However, a thought suddenly struck him: his Family had endured for tens of thousands of years, so there must have been high Sequence individuals among them. He then asked, “What’s the highest Sequence our Family has reached?”
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Duke Lunka, who had been feeling a little proud because only his Family and the Church possessed complete promotion pathways, stiffened.
After a long while, he finally said, rather dejectedly, “Sequence 5, the Fire-Bearer!”
Eros found it hard to believe. A Family that had been passed down for tens of thousands of years, a Family whose ancestors included a Deity, only had a Sequence 5 as its highest? This was not good! They were doomed!
Duke Lunka looked a bit awkward, but still explained, “This is because the Bloodline is too ancient. Plus, over tens of thousands of years, those high Sequence ancestors often died in battle while covering the escape of lower Sequence clansmen, before they could even have children with purified Bloodline, leading to a vicious cycle.”
“But now that things have settled down, the Family encourages having more children. If a talented one appears, it could change the current awkward situation.”
Was this a quantitative change leading to a qualitative change? However, Eros still glanced at his father. It was better if the Family encouraged it, rather than his father simply enjoying it himself.
Duke Lunka didn’t notice his son’s distrustful gaze and continued, “Another method is to learn from those royal families: no longer intermarry with outsiders. This way, even if no talented children appear, at least the Bloodline won’t be further diluted.”
Eros looked at his father with some surprise. Duke Lunka looked a bit helpless: “This is also a last resort. After all, relying on just a few Sequence 5 individuals to support the Family is indeed too dangerous for us.”
Eros nodded, understanding. After all, they were facing pressure from some of the strongest forces in the entire Human Realm.
His Family only had a few Sequence 5s. If this were exposed, none of them would likely escape this time.
Along the way, Duke Lunka spoke a lot, and Eros listened a lot, gradually perfecting his understanding of the mysterious side of things.
Finally, they stopped in front of an ancient, austere, and solemn church.
Duke Lunka, walking ahead, pushed open the heavy, slightly ajar door in front of them, and a soft glow diffused from within the hall outwards.
Many people stood in the hall at this time, most of them elderly individuals with graying hair and beards. Some Eros recognized, others he did not.
Estelle was also among the crowd. Seeing him arrive, she smiled encouragingly at him, her gaze as clear and gentle as water.
After looking at the people, Eros noticed the statue at the very top of the hall, which exuded mystery, majesty, and solemnity.
He had a realization in his heart: that should be the statue of their ancestor.
Duke Lunka, who had just finished conversing with the elderly individuals nearby, beckoned Eros over.
He then led him to the statue, first performing a solemn prayer, and then had Eros sit cross-legged in the center of the floor, which was inscribed with mysterious symbols and patterns.
He nodded to the elderly individuals who were already prepared nearby, and said in a solemn and serious tone, “Bloodline Baptism, begin now!”
As his words fell, those elderly individuals began to place pieces of pre-prepared milky-white spiritual essence.
They were regularly arranged along the constantly winding mysterious patterns on the floor.
As they were placed one by one, the mysterious symbols inscribed on the floor also began to light up, one after another.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Duke Lunka began to explain the precautions for what was to come.
There weren’t many precautions; the general idea was that because this was the ancestor’s world, there would be no danger during this baptism.
He only needed to follow the path that would appear before his eyes later, walking as far as possible, the farther the better.
After understanding, Eros nodded, indicating that he understood.
He then sat quietly in place, calmly waiting for what would happen next.
Time passed minute by minute. At first, Eros felt nothing.
But gradually, he felt a warm current clinging to his skin, permeating his body from his limbs and bones.
This warm, comfortable feeling made him feel drowsy, his eyelids drooping and then slowly closing.
Suddenly, Eros woke up with a start. He remembered he was still undergoing the baptism and couldn’t fall asleep.
He forced himself to stay awake, only to abruptly find himself in an unfamiliar place.
Looking up, everything around him was foggy, and he couldn’t see where he was.
And the elders who had been standing not far away, waiting for the results, had now disappeared, leaving only him standing there alone.
“Has the baptism process already begun? But where’s the path? Didn’t Dad say a path would appear before my eyes?”
He looked at the foggy space before him with some bewilderment and confusion.
Outside!
The elders of the Family nearby looked at Eros, who had closed his eyes and entered the Bloodline tracing, and gradually began to converse in low voices.
They thought highly of this child who had shown exceptional intelligence since he was young.
They believed his spiritual talent should be the best in recent years, they just didn’t know which ancestor’s imprint he would see in his Bloodline.
A white-haired old man with a monocle and meticulously combed white hair slowly spoke: “In my opinion, little Eros should at least be able to see the Bloodline imprint left by an ancestor from five thousand years ago.”
Everyone who heard this was somewhat surprised, as five thousand years ago, there were still Wanderers in the Family.
That was a Sequence 2 existence, a mythical life that had transcended the Mortal Realm and entered the mythical Domain.
Did his words mean he thought little Eros had the talent to become a mythical life?
Although they also thought highly of little Eros, could the now heavily corrupted Bloodline truly give birth to a mythical Bloodline?
They asked themselves, this was almost an impossible feat.
Even in their most ideal scenario, it would require the efforts of several generations, continuously purifying the Bloodline until it was strong enough to support the birth of a mythical Bloodline.
But this would require a significant amount of time, and each generation would need to produce children with sufficient talent.
However, what this person said made them pay attention, after all, the white-haired old man was one of the most senior among everyone present.
Not to mention, he was also one of the only three remaining Sequence 5s in the Family. They believed this elder wouldn’t speak without reason, so?
For a moment, they were all a little excited. How many years had it been since a mythical life appeared in the Family? Although having a mythical Bloodline didn't necessarily mean one would become a mythical life.
However, they weren’t too concerned about this point. What was impossible for others.
For a Family like theirs with tens of thousands of years of Legacy, it might not be impossible.
Although tens of thousands of years of hiding had consumed most of their Legacy, even with what remained, as long as people didn’t die and talent was sufficient, they could still push forward.
Although a single mythical life wouldn't completely improve the Family's current situation, it would at least give them some peace of mind.
After all, if they were exposed now, it was estimated that not a single member of the entire Family would escape.
But with the existence of a mythical life, at least one or two could escape, ensuring the Family Bloodline wouldn't be completely severed.
Duke Lunka on the side was now so happy he couldn’t close his mouth. He was also proud that his child was so talented.
While Estelle wasn’t as overtly joyful as her husband, a faint smile hung on her face, clearly indicating her happiness as well.
As more time passed, the milky-white spiritual essence, regularly placed on the mysterious symbols, was replaced batch after batch.
However, those present showed no impatience, but rather grew increasingly excited and thrilled.