After Adele left, Adam continued to usher various beings of different bloodlines into the basement.
While observing them, he also assigned a few tasks, mostly involving information gathering. After all, using them as combatants would only attract the Church's attention.
As Adam interacted with these beings, he collected their information, carefully evaluating whether they could be inducted into his future elite organization.
"There are twenty-three of them, plus the eight who didn't come this time. This nearly represents all the surviving beings of different bloodlines in the southern district of Roya."
Adam sighed. The number of beings of different bloodlines in the Kingdom of Saint Heavenly Sound was far greater, but for now, the beings gathered in Roya could be divided into two groups.
One group, like Adam, desired to reach the Kingdom of Loken, while the other had grown accustomed to life in Roya and intended to settle here permanently.
"Most of them are waiting for the Fourth Northern Inquiry War, or for peace between Loken and Saint Heavenly Sound, hoping for an opening to cross the border," Jin explained. "Only then will the border defenses in Roya falter, and they'll be able to pass through."
"But that depends on fate," Adam mused, not having thought much about such matters.
In forty years, there had been three Northern Inquiry Wars, the last one occurring a decade ago. But that war had flared up quickly and ended just as swiftly.
Peace, it seemed, was impossible for now, and war didn't seem imminent either.
"What was the true cause of the last war?" Adam asked Jin.
Given Jin's strength, he must have held some influence in the Kingdom of Loken at the time, and Adam guessed he might know some insider information.
"Merit was one factor," Jin began. "The Kingdom of Loken is a very 'young' country, with a powerful noble class. Some of the strongest families have knights who've accumulated merit over several generations."
"In contrast, the nobility of Saint Heavenly Sound has been heavily suppressed by the Church, which is why they appear so... decayed," Jin remarked. "In Loken, every year, many knights seek to accumulate merit."
"Wars are undoubtedly the quickest way to gain merit. Without war, the knights either leave the country or cause trouble within it."
"For knights, the nature of the merit doesn't matter. Whether they are labeled as infamous bandits, murderers, or anything else, as long as their deeds are remembered in a region, they can solidify their life force within the environment, and that becomes merit."
"Thus, the Kingdom of Loken must, and will, always be a warlike country."
"The disappearance of Count Ronny was a catalyst, but without it, the war would have come anyway."
"The Third Northern Inquiry War was similar. The military wanted war, and at the right moment, the Crown of the Saint appeared, and the war began."
"The Crown of the Saint?"
"Yes, a divine relic, said to have been worn by the gods themselves," Jin said slowly.
"Man walked the earth, witnessing the vastness of the sky and the expanse of the land."
"He was the descendant of Di, following the ancient traces, and came before the gods to ask."
"What is the meaning of life? asked the descendant of Di."
"When you wear the crown of thorns, walk the path of the flowing river, drink the blood of mankind, and don the Crown of the Saint, the answer will be revealed. The gods answered." — The Divine Word: The Chronicle of the Son of Man
"The descendant of Di completed all, wore the Crown of the Saint, and became the earthly representative of the gods, known to the world as the Man-God," Jin continued. "It was ten years ago when we discovered the Crown of the Saint."
"And so, the Saint's Church in the Kingdom of Loken became the main faction for war, and the Third Northern Inquiry War began."
"What was the outcome?" Adam asked, his curiosity deepening. He vaguely remembered some significant events from when he was three years old.
"Not much is known. The Saint's Church withdrew their forces, causing the Third Northern Inquiry War to fizzle out. As for the final whereabouts of the Crown of the Saint, given the current circumstances, it's hard to say, but it likely wasn't acquired by the Kingdom of Saint Heavenly Sound. Otherwise, the Third Northern Inquiry War wouldn't have ended so swiftly."
"However, it doesn't seem like the Saint's Church acquired it either, or it would have been a Southern Conquest War, not a Northern Inquiry."
Back then, Jin had been severely wounded in Roya and didn't participate in the latter half of the Third Northern Inquiry War. By the time he recovered, the Kingdom of Loken had already retreated.
For various reasons, he couldn't contact Loken's forces, so he knew little about the events that followed.
"So, unless the Crown of the Saint is discovered again, the next war won't start anytime soon," Adam said decisively.
Three major wars in forty years—despite the third one ending abruptly, it had still drained the strength of both countries.
Even if there was a fourth war, it wouldn't begin for at least another ten years.
Having assessed the situation of the beings of different bloodlines, Adam quickly shortlisted the first group of candidates. After they completed their tasks, he would carefully select the ones he needed for his new organization.
"You've been in Roya for ten years. Haven't you met any powerful beings of different bloodlines?" Adam asked.
"Powerful beings of different bloodlines? Aside from my unique situation, who would stay here for so long?" Jin chuckled helplessly. "No one wants to live in constant fear."
"The beings of different bloodlines in Saint Heavenly Sound are either those like Will, born in this land and nurtured by its environment, or powerful beings who infiltrated from foreign lands."
"Because the mage community is tightly controlled by the Church, there aren't many beings of different bloodlines converted from mages."
"The scarcity of these beings has led to a lack of research material for mages, which is why mages in Saint Heavenly Sound typically don't live long."
"Are you implying something?" Adam asked, sensing a deliberate shift in Jin's tone.
"Most immortality methods for mages are related to beings of different bloodlines. You can see it with vampires. The easiest and least harmful immortality method is to 'feed' off these beings," Jin explained.
"If a cultivator also practices the mage profession, using beings of different bloodlines as 'immortality medicine' is both logical and natural."
"Are you saying that Count Ronny's disappearance was caused by Alva?" Adam asked, deep in thought. The possibility was hard to dismiss—it seemed likely.
The timing of Alva's incident and Count Ronny's disappearance matched closely. Anthony had mentioned that they had committed an irremediable sin, disrupting the balance between the two nations and igniting the war, which aligned with this theory.
Moreover, Adam recalled the malevolent aura he felt when he first heard the name "immortality elixir," and how it seemed connected to his own bloodline.
All signs pointed to the very likely possibility that Alva and his associates had created the immortality elixir using the missing Count Ronny.
"Though, there are still questions. Like why did Anthony pretend to be dead and hide in the Reflection Tower? His relationship with Alva and the others seems strange, and there's also Ai's immortality elixir," Adam pondered. He sensed that many hidden truths still remained.
"However, using this to deceive Doug into increasing his investments seems plausible," Adam thought. His original excuse for involving Doug was to claim that rare materials required for the immortality elixir could only be found in the Kingdom of Loken, encouraging Doug to meddle in smuggling.
Now, persuading him under the guise of beings of different bloodlines seemed more compelling and credible.
"You're not surprised. You must have suspected something already?" Jin asked. "Given your age, that missing Count Ronny might even be someone like your great-uncle."
"It's highly likely that Alva traded his life to gain immortality. Don't you have anything to say about that?"
"I wasn't close to that count, in fact, my father and I weren't close either," Adam said nonchalantly. "My current goal is to leave Saint Heavenly Sound. Alva and his people are just a means to an end."
"Perhaps, if necessary, I'll make use of this identity," Adam said coolly. "But for now, this is all still speculation."
Without concrete evidence to back up these suspicions, they remained just that—suspicions, though they seemed to be the most probable outcome.
Vaguely, Adam felt that his encounters with Alva and Anthony had been unnervingly smooth, as if luck had constantly been on his side.
The closeness with which Anthony treated him also felt unusual, as though everything was pointing toward something.