Chapter 267: The Purging Order

"How did you survive the killing intent, though?" Lucas asked Vlad as he tied his hair into a ponytail. He had already put on a shirt when Vlad woke up.

Aldric seemed equally curious to know how Vlad had awakened so quickly after seeing the scar left by a Primordial Dragon. He did not seem to have suffered any damage to his Soul either, or he would not be standing so straight right now.

As the duo’s curious gazes pressed down upon Vlad, he lied with a straight face, "The Eternal Eye protected me."

He activated the artifact, transforming his right eye into a dark cosmos with a diagonal galaxy-like iris.

"It’s a Soul-Type Artifact," Vlad revealed.

Lucas’s eyebrows rose, while Aldric’s lips parted in mild shock.

"So this is the Genesis Artifact..." Aldric murmured.

"It looks so mysterious and beautiful," Lucas added.

The duo leaned uncomfortably closer to Vlad as they stared directly into his eye.

Vlad took a step back, deactivating the eye. "So, why was I brought here again?"

"Oh, right." Aldric stepped back as well.

He tapped the ground with his cane, producing three transparent chairs made of energy out of thin air.

Once the trio settled into their seats, Aldric began, looking at Vlad. "You aren’t the first person to be marked by the Soul Mark. Before Lord Lucas forced the Excidus to retreat twelve years ago, there were many cases of young geniuses being marked by the Excidus, those whom they deemed potential threats."

Vlad leaned forward in his chair as he listened carefully. Years ago, the Excidus had infiltrated the academy under the disguises of merchants, professors, and students.

Knowing that the Arcane Academy was the hub of the continent’s geniuses, it had naturally caught their attention.

They could not do anything within the academy itself because of Lirien, but the moment any promising student with an S-Rank talent or above left the academy, they would either die or mysteriously vanish.

Considering that S-Rankers and above were already extremely rare, the disappearance of such talents was causing immense harm to the overall strength of the continent.

"Thirty years ago, my personal student, Nolan, was also marked by the Soul Mark," Aldric revealed, his grip tightening around his cane. "He was a brilliant student possessing an S+ Rank Hydro talent. He had set many records in the academy that remain unbroken even now. In just two years, he became a Five-Ring Mage."

Aldric released a sigh, grief filling his emerald eyes as he continued, "He was the one who first discovered the Soul Mark, which would have otherwise remained hidden. He was also the one who came up with the spell to suppress its effects. Alas, during an S-Rank mission to the Dark Continent..."

Aldric’s fingers wrapped around the cane trembled slightly. "He mysteriously vanished like every other student marked by the Soul Mark."

’E-even a genius Five-Ring Mage became prey to this Soul Mark,’ Vlad gasped inwardly. ’This Excidus is truly terrifying. If they decide to actually harm my family, will the Awakeners sent by the academy truly be enough? I can’t depend on anyone else to protect my family.’

He clenched his hands over his knees as he declared inwardly, ’I need to grow stronger quickly.’

"At the place where Nolan disappeared, he left behind important information, a method to remove the Soul Mark." Aldric’s words pulled Vlad out of his thoughts. "Each Soul Mark is connected to the Harbinger of the branch to which the member who placed it belongs. Once that Harbinger dies, the mark will also vanish."

"Is this information credible?" Vlad asked. There was a chance that Nolan had been forced to write this information after being captured.

Aldric pointed at Lucas as he explained, "Lord Lucas was also marked by a member of the Crescent Moon. But when he killed the Harbinger of the Crescent Moon, the mark also vanished, which confirmed the credibility of this information."

The expression on Vlad’s face did not change. Although he now knew a method to get rid of the Soul Mark, actually accomplishing it was completely impossible for his current self. He was not arrogant enough to think that he could defeat a Harbinger who was said to be as powerful as the Four Heroes. Not to mention, that was information from the past. The current Harbinger might very well be even stronger than that.

"The Excidus is an ancient organisation with deep roots and a strong foundation," Lucas said, his firm voice drawing Vlad’s attention. His jaw was tight, and his brows were furrowed in barely suppressed hatred. Vlad had never seen him wear such a furious expression before. "I knew wiping out one of their branches wouldn’t cause them any significant damage. They are a well-organised group of criminals, so they must be dealt with by a proper organisation."

He rose from his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, and revealed, "That is why I created the Purging Order, an organisation that investigates and eliminates members of the Excidus. Its members are called Inspectors."

’An organisation to fight the Excidus...’ Vlad murmured inwardly. ’And its founder is none other than Uncle Lucas.’

"You asked me what the academy wants from you because of the Awakeners we mobilised to protect your family, right?" Aldric added, joining in as he rose to his feet with the help of his cane. "The protection provided by those Awakeners isn’t free. They are each being paid a thousand gold taels monthly. Since your exposure to the Excidus happened because of the quest, the academy is willing to pay them for the next six months. But if you still want their protection after that, you will need to pay them yourself."

Vlad’s brows rose, but he was not particularly surprised. Nothing was free in this world. He was already grateful to the academy for providing the protection free of charge for six months.

"Or you can join the Purging Order," Aldric offered in a calm tone. "The organisation will take responsibility for your parents’ safety."

The moment Vlad heard those words, the particles in his eyes that had remained dormant for quite some time stirred once again.

Ding...

[You have triggered the condition to enter the Main Quest Part II.]

[Condition: Qualify for the position of Inspector in the Purging Order.]

Note: Upon rejecting this condition, you will lose the lead to enter the Main Quest Part II.