***
Around the same time, in Firecast, a man was wandering the lower districts. He was a tall middle-aged man with a very refined and calm appearance. It looked like he saw through all the vicissitudes of life. Nothing seemed to faze him anymore. His hair was a lush and healthy black, but the ends of his hair were grey and white. Despite his age, there was barely a wrinkle on his face. It was a strange and contradictory scene. People would be hard fetched to guess his age from looks alone. Only he knew exactly how old his was.
He seemed to be looking for someone. However, every house seemed to be the same. He could not make heads or tails of anything he saw. Moreover, Firecast was a large city. There were a lot of districts like this. Without a clue, he was really grasping at straws here. The man closed his eyes and inhaled. A massive invisible wave burst out, enveloping the street, houses, and the district in a flash. Not a single person noticed anything. It was like nothing happened at all. He forced it to continue to the nearby districts. In a second, a large portion of Firecast was covered in this intangible net. The man gritted his teeth and strained, pushing his perception further to cover the entire city!
However, before he could get far enough, his fatigue set in. He was too weak to continue! Unexpectedly, this man was an Arcanist! For his Magic Perception to be so advanced, how unfathomably strong was he? One had to know that those under Condensed Drop could not extend their perception outward at all. That said, he staggered under the strain. His stomach growled angrily. His calm appearance was covering up his extremely impoverished body. For such an extraordinary man to be reduced to such a state… How sad was this sight?
People passing by gave him strange gazes. All they saw was the man standing still in the middle of the street and then panting heavily. Anyone would be disgusted. Understandably, someone notified the city guard and they came rushing over. The man had gained quite a notorious reputation already. He had been doing the same thing for weeks, even months, around the different districts. The man snapped to his senses when the guards surrounded him. He smiled bitterly. He wanted to run away or defend himself, but he was too exhausted. The man was finally arrested, much to the joy of the townspeople.
***
Back in Algard, in a nobleman's estate, the patriarch was in his private study, glossing over documents. It was night out and his office was quiet. Merely the guards were awake at this hour. The man grumbled as he signed here and there, stacked the papers, and put them aside. He was very tired. To maintain his family's position, was it so easy? Ignorant people may believe that, yet it was not! How many families were eyeing their position? How many side families wanted to topple his rule? Being a Grand Noble one day, a commoner the next, it was all too easy. The world was ruthless! So, he had to keep up and maintain his power. By any means necessary…
Something strange happened the next moment. The candle was extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. He felt extremely lightheaded, as if he were floating on a sea of clouds. His consciousness drifted to places unknown as colors swirled in his vision. He was hypnotized by the endless beauty of this dream world. He seemed to forget everything, even who he was. It was like he was a bird, free from the mortal world, free of struggle, and free of pain. The vast beauty of the world enveloped him and then… there was nothing.
In the real world, a creepy ethereal form was being pulled out of his physical body. The next second, it disappeared, and his body slumped over on the desk. His eyes were wide open in disbelief, but his body was already cold. He was dead! Throughout the entire process, there was no sound, no struggle, and not even movement. It happened so unbelievably quietly and quickly that even the guards outside noticed nothing.
A woman was behind the patriarch's dead body. Her gaze was as deep as the oceans and as unfathomable as the heavens themselves. It seemed like she saw everything in the vastness of the world. Moreover, there was disdain for everything, as if nothing were worthy of her majesty. Her blonde hair was swept up by a wind as her mere presence was enough to send tremors through the air. If not for the special measures she put in place, the pressure she released would have done more than notified the guards outside. It would have been comparable to a natural disaster!
She was no mysterious person. In fact, in the Xingyuu Empire, she once served on the Imperial Council! She was believed to be the one of the masterminds behind the Second Great Kingdom War! Princess Xiuying and Ming once clashed with her in the Yunyun Stronghold before she unveiled her double-casting ability. Later, when Emperor Lianghu died, she had disappeared from the Imperial Court in Yongtein. Although the world looked for her, the woman had vanished into thin air. It was like she no longer existed! This woman was none other than Minister Linshi, the former Minister of Information!
She sent a casual glance at the corpse. As soon as she made contact, the body disintegrated into dust under the might of her gaze! From the clothes down to the bones… Within an instant, not a single trace remained of this proud patriarch. That was how frighteningly monstrously strong she was! Even a thousand of Sir Winstin seemed like a joke against such unlimited strength! It was not something a human could do! Minister Linshi had reached into realms never seen before. Perhaps, she had even transcended the limits of mortality into the level of divinity! Alas, only Minister Linshi would know. Ants on the ground could never fathom the grandeur of the heavens above.
A gentle knock came on the door and a boy entered the quarters. He possessed a highly refined aura that showcased his superiority and intelligence. Surprisingly, it was Lord Archibon Lannisail! That would mean that this was the Lannisail Household, one of the twenty-five Grand Nobility Households! He glanced at his father, who was still working busily, and noticed nothing amiss. It was like everything that transpired was a mere illusion…
Wenmord looked up, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Did you finish what I asked of you?"
"Yes, father," Archibon said respectfully, handing a few papers over.
The patriarch shuffled through them while pointing out some minor errors. "You've improved since the last time. If I were to judge you purely based on your results, you would be rank near the top amongst your peers. However, that is not everything. You must continue to improve yourself. I hope you remember that, my son."
"Yes, father. I shall engrave your teachings into my mind."
"Very well. That will be all then," Wenmord said. Archibon bowed and exited the office. Wenmord's gaze transformed to a dark and eerie void. His voice lowered as he whispered, "Second Hand."
A man and woman shot out of the darkness and neatly kneeled in front of Wenmord. The man seemed weak and unimposing but looks were deceiving! He was extremely well-built underneath his clothes with an ooze of bloodlust dripping out. A single deep scar was scratched across his eye. The woman had a curvaceous body that anyone would lust at. Despite that, there was something odd about her smile. Anyone would feel creeped out. Lurking like a snake and ready to strike out… That was what the two resembled!
"We are at your service, Second Shadow," the two said simultaneously.
"Tell your men to assemble in the capital, captain. I have a job for you."
"As you wish," the man said.
The two vanished into the night. Wenmord wore a blank expression while looking out his window. From here, he could see Castle Reinhard in the distance. The pearly white castle stood as a monument to the Royal Family's power! However, in Wenmord's eyes, it was less than clowns acting like kings. Beyond this small and insignificant human world, there existed entire realms far beyond their imagination. The Alzar Kingdom, the Xingyuu Empire, the Zino Kingdom… None of them were worthy of mention. A single thought was enough to extinguish them. Yet, here they remain, frolicking in their own ignorance. It was not even funny. It was just pathetic!
"Hopefully, you won't disappoint, heir apparent…"