Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

"An opportunity?" Ryu's gaze met the Steward's whose eyes shifted slightly to watch the new guests enter.

"Yes, an opportunity." The Steward turned back to Ryu. "You may have already picked up on some… peculiarities of our Mercenary Guild. As a Throne, you're in a unique position other geniuses are not…"

Ryu immediately understood what the Steward meant. Mercenaries were looked down upon because it wasn't a conventional occupation of the martial world. Without loyalties or ties, they couldn't accumulate Faith by normal means and as such, were usually avoided by geniuses of Ryu's caliber, or even lesser geniuses as well. However, weren't Thrones in the same boat?

By being a Throne, Ryu was in a unique position. He had already chosen the path of accumulating Faith based on his own abilities rather than relying on a Clan or Sect. As such, he was a prime candidate for the Mercenary Guild. And even more poignant than that… The Steward's words seemed to imply he wouldn't be the first Throne to take this path and join their guild.

'Do you know anything about this Mercenary Guild, Ailsa?' Ryu couldn't help but admit he was intrigued.

Ailsa shook her head. 'Matters related to current events are quite muddied for me.'

This answer surprised Ryu as well. Hadn't Ailsa been looking for him for nine hundred million years? You would think that someone with such a task would be completely clued in to the happenings of the Realm they were searching in. But, maybe the Faeries had their own unique methods.

Then again, Faeries couldn't exist in Realms like this one without their Life Partner acting as an anchor, so maybe it made perfect sense that Ailsa would know little about such things.

Ryu nodded. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested."

The Steward smiled.

Looking now, Ryu realized that the Steward was actually quite the handsome man. It was just that his presence seemed to so easily blend into the surroundings that it was too easy to overlook this. To make matters more curious, Ryu actually couldn't pinpoint his cultivation.

Of course, this was only because Ryu wasn't actively using [Third Perspective] which could function regardless of cultivation. But this fact alone either meant that this man had a technique capable of hiding his cultivation, or he was so strong that Ryu's passive pupil abilities couldn't see through him. In the case the latter was true, he was a Divine Vessel Realm expert at the bare minimum, and more likely stronger than even that.

'This Outer Ring is so odd. First Blacksmith Ember is a hidden Divine Vessel expert, and now this Steward. In a place where such power should be rare, why do they seemingly pop up everywhere.'

"In order for you to take hold of this opportunity, I would usually need to test you. But, Thrones are an exception to this rule. Though…" The Steward's voice trailed off.

Ryu could tell what he wanted to say. Technically speaking, Ryu was the likely weakest of the Thrones they had ever recruited. This wasn't because of his cultivation or age, it was rather because he was the Throne of a mere Fifth Order Sect. Even the only two other Thrones of this Plane were the Throne of Core Region Sects and Clans, which would make anyone assume Ryu was the weakest.

How could the Steward know that the truth was actually the opposite? Not only was Ryu a Throne, he was technically one of a Ninth Order Sect, making him among the most powerful – in terms of combat prowess – Thrones they had ever recruited.

In truth, there were plenty of individuals hidden in the dark that knew the past of the Awoken Moon Sect and as such, took Ryu far more seriously. But maybe this Steward's position within the Mercenary Guild was too low to know this, or why else would he be a manager in this mere Outer Ring?

The Steward read Ryu's expression. He could see the lofty arrogance in the young man's silver eyes, seemingly uncaring of the Steward's blatant slight. This made the Steward even more interested in this Ryu character. There was no shortage of arrogant geniuses, but ones so arrogant that they cared nothing for the opinions of others was incredibly rare.

It was at this moment that the cloaked figures reached the curved reception desk.

They were unfeeling, walking by the bloodied pool the red-haired man still screamed in without a care in the world.

"Throne Ryu, I presume?" The voice that spoke came from a woman. It sounded like a gentle spring or the soft pitter patter of light rain. However, Ryu didn't miss the commanding undertone. This woman was very much used controlling matters in the palm of what must be her lovely hand.

Interestingly enough, these cloaked figures didn't come for the Steward. In fact, even the usually calm and aloof Mercenary Guild receptionist had a hint of caution in his deep black eyes.

Ryu sent a glance toward the woman. He didn't like her tone, not even in the slightest. But he retracted his innate urge to lash out, tempering it down and cooling his reflexes.

"You are?"

The woman giggled. It sounded so ominous that even the red-haired Fourth Order Mercenary Squad leader didn't dare to continue to scream. Under the helping hand of his teammates, and holding his severed arm in another hand, he limped away.

"Asking a cloaked woman her name? Isn't that a bit too silly?"

Ryu stared coldly at the shadows that covered her face for a long while. He was irritated beyond belief. This woman dared to ask him for his identity while blatantly disdaining to tell him hers.

Without another word, Ryu turned to leave. He was aware that it was foolish to provoke someone who was very obviously so powerful. Seeing her entry, Ryu no longer hesitated to use his [Third Perspective]. From his understanding, this woman was in the Immortal Ring Realm! Not just that, even the weakest of her subordinates were within the Divine Vessel Realm, with a few even being in the Connecting Heaven Realm. If Leopold, who drove Ryu to near death, met this group, his only option would be death.

"Did I say that you could leave?" The woman giggled once more, but Ryu seemed to have not heard her, causing her eyes to flicker with disdain. "Edwin." She said plainly.

In that instant, just as Ryu made it to the door, the large man took action. A pressure the likes of which could collapse a mountain bearing down on his back. There was no suspense. The fist collided with Ryu, sending him flying out of the guild, crashing through numerous buildings, and landing in a bloody heap.