Before long, the young noble and his accompanying guard arrived before a huge stone door.

After the man motioned his guard to step back, he cautiously approached it and raised his hand to reach for the handle.

Just when he was about to knock, though, a majestic, rough voice echoed from the inside.

"Enter!", the owner of that voice said, and, as if in response, the door trembled before a small gap opened.

Seeing this and sensing the unfathomable power lurking inside, the young man took a deep breath.

After he calmed himself down, he cast a final glance at his guard and walked in.

The moment he did, the door behind him shut on its own. Unbeknownst to him, a small light flickered across his shadow, followed by a faint, less noticeable ripple.

Unfortunately, the young man didn't have the time to pay attention to either of these.

As he stepped into the room, its interior was revealed before him.

It was a vast hall, supported by more than a dozen stone pillars that worked together to encircle a golden throne.

On that throne, an elderly man sat quietly, leaning against his right hand.

His face was covered in dense wrinkles, while his skin was loose, wrapping around his bones as if it were a piece of mismatched leather.

The man looked truly fragile, like he would die the very next second.

Yet, he exuded an imposing aura that far surpassed that of any True Knight.

Clearly, this almost-dead man was the owner of the aura that Liora had previously sensed, the Great Knight in charge of the Necronomicon Sect's stronghold.

At the same time, he was also the father of the young man and a noble famous throughout the Iron Armor Empire—Marquis Lavender.

As Marquis Lavender gazed at his own son, his body shook. A hoarse voice came out of his mouth, as if he were struggling to speak:

"Edric, have you conveyed my orders to those two people?", he questioned.

Hearing his words, the young man—Edric—woke up.

With difficulty, he lifted his head and, ignoring the pressure that the Marquis exuded, forced himself to look into his dull eyes.

Then, he nodded his head.

"I did. Although these two were initially going to shrink away, once I brought up the matter of the Holy Spring, their attitudes changed."

"They promised that everything will be completed within two weeks.", Edric reported, but as he spoke, his expression grew increasingly strange.

As if he could see his worries, the Marquis motioned for him to speak.

Edric didn't hold back and brought up the questions that had been plaguing him.

"Father, I don't understand. How could the Holy Sect promise to open the Holy Spring this easily? Is the research conducted here so important?", he asked, his curiosity and wonder clear in his immature voice.

Though he had never entered it, Edric had heard of the Holy Spring.

Thus, he understood its value very well.

Although it was impossible to obtain Immortality like in the rumors, it indeed brought countless blessings to whoever happened to step inside.

It could be said that the Holy Spring was the Holy Sect's most valuable treasure, only given as a reward whenever someone accomplished something remarkable.

Therefore, Edric had never expected that the higher-ups would one day allow so many people to enter it at once.

Faced with his son's ignorant question, Marquis Lavender didn't reprimand him.

Instead, the wrinkles on his face tightened as a relieved smile flashed across his face.

"You're right to be curious about these things. However, you're severely underestimating the significance of our research.", the Marquis lingered for a brief moment before continuing:

"According to the myth, in ancient times, beasts dominated the world and kept humans in captivity. It was only after the rise of the Founding Emperor that the human race fought back."

"Having obtained the gift of the Gods, the Founding Emperor battled against the beasts and forced them to retreat, destroying a large part of the Ancient Beast Wilderness in the process."

Listening to this legend—which he had heard countless times throughout his life—Edric instinctively nodded his head.

In fact, let alone him, even the children of ordinary citizens had heard of this tale, as it was treated like the Creation Myth of this world.

However, his father's next words stunned Edric.

"Heh.", Marquis Lavender chuckled:

"It is indeed true that the Gods bestowed their gift on the Founding Emperor. But what is less known—concealed by the royal family—is that the Emperor was not the only one to accept their favor."

"In total, one hundred and eight people acquired the gift of the Gods. The descendants of these heroes are the people who can become Knights today."

Saying this, the smile on Marquis' face vanished, replaced by a fierce expression.

"Do you understand? The so-called family bloodline is nothing but the gift passed down by the Gods. The higher-ups refer to this gift as 'Bloodline Seed'. And the research conducted in this stronghold is exactly about this Bloodline Seed."

"By slaughtering a certain number of people and using their blood as a guide, we can graft Bloodline Seeds onto other people! Not only can this allow one to obtain the so-called bloodline, but it can even enhance their talent!"

"As long as enough people are sacrificed, one can easily become a True Knight, a Great Knight, or even a King of Knights!"

By the end of his speech, the entire body of Marquis Lavender was shaking.

His hands were raised before his dilating pupils, while his voice was filled with mania and desire, as if he had gone insane.

Facing his father's sudden outburst, Edric was stunned.

In his mind, his father had always been able to keep his composure, even under the direst of circumstances.

Yet now, he had completely lost his cool, looking exactly like the two crazy researchers he had just met.

But upon further thought, Edric understood the reason:

His father was old.

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