From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Byrne had read close to a thousand tomes on the mystical arts and could roughly guess the purpose of the "Time Stasis Stone".

If one hoped to rescue a cursed undead or a spirit trapped by similar extraordinary power, it would often require a ritual to find a living person to replace it.

Scapegoat!

If they had readily believed what the other party said and casually conducted the ritual, they might by now have become the scapegoat for the "Time Stasis Stone".

The voice of the "Time Stasis Stone" was full of doubt, tinged with hesitation.

"A trade? Hahaha, why should I believe you?"

Byrne fell silent for a long while before responding indifferently,

"Because you have no other choice... and 'Time Stasis Stone', haven't you recognized my voice?"

When Byrne learned from his daughter Lilian that the other party was the 'Time Stasis Stone', he knew he must have already been exposed.

Since the "Time Stasis Stone" had been roaming as an undead watching over this place for many years, it would be impossible for it not to recognize his voice.

"Mithril, what a coincidence."

"Honestly, I was still doubting whether it was actually you, since voices can merely sound similar, but I truly didn't expect that you'd already become an old man on the verge of death... Ah, right, so many years have indeed passed, it seems I've grown insensitive to time."

He had indeed recognized my voice, he just hadn't been certain.

Byrne took a deep breath; sometimes, more honest negotiations are likely to be successful.

"Time Stasis Stone, you should be able to trust me, right? Of course, I won't conduct the ritual you spoke of, but I can find someone to do it. According to my guess, the person who conducts the ritual will most likely replace you as the prisoner, right?"

The old man's voice carried a chilling laughter.

"Hahaha... you guessed correctly. The greedy ones are destined to become the new prisoners, while I will attain rebirth and freedom."

"Mithril, to be frank, your proposal is quite tempting to me, but I can't just casually trust you. Let's establish The Oath instead, as empty promises are hard to trust."

Byrne nodded at the words of the Time Stasis Stone.

"You're right."

He also felt that establishing "The Oath" would be the safest approach, but now was not yet the time to do so.

Byrne planned to continue questioning, to explore how to establish "The Oath" in a way that would be more favorable to himself.

"Time Stasis Stone, what exactly is your state? Can you explain it to me?"

The old man fell into a deep silence.

"..."

Byrne immediately pressed on, "I hope you understand, 'Time Stasis Stone', if you can't clearly explain your situation, it will be hard for me to feel secure establishing an oath with you."

Finally, the voice of the "Time Stasis Stone" came again, as if the distant past accompanied the wind.

"I do not belong to your era. Thousands of years ago, I came nearby because of a battle amidst a storm, and descended here to evade Emperor Avray's pursuit..."

Byrne furrowed his brows and couldn't help responding, "Emperor Avray? Are you talking about the founder of the Lorne citizens, the man called 'Father of Lorne' in history?"

The "Time Stasis Stone" didn't refute, its tone filled with nostalgia.

"Indeed, it's him, but in my time, Avray was still a young man, I couldn't have imagined that he would achieve such greatness..."

Byrne was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt his Spiritual Power boiling even further.

He was surprised, then realized.

That's right, the "Time Stasis Stone" was practically a living ancient relic and a conglomerate of ancient knowledge, meeting it was indeed his fortune!

"It's just a pity that after hiding here, I was attracted by a Gold Coin... and when I picked it up, my blood, which had not yet dried up, made contact with it, which ultimately caused me to become an undead trapped by it!"

The old man said this and finally became impatient, shouting loudly,

"Quick! Help me escape from it, or find someone to replace me!"

His aged voice spread to every corner around them, causing everyone to pause slightly before Lilian immediately said, "It's him! The voice that tempted me!"

Byrne nodded slightly and continued, "What are you willing to offer?"

The old man's voice was filled with impatience, anger, and madness, "Didn't you say you wanted to know the situation here? I am willing to tell you all the information about this place! Let's establish The Oath quickly, Mithril!"

Byrne smiled and shook his head, continuing,

"What I want is not just that, having been trapped here for thousands of years, you have no other choice, so don't blame me..."

The previously impatient "Time Stasis Stone" suddenly fell silent for a moment.

"Insatiable greed, but somehow I don't see a problem with it, alright, Mithril, what else do you want!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Byrne immediately said firmly,

"After you are freed, you must serve the Fischer family for one hundred years!"

Suddenly, a voice of furious rage reached everyone's ears.

"Hahahahaha! Insatiable, totally deranged, Mithril of the Fischer family! You are simply an evil demon without a bottom line! I have endured thousands of years of imprisonment, yearning for freedom to the edge of madness; how could I possibly tolerate any bondage! Do you want me to tear you to pieces!"

Byrne didn't think the other party had any room to resist and just continued to speak objectively.

"Then you can wait for another few thousand years, and we both know that the creation of 'The Oath' requires the principle of 'relative equality,' so you can also make some requests of your own," he added.

"Hmph!"

After a cold snort, the voice of the "Time Stasis Stone" finally calmed down.

"Fine, I have no other choice. Mithril of the Fischer family, I accept your demands and will now tell you what lies hidden here and about various matters concerning this ancient city."

"However, after my release, during the hundred years I serve your family, you must also fulfill one of my wishes, which, of course, will not go against the interests of your family and will also be within your capabilities. How about that?"

Byrne pondered for a moment and felt that the terms of the trade were quite favorable. If the other party didn't ask for anything, perhaps "The Oath" couldn't be established smoothly.

"Good, I agree. Now, let us establish 'The Oath'."

He continued, "I will help the 'Time Stasis Stone' escape from here, and over the next hundred years, I will fulfill one wish of his that does not harm the interests of the Fischer family and is within our means."

The voice of the "Time Stasis Stone" also came out: "I will serve the Fischer family for one hundred years, offering my knowledge and strength, loyally for the benefit of the Fischer family."

Two light blue lights suddenly appeared in the air, and then they merged into one.

The Oath was sealed.

Spiritual Power boiled!

Byrne secretly rejoiced, as expected, the soul of the "Time Stasis Stone" itself was an ancient artifact of value; it could be considered part of the ascension ritual!

"Good, now tell me where the Gold Coin that binds you is," he said.

Guided by the instructions of the "Time Stasis Stone," Byrne and the others soon found the Gold Coin that had bound the 'Time Stasis Stone' for thousands of years.

It was a dazzling Gold Coin stained with fresh blood. Although its existence spanned who knows how many years, the blood on this coin still maintained its vitality.

Byrne took a deep breath; this Gold Coin was undoubtedly a tremendous trap!

He could feel the potent Magic Power contained within it, as if it were the most top-tier alchemical tool, but that was probably just a disguise to lure Extraordinary Exponents.

Spiritual Power boiled again, and he knew that the black slate, the 'Time Stasis Stone's soul, and this bloodstained Gold Coin, three incredibly valuable artifacts of antiquity, were now all assembled.

The voice of the Time Stasis Stone emanated from the Gold Coin.

"I have long forgotten my own name," it said.

"I was once a Spellcaster wandering the Ouden Continent, but once I was hired, along with many others, to stand against Avray. The result was almost complete annihilation for those involved in the ambush, and I ended up trapped here."

"At that time, both Avray and I were low-level Monarch Extraordinary Exponents, and those who ambushed him were also of Monarch Level. Yet the power that young man possessed frightened me; it was not the strength a typical low-level Monarch Extraordinary Exponent could have..."

"He later naturally stepped into Heavenly Enlightenment, founding what could be called the great Lorne Empire."

This was all common knowledge, and finding it irrelevant to the ascension ritual, Byrne calmly said, "Everybody knows about those things. Why not talk about something we don't know instead?"

The voice inside the Gold Coin fell silent for a moment, and then the subtle voice of the Time Stasis Stone came again.

"Hehe, as far as I know, that Avray... might still be alive!" it said.

Byrne was taken aback and exclaimed:

"What, are you saying he's still alive? Although I know Heavenly Enlightenment powerful experts have lifespans of over a thousand years, the historical records say that Emperor Avray perished long ago due to the Curse of the Evil God!"

Yet the old man spoke with unwavering certainty.

"I once released a kind of Forbidden rare artifact's power on him, one of its effects being the ability to sense his location permanently... And to this day, I still often feel his location changing!"

As Byrne was shocked, the members of the Fischer family present heard the voice of the Lord of the Lost inside their hearts:

[I sense it.]

[Right before you, that is an object containing the power of civilization!]

They were all left stunned, then turned to look forward.

In the transparent bottle.

Karl indeed noticed it.

Ahead by a few hundred meters, there resided that long-silenced piece...

of the civilization's shard!

So that was it, it was that object drawing me in, strange, it had no Spiritual Power, but it gave me a feeling of great importance.