Chapter 320: Ancient Nobles

“So this is what both the Independent Investigators of Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor were dead set on getting?”

Starting the Stealing of the Emperor’s Text in this timeline signified that Han Su had officially completed his consolidation of the various timelines.

‘His mind was actually a mess of complex emotions, but a decision made was a decision made. One could agonize all they wanted beforehand, but there was no point in regretting it afterward.’ Thus, he deliberately composed himself. He turned his head slightly to look at the Little Lamb Girl standing obediently at his side, who was only sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye. He found her stranger and stranger.

‘She’s dangerous.’ This was the signal Han Su’s intuition was sending him.

In some ways, the level of danger she posed even surpassed Akbar’s, yet she acted so docile and proper. When she met Han Su’s gaze, she simply lowered her head.

Her two small, delicate horns were pointed at Han Su. He could perceive her frail body, wrapped in the suit jacket, trembling slightly.

“So, you intend to interfere in the war between Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor?”

The surrounding air grew taut as fine, crystalline mirrors appeared. Wei Lan’s figure emerged from within them. Judging by her direction of approach, she must have already dealt with the intelligence operative, Lalei, outside the village. Although in theory Han Su had only been apart from her for three days, it was across a different timeline. Now, he found her exquisitely elegant, her tall frame possessing a mysterious and noble air.

Her gaze toward Han Su held a tactful, questioning air.

From her perspective, she probably assumed that everything Han Su was doing was under his control, including bringing their consciousnesses across into a completely different life.

Harboring his own subtle thoughts, Han Su didn’t explain in detail. He simply asked, “How much do you know about the Ancient Nobles?”

“The Ancient Nobles?”

Wei Lan paused for a moment, then said frankly, “They are the masters of this world.”

Seeing that Han Su didn’t question her statement, she continued, “That word, ‘masters,’ is not an exaggeration. It is a factual description.”

“For the sake of maintaining the sanctuary of the mundane world, and the third line of defense for reality, every city preaches law, fairness, and justice. It gives everyone something to strive for, a supposed glimmer of hope. But the more you step outside that sanctuary and into the Mysterious Circle, the stronger the consensus becomes: there is a group in this world that is high above and untouchable.”

“These are the Ancient Nobles!”

“It’s said they all possess ancient and storied bloodlines. Their ancestors stood at the pinnacle of the world even before the start of the Reconstruction Era.”

“…”

As Han Su listened, his heart stirred. “Descendants of the Twelve Knights?”

“That’s one of the theories!”

Wei Lan nodded decisively. “But we can’t determine if all Ancient Nobles have the blood of the Twelve Knights.”

“Although one rarely encounters these Nobles in daily life, when you look at the entire world, the total number of Noble Bloodlines seems far too great.”

“I’m more inclined to believe another theory: their power comes from contracts.”

“…”

Han Su cross-referenced this with the information he had obtained, his interest piqued. “Contracts?”

“Three ancient contracts.”

Wei Lan let out a light sigh, as if just speaking of these things put her under pressure. In a hushed voice, she said, “They are said to be contracts signed by the very first Nobles with the human race, before the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. The Nobles would lead humanity out of the chaos of the Radiation Era, fighting against the threats of historical remnants and World-Destroying Level disasters. In return, human civilization had to guarantee their transcendent status.”

“The contracts are supposedly numbered 01 through 03.”

“No. 01 Scroll records the various disasters that have occurred in human history, from the Flare Era to the present—including those that still threaten the world to this day.”

“The Mother Divine Tree that Qinggang previously faced is one of the things recorded on this scroll, where it’s ranked seventh.”

“As for Scroll No. 02, it explicitly lays out their power and transcendent status.”

“…”

This was something Han Su genuinely hadn’t expected. He was slightly taken aback. “Power?”

“Correct.”

Wei Lan nodded slowly. “This contract states in no uncertain terms that they, and their bloodlines, will forever possess transcendent power within this civilization.”

“Theoretically speaking, they signed a contract with civilization itself. As long as this civilization exists, so will their status.”

“Heh, sounds outrageous, doesn’t it?”

“These Ancient Nobles already control the resources and power in all corners of the world.”

“Money? Force? Law? Politics? These are all things that can be used to control the world.”

“In the world of ordinary people, controlling just one of these four gives you the power to make your voice heard and influence the world according to your will!”

“But the Ancient Nobles have all four. And on top of that, their transcendent status is even written into the very source code of this civilization!”

“So, they can truly be called the absolute masters of this world.”

“…”

‘This was a group of people who, just when you thought you understood how terrifying they were, you’d discover you had still underestimated them…’

After a moment’s thought, Han Su asked, “So, what’s a concrete example of this power…?”

“You know about the Qinggang Council, right?”

Wei Lan considered for a moment, then looked up at Han Su. “Ten chairs, three black and seven red. They can vote to decide everything in Qinggang, including the appointment and dismissal of the mayor and the deployment of the armed forces.”