Looking at the oil painting in his hands, Ronan gently stroked the surface with his fingers, and some delicate glimmers of light gradually seeped into the canvas.
Soon, a magical scene unfolded.
"Splash, splash—"
The sound of turning pages echoed, and the young man in the black robe on the oil painting actually "came to life," slowly flipping through the book in his hands as if he were a real person.
Ronan gently released his grip, and the entire canvas was lifted by an invisible force, firmly embedded in the wall directly facing the entrance of the secret chamber. A thin layer of ice crystal rose, giving the entire oil painting a crystal-like "framing." This technique was enough to preserve the painting for hundreds of years or even longer without decay.
Ronan quietly admired his portrait, which had been "activated" using special means, and then with a flick of his right hand, four chilling ice spheres appeared in his palm.
The frost quickly melted, revealing various metal objects sealed within—there was a broken badge engraved with a rhinoceros pattern, an old copper kettle missing its spout. Ronan grasped with his fingers, and with a loud bang, the four metal objects exploded, transforming into large clouds of reddish-brown mist.
From the smoke, a low, rumbling roar of a monster emerged, and a massive, heavy body glimmering with metallic sheen faintly appeared.
Ronan's expression remained calm as he recited a brief incantation. Threads of white light formed at the tips of his outstretched fingers and quickly drilled into the swirling clouds.
Before long, all the reddish-brown mist converged, reshaping back into the original metal objects, which then flew to the four corners of the secret chamber and settled quietly.
Back in the Mechanical Heart ruins, Ronan had obtained many metal elemental life forms, which he had kept in his possession without processing. Now, they were just what he needed.
Ronan crouched down about five steps away from his portrait and traced a design on a stone slab with his index finger.
As his fingertip glided across the stone slab, it left behind a faintly glowing path. Once the final stroke was made, the entire rune quickly faded away, leaving no trace on the stone slab.
Ronan gently tapped the stone slab, and the hidden rune reappeared with a crisp sound, revealing a small pit about half a foot deep beneath it.
He took out a small storage pouch he had prepared earlier and tossed it into the pit. After a moment's thought, he also placed the mysterious bone spur he had obtained from Andariel, which could directly strike at an opponent's soul, into the pit.
After completing these tasks, he slowly stood up.
Surveying the still empty secret chamber, Ronan murmured to himself, "I have set up a second-tier Rune Array in this secret chamber, along with four second-tier metal elemental puppets. On the East Coast, there should not yet exist a wizard capable of countering this power, sufficient to ensure that the bloodline of the Damien family will not be severed for hundreds of years."
"I have checked all the members of the Damien family, but unfortunately, none possess the potential to become a wizard. However, there is a gardener's son with decent aptitude. I have already instructed Father that in the future, every newborn member of the Damien family will enter this secret chamber at the age of eight.
If they possess wizard potential, they will be able to discern the clues hidden within this portrait and receive the corresponding meditation techniques and body refinement methods."
"If his luck is good enough…"
Ronan's gaze fell on the stone slab where he had just hidden the items, "And if he shows enough respect for me, the wizard ancestor of the Damien family, willing to bow a few times before my portrait…"
"Then he will be able to obtain the complete inheritance and resources I have stored below, sufficient to support him from apprentice all the way to second-tier wizard…"
"Perhaps, a hundred years from now…"
"The Damien family might slowly develop into the wizard family you desire."
Ronan paused his self-talk, then looked at the stone wall in front of him and softly asked, "Is there anything you are not satisfied with?"
As if hearing his words, the handsome young man in the black robe embedded in the oil painting put down the book in his hands, stood up, and quietly met his gaze through the canvas.
In that instant, Ronan felt something within him rapidly melting away, the familiar sensations of "fullness" and "clarity" rising once more.
Within his consciousness space, the eighth Mental Power Crystal was also rapidly being completed.
Some strange glimmers, invisible to others, emanated through his skin. Ronan raised his hand, watching as his right hand began to "glow," presenting a semi-transparent appearance, a look of slight satisfaction appearing on his face.
He turned and left the secret chamber, the heavy stone door slowly closing behind him, with mysterious runic patterns flashing and vanishing on the door.
Making his way out from underground, he arrived at the garden within the castle. Ronan did not stop, stepping onto the air, ascending step by step until he reached the castle's spire, where the banner of the Damien family hung, before finally stopping.
The gentle breeze lifted the hem of Ronan's robe as he stood at the highest point of the castle, looking down below.
In the open space in front of the castle, nearly a hundred young men were lined up neatly, undergoing selection for guards and knight apprentices.
Some children were running around inside the castle, playing and frolicking, while the servants busily attended to their duties. In a shaded area outside the castle, Sandrine, the apprentice witch with large, ugly birthmarks on her face, was busy training the dozen or so undead servants she had just cultivated.
The relevant spells were taught to her by Ronan. For a wandering wizard on the East Coast, surviving on a few tattered notes and plundering mortal possessions, the knowledge Ronan imparted to her was already an unparalleled inheritance.
At present, Sandrine appeared to be utterly devoted to Ronan, and it was likely that she would not want to leave even if given the chance.
However, it remained to be seen whether, over time, her loyalty to Ronan could gradually shift to the Damien family.
Seeing Sandrine reminded Ronan of the red-haired boy who had chased him off the ship when he first arrived on the East Coast.
Ronan had also left a little something for the red-haired boy. If he could truly find this place, perhaps he could become a force to help maintain the bloodline of the Damien family.
Standing beneath the sky, Ronan idly pondered, eventually spotting Moriel lounging in the sun on a roof covered with blue glazed tiles, watching a stableman trim a donkey's hooves.
Ronan walked over and gently landed beside Moriel.
"Have you resolved your matters?"
Moriel turned her head to look at him.
Ronan shook his head, "There's one last thing. Come with me to a place; it shouldn't take long."
Moriel nodded, readily standing up from the roof.
Ronan wrapped her in his mental power, and his Wizard Robe unfurled like a great bird, carrying Moriel in a specific direction.
In his mind, the words Earl Fereisha had said to him a few days ago echoed one by one.
"Lier and the son of the Baron of Fragrant Flowers fell in love and held a wedding before you returned…"
"In the summer of the following year, Lier gave birth to a daughter, but tragically, she died during childbirth."
"The child's name is Agatha."
"By now, she should be able to walk…"
"Be quiet, my dear, close your eyes, the stars are twinkling, it's time to enter the night.
The moon glows softly, shining on the sea,
Dream of the wonders you will see.
Sleep, little baby, in this sweet cradle."
"Quickly sleep, my dear Agatha. While the Greenwater Lake hasn't frozen yet, we'll go see the black swans tomorrow."
In the empty room, the young nanny gently kissed the girl's forehead, soothing her tenderly.
Once the girl closed her eyes and peacefully drifted into slumber, the nanny stood up, blew out the candle, and quietly exited the room.
"Creak—"
The door closed gently, and moonlight, like transparent silver gauze, spilled onto the floor, making everything in the room appear serene and tranquil.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew in, and the floor-to-ceiling window next to the balcony was softly pushed open.
Under the moonlight, two figures quietly appeared.
Ronan pushed the door open and walked slowly into the room.
He crouched down beside the crib, his black robe spreading like ink across the floor.
On the bed, a two-year-old girl was sleeping soundly.
Ronan's gaze slowly traced over the girl's face, hair, and body, suddenly landing on the toy she was tightly clutching.
It was a small bear made of plush fabric, roughly crafted, with exposed seams crooked and very old; one of the bear's button eyes had already fallen off.
"Lier."
Ronan looked at the toy bear, his lips moving slightly, a ripple of emotion surfacing in his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, this toy bear was made by Lier herself for her fifth birthday. She loved it dearly and played with it until the former "Ronan" left home.
Unexpectedly, this bear had now found its way into Lier's daughter's hands, becoming her favorite toy as well.
Ronan gazed tenderly at the sleeping girl in the cradle, quietly watching, while Moriel stood beside him, looking at him with a strange expression, as if she were meeting him for the first time.
Time flowed like the calm river under the moonlight, slowly passing.
Ronan gradually awakened from his memories. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers over the girl's cheek, unexpectedly feeling a strange, bloodline-derived thrum.
This bloodline thrum was much stronger than when he faced his biological father, Earl Fereisha, and his biological mother.
Ronan thought for a moment, then pricked his finger, allowing a drop of blood to seep out, which was quickly sealed by frost formed from a bit of void, ultimately becoming a beautifully crafted ice crystal gem.
Ronan rummaged through his space ring and found a necklace imbued with protective spells, threading the ice crystal gem containing his blood onto it, then placing the necklace beside the girl. On the inner side of the necklace, he had engraved a small line of text—[For Agatha. —Ronan Damien]
"Agatha."
Ronan whispered her name, and as if hearing his soft call, the sleeping girl in the crib fluttered her eyelashes, as if about to awaken from her slumber.
Ronan gently tapped his finger on the girl's forehead, and she was immediately soothed back into a deep sleep.
At that moment, soft footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
Ronan tilted his head, then leaned down to lightly kiss the girl's cheek.
"Let's go."
The door opened quietly, and the young nanny entered, holding an oil lamp.
She hurried to the crib and, upon seeing the sleeping girl, finally relaxed her worried heart.
"Eh, how did the window get opened? Did I forget to close it?"
The nanny suddenly noticed the half-open balcony door and walked over in confusion. The balcony was quiet, with no signs of disturbance, only the occasional hoot of an owl.
"The moonlight tonight is so beautiful."
The nanny was captivated by the moonlight outside and couldn't help but exclaim, "May the moonlight bless our dear Agatha."
She closed the balcony door tightly and turned to step back into the room.
She did not see that just above her head, under the night sky, two figures were standing in mid-air, quietly gazing down.
"Her aptitude is quite good."
Moriel suddenly spoke, referring to the little girl Agatha.
"Yes."
Ronan nodded, "Much better than mine back then. Perhaps, there will be another chance to meet again."
Ronan withdrew his gaze, and as he turned, his expression had completely returned to calm.
He signaled for Moriel to leave.
On the way back from Fragrant Flowers to the Earl's territory, an unprecedented "transformation" began to take place within Ronan.
Accompanied by the resolution of the last and greatest obsession of the former Lier, Ronan clearly felt all the "congested" hard blocks within his soul dissolving at this moment.
Images of memories flashed rapidly before his eyes, belonging to the entirety of the former "Ronan," starting from the moment he could remember.
From now on, these memories would no longer be mere "memories" of a former self; like in his past life, they all belonged to Ronan.
At this moment, Ronan felt that he had truly become a complete whole.
Before long, the two arrived above the Earl's castle.
"I need to enter seclusion for a while…"
Ronan looked at Moriel, who waved her hand dismissively. Ronan didn't bother to say more to her, took a deep breath, and quickly descended, arriving in the secret chamber at the very bottom of the castle in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, his mental power was rapidly increasing within his consciousness space, a result of the significant enhancement of his soul power.
Before his soul was complete, the fragments of the soul left behind by the former "Ronan" were merely excess parts of his soul, even considered impurities.
However, now, these fragments were dissolving, transforming into nourishment for his soul, allowing it to grow stronger.
"Once this transformation ends, my soul aptitude may rise to another level."
Ronan thought, silently closing his eyes. Soon, a strange light emanated from every pore of his body, illuminating the entire secret chamber.
That night, many people living in the castle felt an inexplicable thrum in their dreams, waking up for no reason. Days passed, and Ronan had not emerged from the secret chamber since that night.
One afternoon, as usual, Moriel sat on the roof watching the stableman trim the donkey's hooves to pass the time when she suddenly sensed something and abruptly looked in a certain direction, her laziness vanishing.
She leaped off the roof, seized a horse, and charged out of the castle. Due to her special status, no one dared to stop her.
Moriel galloped swiftly, crossing through the forest, over streams, and up hills. When she was a certain distance away from the castle, a look of pain suddenly crossed her face, and she fell off the horse without warning.
Just as Moriel was about to hit the ground, the entire space suddenly fell into complete stillness.
The drifting clouds in the sky, the blowing wind, the galloping horse, the flowing water, and the falling Moriel—all were frozen in place by a mysterious force.
In this absolute stillness, countless crimson light points densely appeared, quickly converging to form a tall, slender figure.
The figure walked up to Moriel, extending a hand to gently prod at the void behind her.
"Snap—"
An invisible string snapped.
In the next breath, everything that had been still resumed its motion.
"Bang!"
Moriel fell solidly to the ground, rolling a few times in a rather awkward manner.
When she got up and saw the figure before her, a cold and complex expression immediately appeared on her beautiful face.
"Just as I thought… Waliz."
Stepping out from the multitude of crimson light points, a young man clad in an exquisitely luxurious golden robe, with a handsome appearance and an indescribable noble aura, looked at Moriel and smiled softly, saying, "You should call me uncle, my dear Moriel."
(End of Chapter)