Chapter 401: Steel Armor

Chapter 401: Steel Armor

"Your Excellency, we meet again." Augustus said in a friendly tone.

Furthermore, the choice of words was different from their first encounter. This time, even he, the deputy leader of the Swordmaster Headquarters, used the term 'Your Excellency' when addressing Rain.

Perhaps, the young Claire and Bianca didn't notice the subtle difference in the address.

But Tatiya, Alena, and the others couldn't help but have their eyes sparkle.

Clearly, this indicated that the young Rain had gained an even higher status in the eyes of the higher-ups at the Swordmaster Headquarters.

"Good day, General Augustus," Rain smiled and said.

Claire and Bianca, meeting such a prominent figure for the first time, were a bit nervous and quickly saluted along with their captain.

"Don't be nervous, please take a seat," Augustus said amiably.

After everyone was seated, Alena quietly left the small conference room, as her rank was not high enough to listen in on such an important meeting.

"Your Excellency, please give us a detailed account of the unexpected situation during your mission," Tatiya smiled and said.

"Alright, at the foot of Blade Volcano, we encountered an attack from a Wizard of Tutkash Academy, a Claw Ghoul, a Golem, and a legendary Stitcher Beast," Rain said.

Everyone in the conference room, including General Augustus, listened intently, and the only sound besides Rain's voice was the scratching of pens taking notes.

"The enemy's spirit seemed to be heavily injured due to the death of the Stitcher Beast, and he consumed Malefic Blood to incarnate the Demon God."

Hearing this, Tatiya couldn't help but raise her head and look at Rain with a hint of surprise, confirming, "Your Excellency, are you saying it was an Incarnation and not a Projection?"

"Yes, I'm certain it was an Incarnation," Rain nodded and said.

At this moment, a middle-aged man sitting next to General Augustus, with a pair of golden suns and two suns on his shoulder epaulets, coughed and said, "Excuse me, Your Excellency, you may not be aware, but for a deity to incarnate, the requirements for the human vessel are very specific. It's not easy to find a suitable vessel for a deity's incarnation."

"Moreover, dealing with a deity's incarnation can be quite challenging, even for the Imperial Guardians," he added tactfully.

However, Claire, who was already impressed by her captain's strength, couldn't help but speak up.

After all, she hadn't been able to help her captain in the direct combat.

So, in this situation of investigating at the headquarters, she felt she should do something. Claire couldn't help but interject, "This General, my captain has already explained it clearly, and we were all there and saw it very clearly. The enemy was definitely an incarnation, not a projection."

"Yes, I can testify to that as well," Bianca nodded in agreement.

"Don't get too excited, ladies, this isn't a hearing, it's just a record of the situation," the General smiled and said.

After a moment of thought, Rain nodded and said, "I think that the occupied Wizard of Tutkash Academy was quite special."

"His name was Staven, and he was quite powerful. Perhaps Lieutenant Tatiya can look into it later. I think there should be information about him at headquarters."

"Staven?" General Augustus's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Yes, sir," Rain nodded.

"No need to check, if it's him, then it's definitely the incarnation of a deity," General Augustus waved his hand and said.

"I know Staven. Thirty years ago, he was already a Tier 3 Crystal Peak Wizard, and he was a rare Shadow Talent Wizard. He was fully qualified to be a vessel for a deity's incarnation."

However, after speaking, General Augustus carefully examined Rain, seemingly surprised by Rain's ability to deal with a deity's incarnation.

At this moment, Tatiya suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, Your Excellency, do you know the partial true name of the deity?"

"Yes, Staven told me his true name before his soul dissipated. They called him the Demon God, Nayubrecan," Rain said, thinking that these words were part of the deity's true name.

The true names of deities are usually very long, and they are also top secrets.

"What! It's the Spider Demon, Nayubrecan?!" General Augustus, who was usually calm, was also surprised this time.

Everyone present, including Rain, was surprised by General Augustus's reaction.

After all, within the Empire's territories, cults were as numerous as raindrops after a storm.

Even a few months ago, a Demon God's incarnation interrupted the Emperor's semi-god promotion.

General Augustus, the deputy leader of the Swordmaster Headquarters, should have been accustomed to such things.

It seemed that the Demon God Nayubrecan was different from other deities.

"Sorry, I was a bit surprised," General Augustus paused for a moment, as if recalling something.

After a while, he said:

"Thousands of years ago, on the Cyrodiil Plateau, there was an extremely cruel and vicious Spider Demon Empire, worshiping the Demon God Nayubrecan.

"Later, after the Arachnid Empire was defeated by the coalition of human kingdoms, it retreated deep underground."

"To minimize casualties, the human kingdoms did not continue their offensive. Instead, they gathered a massive sorcery corps led by three Fifth Rank Full Moon Wizards, using the artifact 'Staff of Blazing Light', to completely seal off the entire region underground."

"So, I fear that the appearance of the Demon God might indicate some issue with the underground seal, or perhaps the enemy plans to break the seal?"

"Thank you, Lord Rayn, for reporting such crucial intelligence."

"Thank you, General Augustus. As an Imperial Swordmaster, this is something I should do," Rayn said with a slight smile.

"Lord Rayn, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Tatiya paused her writing and smiled.

Rayn thought for a moment and spoke again, "Before Staven's soul dissipated, he told me that the assassination attempt on me was actually masterminded by Isodre Academy."

"Of course, this is just Staven's word, and I currently have no evidence to support this claim."

"I'm just concerned about the Isodre Academy in Cyrodiil Plateau, whether they have fulfilled their oversight responsibilities, and maintain a degree of skepticism."

"Additionally, the Tutkash Academy's leader, Graham, should have already fallen, and that's all."

"Thank you, Lord Rayn, the headquarters will assess this intelligence and assign corresponding merit points accordingly," Tatiya said as she quickly took notes.

"Tatiya, I will forward Lord Rayn's report to Grand Sorcerer Dalian," General Augustus said, his expression turning solemn.

"Yes, sir."

As the meeting concluded, Rayn encountered Alena waiting at the conference room door. She immediately thought of something and said, "Lady Alena, I have something to discuss with you."

"Please, Lord Rayn, go ahead," Alena said, taking out a small notebook and quill, ready to record.

"Contact the branches in the Ferdinand Forest region and inquire about the latest movements and critical intelligence of the Cult of Mother Tree."

"Also, find out if there are any Swordmasters who, for special reasons, have been dispatched to the Elven Realm for a mission. If so, understand the specific process."

Due to various historical entanglements, the elves maintained a vigilant attitude towards humans.

The elves had only one embassy in the Imperial City of Temriel, used as a liaison point.

So, even if Rayn wanted to go to Ferdinand Forest to provide assistance to Anna, it wasn't that simple, and he would have to consider the elves' attitude.

Additionally, as a race with a history far longer than humans, many elves had long lifespans and formidable strength.

Rayn didn't think that the Cult of Mother Tree alone could pose a threat to the elves. In other words, under normal circumstances, Anna wouldn't have any safety concerns.

"Yes, Lord Rayn, I'll make the contact."

When Rayn returned to his manor, his sister Mint quickly found him, looking dejected. "Brother, Sister Anna left again. Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Rest assured! Anna should be back soon," Rayn said as he squatted down and gently ruffled Mint's hair.

"You said the same thing last time, but Anna only comes once every few months."

"If Sister Anna doesn't come back soon, I'll go find her, okay?" Seeing that Mint was still unhappy, Rayn continued.

"Yes, yes!" Mint smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

The next morning, Rayn arrived at the Bishou Armament Academy.

In Master Mogaro's office.

"Huh? Rayn, you completed your mission and returned to the Imperial Capital in just three days. I'm quite surprised," Mogaro said.

Normally, a Swordmaster's mission would take a week to complete.

"Good! As long as it's useful!" Mogaro was pleased, stroking his red beard.

"By the way, did you bring the golem back? Tell me what needs improvement," he asked, referring to the golem.

"It self-destructed," Rayn said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

After all, his Hellfire Golem had taken considerable time and effort from Master Mogaro, as well as assistance from Audrey and Alicia, which was why it was completed so quickly.

"What? What happened exactly?" Mogaro stood up in surprise.

"It's like this. When the golem self-destructed, it directly took out a Legendary Peak-level Stitch Golem," Rayn said, and Mogaro's expression changed from one of concern to laughter.

"Good! Excellent!"

"I didn't expect that the golem I made could take out a Legendary Peak-level Stitch Golem in one day."

In the Imperial Capital of Temriel, within a luxurious mansion on the left side of the palace.

An older nobleman with a handlebar mustache stood respectfully beside a young man with a gentle, effeminate face and blonde hair.

The young blonde man sat in a chair, casually flipping through a stack of documents.

"Buchanan, so to speak, we can now confirm that this young man named Rayn likely possesses some unknown Dragon Bloodline, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. The documents seem to indicate so." Buchanan, the middle-aged nobleman, bowed.

"Excellent. Go and invite him to join the Dragon Scale Brotherhood." Prince Everett's face revealed a slight, unexplained smile as he closed the documents.

"Yes, Your Highness." Buchanan slowly exited the room.

Although Duke Drum had previously sought him out, intending to influence him to remove Rayn, it now seems that the prince is quite interested in this young man with the Dragon Bloodline.

The Dragon Scale Brotherhood is a secret society established by Prince Everett, specifically for non-royals with various Dragon Bloodlines.

Upon returning to the manor, Rayn headed to the training room to start studying the Tier 2 Sorcery 'Iron Armor' and Tier 3 Sorcery 'Steel Armor'.

Long before studying Tier 3 Sorcery 'Steel Armor', he had already seen the related descriptions at the academy's exchange, feeling that there should be some kind of intrinsic connection between the two.

After numerous attempts, Rayn secretly confirmed that there must be some kind of intrinsic correlation between these two sorceries.

However, Rayn also felt that something seemed to be missing.

Rayn continuously cast these two sorceries in the room.

"Tier 2 Sorcery 'Iron Armor'!"

"Tier 3 Talent Sorcery 'Steel Armor'!"

A layer of dark iron armor was covered with an even thicker layer of silver metal, increasing the defense, but Rayn knew this was only a superficial addition, not an enhancement like a killing move.

After repeated attempts, Rayn always felt that something was amiss.

After deep contemplation, Rayn had an epiphany and tried adding the Tier 1 Talent Sorcery 'Metal Transformation'.

"Tier 1 Talent Sorcery 'Metal Transformation'!"

The system notification rang out:

【Ding! Host has comprehended the outline of a Compound Spell. Consume 42 Golden Skill Points to refine it?

"As expected!"

Rain couldn't help but clench his fist in excitement.

Without hesitation, he immediately chose "Yes"!

Instantly, a powerful memory of cultivating the three spells for over a hundred years flooded Rain's mind, as if he were practicing these three spells in some mysterious space!

When Rain opened his eyes again, his insight into these three spells had already broken through some boundaries, and he knew how to integrate these three spells into one.

[Ding! Successful deduction! Host understands the third-tier compound spell "Steel Armor"!]



"Steel Armor?" Rain's face lit up with joy.

"The first-tier talent spell 'Metal Transformation', the second-tier spell 'Iron Armor', and the third-tier talent spell 'Steel Armor' are released in succession, forming the compound spell: Steel Armor!"

Just as Rain was about to test it out, there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Lord Rain, there's a Count named Buchanan outside who wishes to see you. He says he's the Second Prince's steward," Matteo said with a hint of urgency in his breath.

"Oh?" Rain's eyebrows slightly raised, clearly surprised.

No wonder Matteo came to disturb him.

"Please ask him to meet in the reception room." After a moment's thought, Rain said.

A few minutes later, in the reception room.

"Lord Rain, I've come this time because I heard that you also possess the rare Dragon Bloodline. I was entrusted by the Second Prince to invite you to join the Dragon Scale Brotherhood." Buchanan smiled as he opened the door and spoke.

"This is a small gift from the Second Prince."

"This is a potion crafted by the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, with a special effect for those with the Dragon Bloodline. The Second Prince has named it 'Dragon Pulse Elixir'."

As he spoke, Buchanan took out a brown wooden box, opened it, and handed it to Rain.

"This"

Rain clearly saw that inside was a bottle of dark red, glowing with a blood-red spell aura, an unknown potion.

Because of Anna's mother's situation, Rain had already considered how to deal with this Second Prince.

However, Rain didn't expect that the other party would directly come to invite him to join such an organization that he had never heard of.

Seeing Rain's contemplative expression, Buchanan immediately smiled and continued, "Lord Rain, the Second Prince's original intention in establishing the Dragon Scale Brotherhood was to provide a platform for those who unexpectedly awaken the Dragon Bloodline, an opportunity for further improvement."

"For example, you can imagine a group of like-minded people, researching how to further develop their special abilities of the Dragon Bloodline, researching related potions, and so on."

"Additionally, this is a pure hidden cultivation sect, with no impact on your current Swordsman identity, and there will be no compulsory tasks."

It must be said that this Buchanan's eloquence and methods are very good.

If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely be moved.

First of all, from his previous understanding of the Second Prince, this Dragon Scale Brotherhood is highly likely not as this Buchanan said, a pure hidden cultivation organization.

Rain himself is a wizard and alchemist, and as long as he thinks about it a little, he can figure out the key to the problem.

Researching and developing his own Dragon Bloodline, how to research? Bloodline research will inevitably require drawing fresh blood, and possibly even providing a small amount of bodily tissue, to have a chance to research something special, it would be even more disadvantageous.

Additionally, Rain is well aware that his bloodline improvement relies on the system, and he will keep perfecting and enhancing the mutated Dragon Bloodline.

As for Anna's mother's whereabouts, other methods can be sought.

"I'm sorry, Lord Buchanan, please convey to the Second Prince that I'm grateful for his kindness. But as a Swordsman, I temporarily do not plan to join any hidden organization." Rain thought for a moment and politely said.

At the same time, he also expresses that he will not join any hidden organization, indicating that he has no prejudice against the Second Prince.

"Hehe, Lord Rain, you may not be aware that many people outside are eager to join the Second Prince's Dragon Scale Brotherhood."

"That's right, I heard you recently participated in the Dragon Knight Cadet Recruitment?"

"Yes."

"Then you should definitely join the Dragon Scale Brotherhood. Let me tell you a little secret: the Second Prince is one of the examiners for this recruitment."

"It's almost time, I've disturbed you, Lord Rain." Buchanan smiled meaningfully, preparing to leave.

"I understand, Lord Buchanan, I need some time to consider." Rain stood up and said.

"Of course, if you decide to join, you can contact me in the next few days."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end