couldn't be bothered to speak, and he also knew that Byrne understood him well, yet Byrne insisted on asking continuously.

Byrne had once said that those who walk the Path of Knowledge always have hearts filled with doubt and curiosity about the world.

So, he shook his head.

I hate those who embark on the Path of Knowledge.

Is that a sin?

In fact, Chris's concept of sin wasn't much different from that of ordinary people.

In his eyes, most nobles were guilty, as were most illegal Extraordinary Exponents, who, in reality, rarely ever took human life seriously.

He himself was also a person of deep sin.

Perhaps, kind-hearted people like Vanessa were the exception.

Chris was aware that although his wife never mentioned it, she deeply cared about certain actions of their family and had suppressed these feelings for a long time.

Byrne said calmly, "Since you want to kill Extraordinary Exponents of the Transmutation Level with sins, you need to think about who can be killed, the consequences after the killing, and how to kill them."

He pinched his chin with his fingers, lowered his head, and fell into deep thought, when suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said with a smile:

"I do know of a good place that holds many powerful, guilty Extraordinary Exponents of the Transmutation Level, which might just satisfy your needs in one go – the Tempest Church branch in Fein City."

The branches of the major churches did indeed hold many Extraordinary Exponents, most of whom were illegal, lacking a legal status. As soon as they were discovered, they were likely to be arrested, even if they hadn't committed any crimes.

Of course, in reality, most illegal Extraordinary Exponents couldn't resist the temptation and would use their extraordinary powers in everyday life, naturally crossing the legal boundaries.

No one knew what the church would do with those they detained, and the church never disclosed it.

——

Fein City, branch of the Tempest Church.

In Fein City, the central city of the East Coast, there were two sizable churches: the Salvation Church's Great Cathedral of Relief in the south of the city, and the Tempest Church's Great Cathedral in the north.

Since the Tempest Bishop, the Thunderous Monarch, had died, the most powerful person in the Tempest Great Cathedral was now the former Assistant Priest and current Acting Tempest Bishop, Zayne Frosac.

He was a member of the Frosac family, one of the Ten Great Pillars families, already enjoying great resources. Coupled with decent innate talent, he had reached the Metamorphosis Phase years ago.

The Metamorphosis Phase is a blurred zone between the Transmutation Level and the Monarch Level, allowing one to convert the powers of spirit and life, advancing towards higher levels.

In the future, Zayne Frosac had the chance to reach the true Monarch Level, and considering his background, everyone understood that he had brighter prospects than Viscount Bast.

In the lavishly decorated reception room of the branch Great Cathedral of the Tempest Church, expensive and not thrifty decorations could be seen everywhere, with statues and frescoes related to sea creatures and waves, alongside the faint sound of sea winds.

"Acting Bishop, Baron Byrne Fischer of the Fischer family requests an audience," said an attendant.

Zayne was drinking tea with a middle-aged man who looked somewhat like him and was a dozen or more years older, when he suddenly heard his subordinate say that someone from the Fischer family had come.

The middle-aged man had two small mustaches, was tall and slender, dressed in a blue and black tailcoat, trousers, waistcoat, and overcoat.

He had a pair of profound and charming eyes, and his smile was filled with strange allure, resembling the kind of ladykiller who would be popular with women when he was young.

"Hmm, the Fischer family, are you well-acquainted with them, Zayne?" the middle-aged man asked casually, to which Zayne did not hesitate to smile and reply:

"Uncle August, this Fischer family does indeed have a decent relationship with me, but they're certainly not as important as you. Let them wait a bit longer so they won't interrupt our once-in-many-years meeting," Zayne suggested.

August Frosac chuckled, waved his hand, and said:

"There's no need for that. Actually, I've also heard of the heroic deeds of the Fischer family, and I really want to meet this Byrne Fischer and see what kind of man he is. You can bring him in now."

Zayne was surprised for a moment. He hadn't expected his uncle to know about the Fischer family, especially since it was his first time visiting the East Coast Province. It was strange.

"Bishop Zayne, thank you for receiving me… And who might this be?" Byrne asked upon entering the reception room, immediately sensing a terrifying presence that instinctively made the smile on his face fade.

The middle-aged man was just sitting there, exerting tremendous pressure on Byrne as if he were a massive beast, majestic as a mountain range, lurking in the clouds, peering down at his flesh with colossal strength, seemingly ready to crush, rip apart, and devour him at any moment!

"My uncle, August Frosac," Zayne introduced calmly.

Byrne quickly realized the man's identity; he was a member of the renowned Frosac family, a Monarch Level powerhouse who inherited the power of the ancient magic beast, the Wasteland Beast – the "Claws of Wasteland"!

Even among those of the Monarch Level, he was one of the rare geniuses who had the potential to reach the mid-level Monarch rank, his tremendous strength perhaps even surpassing that of the head of the Frosac family.

August Frosac watched Byrne for a long time and then shook his head, saying with some confusion:

"Hmm, not at all how I imagined. Your features lack firmness, and you bear no resemblance to Duke Romann! So it seems, rumors are indeed far-fetched."

Zayne suddenly realized why his uncle knew of the Fischer family; it was because of the rumors involving the Romann family.

Byrne immediately felt a surge of embarrassment within him and could only stiffen up and respectfully respond with a smile:

"Your Excellency August, indeed, there are some peculiar rumors about our family and the Romann family on the East Coast, but those are indeed just rumors, and I ask that you pay them no mind."