"There is a reason why your Great Uncle had to safeguard it."
Roy's heart trembled in joy as he felt that Damien was going to reveal a big secret related to the Baldwins and water celestials to him.
"What is it?"
Roy asked Damien in a calm voice, but the excitement in his eyes betrayed him.
"We are descendants of ancient rulers. They used to rule Far West long before the five kingdoms came into being. You can say that ancient rulers were one of the founders of the five kingdoms that has merged and became one empire under the iron fist of the Sun Emperor. It's recorded that our ancestor used his remaining lifespan to activate his soul herding ability for the third time in his life and peaked into the secrets of heaven, finding out that our clan will be met with a great disaster after his death.
"Fearing that our secrets will be lost or stolen by crafty foxes, he requested his trustworthy friends to safeguard the ancient scrolls and legacy techniques of the Baldwin Clan for pure-blooded like you. Our clan is ancient and shares good ties with the water celestials. Thus, the duty to protect one of the legacy techniques naturally fell on your Great Uncle's shoulders."
"It happened as our ancestors divined. Three years after his funeral, our clan was met with a great disaster. It's a mystery as to what it is. But it caused our number to dwindle down to less than 300 hundred, and after hundreds of years, only seven remain. Two of them aren't even pure-blooded."
Damien told the sadness-riddled history of the Baldwin clan to Roy in a cold and detached voice.
"I didn't know we had a such rich history."
Roy was surprised upon hearing his words. The Baldwin clan was only mentioned in passing in the novel "Ancient Battlefield of the God" before they were never mentioned. Every reader, including himself, believed that they were entirely killed off. He didn't think they would have such a deep past.
"For the past two hundred years, our clan lacked the ability to protect our legacy techniques from prying eyes." Damien said, "It's only after the clan gained talented individuals like Badulf, Arnard, Arthur, your grand uncle, and me that we became strong enough to defend what's ours."
"Grand uncle? You mean our grandfather's brother?" Roy questioned.
Damien nodded, "Indeed. He is a mysterious character who barely shows himself, but every time he does, it rains down hellfire in the place he appears. Because of him, we had to pay unbelievable fines to the empire until we cut all ties with him. You will naturally know who he is when you cross paths with him. Your bloodline will tell you if he is near, and if he asks for money to pay off his debt, just ignore him. He has scammed me of 100 million gold bars and hasn't paid a single one. Until he repays the loan he owes me, it's best to ignore him."
"A scumbag like him who loots his brother's grandchild deserves to be kicked out of the clan and ignored."
Roy agreed with Damien on this matter.
"Your great uncle used to guard one of our clan secrets, but years ago, the duty of guarding it was passed down to me," Damien said.
Because of intermarriages, Baldwin's bloodline was diluted. But Damien was a hybrid between two different ancient rulers' clans. His bloodline was better than a pure-blooded one. It was a mystery how good it was. However, the Water Celestial had mentioned that it was comparable to his. Damien's bloodline was so pure that even the emperor's, the strongest person in Far West, bloodline failed to bend his knees when he stood before him and looked him in the eyes. Because his bloodline was so great, the water celestial gave the legacy of the Baldwins to him. He deserved it.
He was arrogant, but he had good reasons to be.
Damien paused for a moment, and after exhaling the old and inhaling the new, he said to Roy.
"It's said to have awed God in ancient times. And it's the secret to how I suppressed an entire generation of unawakened beneath my feet. That year, only I became an adult, proving myself superior to all the youngsters of the empire and glorifying our clan, and I only have it and my efforts to thank for it."
Damien couldn't change what happened in the past. The glory of his ancestors wasn't his to indulge in. He planned to bring the clan back to its glorious heights using his own power. This was why he put up such a display when he entered the road to adulthood. It helped him glorify his clan and make its name echo throughout the empire. And having kingly blood coursing through his veins was the main reason why he didn't revere the Sun or the current imperial family.
"Why do I feel like you are going to give it to me?"
Roy's eyes widened as he saw Damien nodding his head.
"Your guess is right on the mark. I am going to pass it down to you. Be honored!"
"It will be an honor indeed."
Roy's heart tightened. He was going to learn another legacy technique of his clan. He wondered how far it would bring him.
"Shall we begin?" Roy smiled.
"This technique is divine in nature and can't be learned by a person with a mortal-level physique. You will have to change your physique to that of a dragon's disciple before you can learn it."
Roy could be seen trembling. He was trembling out of excitement. Baldwins were said to have died off in the first chapter, but the dragon's disciples, masters, and Lords made many appearances in the novel, helping the protagonist left and right and dealing heavy damage to Chaos. It can be said that the most causality to the forces of Chaos was caused by them. Only now did Roy realize that the Baldwins were the fucking Dragons, the greatest pain in the ass for Chaos.
"H-how do I do that? How do I become a dragon disciple?"
Roy was excited. It was clear to Damien.
"We are nothing but a husk of our former selves, but our ancestral lands are still scattered throughout the Far West Major Realm. One of them is right beneath us. You will face many life-threatening trials there. Chances are you might lose your life tackling them. But if you pass them and reach the very end of this ancestral land, you will become a dragon's disciple. So, do you want to challenge it or not?"
"Yes! Of course, I want to." Roy gave a swift reply.
The novel is about to get spicier!!!
