Elder?

"Ha ha ha, Roy, you're here."

"Lord Laurent, Lord Fred, Lord Quiller, you're back?"

Only after entering the City Lord's hall did Roy discover that Sanhe City's Deputy City Lords, Fred and Quiller, were both there.

Besides the three of them, there was also a beautiful woman chatting and laughing with them.

"And this is?"

"Heh heh, let me introduce her. Roy, this is an Elder of our family, Shelley Nemo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Shelley."

"I've heard your name before, Roy."

"The name Star Demon has been famous for quite some time now. A Floating Shadow of Star Demon's battles is currently selling for as much as a hundred thousand Ink Stones per copy."

Just because Laurent had given Roy a hundred million Ink Stones did not mean Ink Stones were worthless.

The entrance fee for a city was one Ink Stone, and that single Ink Stone paid for one day's stay within the city.

Those who did not reside in the city would be expelled once the day ended. If they wished to continue staying, they had to pay another Ink Stone.

A Low-level God's God Spark was worth roughly a hundred Ink Stones.

A Mid-level God's God Spark was far more expensive, with the cheapest costing over seven thousand Ink Stones.

A High-level God's God Spark was more than a hundred times more expensive than a Mid-level God's God Spark. Every High-level God Spark was worth over a million Ink Stones.

In other words, ten copies of Roy's battle Floating Shadows could be exchanged for one High-level God Spark.

That alone showed how famous Roy had become.

After exchanging some compliments, Laurent waved away the people in the hall and set up a soundproof barrier around them.

"Roy, we called you here today because we want to discuss something with you."

"Actually, the four of us come from the same family. We would like to invite you to join our family and become an Elder."

Roy understood.

Long ago, he had known that Laurent's background was far from ordinary.

Yet, only from what they said now did Roy learn that Fred and Quiller, like Laurent, had come from the same family.

"City Lord Laurent, aren't you thinking too highly of me?"

"Ha ha, Roy, don't belittle yourself."

"You are a Mid-level God now, yet you already possess the strength of a Five-star Devil. Once you become a High-level God, you will at least have the strength of a Six-star Devil."

"A Six-star Devil is more than qualified to serve as an Elder in our family."

"We are merely inviting you a few tens of thousands of years early. And Roy, you are worth it."

"Do you know that some time ago, Fred and Quiller returned to our family to report your circumstances to our Patriarch? It was only because the Patriarch personally approved that we invited you to join."

"Otherwise, people like us would not be qualified to grant you an Elder's position."

"I'm honored by the City Lord's regard. If I still refused, I would be truly unable to appreciate kindness."

"However, City Lord, may I ask what our family is called?"

Hearing Roy agree to join, Laurent and the others all wore satisfied smiles.

"That is only proper."

"Actually, our current surnames are all false."

"My true name is Laurent Earth."

"My name is Fred Reding."

"Quiller Bowen."

"My name is Shelley Nemo."

"What?"

Hearing Laurent and the other three introduce themselves, Roy's heart shook violently, though he maintained a puzzled expression.

Roy had no particular impression of the other three names, but the surname "Reding" remained fresh in his memory.

The protagonist of this world was named Linley Baruch, a descendant of the ultimate Warriors created by Beirut using the Four Divine Beast Lord Gods' vital blood.

Tracing his bloodline back, the protagonist Linley belonged to the Azure Dragon Clan of the Four Divine Beast Family, and the Azure Dragon Clan in Hell bore the surname "Reding."

"Because our family was jointly established by four ancestors, our family is called the Four Divine Beast Family!"

"The Four Divine Beast Family..."

"So, all of you are Divine Beasts?"

Laurent and the others exchanged smiles. Then, the four of them instantly completed their transformations.

"Roar..."

In the next moment, Laurent transformed into a tiger-man, Fred into a dragon-man, Quiller's body grew larger as the skin on his chest and back turned into thick turtle shells, while a pair of fiery red wings emerged behind Shelley.

After transforming, all four of them grew stronger once more.

"Sorry, Roy. We did not intend to conceal this from you, but this concerns our family's future development and plans. Before you joined our family, we could not possibly tell you any of this."

"Just as now, only when the few of us are together are we the Four Divine Beast Family. Once we leave this reception hall, I am merely a City Lord of Sanhe City."

"I understand, City Lord Laurent."

Roy nodded to show his understanding.

However, Roy also gained a few more suspicions.

This time, when he had gone to Crimson Flame Prefecture to recruit members for Sanhe City, he had not heard even the slightest news about the Four Divine Beast Family. He had assumed that the ancestors of the Four Divine Beast Family perhaps had not yet intended to develop it into the First Great Family.

But now, it seemed they had begun laying their plans long ago.

The development and plans of the Four Divine Beast Family that Laurent and the others spoke of probably involved sending many people like themselves to quietly develop across the Seven God Planes and the Four Supreme Planes. Then, after hundreds of millions or even billions of years, they would replace the old order in one stroke and become the "First Great Family."

Going a step further, if the Four Divine Beast Family's development encountered a Sovereign's interference, the Four Divine Beasts might well strike at that interfering Sovereign, allowing the Four Divine Beast Family to gain one more Sovereign.

That battle would surely take place in the years ahead.

Otherwise, there would not be such a saying as "the Four Divine Beasts are equal to a Sovereign."

However, seeing that the Four Divine Beast Family did not gain another Sovereign later on, Roy knew that the Four Divine Beasts' scheme had likely fallen through.

Perhaps that battle had been between Augusta, the Light Sovereign, and the Four Divine Beasts. The Four Divine Beasts had not won, but Augusta had not lost either.

After all, before the Four Divine Beast Family, the Augusta Family of the Light Sovereign had been the First Family.

Of course, Roy was thinking too far ahead now.

Returning to the matter at hand, with four Ancestral Lord Gods, every clan member sent out to develop surely possessed no fewer than ten drops of Sovereign's Might. Moreover, they had not chosen Middle Cities or Great Cities, but sparsely populated Tribes. Even with only the strength of a Three-star Devil, using Sovereign's Might would grant them power comparable to a Five-star Devil for a short time, enough to ensure the clan members' safety.

"Roy, you should still call me Laurent."

Laurent shook his head. "Now, you are an Elder of our Four Divine Beast Family. Whether in status or strength, you surpass us."

"It's just that our current circumstances are not suitable for making this public. Outside, we can only trouble Elder Roy to continue calling me City Lord."