Jason checked the map again. The small town before him was not Fenlai City, the City of Art and the holy city of the Radiant Church, but in Jason's heart, this was the true "holy land."
This was Wushan Town!!!
Only after entering the Holy Union had Jason discovered that Wushan Town lay northeast of Fenlai City, just over ninety li away. Since his "sightseeing route" had brought him into the Fenlai Kingdom from the west, he had simply made a detour to visit Wushan Town first.
The Fenlai Kingdom lay in the east-central part of the Holy Union, right next to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. Jason planned to look around Wushan Town first, then visit Fenlai City, and finally enter the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts to search for Mist Valley.
"The Baruch Clan's estate is luxurious!" Jason said, a little surprised as he looked at the gates of the noble estate in the distance.
"Of course. The Baruch Clan's ancestors were powerful Dragonblood Warriors. Even though there hasn't been a Dragonblood Warrior for over three hundred years, it's still one of the great clans of the Holy Union!" a clerk beside him said.
Ordinary people's memories were short. Although they could live up to five hundred years, that was under ideal conditions. Normally, a warrior of the ninth rank would go through many hardships and suffer injuries and hidden ailments over a lifetime. It was already good if a ninth-rank warrior lived past four hundred. As for the commoners in Wushan Town, living to two hundred was considered a long life.
Three hundred years was enough for them to forget the Baruch Clan's former glory. They knew it only through hearsay, believing that the clan had produced only a handful of Saint-level Dragonblood Warriors.
The Baruch Clan's estate took up half of Wushan Town, while Jason was currently having something to eat at a tavern in town.
Wushan Town was only a town, and there weren't many shops around, but the Baruch Clan's estate truly was magnificent.
Unlike what Jason had expected, it was now the year 9017 of the Yulan Calendar, and the Baruch Clan had only just begun to decline. It no longer had a Saint-level expert to support it, but it still had money and connections.
Jason's memories of the original story were a little hazy. He really couldn't remember exactly when the Dragonblood Warriors had left, but from what the clerk said, it seemed to have been around three hundred years ago.
"Can I visit the inside of the Baruch Clan's estate?" Jason asked a very stupid question.
"Brother, plenty of people have had that idea. After all, the Four Ultimate Warriors are idols to every warrior." The clerk looked Jason over. "But there are quite a few skilled fighters among the Baruch Clan's guards, so don't risk sneaking in. If you really want to see him, stay at the inn a few more days. The Baruch Clan's patriarch often goes out, so you might run into him."
From what he said, the current patriarch of the Baruch Clan had not activated his bloodline. In other words, the clan's genealogy and records had already been altered by this time.
"Clerk, I heard the Baruch Clan killed several dragons back in the day and earned the dragon race's hatred. After the clan's Saint-level experts disappeared, didn't any dragons come seeking revenge?" Jason asked.
"Dragons? Never heard of any. This is the Holy Union. Surely dragons wouldn't dare come here and cause trouble." The clerk looked bewildered, then turned to attend to the other customers.
"No dragons came to attack? Did they come in secret?" Jason speculated. "Could that Plane Guardian, what's his name, have done it? Erasing memories could have been the work of a Deity-level expert, and that Plane Guardian happens to be a Midgod. He also has a grudge against the Four Divine Beasts Clan."
But Jason couldn't do anything about those matters. Perhaps once he reached the Saint level he could-no, he would wait until he reached the Deity level before helping.
As Jason ate, he looked at the luxurious estate before him, knowing that over nine hundred years from now, it would gradually decline, until the family had to sell off its property just to send two children to school.
Wushan Town, which had flourished because of the Baruch Clan, would gradually become an ordinary little town as well. Even the tavern where Jason was eating would probably go out of business.
Comparing it with the description of Wushan Town he remembered from the original story, Jason couldn't help feeling wistful.
Still, as a fan of the original story, Jason intended to do something.
Should I buy the saber Slaughterer ahead of time? Jason thought. But judging by the Baruch Clan's current prosperity, it probably wouldn't sell the saber Slaughterer.
Should I visit as a member of the Rhine Clan? That doesn't sound very interesting. In the original story, the Baruch Clan's patriarchs over the past dozen or so generations were pretty mediocre. Not one of them reached the Saint level. If they couldn't activate their bloodlines, they could have learned magic.
Influenced by the original story, Jason judged a person's aptitude in the material plane solely by whether they could break through to the Saint level. In his view, anyone without the aptitude to reach the Saint level simply wasn't worth getting close to.
"Uncle, there aren't many customers today, so I'll head home first." It was a girl's voice.
"Oh, go on home early. Here's your meal for today."
The conversation outside caught Jason's attention.
Not the conversation between the girl and the shopkeeper, but the one between the clerk nearby and two customers at the next table: "That child is called Veronica, the niece of the Baruch Clan's current patriarch. Her father died after failing to compete for the position of patriarch, and she ended up on the streets.
"Out of regard for their kinship, the Baruch Clan didn't go so far as to kill her. They let her work in the town's shops to earn a living. A young lady from a great clan, reduced to working in shops."
Hearing this, Jason looked over. She was a red-haired girl with a tall, toned figure and looked like a warrior. But Jason knew that if members of the Baruch Clan didn't awaken their bloodline, they could only reach the seventh rank at most by relying on their physical strength.
The girl picked up the meal the shopkeeper had given her and left. Judging by the size of the bundle, she ate a lot.
"Interesting." Jason watched the girl's departing figure.
In the past, every member of the Baruch Clan had been important, because every Baruch had the potential to reach the Saint level. But now, she was merely a member of a declining clan, and she couldn't even cultivate battle-qi.
Jason didn't act immediately, though. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse; it would be easy enough for the Baruch Clan to kill a seventh-rank warrior like him.
Jason ate his fill and prepared to get a good night's sleep. He planned to spend the next two days sightseeing in Wushan Town.