From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Fein City.

The crowd hustled through packed streets, hurrying to their jobs, with nearly every person having tasks to attend to.

After returning to Fein City by train, Mayor Yeager had a meeting with a Priest of the Reforging Church in his capacity as the mayor.

In the mayor's office, he took the revolver from his waist and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Clack."

As the revolver lay on the table, much like a steam engine symbolizing the dawn of a new era, Yeager spoke with a certain tone and a smile:

"We need more of the new-style weapons, firearms that can fire continuously like this one. I hope the Reforging Church can offer some assistance."

The Priest of the Reforging Church looked at the revolver, silent for a long while, then, with a calm gaze, he nodded at Yeager's eyes.

He said solemnly:

"The Reforging Church also hopes to spread various technologies, and we naturally welcome such a transaction. So, the most important question is, how many of these new firearms does the Lion clan need?"

As a son-in-law of the Lion clan, most people still thought of Yeager as one of the Lions, unaware that his true identity was that of an important member of the Dawn Church.

Even fewer knew that this mayor, who claimed to be an ordinary person, possessed great strength with capabilities not inferior to those of a high-level Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent.

He smiled and extended two fingers.

The Priest of the Reforging Church immediately asked, "Do you need two hundred new firearms? Indeed, soldiers armed with them would be able to kill Extraordinary Exponents of the low-level Transmutation tier."

However, Yeager shook his head with a smile.

"No."

The Priest paused, then asked more seriously:

"Could it be two thousand? What exactly does the Lion clan intend to do? With two thousand new firearms, and a dozen of the latest cannons, you could encircle and kill Extraordinary Exponents below a high-level Transmutation."

But Yeager shook his head again and continued:

"It's not that either."

The Priest of the Reforging Church fell silent again, furrowing his brow without speaking for a long time. Surely they couldn't want twenty thousand new firearms? Although the Reforging Church could manage that, it would be rather excessive.

Yet Yeager confidently stated:

"We need two factories capable of manufacturing revolvers."

The Priest was stunned, then burst into laughter, nodding in admiration:

"Hahaha! Your ambition is truly great. Spreading technology is something the God of Reforging wishes for, and we are willing to help you establish armament factories!"

"However, if that is the case, I am quite curious to know what price you are willing to pay?"

Yeager revealed a smile; he and the Lion clan behind him were not lacking in money, and spending more was not an issue if it could secure armament factories for the Fischer family.

"Money, resources, none of that is a problem."

He took a deep breath and said, "Apart from the new firearms, we also need to be able to forge other weapons and equipment. We need two new armament factories!"

Over the years, Yeager had used his authoritative convenience to turn many industries around Fein City into those belonging to the Fischer family and the members of the Dawn Church.

Many Daybreakers had developed very successfully in Fein City, of course, all thanks to his care.

Yeager was well aware of the situation he faced, maintaining a strict stance towards the Proselytes, but took great care of the Daybreakers who supported him, and tried to please the Fischer family as much as possible.

The last point was even more crucial for his ascent to power.

He offhandedly asked with a smile:

"Actually, I have always been curious about where all those novel technologies of yours come from. They seem to fall from the sky, utterly unfathomable."

The Priest of the Reforging Church suddenly showed a profound smile, his gaze ambiguous.

That smile made Yeager slightly startle, sensing that the other seemed to know many things, and that Priest appeared superior, as if he looked down on the rest of the world, including Yeager, for the secrets he possessed.

It was the look of someone gazing at the ignorant.

The Priest of the Reforging Church smiled and looked deep into Yeager's eyes and took on a serious tone:

"Of course, all technology has been bestowed by the gods. You've never heard a divine oracle, so you couldn't possibly understand…"

He paused, then continued:

"Let me tell you a secret, Mayor Yeager, perhaps the most important secret in the world. In truth, the great God of Reforging is the only True God still existing in this world!"

What did this mean...?

Yeager frowned slightly, feeling a peculiar sensation deep within.

The situation of the Reforging Church differed from other True Gods Churches, possibly hiding some more unsettling secrets. What could they be?

——

In Chevron Town to the south of Nasir, a beautiful manor was nestled among the lush mountains and forests.

The surroundings of the mansion boasted a neatly trimmed lawn, adorned with exquisite fountains and sculptures, while a broad path meandered through the estate, leading to an enchanting garden and orchard. There, a variety of flowers blossomed and an assortment of fruits hung from the trees, filling the air with their fragrant aroma.

Within the mansion's corridor, Christine with her silver hair sat in a wheelchair, pushed along by a maid.

She still radiated an intellectual aura and looked very calm and composed.

The estate belonged entirely to her, and in fact, in recent years, not only she but also Darren and Lilian had acquired their own manors in different towns.

Both of them had taken money directly from Uncle Byrne to build their new estates, while Christine used the wealth income from her own subsidiary businesses.

After Chris had reached the 5th Rank, Christine had borrowed a sum of money from the family. Using the family's channels, she established a sizable theater in Nasir, two wineries, and a textile factory that provided her with a steady income.

A third of those profits were used to repay the family loan, another third was shared with the family, and the final third was for her personal use.

She was adept at calculation, yet by nature, she did not wish to be indebted to anyone, especially the Fischer family that had given her everything.

The maid wheeled Christine into the study, and soon another voice came from outside the door.

"Madam Christine, they're here."

Her assistant, Andre Leone, entered through the door, standing erect and looking loyally at the woman.

"Hmm, let them in," Christine said and signaled to her maid to leave temporarily.

After a moment, three individuals dressed in black coats arrived in the study one after another, tipping their hats respectfully to Madam Christine.

Christine looked indifferently at the three people, two men and one woman.

All three were Daybreakers originating from Nasir itself; two had embarked on the Path of Tranquility and one on the Path of World Order, and all three had successfully ascended to the 2nd Rank.

Moreover, the three also shared a special status granted jointly by Christine and Byrne.

"Purgers."

Over the past five years, the Fischer family's influence had spread throughout the entire East Coast. The Dawn Church had nearly a hundred Daybreakers, and the number of Extraordinary Exponents from smaller families who followed them was several times greater. As for non-extraordinary followers, their numbers reached into the thousands.

As the team grew in size, the difficulty in management rose sharply, and some "phenomena that always occur in human societies" became inevitable.

Christine nodded and confirmed:

"I've read the investigation report you submitted earlier, continue with the investigation. Just as I said, apart from Byrne and my father Chris, no one on the East Coast can obstruct you."

"Understood," the Purger on the Path of World Order responded with a nod as the other two preferred action to words, making him the de facto leader of this trio.

Even though, in terms of combat capabilities, he was the weakest.

Christine paused briefly and then said, "Be careful not to alert the vermin and beasts."

"Yes, we understand," they replied.

After the three had left the study, Andre stood by the side, while Christine spoke to herself calmly:

"Both the family's power and the church's influence are growing. Merely continuing to decide matters through family meetings might no longer be suitable for the entire collective."

She paused for a moment, then spoke earnestly from her wheelchair:

"With more and more members, it's clear that we need some definite rules..."

Just then, Christine realized she had fully mastered the Power of Consecution of the "Butler" at the 2nd Rank.

However, she felt not a hint of joy but rather a bit downcast.

"Karno and I are twins, yet he has even grasped the Power of Consecution at the 3rd Rank, and I have only just mastered... the 2nd Rank," she mused, unable to hide her deflation, as everyone's talents varied on the God Pantheon stairway.

Karno and her father were both geniuses unmatched by anyone within the Dawn Church.

But Christine soon shook off her dejection. In fact, she cared more about ensuring the smooth operation of the Fischer family and the church than her personal strength.

"Lilian and Darren are too extreme in their thinking, Karno is an utter freak, and those outside the family can't be trusted. If Uncle Byrne really passes on, I must be ready to take his place to run the family."

Because of excessive idolization, the new generation of the Fischer family and many within the Dawn Church blindly worshipped the legendary Byrne, not even contemplating the possibility of his ascension failing.

Yet Christine was somewhat cold-blooded in this respect, unhesitatingly factoring his potential failure into the possible future and starting to prepare a series of contingency plans.

She was well aware that as long as the revered Lord of the Lost was in this world, no matter what, the Fischer family and the Dawn Church would not crumble.

But she must make them even stronger!