Origin Player.

Chapter 644 The Sacred Covenant (10K, Supplement 411)
Outside the secret chamber hall.

Feeling the overwhelming power within, Fisher stood frozen in place, the sword of death hanging over his head, and instinctive fear and awe rose within him.

"Is this the top expert who killed the Rock Lion?"

As Jiang He pushed open the door and stepped out, the interior of the secret chamber shattered one after another, and the Great Heavenly Imperial Jiang King Armor compensated for his relative deficiencies.

“Lord Rhine, President Chesia has instructed in advance that the manor has prepared a grand banquet for you,” Fisher said.

Jiang He stopped in his tracks. He had originally planned to leave directly, but his plans had changed.

The next moment, before the national fortune incense had dissipated, a jet-black immortal-grade lance was created. The main material of this thing was a small black sun, which was more than enough to be given as a reward.

"Don't let me down," Jiang He said.

“Understood.” Fisher was overjoyed.

The two walked one after the other to the banquet hall. Sunlight streamed through the windows along the way, making the castle look quite bright. In the manor, free peasant farmers were directing dark peasant slaves to harvest tobacco, waving tree whips in their hands, constantly driving and lashing them.

Fisher smiled obsequiously, “Lord Rhine, there’s no need to pity these fellows. The Dark People are the lowest of animals. I’ve done the math lately, and nine times out of ten, if the fruits and vegetables in the fields are stolen, it’s the Dark People who did it.”

boom!
Fisher strode to a servants' dressing room, kicked open the door, and found several dark figures huddled together. Upon seeing the sunlight, they immediately fled in panic.

“You see, the Dark People are no different from wild beasts. Despite repeated orders, some people still break the rules. They are often driven by instinct to take over their reason. This group has a fatal flaw.”

Fisher praised the Dragon Emperor's wisdom and might, saying that the old man's words were sometimes undeniably wise.

Dark people are prohibited from intermarrying with free people and have no human rights under the law. Under the confinement system, dark people are prohibited from entering most public places, especially in the capital. Some guard knights even lose control when they see dark people and frantically empty their hidden blades, but the price is only to compensate for economic losses and then take a leave of absence.

Jiang He didn't care at all; the status of the Dark People was none of his concern.

As the two arrived at the castle's front area, the surroundings immediately became noisy. In the three-story hall, rows of gambling tables were lined up, and on the underground floor, dozens of gladiatorial combats were underway, with strong dark slaves fighting each other. The primitive and bloody scene attracted a large number of people from the capital to watch, including luxurious private boxes specially prepared for nobles.

Due to Si Ning's exemplary role, manors and farms around the capital city began to engage in gladiator combat. Since gladiators were not considered human under imperial law, no one pursued responsibility for the deaths of gladiators. The gladiator league developed extremely rapidly, with the capital city as its core, and the count cities of various central provinces adopted the league model.

Around the blood-soaked arena, the free people were filled with enthusiasm, releasing all the pent-up frustration from the long-standing conflict between the Heavenly Father Cult and the Ten Gods Cult.

"Strangle him quickly, Niko!"

"Get up, I've staked ten gold coins on you!"

"Damn you, I'll kill you!"

The gladiator, a Dark Clan member, did his best to strangle his opponent. A large group of spectators beat their chests in frustration. The small merchant who had bet ten gold coins was furious. He went to the manor guards to pay up, and the guards immediately arranged for several Dark Clan maids to come over.

Jiang He stood on the relatively quiet top floor, observing the frenzy below. He already knew that Si Ning was definitely not a respectable businessman.

One by one, the maids brought the drinks to the table.

Fisher said respectfully, "Lord Rhine, President Chesia has invited Grand Secretary Kogia of the Imperial Council today."

Jiang He accepted the secret letter handed to him by Fisher. The status of the seven members of the Imperial Council was self-evident. This Grand Scholar was the previous president of the Alchemy Guild, a near-master alchemist with extraordinary knowledge, and currently served as an advisor to the Imperial Assassination Squad.

A near-master alchemist, theoretically, only needs time to advance to master, but this is also the biggest obstacle. Si Ning handed over a large amount of profits from the Gladiator Alliance in order to obtain the political protection of the Grand Scholar, and the Construct Empire Armor was obtained for this reason.

According to the letter, whether or not Jiang He attends the banquet is up to him. Moreover, the gold coins are only one aspect; what truly impresses the Grand Secretary is the continuous stream of information about the underworld.

“Rhine Augustus, a fallen nobleman from the North, did not have the foundation to be a quasi-master alchemist. At his age, his master-level skills were already astonishing. Moreover, the Grand Scholar was under the watchful eye of more than one god.”

Jiang He burned the letter, and Si Ning was still unaware that he had officially advanced to the Alchemy Grandmaster level. Of course, due to his recent achievement, his current alchemy skills and knowledge were still quite far behind those of Ramanf or other veteran grandmasters.

Not far away, a butler approached Fisher.

The butler spoke in a low voice, and Fisher frowned for a moment upon hearing this before cautiously approaching Jiang He's side.

"Lord Rhine, someone wants to buy the most valuable gladiator in the manor, offering 6000 gold coins."

Fisher was extremely tempted. A top-tier warhorse carrying heavily armored knights in a charge cost only 40-60 gold coins. This money had to be handed over to Rock Fortress, but the share was still considerable.

"You talk first," Jiang He said casually. The Underworld puppets needed soul silver coins to advance, and he certainly wouldn't let his own forces make money in the meantime.

Fisher immediately showered him with flattery, then instructed the butler to invite the buyer over, while simultaneously ordering a team of female servants from the Dark Clan to be transferred from the venue. If the deal went through, he wouldn't mind giving them some extras.

Jiang He casually found a seat and sat down. The banquet was right in front of him, with servants constantly replenishing the drinks. Hundreds of unique wines, such as the orcs' Blood Howl Honey Wine, the elves' Moonlight Wine, and the centaurs' Desert Rotten Wine, were displayed on the table.

Jiang He picked up a glass of dwarven lava liquor, and the dark tribe maid behind her stepped forward and introduced it to him:

"My lord, this wine comes from the volcanic fortress and is brewed from black rock wheat and salamander blood. The liquid is red like lava, burns the throat when it enters the mouth, and after drinking it, a thin stream of sulfurous white smoke comes out of the mouth and nose. Dwarves often drink it from iron chisel cups. It can melt ice and is also used as fuel for forging."

Jiang He remained silent, muttering something under her breath.

A moment later, an old man dressed as an adventurer led Dark Star into the top floor of the venue. Fisher, seeing this, turned ashen-faced and immediately roared:
"I am a free citizen of the Empire, and I will never sit at the same table with a black beast. This deal is off, get out!"

Dark Star lowered his head and clenched his fists. The Dark Clan maids looked at this free fellow human with shock and envy. Schultz was slightly displeased, but remained calm. He knew that his ideal of racial equality was not popular in the Empire.

"8000 gold coins, that's my highest bid."

"It's not about the gold coins." Fisher was furious, and he said, enunciating each word clearly, "You have actually made me lose face in front of the adults. Get out of here immediately, this is my last act of mercy!"

Normally, he would have been tempted, and he could ignore his instinctive dissatisfaction with the gold coins. But the Marquis of Rhine was there, and if he colluded with the Dark People, his own development might come to an end, which was an unbearable price to pay.

Schultz was puzzled by the extremely resolute attitude.

But Dark Star's wife was in this sinful manor. He suppressed his anger and smiled, "Please calm down, sir. To make up for my rudeness, I am willing to give you 6000 gold coins to fulfill our friendship. I only hope that I can give you a little face and choose a few Dark Clan maids. I can't go back empty-handed."

Whoosh!
Fisher took the Black Sun Lance from the butler and smashed the neck of a Dark Citizen maid. Amid screams, he picked up the head and displayed it to the crowd.

"Look at her brow. There's a circular indentation there, a curse from the sun on the bloodline of traitors. Dark people are born inferior; that's an indisputable fact!"

puff!

Dark Star charged forward, delivering a haphazard headbutt to Fisher's abdomen. The Dark People had no inherited training techniques, but the Knight of Great Achievement still unleashed tremendous power. A gale howled, the table shattered, and glasses of wine spilled. Fisher was thrown backward and embedded in the magic steel wall, his chest severely caved in.

Dark Star turned around, her eyes filled with annoyance, and said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't hold back anymore."

“It’s alright, I was planning to cause a big scene anyway.” Schultz removed his cloak, revealing the crossed swords pattern of the Holy War Army, and said calmly, “Destroy the den of evil called Fisher Manor. It will be a great achievement. Your comrades will rescue your wife, and every imperial noble in the manor who believes in the Father of God will be spared.”

"So your real job is rebellion!" Dark Star laughed. He had a very good impression of the Holy War Army because the Dark People were often rescued by these people, and even occasionally became warriors.

A thunderous impact, like a signal.

Fires raged around Fisher Manor. Today, Schultz, the main force, arrived. After ten hours of preparation during the day, the jihadists who had been lying in wait in the manor made their move.

puff!

Inside the secret room, the small businessman, who had bet everything, felt a chill run down his spine as a maidservant plunged a kitchen knife into the back of his neck, causing blood to gush out. Another maidservant, still screaming in pain, stared in disbelief.

Wow!
In the farm fields, the silent slaves who had been whipped suddenly rebelled, grabbing the tree whip and pulling the farmer down, then pouncing on him and biting him, venting their hatred.

Whoosh whoosh!
Beside rows of gambling tables, the elite of the Holy War Army swiftly hunted down nobles of the Heavenly Father Church. From the moment the Emperor made his statement and the Third Prince was to marry into the Medici family, the Ten Gods Church's counterattack against the Heavenly Father Church was already imminent. Fisher Manor was extremely large, and because it was newly built, it did not have deep ties with the major powers in the capital, making it undoubtedly the best choice at this stage.

Massive chaos erupted between the Dark People and the Holy War Army. Several Great Achievement Church Knights routed the manor guards. Cheers, roars, wails, and shouts of killing filled the sky. Dozens of minor and middle-class nobles who believed in the Father of God were executed.

"By the Ten Gods above, may my glory shine upon my blade!"

One by one, the holy warriors shouted.

Just half a month ago, Duke Vigrid integrated the ten churches of the Lunar God. The new Ten Gods Church adopted a pantheon model, and its cohesion and overall strength underwent a near-qualification change, making it qualified to rival the Church of the Heavenly Father. Flames burned, and blood splattered.

The castle complex began to collapse. On the top floor wall of the venue, Fisher was in pain. He rushed out of the dented bricks, but Schultz caught the Black Sun Spear steadily. The gap between the Great Cause and the Holy Land was astonishing.

"You arrogant bastard, do you really look down on my gold coins?" Schultz sneered.

Dark Star grabbed Fisher by the collar and shouted, "Tell me where my wife is!"

With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Fisher laughed mockingly, "Who's your wife?"

“She is…” Dark Star stood frozen in place.

"Do you have a name? What about a surname? At the very least, you should provide some characteristics. Do you have the ability to describe them?"

Fisher said with feigned regret, "It's like wild animals in the mountains. At most, I know they are the hidden people. Who can tell who is who? You're making things too difficult for me."

"In the recorded history of the church, there have been more than one gods who wanted to bestow culture upon you in order to deal with the Church of the Sun, but you have neglected the fertile land and ruined the peaceful rivers, and in the end you can only hide underground."

"The present state of the Dark People is the future you have chosen with your own hands."

call!
Just as Dark Star was in a daze, Fisher suddenly charged up and raised his gun, but Schultz simply gripped it tightly and easily thwarted the enemy's attack. The difference in strength was despairing.

"You think you can resist with just a broken gun?"

Schultz punched Dark Star to wake him up, and said coldly, "I'm only giving you one last chance."

In the tense situation, all three people present were taken aback at the same time.

It was as if someone had returned from nothingness, and the lost sense of existence had become vivid again. Schultz suddenly turned his head and found a young nobleman sitting next to the long table. He had completely forgotten about the other person's existence, which was simply unbelievable.

Jiang He finished tasting the dwarven liquor in his hand, looked at the shards of the glass scattered on the ground, and remained expressionless.

call!
Suddenly, the Great Heavenly Imperial River King Armor, as black as an abyss, appeared all over his body. The power of the Heavenly Hunter and the power of speed erupted together, and in the blink of an eye, he snatched the Black Sun Cavalry Lance.

"impossible……"

Schultz stood rooted to the spot, his face filled with terror. Only he knew what that speed had meant.

"Lord Rhine!" Fisher shouted excitedly.

Jiang He thrust back, the gun flashing and blasting Fisher's head apart; the aftershock shattered the castle walls.

"Giving you the gun is a waste."

Dark Star was dumbfounded and at a loss for what to do.

Since achieving the Saintly Realm, Schultz has felt unprecedented hardship. He gritted his teeth and said, "Marquis Rhine, can't you see the suffering beings? They just have different colored appearances. They are intelligent, thinking individuals just like us. Or are you just a stubborn old nobleman?"

"It's too noisy, everyone go to hell."

Jiang He raised the Black Sun Rider's Lance high.

The overwhelming force, so violent it seemed to topple the heavens, froze everyone in the manor in place. A beam of gunfire shot straight into the sky, then exploded with a deafening roar, sending countless golden and silver arcs crashing to the earth like a meteor shower.

—Divine Spear Technique: The Collapse of a Nation.

The gunfire was like a torrential downpour, its arc tearing through the sky, its sharpness piercing straight into the earth, splashing crimson. The strongest Knights of the Holy War Army were the first to be hit, their weapons shattered, their armor pierced, their bodies torn apart by the cold penetration, blood mist howling and rising, only to be quickly blasted away by the subsequent gunfire.

The castle complex collapsed amidst a continuous metallic shriek. The towering stone and magic steel structures were riddled with countless gunshot wounds before finally crumbling, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sky. The dense barrage of gunfire tore through the vacuum, leaving marks that lingered for a long time, resembling a dead iron forest.

The bodies of thousands of Jihadist soldiers were never found, the Dark People were wiped out, Fisher Manor was razed to the ground, and only ruins remained on the earth.

Destruction ends, silence descends.

In the only remaining dilapidated venue, Schultz's face was deathly pale. He seemed to see the nightmare of his youth. Instinct told him that the person in front of him could rival, or even surpass, the strongest Saint-level King's Sword.

Jiang He reached out and grabbed An Xing's face without anyone noticing.

"The taste of fate."

boom!
Dark Star's head was crushed alive.

The next moment, a glint of gunfire flashed before Schultz's eyes. He had never seen such a fierce thrust, so fast that it seemed to pierce through time. In the enemy's cold eyes, a gaze from chaos paralyzed his entire body.

boom!
Countless flesh and blood rushed to "escape," and the faint sound of souls being annihilated was barely perceptible.

At this moment, the area within a radius of several miles should have been deserted.

But the sound of boots hitting the stairs kept ringing out.

"Looks like I've arrived just in time. This is the first time I've attended such a clean and tidy banquet."

The newcomer had a full head of white hair and was in high spirits. The Grand Scholar of the Holy Empire looked like an elderly man with an unpredictable level of life, but for an alchemist, knowledge was actually the most important thing.

The Grand Secretary invited Jiang He to sit down and said with a smile, "Marquis of Rhine, I have long admired your name."

The new table and cutlery were ready. He clasped his hands together and said earnestly, "What are your thoughts on today's attack on Fisher Manor?"

"The Ten Gods Sect's inhumane and bloody suppression of the Heavenly Father Sect was fortunately thwarted by my intervention. Some collateral damage was inevitable during the process."

Jiang He picked through the broken pieces of food and calmly said, "Who told me to be a believer in the Godfather Church?"

The Grand Secretary's smile widened, and he said, "You have already demonstrated your martial prowess to me; it was indeed a truly astonishing shot. The Imperial Assassination Squad welcomes you to join us at any time."

"I want to participate in the sacred martial arts competition," Jiang He said.

The Grand Secretary was taken aback. "Why?"

Jiang He replied perfunctorily, "Mm."

The main quest rewards him with a sub-legendary skill and an item, so he couldn't possibly give it up.

Grand Scholar: "..."

Hmm, can that be considered an answer?

The Grand Scholar said with a headache, "You're after the sacred treaty of the champion of the martial arts competition, aren't you?"

The Sacred Tournament is held annually, and the winner can challenge the reigning King's Sword. If the winner is victorious, the Dragon Family will fulfill the Sacred Covenant, an ironclad rule left by the Dragon Emperor.

He may marry any unmarried woman and may not refuse her.

Once granted a marquisate, one cannot refuse.

The Alchemists' Guild is crafting near-legendary equipment, the Dragon Knights are gifting pure-blooded dragon eggs, and the Emperor himself is hosting a celebratory banquet. A series of lavish rewards will be guaranteed by the Dragon of Calamity, all because of the ironclad law left by the Dragon Emperor: Let the conquered be at the mercy of the conquered.

If the King's Sword, representing the royal family, falls, then the royal family will pay the price; the Dragon Emperor is equally demanding of bloodlines.

The Grand Scholar sighed for a moment, then briefly introduced the current situation of the Holy Treaty, saying, "Although the strongest Holy Domain unexpectedly fell, the person who replaced him is just as extraordinary. The fierce hound raised by the Queen, the wielder of the Steel Authority. Many people say that the strongest Holy Domain is the strongest because it has never fought against the Demon Wolf."

Jiang He put down her wine glass and said calmly, "I'll stay at your place."

The Grand Scholar was speechless again. This guy was too pragmatic. As for living in his mansion, it didn't matter. The resources provided by the Lemon Merchant Guild were astonishing. And the owner behind this emerging merchant guild was none other than the Marquis of Rhine in front of him.

(End of this chapter)