Guest

Shaya was naturally unaware of what had happened in the underworld or the death god's wild imagination.

On a country road leading from the Britannia Imperial Capital to the port, carriages were lined up, heading into the distance. Judging by the heavily laden cargo on the carriages, it was clearly a merchant caravan.

On one of the carriages, Heilang, dressed in the assassin's attire Shaya had given him, sat quietly gnawing on a piece of black bread, gazing at the distant sunset.

The sun dipped below the horizon, its brilliant golden radiance dyeing the entire sky yellow, carrying a sense of inexplicable desolation.

"What do you plan to do next?"

The voice from beside him startled Heilang, but upon seeing who it was, he relaxed slightly.

"Sir."

Shaya sat quietly opposite him. Heilang had no idea how he had appeared, but he wasn't particularly surprised.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Marquis Os said that organization is by the Rhine River, so I plan to take a boat there to investigate."

"They are an organization," Shaya stated. "And you are just one person."

"I know," Heilang replied. "So, I plan to establish an organization myself and train a group of people using the knowledge you've taught me. I don't just want to find my sister. When my Hidden Blade pierced Os's chest, many thoughts flashed through my mind."

Heilang looked up at Shaya and said earnestly, "These nobles control wealth, power, and land beyond the imagination of ordinary people. They already have everything, but because of that, the demon named desire swells infinitely in their hearts. What I encountered is not an isolated incident. In the years I studied in the Imperial Capital, I saw too many such cases."

He paused, then added with self-mockery, "But I never thought that one day, something like this would happen to me. And to be so powerless. The nobles of Britannia have become leeches parasitic on the veins of this country, greedily draining the blood of the nation and its people. I wonder, when I encountered this, I met you, but who can others rely on when they encounter such things? And who can give them fairness and dignity? The law?"

Heilang sneered dismissively. "The so-called law is merely a tool in the hands of these noble lords."

"So, you want to become that person?" Shaya asked with interest.

"Not me, but 'us'," Heilang said seriously. "I know we may not be able to save everyone, nor do the best possible, but at least, in this dark night, we can light a lamp to reignite the courage for lost souls to move forward. Let the good no longer weep, and let the wicked receive their due punishment, until the dawn arrives."

Shaya lowered his eyes and slowly recited a creed.

"From darkness we rise, to serve the light. All is ephemeral, all is permitted."

Heilang was stunned, then after a moment, he exclaimed excitedly, "That's exactly my idea! That's the core philosophy of the organization I want to establish!"

He looked at Shaya, saying emotionally, "Sir, your wisdom is as vast and boundless as the ocean."

Shaya showed no emotional fluctuation from Heilang's flattery and continued, "Have you thought of a name for this organization?"

Heilang nodded. "Everyone who joins this organization will surely be like-minded individuals. We will be brothers, friends. So, I want to name it 'Brotherhood' in honor of 'brothers'."

A fleeting glint flashed in Shaya's eyes, and he murmured softly, "A good name."

Looking at Shaya with lowered eyes, Heilang couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is that thing related to that organization?"

What Heilang was referring to was naturally what had happened in the cellar. If the other party truly possessed some mysterious power, then with just the knowledge he possessed, even if the organization he mentioned was successfully established, it would be of no avail.

Shaya nodded. "It's related, in a way."

Heilang's expression changed. "Then..."

He leaned forward, as if wanting to say something, but his gaze met Shaya's. In that instant, all his words turned to nothingness. It was an indescribable feeling. Although those eyes met his, they were not looking at him. They were looking...

His Destiny

As Heilang was lost in thought, Shaya's voice continued.

"You shouldn't encounter things like this again in the future.

The enemies you face will still be flesh and blood.

The Hidden Blade in your hand is enough to defend the creed in your heart."

Heilang didn't ask the being before him for the basis of his words.

He knew that the person before him had no reason to lie.

"I'm glad to see you haven't lost yourself in the abyss of hatred, but have found a new direction."

Shaya slowly stood up and smiled.

"Then, I wish you good luck. We will meet again…"

With that, he slowly disappeared into the carriage, leaving a silent Heilang behind.

Under an apple tree on a hillside not far from the convoy, Shaya's figure slowly appeared. He quietly watched the caravan depart, sighing.

"Destiny, what a terrifying thing."

"Are you sure he can handle that organization?" Cassifa asked.

"Destiny will make them evenly matched," Shaya murmured softly.

He silently raised his hand, and golden light points swirled around his palm, as agile as sprites of light. This was the fruit of the seeds he had planted.

The power of Destiny residing within Heilang would gradually grow as his fate unfolded. He had reclaimed a portion of it, but Heilang's destiny was not yet complete, so he would have subsequent income.

This was the "reward" he had harvested.

Shaya quietly looked at the points of light in his hand, wondering with a bit of curiosity.

Following destiny brings growth, but what if one defied destiny?

However, he didn't dwell on this question for too long; he would have plenty of time to experiment in the future anyway.

As he reclaimed the power of Destiny, he discovered an interesting phenomenon.

His mind was filled with many new memories – all the skills Heilang possessed, the various stealth and assassination techniques embodied by his power of Destiny.

As the power of Destiny was reclaimed, these materialized aspects returned with it.

Of course, it was more like recovering a dungeon instance; Heilang's skills and abilities were not lost.

This was quite convenient, Shaya thought.

The power of Destiny did not provide a significant direct boost to his strength.

If he wanted to gain greater power, he would have to convert the power of Destiny, but this would entangle him with karma. Just as he now possessed magic, he also bore the destiny named "Hal."

The advantage of this mode was that while he gained the power materialized by the power of Destiny, he didn't have to worry about bearing the "destiny" himself, because someone else was already bearing it.

Although most of the skills acquired from Heilang were useless to Shaya, one of them was quite interesting.

At his will, a special sense was activated.

In that instant, the entire world perceived by him changed completely. The green grass under his feet and the apple tree beside him, no longer lush, turned a dull gray.

But some things became exceptionally conspicuous, such as the wheel tracks on the road, or Heilang on the distant carriage. He felt as if he had gained a second pair of eyes, and the entire world unfolded before him from another, clearer perspective.

Undoubtedly, this was Eagle Eye from Assassin's Creed, a very practical special ability, and one of the few supernatural abilities in Assassin's Creed.

It was also called Odin's Sight by the Viking Assassins, and the ancient Greeks called it Athena's Sight. It was a sixth sense possessed by humans of specific bloodlines, capable of reading the emotions and intentions of everything around them.

It could even see many traces invisible to the naked eye, while also disregarding obstacles, distinguishing friend from foe, and locking onto targets.

The capabilities of Eagle Eye vision seemed to vary slightly among individuals.

Shaya's assessment of it was: very practical, even more useful than ordinary reconnaissance magic.

However, Shaya was more curious as to why this power appeared on Heilang when he hadn't materialized it with the power of Destiny.

He pondered the background of the Eagle Eye perspective; this power was the result of humans being created by the Isu.

Although everyone possessed this potential, descendants of humans who had mated with their creators possessed more of the necessary genes to activate this sense, thus being more likely to exhibit this ability.

It wasn't difficult for the power of Destiny to grant someone the ability of Eagle Eye, nor did it necessarily require the materialization of the "Isu" background.

But if the corresponding background was missing, there was a possibility of "bugs" appearing midway through the operation of destiny in the unknowable future, thus preventing destiny from continuing.

Therefore, the more complete the "background" woven into a destiny, the better.

This was also the specific reason why Shaya did not materialize Eagle Eye.

Conversely, if a similar background already existed, the operation and materialization of the power of Destiny would be simpler.

In Assassin's Creed, the Isu were the gods of mythology, and in this world, gods also existed, so this background seemed to overlap.

Of course, their combat power might not be comparable.

And coincidentally, from Os's words, Heilang also seemed to possess some kind of special bloodline.

Burgundian

Shaya tried to recall, the name seemed familiar.

But he really couldn't remember, so Shaya didn't dwell on it.

This bloodline might not have played a role either, as humans in this world might have been created by gods.

And regardless of which condition was met, with such a ready-made background, the power of Destiny would be more than enough to grant Heilang Eagle Eye without much expenditure.

Speaking of which, Heilang had been studying abroad for years, so the probability of him having met Marquis Os was low. Being able to recognize Marquis Os at a glance might just be Eagle Eye at work.

As he cross-referenced his own conjectures with the knowledge given by the elder, Shaya silently nodded. He had gained a clearer understanding of how the power of Destiny operated.

"Shaya."

Cassifa's voice interrupted Shaya's thoughts.

Shaya frowned slightly in confusion, then heard Cassifa say.

"That guest you mentioned, it seems they've arrived."