Homecoming

In the year 9999 of the Yulan Calendar, Bolan finally returned to the O'Brien Empire. Tempered by three years away, his entire presence was like a sharp sword about to leave its sheath, its edge impossible to conceal.

The O'Brien Empire's capital remained bustling beneath the veil of night. The newly established Baruch Clan estate was especially brightly lit, because Bolan's two magical beasts had sensed through their master-servant bond that their master had entered Chiyan City.

At that moment, Bolan happened to be drawn over by a discussion inside a small tavern.

"Have you heard? That Dragonblood Warrior from the Imperial Academy has supposedly broken through to Level 6. After transforming, he's practically no weaker than a warrior who has just entered level 8," a burly man said.

"Exactly. Ever since Blumer, the younger brother of the 'Genius Sword Saint' Olivier, graduated a few years ago, another Wharton from the Baruch Clan has appeared. It's truly exciting," an old man at the neighboring table remarked.

"Lord Olivier? I heard that just after breaking through to the Saint level, he intends to challenge Lord Dilong, the 'Starry Sky Sword Saint,' who has been a Saint for nearly a hundred years?" The burly man who had spoken first abruptly changed the subject.

Of course. Compared to Blumer and Wharton, who had yet to fully mature, the upcoming Saint-level duel was the real feast.

As Bolan passed the tavern, he heard the name "Olivier" once more, and his spirits rose. Has that 'Genius Sword Saint,' who shone so brilliantly in the original story, already broken through to the Saint level? Is he preparing to challenge the so-called weakest Saint?

Bolan smiled disdainfully. His current combat strength was absolutely no weaker than Linley's when Linley had first entered the Saint level. Without the many years of refinement to come, Olivier was definitely no match for him now. Besides, the so-called "Genius Sword Saint" was simply a joke. Not to mention the peerless genius Beirut had mentioned in the original story—someone who became a god in ten years, a Middle God in a hundred, and a High God in a thousand—even Bolan himself was beyond Olivier's comparison. A Saint-level expert in his forties? The thought alone made Bolan want to laugh.

Having heard enough, Bolan turned and returned directly to the Baruch Marquis Mansion. Yes, the Baruch Marquis. It was a title personally bestowed upon Hogg by the empire's current king, His Majesty Joanne. After all, compared to a clan certain to produce three Saint-level experts, granting a practically insignificant marquis title was simply too great a bargain for the empire.

Not to mention Bolan Baruch, whose name was currently causing an uproar across the continent. He was Hogg's eldest son. If Hogg had not repeatedly delayed the matter, the Baruch Clan would likely already have become a ducal house of the empire.

After all, compared to a Saint-level top expert, the king of an empire was truly nothing much. The War God would not casually cast aside his dignity to deal with a Saint-level expert for the sake of a descendant separated from him by who knew how many generations.

The gates of the Baruch Marquis Mansion stood wide open. Hogg led the entire family as they waited at the entrance for Bolan, who had once again brought supreme glory to the Baruch Clan.

"Leibulus, how much longer until Bolan arrives?" Hogg did not know how many times he had already asked that question. Leibulus, the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, let out a helpless low roar. "He'll be here soon. Master has already broken through to Level 9 in human form, so he'll arrive quickly." After spending so much time together, they could more or less understand the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon's meaning.

After saying that, everyone stared fixedly ahead. Beneath the dark curtain of night, they saw a young man in white robes appear. He still looked much as he had when he left, but the childishness had faded from his face, and his height of over six feet showed how much Bolan had grown.

"Father, I'm back." Bolan dropped to his knees, his voice choked with emotion.

Hogg hurried forward to help Bolan up, then patted the son who was nearly as tall as himself. His eyes reddened with tears as he said, "Good child, you've suffered so much!" It was the first time Hogg had lost his composure before his sons.

As a father, whenever he heard of Bolan challenging another opponent, he felt joy but could not stop himself from worrying for his son. As the patriarch of an ancient clan, seeing the younger generation grow stronger naturally filled Hogg with immense gratification. Yet from a father's perspective, he only hoped his sons would grow up safe and healthy. It was somewhat contradictory, but weren't people contradictory creatures by nature?

In the front hall of the Baruch Clan estate, Hogg, Bolan, Wharton, Old Hiri, and Hillman sat around the dining table. Other than the two sons, the other two had served the Baruch Clan for generations. Hiri was like a father to Hogg, while Hillman was practically Hogg's brother, so they always ate together at the same table during family banquets.

Wharton was especially excited at the table. Already a Level 6 Warrior, he longed for a life like that of his elder brother Bolan. Throughout the meal, he kept pestering Bolan about the details and interesting stories from his travels across the continent. The others also watched Bolan intently as they listened.

Seeing that everyone was interested in his experiences, Bolan picked out a few things to tell them. He made them sound simple, but aside from Wharton, who among those present had not experienced countless trials? They could all hear the dangers lurking within Bolan's words.

Hogg and Hillman listened until their eyes reddened, while Old Hiri sniffled repeatedly and shouted, "The Baruch Clan has risen!"

After finishing his account, Bolan suddenly brought up Linley. After all, Linley was the only one in the family who was not here.

When Linley was mentioned, Hogg looked at Bolan with interest and said, "Linley wrote last time that he found himself a girlfriend. I think her name was Alice. Yes, Alice."

Bolan frowned inwardly when he heard that. It seems that incident from the original story is going to happen again.

He only hoped his younger brother could recover from this blow.

At that thought, Bolan wondered whether he should go see Linley.

Just then, a servant reported to Hogg, "Someone has delivered an invitation."