Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

This was a conclusion that Orpheus’s father had reached before his death.

His father had once personally witnessed the terrifying methods by which the man before him toyed with fate at will.

Back then, Moloch had openly admitted to Orpheus’s father that he possessed the powerful ability to directly establish prophecies.

Once a prophecy had been successfully set, the invisible wheel of fate would forcibly push reality toward the direction foretold by the prophecy.

But this absolutely did not come without a price.

If the prophecy ultimately failed to come true or was interrupted midway by someone else,

then the person who established the prophecy would suffer an unimaginably horrifying backlash.

Because of this, Moloch never casually spoke any prophecy.

More than ten years ago, Moloch had not yet possessed the lofty status of a count like he did now.

It was precisely during that period that Orpheus’s father had accidentally become acquainted with him, only to discover in shock that this bard was likewise a direct descendant of the mad king Lott.

And it was at that special point in time that Moloch needed Orpheus’s father’s assistance to complete a horrifying Legacy.

That Underground Dungeon Rampage incident, which had resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, had been orchestrated entirely behind the scenes by Moloch for the sake of that Legacy.

After that disaster, Moloch disappeared completely for over ten years.

It was only recently that Orpheus discovered the special communication tool among the relics while sorting through them, noticing that it had begun glowing faintly once more.

Only then had he managed to trace the connection and contact the other party.

Before his death, his father had repeatedly warned him that unless it was the most critical moment possible, he absolutely must not contact Moloch.

Although his father had verified through some secret method that the other party possessed the pure bloodline of the Lott Family,

this man was simply far too dangerous.

On the surface, he appeared refined and perfectly normal, but the deeper one dug into his personality, the more one could feel that scalp-numbing madness lurking underneath.

He was the most orthodox descendant of the mad king Lott, perfectly inheriting that incomprehensible core of insanity.

Orpheus’s father had even privately speculated that although this generation knew him as Moloch, this was perhaps merely one of many false identities throughout his long life.

Because his father had once seen someone extremely similar to Moloch within the truly secret ancestral portraits of the Lott Family.

That portrait belonged to an era even older than his great-grandfather’s generation.

“Since your father helped me back then, I should naturally honor my promise and help you complete this prophecy as well.”

Moloch sat quietly in the seat of honor with a gentle smile on his face.

This should have been the loving gaze of an elder toward a junior.

Yet the moment Orpheus met that gaze, the hairs on his back instantly stood upright, and a bone-chilling coldness spread throughout his entire body.

Immediately afterward, a bizarre prophecy slowly echoed throughout the spacious reception hall alongside Moloch’s soft laughter.

“When the Azure Moon weeps blood and night descends.”

“The venomous serpent that betrays fate shall crave the crown of immortality amidst incompleteness.”

“It shall devour the lonely cold light.”

“And use boiling crimson blood to irrigate the broken severed neck.”

“Look, within that abyss of flowing flames.”

“A brand-new head shall emerge from its crimson cocoon.”

“It shall bathe within blazing fire and transform into a giant shadow roaring across the heavens.”

“The authority of the nine heads shall ultimately don the eternal crown amidst the ashes.”

After reciting this prophecy, Moloch seemed to think of something exceedingly amusing in his mind.

Unable to restrain himself, he lowered his head and let out two extremely faint chuckles.

However, Orpheus was so overwhelmed with excitement that he completely failed to notice this tiny movement filled with mockery from his uncle.

At this moment, he felt only uncontrollable ecstasy toward the prophecy itself.

His father had once warned him with utmost seriousness that Moloch loved exploiting loopholes within the wording of prophecies to toy with the destinies of others.

Yet Orpheus turned these lines over and over in his mind several times and could not detect a single hidden danger disadvantageous to himself within this prophecy.

Because it perfectly aligned with all of his current plans.

The Legacy he was staking his life on to challenge was called 【Hydra’s Cradle】.

The challenge conditions of this Legacy were harsh to the extreme.

The challenger had to attempt to fuse nine different Demi-Human Race bloodlines into their body without relying on any healing spells, divine arts, or potions whatsoever.

Every modification was a frenzied dance at the edge of death.

Over the years, Orpheus had relied on taboo knowledge unfit for public view, such as 【Forbidden Alchemy】 and 【Heterogeneous Anatomy】, forcibly enduring the limits of bodily collapse and barely managing to complete eight modifications.

As for the final and most crucial Demi-Human Race, he had carefully chosen the Azure Moon Werewolf King Species.

Within this race lay an exceptionally rare bloodline ability.

As long as certain extremely harsh conditions were fulfilled, resurrection was possible.

Orpheus desperately needed this heaven-defying ability.

Once he forcibly endured the final modification and completely finished 【Hydra’s Cradle】,

he would be able to perfectly utilize that resurrection ability to obtain his next Legacy.

That was the entirety of his ambition.

Only by desperately completing three true Legacies

could he, an unacknowledged illegitimate child, possibly be accepted once more by the arrogant main branch of the Lott Family.

Only then would he possess the qualifications to step into the true location of that family.

Moloch’s bizarre prophecy perfectly matched every desire within Orpheus’s heart.

He repeatedly savored those lines in his mind.

“To weep blood beneath the Azure Moon” and “devour the lonely light”—to him, these absolutely symbolized his successful injection of the Azure Moon Werewolf King Species serum into his heart.

“The brand-new head” perfectly symbolized the final new head of the hydra successfully growing forth.

As for the final line, “don the eternal crown,” it directly implied that he would rely on this completed great undertaking to successfully advance into the corresponding Legacy Class 【Hydra】.

All of this foretold that he would ultimately be accepted once more by the arrogant Lott Family.

And this also represented that he would possess the qualifications to touch the glorious crown of the mad king Lott.

Orpheus trembled with excitement all over.

He immediately rose from the high-backed chair and bowed deeply toward Moloch in the seat of honor with utmost respect.

“Thank you for your generous assistance, Uncle. I will absolutely never forget the immense favor you have granted me today.”

Orpheus raised his head, sincere gratitude piled upon that peerlessly beautiful face.

Yet what he saw was only the strange smile hanging at the corner of Moloch’s lips.

That smile seemed mixed with lofty ridicule.

A piercing chill that he could not suppress instantly surged within Orpheus’s heart.

It seemed his father’s warning before death had indeed been correct.

The seemingly gentle man before him was, deep down, truly a complete and utter madman.