Death... and me

As expected, there were quite a few onlookers when Frandin came out. After all, he did say that he would stay in the Asume Clan for a day, just like the Portin Clan. Frandin quickly received several invites once he got out. Of course, there was no way Frandin could possibly go to each of these clans, organizations, and sects. 

He simply laughed it out and said that he might pay a visit to some of them in the future if he got more time. Not too long after, Frandin disappeared with Roan and the girls. The people following him simply couldn't understand how they were able to do that.

Back in the workshop where Rean was working, Roan came out of the Dimensional Realm together with the others. All he needed was to enter the Dimensional Realm, then he could use Rean's position to come out of it other than the position he was previously in.

"Oh, you're back."

Rean looked at them before continuing to work on his weapon. By now, it was basically ready, missing just a few small details. The auction was also scheduled to happen later that day, but Rean wasn't concerned about the time.

"Frandin, get ready to leave again. As soon as I finish this weapon, we're going to the auction house to deliver it. I'll change your appearance to what we used when we went to the auction for the first time."

Frandin nodded as he replied.

"Sure."

Following that, he looked at Roan and asked.

"Though, is it fine to leave the real antidote of the pill with them, Roan? Couldn't she use that chance to analyze the pill and make a copy? That way, she could keep it hidden and pretend that she's under control."

Roan snorted when he heard that, replying.

"Hmph! If they find someone with the ability to copy my pill, then I'm more than willing to see that happening. It used both Dark and Light Elements to a level where Yang and Yin Energy manipulation alone is far from enough. They would really need Zasfins with natural affinity regarding these elements."

Frandin instantly understood where Roan was getting his confidence. He had never seen anyone using Dark or Light Element before, let alone someone born with one of their affinities.

"That's good, then."

Rean then smiled as he looked at Roan.

"By the way, I heard from a little bird that a certain someone didn't want Calina to lose her virginity to someone else."

Calina's face went bright red once more, but it didn't seem like she hated it. In Roan's case, his mouth twitched a bit as cold energy spread from his body.

"Are you going to start with this bullshit again?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders as he replied.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I've never mentioned any names. Why do you look so pissed all of a sudden?"

Rean looked at him, pretending to be puzzled by Roan's behavior.

Of course, any idiot would be able to tell that he was definitely talking about Roan.

"Hmph!"

Roan then left the room, not looking at anyone. Soon after, Malaka and Qia grabbed Calina by the hand and pulled her to another room. From the looks of it, they wanted to try the new things they had bought.

Agis looked at that and couldn't help but ask Rean.

"Is it really okay to be considering such things in our situation? We might die at any moment if we make a wrong step, you know?"

Rean sighed as he replied.

"It's exactly because of it that they should enjoy. If we could die at any moment, isn't it better to have no regrets?"

Rean then let out a chuckle as he continued.

"Besides, considering everyone's training routine that Roan worked out, we barely have any free time at all when we're out. Let them enjoy their time. Why do you think Roan isn't saying anything? He understands the most out of all of us when it comes to training and battle. That being said, he knows very well how important it is to have a proper rest, both in body and mind."

Frandin and Agis then looked at each other and nodded in the end.

"You didn't stop working ever since you've arrived in this city, though. Are you fine?"

Rean looked at Agis, slightly puzzled.

"What are you talking about? Am I not relaxing right now?"

"Crafting weapons?"

Rean instantly understood where Agis was coming from, so he replied.

"I was a metallurgist back in my previous life. Errr... Metallurgist is basically a term used for those who work with metals at an advanced level. Anyway, working with it is my own way of relaxing."

Agis and Frandin nodded after hearing that. Since that was the case, they had no intention to stop it.

Back in the Portin Clan, Valia was talking with Marau.

"Father, Gian already left the Asume Clan. He also stayed there for just a day."

Marau nodded, saying.

"Very well."

Seeing that her father didn't care too much, she couldn't help but ask.

"Is it really okay to relax like that? What if Gian decided to band up with them instead? That Xiria would definitely try to hook up with him if the chance is given."

Marau sighed as he looked at Valia, responding.

"Don't worry, it won't matter which side he chooses since he won't be free for long."

Valia was taken aback as she asked.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, someone knocked on Marau's office door.

"Enter."

Valia was shocked to see the one who came inside.

"This..."

She quickly bowed to show her respect right after.

"Paying respects to Imperial Guardian Firmel."

If Rean and Roan were here, they would definitely recognize this man. He was also the one they saw after the Bloodline Trial was over. At that time, he thought that Maluco was responsible for the destruction of the altar at the entrance of the Bloodline Trial. Maluco was even severely punished due to this issue.

However, they soon found out that Maluco wasn't lying. That's because after they went to check the sacrifice chambers, they noticed that the number of sacrifices didn't match. There were two more chambers that had lost sacrifices and their souls.

One must remember that the trial only allowed one to enter a single path after the entrance. Once one passed through it, the path would close behind you. That being said, it was impossible for two more chambers to lose sacrifices since they weren't used.

One of the chambers had seven sacrifices dead, while another had just one. That's not counting the chamber used by Maluco. Sure enough, more people must have been inside the other chambers for that to happen.

As soon as that happened, the Imperial Guardians of the Bloodline Trial Grounds launched a full investigation. They were guarding both the entrance and exit, but they didn't see anyone whatsoever. It was a huge security breach, one that they didn't even know how it had even happened. How did the intruders get inside? How did they get out? They couldn't tell at all!

In the end, the initial investigation found nothing other than the traces of the Bloodline Trials being used. Without any other choice, they could only expend their search to the city, trying to find any clues. It was then that they heard about a new guy who just appeared in the city. He also happened to have an Earned Rank Five Bloodline Soul Mark.

They heard the rumors that the new guy was probably someone from the Celestial Lands, but there was no proof. He also refused to tell anyone about his origins. Firmel wasn't going to buy a fight against a Celestial Land Disciple, but he didn't think Frandin was truly one of them. Simply put, his appearance and the Bloodline Trial Ground breach were too coincidental.

He then found out that Frandin stayed in the Portin Clan for a day, so he decided to pay a visit. That was also the reason why Marau thought that Frandin wouldn't be roaming around for long. After all, it wasn't a good thing to mess with the Imperial Guardians.

"Portin Clan. Clan head, right?"

Marau nodded as he replied.

"Yes. If needed, we can call our ancestor as well, Sir Firmel."

Firmel shook his head as he responded.

"That's not necessary. I just want you to tell me everything about this Gian Torio. The more, the better."

Valia was shocked to hear that. From the looks of it, getting involved with Gian(Frandin) wouldn't be a good idea at all.

'Fortunately, he already left. Perhaps we can get the Asume Clan involved in this.'

Marau Portin then began to explain everything that happened, including the questions asked by Gian.

Obviously, that made Firmel's eyes narrow in response. After all, he wasn't sure either if Gian was part of a Celestial Land or not. However, the fact that he knew about the Soul Rulers beforehand showed that he wasn't simple. Nonetheless, he couldn't let it go either. If things got worse, he could use his connection with the Imperial Family to explain everything to Gian's Celestial Land... if he was part of one, that is.

"The Asume Clan is the next one up, huh? Do you think he'll come back here to do the Soul Purity Check of a human?"

Marau shrugged his shoulders as he said.

"Perhaps. The thing is that the city's big powers also have the same way of contacting the Soul Rulers, including the Asume Clan he visited. He might decide to use their methods instead of ours."

Obviously, Marau threw the bomb towards the Asume Clan. Other than Xiria and Valia, it wasn't as if their clans had anything against each other. However, he would definitely prioritize his own.

Firmel nodded and left right after. He already had a plan in mind.