From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Chapter 246: Chapter 236 Rhea's Division

In the Daybreakers, the Extraordinary Exponent who had advanced the furthest along the Path of Nature was Ray.

He was very tall and well-built, having raised a large white dog since childhood.

After awakening to the Path of Nature and becoming adept at agriculture, Ray was promptly thrown by Byrne into the Fischer family's botanical garden, where he had to hasten the cultivation of Extraordinary materials.

Today, after repeated toil, Ray had finally mastered the 1st Rank Power of Consecution and earned the qualifications to step onto the Path of Nature's 2nd Rank. So, he took his dog and walked back to Nasir Town.

Upon arriving at the Nasir Town Manor, Ray had just stepped through the outer gate when he was swiftly greeted by Mr. Theo, the tall, trim old butler.

"I already knew you were coming from the letter, Ray. Not bad, stepping onto the 2nd Rank while you're still young. You might go even further than I have," he said.

"That would be my honor!" Ray said with a smile, nodding, feeling a hint of excitement deep within him.

"Yes, Ray, come with me. Madam Lilian will not return for a few days, so you will stay in the manor for a while," the imposing old man said, his demeanor stern and his movements precise. He had served the Fischer family for decades, always commanding great respect.

"Of course, Mr. Theo."

Despite being a Daybreaker, Ray held Mr. Theo, a Proselyte, in high regard. Conversely, he was not too fond of the somewhat hypocritical Yeager, nor the densely populated cities.

Dressed in a roughly hewn fur coat, Ray hardly looked like someone from a civilized society, resembling more a native of some small local place.

The servants of the Fischer family gazed at him oddly, though being well-mannered, none would say anything offensive outright.

"Woof woof woof!"

Molly, a large white dog taller than a child, sat obediently beside Ray, tongue delicately hanging out, tail wagging without cease.

However, no sooner had it stepped within the manor than it suddenly sensed a terrifying scent. Its eyes sharpened, and the dog began to shiver all over, refusing to go any further.

"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!"

Ray immediately crouched down to hug and comfort the large dog, while Mr. Theo, incapable of understanding the affection for animals, watched impassively.

"Whimper..."

The big white dog's face turned cowardly, and lowering its head, it began to act coyly with its master.

"It can't come inside, as having a bunch of dog hair around the estate would be quite the mess," Mr. Theo stated.

"Ah! Can it really not come in?"

Hearing that his dog Molly couldn't enter, Ray was struck as if by a Heavy Strike, staring in dismay, and then he met with the stern gaze of the old butler.

Recalling his last visit to the manor and the experience of attaining the Power of Consecution in the basement, he remembered indeed that Molly had not been allowed to enter; however, he had emerged quite quickly.

So Ray clenched his teeth and said earnestly,

"Mr. Theo, I can't leave Molly alone outside for too long. How about this: until Lady Lilian returns, I'll stay outside with her."

"You mean, you want to live outdoors here?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Theo was a bit speechless, but still nodded gently, saying calmly, "Suit yourselves."

Molly breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Theo glanced at her. This white Samoyed seemed quite smart.

The old butler, Mr. Theo, calmly returned to the manor, then gave orders to several servants.

"Move a bed and some essentials outside. Mr. Ray wishes to stay outside for a few days, but I don't want his outdoor living to be too miserable."

The servants nodded hastily, holding Mr. Theo in high regard, although one inquired, "Mr. Ray, why not simply find a place to stay in town instead of living outside the estate?"

"He might be a bit silly and didn't think of that," the old butler said nonchalantly.

Though Mr. Theo was past seventy, he remained hale and hearty.

He felt he had neither the chance nor the time to advance on the Path of Authority's 4th Rank and had ceased to long for more power, feeling quite content with his current life deep down.

Now, Mr. Theo's daughters also had children; one even married into nobility. These grandchildren, born as Blood Receivers, could be considered a small Proselyte family led by Mr. Theo.

Many small families now revolved around the Fischer family, with the most prominent being the Dagger Brotherhood's Shelby family.

The current Shelby family and their Dagger Brotherhood had expanded into every town within the four-town territory.

When Mr. Theo next met Ray, he said expressionlessly,

"Lady Lilian will be back soon. She recently went to Fein City to exchange information with the Lion clan and learn the specific details about the front lines."

"Alright, I understand," Ray responded promptly.

Then Mr. Theo went to find Vanessa. With the older generation of Byrne and Chris missing, in Lady Lilian's absence, he could discuss any family matters only with Vanessa.

As for Christine and Karno, although they were growing up, at the moment, both were still adolescents and of little use in managing family affairs.

When Mr. Theo found Vanessa, she was pacing in the study, pondering over some family orders.

Seeing the old butler, Vanessa exhaled and asked,

"Hasn't Lilian returned yet?"

Mr. Theo shook his head gently, calmly saying, "No, she must finalize the war details in Fein City before returning to Nasir Town. But, judging by the time, Lady Lilian should be on her way now."

Vanessa sighed, realizing more than ever the importance of the railway.

"It's a pity. If the railway were fully operational, using that steam locomotive, theoretically Lilian could be back in Nasir Town in less than a day."

The "Byrne Railway," spearheaded by the Fischer family, was still being busily constructed, destined to connect Fein City and Nasir Town, passing through Chevron Town along the way.

In time, traveling from Fein City to Nasir Town would become much easier, greatly reducing the spatial distance between the two locations.

Actually, railways had already been constructed in Carnia and Vallere, the latter built with the help of Lorne citizens, so the Byrne Railway would not be the first railway in the Eastern Four Kingdoms.

Yet at least, it would be the very first railway throughout the entire Cyart.

Although this railway wasn't very long and the terrain it passed was mostly plains, the construction speed had been slow due to the lack of experience.

It would still take a few more years before the "Byrne Railway" could be fully completed.

Now, with the most industrious Byrne Fischer missing, the rest of the family could only play a supporting role, and the main technical guidance still came from a Priest who was preaching from the Reforging Church.

The people of the Reforging Church held many strange technologies, which they said were knowledge bestowed by the great God of Reforging, heralding a brand-new era that anyone could learn, and spreading such knowledge was the purpose of the Reforging Church.

"Eh, why are you living here?"

The sight of Ray setting up a small hut outside the manor immediately attracted the attention of many, and so did Karno, holding an iron flask.

The young Karno, with his silver hair shining brilliantly under the sun and his eyes extraordinarily pure, possessed a naturally carefree temperament.

He had always been an outlier in the inward-looking Fischer household, spending his days indulging in food, drinks, and fun, seeking various amusements.

However, everyone knew from Byrne that such behaviors would not affect Karno's ascent on the God Pantheon stairway, so no one could really reprimand him.

A girl followed Karno's side, Sunbelle, who had stayed at Fischer Manor half a year ago due to an injury and, after relentless efforts, finally became Karno's personal maid.

In some sense, Sunbelle had finally succeeded in her first step!

She revolved around Karno day in and day out, doing her utmost, offering warm concerns, and fulfilling any request of Karno's even if it meant pushing herself.

Sometimes, the mischievous Karno would have her buy four different items from the north, south, east, and west of Nasir and then instruct her to sell them to four people who absolutely didn't need them, making Sunbelle cry out of frustration.

Yet she still finished such unreasonable demands in the end, developing blisters on her feet without uttering a single word of complaint.

Sunbelle was well aware that her appearance didn't stand out within such a large family like the Fischers, so she could only try even harder to please Karno.

No matter what, Sunbelle did not want to leave the Fischer family!

Furthermore, she wanted to go one step further, and what she now dreamt of was to become Karno's lover!

That wasn't a loss or a hardship at all; Karno's sunny, handsome appearance had already captured the hearts of many young girls.

Yet the thirteen-year-old boy seemed to have no thoughts or concepts about such matters, and Sunbelle's shy attempts to flirt with him twice bore no fruit.

Over half a year, although she cried secretly when feeling helpless and even thought about giving up, the young girl always kept a smile on her face around Karno.

She believed that as long as she persevered, she could become Karno Fischer's adored one, and that boy had the chance to become the future head of the Fischer family!

Humph, by then, wouldn't she become the next Lady Vanessa?

"Hahahaha! So it was because of the dog issue! How amusing!"

After hearing Ray's explanation, Karno couldn't stop laughing, rolling on the ground, completely devoid of any noble etiquette.

Ray coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He noticed that the girl next to him was always watching Young Master Karno gently. She was probably his personal servant, her eyes seemingly filled with a bit of affection.

Sunbelle asked curiously, "Um, Mr. Ray, why do you have to live here? If dogs aren't allowed in the manor, couldn't you just find a hotel to stay in town?"

"Uh, it does seem to be the case!"

Ray was completely stunned, and Molly, sticking out her tongue, rolled her eyes, as if in disdain for her owner's intellect.

When Ray had moved his things back to the manor and went to stay in town, Karno, who was watching the show from under the shade, spotted the old butler approaching.

"Miss Sunbelle, please get the snuffbox from the third room on the second floor."

"Yes, Mr. Theo."

From under the shade, after Theo sent Sunbelle away, he calmly turned and said to Karno, "That girl Sunbelle has many thoughts in her mind. Is it really okay to let her stay by your side, Young Master Karno?"

Karno squinted, smiling casually, and said, "Let her stay. She's very hardworking after all. I don't actually dislike her, and so far Sunbelle hasn't done anything harmful, has she?"

"Having many thoughts and ambitions doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing."

The youth paused, raised a finger, and shook his head as he said, "Humans are like wine with impurities, never as pure as water once they grow, so everyone has different flavors and impurities, some tasty, some not, but as long as it's not poisonous, I think it's all right to have contact and have a taste."

Hearing this analogy and reasoning, Theo couldn't help but regard the silver-haired youth more highly, sensing his gradual maturation.

"Hmm, Young Master Karno, you seem more mature than I thought. You are truly your father, Lord Chris's son."

Karno giggled, resting his hands behind his head, eyes closed, and said, "Hey, don't put it that way, Mr. Theo. Don't call me Lord Chris's son; in the future, ah, please refer to him as Lord Karno's father!"

"Hehe."

Several days later, Madam Lilian finally returned from Fein City.

She would prepare a ritual, help Ray grasp the 2nd Rank of the Path of Nature, and also bring back the details of the post-war situation to everyone as soon as possible.

"From now on, Rhea will be in a state of fragmentation, and it is likely to last for some time."