Infinite wealth In A New World-Chapter 429: Mountain King
[Seven Years Ago.]
"When you think they are ready to be the head, they should place their blood on the red mirror, and I will give them some of my blessings."
Marriott stared at the floating artifacts. The mirrors were ancient, swirling with an energy that felt older than the earth itself. Without hesitation, he raised his hand to his mouth and bit down hard on his index finger.
He drew blood, the crimson liquid welling up, and let a single heavy drop fall onto the glass surface of both mirrors.
Hiss.
The blood didn’t smear; it was absorbed instantly, causing the mirrors to pulse with a heartbeat of their own.
"My God! This is to show you my loyalty!! I will never betray you!!" He cried out, bowing his head again, his forehead pressing into the grass.
Sunny watched him, his golden eyes narrowing in calculation.
’Impressive...’ he thought, analyzing the mana signature forming between them. ’If only he knew the mirror is the upgraded version of the Alliance Blood Bond. This bond isn’t linked to the System... Meaning, I can’t control it with the System. It is linked directly through my Will... It’s even much stronger than the System Alliance Blood Bond.’
Satisfied with the absolute servitude he had just secured, Sunny waved his hand.
The air shimmered, and ten Red Mythical Cards materialized, hovering in a circle before Marriott. Following them, a heavy, ancient tome descended. The book radiated a dark, oppressive aura, with a realistic, blinking red eye engraved deeply into the cover.
"This here is my blessing to you... This book is a Spirit Artifact, use it only in crisis... It also has the power to summon a bit of my fragment to aid you," he said.
Marriott slowly nodded his head, his eyes wide as he stared at the ten Mythical cards before him.
’Mythical summons,’ he thought, his heart racing. ’He is truly our family’s benefactor. Giving these away, and so casually at that.’
Trembling with reverence, he slowly stretched his hand towards the book. The moment his fingertips brushed the leather cover, the red eye snapped open.
BOOM!
A wave of raw, unadulterated power shot into his body, rewriting his very genetic code.
"AHHHHHHH!!!" He screamed, falling to his knees, clutching his abdomen as his mana core expanded violently, breaking past human limits.
"Use this power wisely... In the future, I will send my four kids here, make sure to assist them with your life," Sunny said, staring at him one last time.
Then, the God shattered into golden lights, dissolving into the wind.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
Marriott screamed again, unable to contain the energy. A massive pillar of golden light shot out from him, smashing into the clear blue sky, piercing the clouds. In unison with the beam, gravity released its hold, and he ascended into the air, reborn.
______
[Present — Hidden Base]
"That was the moment I broke through, becoming the world’s first SSS-Rank Summoner," Marriott said, his voice filled with the pride of that memory.
"And thanks to the God, the Marriott family became an unshakable pillar. And we built the Summoner Force, with tens of thousands of Summoners under our command."
Marriott nodded slowly, the story concluded. He stared at the three siblings and Jinx sitting before him.
"If I am right, you four are the God’s children he mentioned to me."
He stood up from his chair. Then, before the four could think or react, the patriarch of the strongest family in the city dropped to his knees.
"....?!!!"
The room froze. Seeing his action, his two sons, Ethan and Patrick, along with Esther and the entire support team, followed suit. The sound of fabric rustling filled the room as everyone dropped to their knees in a wave of submission.
"The Marriott family will help you with your mission, even if we will give our life, My family and I will gladly give it!" He yelled, bowing deeply.
"Please."
Jinx moved quickly, stepping forward to help the man up. Although he was old—approximately eighty years of age—to her, he was still an infant. She had lived for over three hundred years, well, in a pod. But still... in appearance, he was an elder, and having him bow to her didn’t feel right.
She helped Marriott back to his feet, her grip firm but gentle, and turned to the others scattered on the floor.
"Get up, all of you." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
With her words, they all stood back up, dusting off their knees, the atmosphere in the room shifting from storytelling to servitude.
"Well, the story is good, but it gives no information about our mission," Destiny pointed out, leaning back against the sofa, his pragmatic mind cutting through the sentiment.
"True. I thought they’ll be a clue in it," Jinx agreed, nodding. She turned back to Marriott. "Do you by any chance know where we will find the Soul Beast?" She asked.
"The Soul Beast?" Marriott held his jaw, thinking deeply.
"Sorry, I don’t... But I know who will know," he said.
"Really? Who?" Treasure asked, practically vibrating with excitement on the edge of her seat.
"The Mountain King. He lives in the biggest mountain at the End of the World."
"Wait, did you just say End of the World?!?" Lucian, who had almost fallen asleep during the history lesson, snapped awake. He stared at the old man in shock. "That sounds far."
"Yes... Legends say he belongs to the oldest family in this world, and he’s the only surviving member of the family," Marriott explained, ignoring Lucian’s laziness. He sighed heavily.
"But the journey is filled with dangers," he added.
"Mmm, Hunchback Poison said their leaders are in the South Pole," Destiny muttered in confusion, his brow furrowing as he recalled the interrogation.
"South Pole."
Marriott blinked. A moment later, he burst into laughter, his sudden action confusing everyone in the room.
"Hahaha, it seems that old friend of mine still stole my Intel... Well, fake intelligence." He wiped a tear from his eye and turned to Jinx.
"You see, the Mountain King’s whereabouts is a very top secret Intel... I was tasked to keep it a secret, and to do that, is by making a fake intelligence," he explained with a grin.
"Oh, so the fake intelligence is like a cover, which diverts the attention of anyone who plans to steal it. They will get hold of the fake, and instantly believe that is the real information," Destiny said, slowly nodding his head. A look of appreciation crossed his face.
"That’s smart," he added.
"Hahaha! It’s something this old man just cooked up. Anyway, let’s get going... Is that ok?" Marriott asked, ready to mobilize.
"Yes, the faster, the better," Jinx nodded her head. She paused, calculating the logistics. "How long will this journey take?"
"With our fastest speed, it’ll take one week at most," Marriott answered.
"Ok, we should get going then," Jinx stated, turning to her siblings. The break was over.
