Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Roland Family Secrets
"Sigh, I should have had you come stay at the manor sooner," Alden said, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Why?" Lin Qi asked, curious.
In the first version of Isaris's backstory, he was already a Transcendent. The second version made him an ordinary person.
But what Alden meant was that Isaris never should have set foot on the Transcendent path at all?
"Then I'll tell you today. Everything about Roland." Alden paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you know what the Viridian Kingdom used to be?"
"A noble territory?" Elaine answered quickly. She had studied the kingdom's history when she received her noble education as a child.
"Right. In the beginning, Viridian wasn't a country. It was just three powerful noble families.
Then one day, the Ironwood Federation invaded this land. To protect their territory, the three great nobles joined forces. That's how Viridian came to be."
"You're saying..."
"Exactly. The Roland, Morning Star, and Solar families united and created the Viridian Kingdom."
"Then how did Morning Star end up the way it is now?" Elaine asked urgently.
Lin Qi understood why Alden had brought Elaine inside too. The old man had known about the Morning Star family from the very beginning.
"Not long after the kingdom was founded, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun approached the Solar family. They traded the complete Sun Sequence for religious rule over the Viridian Kingdom.
By the time the Roland and Morning Star families realized what happened and sought help from other churches, it was already too late. The Eternal Blazing Sun Church had spread to every corner of Viridian. No other church dared to challenge them.
And the Solar family, having obtained an entire Sequence, undoubtedly became the strongest of the three nobles."
Alden glanced at Elaine before continuing, "The reason for the Morning Star family massacre a while back is very simple. They secretly plotted to cooperate with the Quiet Star Gaze Society in exchange for the complete Star Pathway.
They failed, without a doubt. A spy hidden within the Morning Star family leaked the information to the Eternal Blazing Sun Church and the Solar family.
That's noble politics for you. And that's exactly why I didn't want you to step onto the Transcendent path."
"Why is it only the Morning Star and Roland families that can't make it work?" Lin Qi asked curiously.
"Because of Forbidden Objects. The reason the three great nobles were powerful from the start was their family techniques and their family Forbidden Objects. Combined, they could rival Transcendents. Even if other nobles obtained a complete Sequence, they couldn't overturn the Solar family's rule.
But Roland and Morning Star are different. If Roland and Morning Star had complete Transcendent Sequences, it would be like strapping a jetpack to a cripple."
Alden seemed to notice the atmosphere had gotten a bit heavy, so he deliberately chose a playful analogy.
"Then those Transcendent Sequences in your study, Uncle..."
"Isaris, I was just like you when I was young.
I wanted power. I wanted to overthrow the Solar family and make the Roland family great again.
But it can't be done. I went to every orthodox deity church that had a complete Sequence. Every single one turned me down. They only gave me a single Sequence 9 Transcendent knowledge as compensation."
"Isaris, promise me. Don't go any further, okay? You're all the family I have left." Alden patted Lin Qi on the shoulder.
"Sorry, Uncle. I don't think I can."
Stay at Sequence 9 forever? How was he supposed to steal the spotlight?
What was he going to do every time there was a scene—run up and kill the players with his handsome face?
Come on, old man, it's the internet age. People have seen every kind of handsome guy and pretty girl. You need both strength and looks.
"Sigh, Isaris, whenever our family gets strong, misfortune follows. The Solar family won't let us go." Alden shook his head as if resigned to fate.
"We'll win." Lin Qi wasn't worried. The main story of version 1.0 was basically Elaine overthrowing the Solar family's rule. He just had to latch onto her coattails.
"I will never forgive the Solar family." Elaine's voice was filled with rage.
Looked like the main story's claim that Elaine wanted to overthrow noble rule to end oppression was a prettied-up version of events. Getting revenge for her family was probably part of it too.
Just as the three were still talking, a knock came at the door.
"Sir, dinner is ready."
"Alright, we'll be right there." Alden acknowledged and stood up. "Come on. What's done is done. Let's eat first."
Just as the three reached the door, Lin Qi felt something was off. Why hadn't he heard the bell?
Because the main building of Roland Manor was so large, they always used a bell to announce mealtimes. Even now that all the branch family members were gone, the bell had never stopped ringing.
Why had the butler come to call them personally?
The moment Alden opened the door, a flash of white light shot past the doorway. Lin Qi, who had remained alert, reacted quickly and pulled Alden back, narrowly dodging the blade's arc.
But the people outside didn't wait for Lin Qi and the others to regroup. They kept attacking Alden.
After pulling Alden back, Lin Qi quickly drew the Judgement from his lower back and fired a shot.
There was no time to aim and guarantee a hit, but that was fine. The distance was very close.
"I can hit this." Just as Lin Qi had that thought, shwing—the bullet was actually split in two?
The butler, who had split the bullet, didn't press his attack. Instead, he smiled at Lin Qi and said, "Quick reaction, young master Isaris."
"Green, what are you doing?" Alden got up and shouted angrily at the butler.
"As you can see. Murder." Green pointed his sword at Alden.
"Haven't figured out the situation yet, Alden?" Two more people stepped out from behind Green.
One was a burly man with a thick beard, wearing a leather vest and brass knuckles on his hands. The other had neatly combed greasy hair, a small mustache, and a beautifully crafted sword at his waist.
"What does the head of the Moer family and the second-in-command of the Black Syndicate want with my Roland manor?" Alden stared at the three men, silently shielding Lin Qi and Elaine behind him.
"I'm here for money," said Klingel Moer, the one with the small mustache.
"I'm here because Mr. Green promised he'd help me kill Kaff," said Jones, the burly second-in-command of the Black Syndicate.
"Kill Kaff? You actually believe a butler can help you kill a Sequence 7?" Alden said, trying to buy time while making hand signals behind his back for Lin Qi and Elaine to look for a chance to escape.
"Haha, you're really out of the loop, huh, Green? He still doesn't know." Jones laughed as if he'd just heard a good joke, then said to Green.
"Let me reintroduce myself. Deacon of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, Green Doyle." Green made a gentlemanly bow toward Alden and the others, then spoke calmly.
"Why is the Eternal Blazing Sun Church targeting the Roland family? Did the Solar family send you?" Alden asked.
"No, not at all, Mr. Alden.
This has nothing to do with the Solar family. It's just that not long ago, when the Morning Star family was wiped out, the church received some information. The Roland, Morning Star, and Solar families each possess an incredibly powerful A-Class Forbidden Object.
And as it happens, our priest is a greedy man. So..." Green smiled.
"Looks like I'm being underestimated. Sending just you few to take the Roland family's Forbidden Object?" Alden stared into Green's eyes and said fiercely.
"I suggest you give up struggling, sir. The priest is on his way. You should know how strong the priest is. After all, he's one of the only Sequence 7s in Kissmark Town."