Chapter 144: Thank You

Asher blinked a couple of times, genuinely surprised. Through the sharp perception of his Shadow Gaze, he could tell without a shadow of a doubt that Daniel was speaking the absolute truth.

​"I don’t expect you to instantly believe my words, but that was my sole objective when I suppressed and altered that classified information..." Daniel spoke, his tone heavy with quiet conviction.

"Even though her core was tragically destroyed during that expedition, in my eyes, she remains an irreplaceable hero of this country."

​"I still don’t fully understand." Asher said, his dark brows furrowing into a thoughtful scowl. "There are already plenty of people out there who are fully aware that Sara is still alive... So what exactly did you manage to hide?"

​Families like the Starfire clan were already well aware of Sara’s survival. Yet the mysterious Ancient Family backing the Starfire house hadn’t personally mobilized against her yet—which strongly implied that the true mastermind behind her poisoning wasn’t the Starfires’ immediate patron... Still, countless other nobles across Silverspire knew she lived. There was simply no logical way the specific Ancient Family hunting her wouldn’t eventually catch wind of her existence.

​"Well... I secretly modified Sara’s official record across the noble registry network." Daniel revealed, offering a detailed explanation:

"According to the altered database, the ’Sara’ currently residing in Silverspire is not the legendary Fire Goddess at all. Rather, she is cataloged as a noblewoman who merely shares the exact same name. This fabrication was surprisingly easy to pull off because Lady Sara always wore her divine, face-concealing armor whenever she took the field in battle—virtually no nobles have ever seen her unmasked appearance. As for the handful of individuals closest to her former household..."

​Asher raised a sharp eyebrow at him, his gaze turning icy.

​"No, it’s not what you’re thinking!" Daniel hastily added, raising both hands before him in a defensive gesture:

"I didn’t murder them! I simply provided them with massive financial settlements and forced them to permanently evacuate Vaeloria. The exact same thing applies to her biological family... The moment I discovered her relatives had shamelessly sold her off to the Starfire family to become your arranged wife, I handed them a small fortune and forcibly exiled them from Silverspire entirely."

​"So you’re the true reason her birth family vanished from Vaeloria." Asher said, slowly nodding his head with a thoughtful expression.

​"Yes. I calculated that as long as her original family remained active inside Vaeloria, the ones after Lady Sara would inevitably track her down through her bloodline ties." Daniel confirmed.

​Asher gave another slow nod, his mind racing behind his calm exterior:

​’The hell?! It seems I need to drastically accelerate my speed—I can’t afford to lag behind for even a second! Although Daniel’s clever deception has successfully kept Sara safe for the past three years, there’s no telling when that cover will blow! With everything converging at once, I have a strong feeling an absolute storm is heading our way.’

​Resolving his thoughts, he gave a quiet nod of acknowledgment: "Alright... I express my genuine gratitude for everything you did to protect her."

​"Huh?" Daniel stood completely stunned, snapping his head up to stare at him in utter disbelief.

​"I will grant you a singular, unprecedented opportunity tonight." Asher said, extending his hand out toward Daniel as his eyes locked onto the Association leader:

​"What do you say to becoming one of my direct Subordinates? If you agree, my absolute command will become your supreme law, you will not lack anything." He declared smoothly.

​A split second later, a glowing, crimson Blood Scroll materialized out of thin air, hovering silently above his open palm.

​’If Daniel submits beneath my banner, the entirety of the Awakened Association falls under my absolute domain...’ Asher calculated internally, staring at the leader:

’With millions of registered Awakened directly under my authority, I will instantly become the indisputable Ruler of Silverspire. A single strategic move to claim total control.’

​Daniel fell dead silent for a long, agonizing moment. His fists clenched tightly against his sides as his mind warred with itself. Becoming a favored subordinate under an elite Ancient Family was an incredible honor that every major clan in Vaeloria desperately lusted after... To gain boundless cultivation resources, immense political reputation, and an invincible backer in this cutthroat world—who in their right mind would refuse that?

​But...

​Daniel had personally founded the Awakened Association to serve as an impartial shield for humanity—to keep rogue Awakened in check and maintain order across the cities. The Association was designed to operate as a strictly independent, neutral institution. Aligning it directly with a rising Ancient Family right now would fundamentally alter its core purpose—it would ruin everything he had built.

​He stared deeply into Asher’s unreadable eyes. Daniel understood perfectly what the young Lord before him was orchestrating; if he bent his knee tonight, the entire Association would be dragged into Asher’s personal war machine. In the future, if Asher chose to go rogue and embark on a bloody conquest, Daniel and his men would have no choice but to stand by and obey.

​Furthermore, the Blood Scroll hovering between them was no trivial pact. The moment his blood touched that parchment, he would forever forfeit his free will to Asher; any attempt to resist a direct order would trigger an instantaneous, soul-shattering contract backlash that would leave him dead.

​Daniel let out a soft, long exhale. He looked up at Asher, his gaze hardening with resolute, unwavering determination:

​"I am deeply honored, Lord Asher... but I must politely refuse your offer," he stated firmly. "The Awakened Association was forged to stand as an independent bulwark against rogue Awakened, and our sole mandate is to protect the common people, not to pledge allegiance to a single faction. I truly hope you can understand my position."

​’I figured he would give me that exact answer... Regardless, I still require his cooperation for the time being, so I can’t force his hand just yet.’

​Asher gave a simple, understanding nod: "Alright."

​He closed his hand into a fist, and the crimson Blood Scroll vanished instantly, returning to his storage space.

​"Five hundred meters directly below us is your private estate. Find your own way back down," Asher said flatly.

​Before Daniel could even respond, pitch-black shadows enveloped Asher’s frame, and he vanished into thin air, leaving the Association leader hovering alone in the high-altitude winds.

​Daniel stared at the empty space where the young Patriarch had stood a moment prior, taking a deep, heavy breath as he murmured to the night sky:

​"Thank you, Lord Asher... For showing mercy to my men and me tonight."