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Chapter 91

Jack Russell was so shocked by Leonard’s answer that he accidentally poked himself in the eye while adjusting his glasses. He felt no pain, despite his eye reddening; Leonard’s shocking revelation had rendered him numb.

The strange phenomenon known as Rift, occurring sporadically not only in the Fifth Sea District of Atlantis but all around the world, instilled great fear in all nations for a very simple reason: Rifts served as outposts for invaders from beyond this world’s boundary.

Even when the dimensional wall was weakened, it was still too dangerous for a single being to cross the dimensional gap. The stronger and larger the creature, the greater the price to cross into another dimension.

Jack Russell explained, “The principle behind the Rift’s core is unknown, but its effects and purpose are clear—to break down the dimensional boundary between this world and the outer dimension, creating an environment where beings can cross freely without paying a price.”

In simpler terms...

“Invasion.”

Besides contaminating living beings and environments, Rifts corrupted the world’s very foundation. If left unchecked, a Rift would eventually reach a critical level of corruption and transform into a Corroded Realm.

A Rift that had fully gone through Corrosion no longer had an entrance, and the Rift’s environment would spill out, engulfing and replacing the world’s essence. This process of Corrosion made subjugation even more difficult because of the Outer World Order and ecosystems within the Corroded Realm taking root.

Moreover, unlike a Rift, which could be completely sealed by destroying its core, the area around the Corroded Realm would remain contaminated even after being scorched to the ground. Therefore, an extensive purification process, requiring significant time and resources, was essential post-subjugation.

“That’s why Rifts must be sealed before they turn into Corroded Realms, and locating the core has always been the biggest problem in this process. But you’re saying you’ve solved this problem?”

“I didn\'t solve it myself.”

Leonard’s answer further puzzled the trio.

“...I don’t understand. You can locate the cores of Rifts, but you’re saying it’s not something you’ve solved yourself?”

“Precisely.”

“Listen, I’m not in the mood for wordplay.”

Given how serious of an issue this was, Jack Russell’s tone sharpened slightly. He held back his anger because of the friendship they had built so far; had it been anyone else, the repercussions would have been severe.

Despite the warning from a Class 7 Archmage, Leonard remained calm.

“In that case, I need to begin by telling you about my origins.”

Jack Russell raised his eyebrow at the sudden shift in topic, and Marianne was visibly perplexed as well. Only Frances seemed to realize something, her eyes widening in understanding. Being a quick-witted genius and already familiar with Leonard’s origins, she saw where this conversation was going.

“Origins? Didn’t you come from the Kurdish Kingdom?” Jack Russell mentioned what he had learned about Leonard from Bermuda, as the Magic Tower had access even to Bermuda’s information.

But Leonard shook his head slightly. “That was just a cover. I actually come from the neighboring nation.”

“The neighboring nation... Arcadia? Are you saying you’re from the Empire?”

Though people from the Empire were not common in the Atlantis Maritime Alliance, Jack didn’t understand how Leonard’s origins were relevant to the current topic. How did his ability to locate the Rift’s core relate to his origin?

Leonard met his gaze and said plainly, “I am a member of one of the Three Noble Houses of the Arcadia Empire, specifically the Family of Swords, the House of Cardenas.”

“What?!”

It was the first time Jack Russell was utterly shocked. He was a mage dispatched from the mainland, not someone born and raised in the Maritime Alliance. Naturally, he knew the significance of the Three Noble Houses that supported the great Empire, the nation ruling over half of the world.

The Three Noble Houses—Cardenas, Wickeline, and Jehoia.

Even if they were to establish a nation of their own, no one would dare question their might. In fact, these houses were more powerful than most kingdoms—Cardenas, guardians of Arcadia’s land through the Seven Great Orders; Wickeline, being almost as powerful, if not even more powerful than the Magic Tower; and Jehoia, restorers of ancient relic technology.

Jack Russell connected the dots, recalling the prowess of the Seven Great Orders.

“...I see. So then the Seven Great Orders of Cardenas can handle Rifts for the same reason?”

It was well-known that the Cardenas bloodlines bore unique abilities and talents. If one of these inherent abilities included detecting the cores of Rifts, then what Leonard was saying made sense. He hadn’t come up with a way of locating cores; rather, it was an inherited ability.

“I assume so.” Leonard nodded. “I became aware of this ability only after entering the Sea Orc Den.”

“Hmm? Didn’t you learn this from the Cardenas family?”

It was a reasonable question, but the others couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Well, my very arrival in Atlantis was an accident. Fran, could you explain that part?”

“Of course. The story of how I brought Leonard aboard this ship...”

Frances proceeded to recount the entire series of events, from rescuing Leonard when he was lost at sea to encountering the Order of the Shadow of the Kurdish Kingdom infiltrating the Galapagos Island.

The lengthy and intricate tale managed to impress Russell.

“Now that’s what I call a dramatic journey! Huh, feels like I’m sitting face-to-face with the protagonist of an unbelievable heroic saga. Indeed, Cardenas maintains its reputation as the greatest family of swordsmen on the continent.”

Jack Russell started cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief from his pocket and mumbled to himself, “To us mages, the Wickeline family is more famous, but there’s a reason the Cardenas family is held in such high regard.”

“Do you know much about Wickeline?” Leonard asked.

“A mage affiliated with the Magic Tower would definitely know. Wickeline is our one and only rival, and the reason Arcadia doesn’t have a Magic Tower is because of the great House of Wickeline.”

As if to confirm Leonard’s explanation, Jack elaborated further, “The Magic Tower and Wickeline cannot coexist. Their philosophies regarding the magic society are fundamentally opposed.”

Though they gathered in one place to have some semblance of unity, the mages belonging to the Magic Tower were, at their core, individualists. Knowledge, except for publicly circulated magic formulas, was considered personal property. Others had to steal or purchase this knowledge, often exchanging it for their own magical insights.

However, the Wickeline family followed the opposite path.

“The organization founded by the Wickeline family, the Arcane Society, shares all knowledge within its ranks. Joint research is the norm, and they teach and learn from each other without demanding or paying any price. Despite having a much shorter history than us, they’ve advanced several steps ahead.”

“Isn’t it possible to do that in the Magic Tower too?”

“It might be easy to establish a republic with nothing but commoners. But if you add powerful and wealthy nobles and then you propose creating a republic, what do you think is going to happen?” Jack explained.

“...To protect their own interests, they would vehemently oppose it or even bury the person who brought it up.” Leonard quickly understood Russell’s point.

“A small, privileged class hoards most resources, while the rest make do with scraps and serve them. Those who cried out for change within the Magic Tower’s system either fell short in their careers or, once they gained power, became content with their new status and remained silent.”

Jack Russell’s lips curled into a wry, self-mocking smile. Although Atlantis was considered a remote region, as a Chief Elder, he undeniably belonged to the privileged class. His workshop overflowed with resources without him lifting a finger. He admired the open attitude of the Arcane Society and yet wasn’t ready to give up his privileges—a contradiction he was all too aware of.

“...There hasn’t been a family like Wickeline, who, despite having everything, chose to relinquish it all to become a unifying force. They probably had the confidence that they could remain at the forefront even under equal conditions.”

Nevertheless, it was still a remarkable decision.

After briefly lowering his gaze, Russell soon returned to his usual demeanor.

“Anyway, we’ve wandered off-topic. Let’s return to discussing the exploration schedule of the Rift.”

“Alright!”

Frances agreed and shared her thoughts, “Since we’ve managed to explore and deal with the Sea Orc Den in one day, our expedition team has some leeway in our schedule. We originally expected it to take three to four days. Who would’ve thought we’d seal it in just one day?”

“So we have two to three days free. Can’t we move to the Abyss of the Demon Octopus?”

“I’d rather we avoided that,” Frances said, rejecting Leonard’s idea. “We’ve gone to great lengths to keep Aquamarine hidden from other expedition teams by manipulating Bermuda. Moving days ahead of schedule would inevitably reveal our route.”

“Hmm.”

Her argument made sense. Since there weren’t many expedition teams active in Aiolos, the Fifth Sea District, it would be very easy to recognize other teams.

“In that case, it’s best to stick to the original schedule. Let’s wait here for two or three days and then move to the Abyss of the Demon Octopus.”

“I’m concerned about the long gap.”

“We need time to refine the experience gained from the first exploration, so I think it’s fine.”

Russell added a few more words as he offered this advice, “Leonard, we should discuss how to utilize your power later. The things I’ve learned today are enough to make my head explode.”

“Honestly, same. I’ll need to think about it for the next few days,” Frances said.

Nodding in agreement, Leonard stood up.

“Understood. I’ll find something to do on my own.”

“I’ll have to deal with my student’s complaints,” Jack said dejectedly.

Frances turned to Marianne. “You’ve seemed to be itching to get moving since a while ago. If you want to go to the training room, go ahead.”

“Huh? But I’m supposed to guard you...”

“I’ll be staying in my cabin, so it’s fine. Besides, the exploration team has returned, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

With that, the discussion in the meeting room came to an end. The four went their separate ways, and Leonard, upon entering his cabin, headed straight for his personal training room.

Although he had wanted to rush to the training room upon returning to the Aquamarine, he had to complete his duties as a member of the expedition team first. Sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, Leonard started to reflect.

I had to reveal my abilities to Russell as well, not just to Frances and Marianne.

It was at the moment he split the core of the Sea Orc Den into two—as the space shattered, revealing cracks in the dimensional wall and glimpses of the other dimension beyond, the Five Elements True Dragon Ring roared in triumph.

...As expected.

Leonard checked his heart. The size of the five-colored beads had slightly increased, and the density of the energy swirling within them had grown. By sealing the Rift, the Five Elements True Dragon Ring had evolved.

It wasn’t from the battle with the Sea Orc Champion, as he hadn’t gained any new insights from that.

It seemed that those of the Cardenas bloodline, antagonistic to Rifts by nature, gained experience and grew stronger by destroying Rift cores. That was likely why the Seven Great Orders had maintained their absurd combat prowess throughout generations.

Just then...

Thoom!

A thunderous sound resonated from within Leonard, and the amount of energy circulating from his lower to middle dantian surged significantly. Not only had the Five Elements True Dragon Ring evolved, but his own cultivation level had advanced as well.

Leonard had just reached the Seventh Degree External Force Tier, leaving him only four steps away from reaching the Transcendence Tier.