Chapter 581: The Pendragons Are Not Happy ( Castle Bonus - )

Chapter 581: The Pendragons Are Not Happy ( Castle Bonus Chapter )

"If you ever decide to separate your path from your family, the Primal Firmament could be a good place for you."

A strange silence filled the hall.

This was no longer a simple thank-you.

One of the most powerful people in the world, a member of the strongest Ancient Guild in the world, had openly invited Lian to join their guild in front of the representatives of the Six Great Families.

Lian raised an eyebrow for a moment, he hadn’t expected such an offer.

Of course, from Kairos’s point of view, the matter wasn’t just about his current strength.

A young man who had grown at an unusual rate at such a young age had managed to prevent a global crisis through reasoning and gathering evidence.

Such a person was valuable to any major power, but to the Vorhelms?

Publicly inviting him to join an independent guild, especially when the family’s succession was approaching, was not something they would be happy about.

The expressions of the Vorhelm delegation members turned ugly. They wanted to object, they didn’t want to lose Lian, but they didn’t dare say anything against a Celestial.

Lian hadn’t decided how to respond when Rhaenar’s voice rang out.

"We still have a lot of work to do regarding the Thousand-Faced Mirror."

Kairos turned his gaze toward the patriarch, who continued with the same calm expression.

"We need to make sure that the artifact wasn’t hiding any other structures."

Then he looked at the Federation representatives.

"And this investigation shouldn’t be limited to the mirror, all treasures brought to Earth from the Heavenly Realm must be checked again, especially artifacts that can store mana, record information, or communicate over long distances."

Several people began discussing the suggestion after hearing it.

Such an investigation would not be easy.

Hundreds of ancient artifacts were held by the families, guilds, the Federation, and even some countries.

But if one artifact had managed to hide an unknown structure for years, there was no guarantee that others hadn’t been brought here as well.

Rhaenar placed his hand on the table.

"We’re already dealing with the Ruined Realm, the Heavenly Realm, and the growing number of rifts, we can’t allow a civil war to start at the same time."

His tone became slightly more serious this time.

"Earth’s security must come before any other disagreements."

Kairos looked at him for a few seconds before giving a brief smile.

Apparently, he had realized that Rhaenar had deliberately changed the subject of Lian’s invitation, but he said nothing and simply turned back toward the young Vorhelm.

"My offer still stands."

Lian nodded.

"Thank you."

Kairos then looked at Rhaenar.

"The Primal Firmament will also help with the investigation, we’ll make the Thousand-Faced Mirror available to the experts for a joint examination."

"Good."

Kairos prepared to leave with his delegation, but just before reaching the door, Rhaenar spoke again.

"Aren’t you staying for the Heir Announcement Ceremony?"

He stopped and looked at the patriarch for a moment, then his gaze fell on Seris.

The girl was sitting beside Lian with her usual cold expression.

Kairos gave a very slight smile.

"There’s no need."

He paused.

"After all these years, you’ve finally found a worthy heir. It looks like a golden generation is coming, congratulations."

Then, without saying anything else, he left the hall with the members of the Primal Firmament.

Lian glanced at Rhaenar for a moment. The patriarch was still calm, and it wasn’t long before the meeting came to an end.

Several hours later, the unfinished ceremony began again.

This time, there were no long ceremonies and formalities like before, but thousands of people had still gathered in Verendal’s central square.

The seats of the Six Great Families, the remaining representatives of the Ancient Guilds, the main members of the Pendragon Family, and the special guests who were still in Verendal because the city remained under lockdown.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the central altar.

The same place where Seris had received the Ancestral Mark, but unlike the previous day, there were now many rumors spreading through the crowd.

The Dragon Marks had disappeared, not just one or two, but almost all the active Dragon Marks belonging to the younger generation of the Pendragon Family.

No one knew the reason. Some thought something had gone wrong during the ceremony, while others suspected that yesterday’s security crisis had affected the Dragon Pearl.

However, no official explanation had been given.

And this had increased the worry and dissatisfaction among the younger generation of the family.

Lian looked around from his seat, he could see many people still checking their empty hands from time to time.

Kaelen.

Lysandra.

Tristan.

Even Lucien didn’t seem very happy, despite his usual calmness.

He could understand the reason.

If he were in their place and suddenly lost his most important reward without any explanation after years of effort, he probably wouldn’t feel good either.

But it had nothing to do with him.

Seris was standing not too far away, she also glanced at the members of her generation but said nothing.

She simply straightened her clothes and walked toward the altar.

Rhaenar Pendragon appeared on the main platform alongside Isolde, and the square slowly fell silent as the two arrived.

The patriarch looked at the crowd for a few seconds before speaking in a clear voice.

"Twenty-five years ago, the previous generation of the Pendragon Family stood before the Dragon Marks."

His voice was calm, but it carried a certain weight.

"Some of them are commanders, family elders, or parents of the new generation today, and sadly, some are no longer with us."

Several people in the main seats lowered their heads.

"Now it’s the new generation’s turn."

His gaze moved across the family’s five strongest young members.

Tristan.

Lysandra.

Kaelen.

Lucien.

And finally, Seris.

"Talent, strength, and Marks are important, but none of them alone is enough to lead the Pendragon Family."

"The person who takes control of this family’s future must be able to accept responsibility for decisions that even their closest people may not understand."

This sentence was probably not meant only for the crowd, as Rhaenar also fixed his gaze on his daughter.

"Seris Pendragon."

Seris took a step forward and stood in the center of the altar.

Her black and white clothes looked calm under the golden light of the square, and the Ancestral Mark on the back of her right hand was clearly visible.

"The bearer of the Ancestral Mark."

For a moment, murmurs rose from the crowd. Even now, hearing this title was strange for many Pendragons.

"From today onward, you will be the official heir of the Pendragon Family."

A brief silence followed, then applause rose from some of the seats.

She lowered her head slightly.

Her usual calm expression remained on her face, she recited the short heir’s oath and stood straight again.

Lian watched her from his seat, and a small smile appeared on his face for a moment.

Considering everything that had happened over the past few days, seeing the ceremony finally reach its proper conclusion felt strange.

But apparently, Rhaenar hadn’t finished speaking yet.

"And there’s one more person I need to thank."

The patriarch’s voice caused the murmurs in the crowd to fall silent again.

He was looking directly at a particular seat.

"Lian Vorhelm."

For a moment, Lian even thought he had heard wrong, then he realized that the gazes around him were turning toward him one after another.

Well. This wasn’t part of the plan.

The patriarch continued.

"I want to thank Seris and Lian for what they did for the Pendragon Family."

Several people in the main seats looked at each other.

What had they done? No explanation had been given.

"And today, the Pendragon Family also recognizes the second Ancestral Mark of this generation."

A strange silence fell, and several people instinctively looked toward Seris.

The second Mark?

Who?

"A Mark that now belongs to Lian Vorhelm."

This time, not even applause could be heard. For a few seconds, the square fell into almost complete silence.

Then the murmurs began.

"What?"

"Vorhelm?"

"An Ancestral Mark?"

"How is that possible?"

"How can a Vorhelm obtain a Dragon Mark?"

"When and how did this happen?"

Lian slowly stood up from his seat, in the official Vorhelm section, Cassius had fixed his gaze on him.

For a moment, his expression seemed caught between surprise and something like laughter.

But the rest of the delegation didn’t look very happy.

On the other side, the younger generation of the Pendragon Family was almost openly shocked.

Kaelen looked at his right hand, the same hand where the Crown Mark had appeared the previous day.

Now it was empty.

Lysandra stared at Lian in disbelief.

Even Lucien, who usually had complete control over his expression, couldn’t fully hide the change in his eyes this time.

And the family elders? Some of them looked at each other from the main seats.

Several people were whispering under their breath.

Lian could guess part of what they were saying, all the active Dragon Marks of the younger generation had disappeared.

But a Vorhelm not only had a Dragon Mark, but had also become the bearer of an Ancestral Mark.

He slightly raised his right hand, and the Dragon Mark on the back of his hand lit up.

This time, there was no room left to doubt that the Mark existed, even from a distance, people could feel that its quality was different.

The Mark was real.

More importantly, Rhaenar Pendragon himself had confirmed it. No one dared to openly claim that the patriarch was wrong.

But that didn’t mean they were satisfied.

Not at all.

The Pendragons were not happy about this in the slightest.

Rhaenar allowed the murmurs to continue for a few moments before speaking again.

"As thanks for what these two have done, I’ve prepared a special reward."

This time, even Lian became curious.

What reward?

The patriarch looked between him and Seris before speaking.

"Both of you are allowed to train in the Dragon Blood River for one full month."

This time, the crowd’s reaction was completely different. Several people almost stood up from their seats at the same time.

The murmurs grew much louder.

Even some of the family elders couldn’t hide their surprise.

The Dragon Blood River.

One of the Pendragon Family’s most valuable cultivation resources, a place where a refined part of the remaining blood of the Demon of End was kept.

The blood of a Demon-rank creature did not lose its value, even after centuries.

Quite the opposite.

If properly preserved and refined, it could be used for generations.

But what truly made this resource valuable was its ability to refine the body and soul.

Lian’s expression became more serious when he heard the name of the river, he had now reached the First Evolution’s attribute limit of twenty thousand.

But refining the body and soul was different from directly increasing attributes.

If he could use the blood of a demonic dragon to refine the structure of his body and soul, the result might be far beyond what he could gain from several thousand attribute points.

And for a full month?

He looked at Rhaenar. This was no small reward.

But for the Pendragons, the matter was even more serious.

Many members of the family were not allowed to use the Dragon Blood River for more than a few days or a limited number of sessions during their entire lives.

This resource was so valuable that even the elders made decisions about its usage with great care.

And now, Rhaenar had given one full month to Seris and Lian Vorhelm.

This time, the murmurs didn’t die down easily.

The younger generation of the Pendragon Family, who were still unhappy about losing their Marks, felt even worse after seeing such a huge reward given to an outsider.

Kaelen clenched his jaw tightly, his gaze moving between Lian, Seris, and Rhaenar.

Lysandra sat quietly, but her fingers had curled around the armrest of her chair.

Even some of the elders who had tried to stay out of the ceremony until now no longer seemed calm.

One of the senior family elders pressed his hand against the armrest of his chair, the same man who had opposed Lian getting close to Seris from the beginning.

He had remained silent the entire time.

When Rhaenar thanked Lian, he said nothing.

Even when the second Ancestral Mark was announced, he didn’t object, despite his obvious dissatisfaction.

But the Dragon Blood River?

For a full month?

This was no longer something he could tolerate.

The man stood up.

The sound of his chair scraping backward could be heard among the murmurs in the square.

"Patriarch!"

The surrounding gazes turned toward him.

Rhaenar turned his head slightly, his expression still as calm as ever.

"Yes?"

The family elder first gave Lian a brief glance before continuing.

"All the Dragon Marks of our children have disappeared without any explanation."

His voice grew louder.

"They worked for years to reach this stage, some of them had planned their entire future around those Marks!"

Several members of the younger generation instinctively nodded.

The man continued.

"But now, a Vorhelm has received an Ancestral Mark, and you’re even allowing him to spend an entire month in the Dragon Blood River?!"

For a moment, a heavy silence fell. No one intervened, because this was the same question that many members of the family had in their minds.

The family elder took a step forward, his voice firmer this time.

"With all due respect, Patriarch... I object to this decision!"