Chapter 202: Chapter 194 Prisoner

The morning in Nasir Town was quiet and beautiful, the first rays of sunlight piercing through the gaps in the buildings, bathing the whole town in a gentle glow.

With the warmth of the Dawn, this increasingly prosperous port town gradually awakened, displaying a peaceful and vibrant scene.

The servants at Fischer Manor had already started their busy day, each performing their duties diligently; they had to have everything ready before the masters awoke.

Come breakfast time, a servant responsible for collecting letters arrived at the estate, respectfully handing over seven letters and a newspaper from Fein City to the Daybreaker acting as the household steward.

“These are the letters and the newspaper for today.”

The Daybreaker nodded slightly, turned around, and swiftly departed, then opened those letters that had no special seals for confidentiality, briefly scanning their contents before having the servants distribute the correspondence to various family members.

“This letter is for Cook Liza, this one for the head maidservant Madam Alpur, and this one, hmm, is mine.”

Only the letters addressed to several masters in the Fischer family and the newspapers Byrne had requested were personally delivered by him.

“Unfortunately, the newspapers we subscribe to are always outdated; we can’t get the news from around Cyart right away.”

“It would be nice if Nasir Town had its own newspaper.”

He glanced at the newspaper and opened the letter addressed to Mr. Byrne, reading the contents carefully when suddenly his complexion turned ashen, and he quickly headed to the master bedroom.

In front of a large standing mirror, two servants skillfully helped Byrne into his black tailcoat, as the acting steward immediately handed over the letter, speaking with a tense urgency:

“You must look at this letter right away!”

What is it, Byrne asked calmly, reaching for the letter and then fixing his gaze on the text, his expression gradually growing grim.

“Darren has been captured by the Rhea People…”

Byrne’s hands trembled slightly, and he took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Deep down, he had always thought he wasn’t particularly fond of his son Darren, but upon learning his son had been captured by the Rhea People, he felt dizzy and nauseated instantly.

“Darren…”

Darren could die at any moment, and even if he didn’t, he would surely suffer at the hands of the Rhea People!

Flooded with memories of Darren, Byrne’s eyes reddened, and he waved the two servants out, leaving only the acting steward, then quickly composed himself.

He tried to stay as calm as possible, furrowing his brow as he asked:

“Well, when exactly did this happen? Quickly explain the details!”

The acting steward immediately responded:

“It was Arthur Meyer from the Meyer family. He attacked Darren’s troops before the assault on Nasir Town and then took him prisoner.”

Byrne fell silent for a long while before speaking:

“Is it possible to locate Darren now? Can we find a connection with Rhea and ransom him back?”

He knew the chances of ransoming Darren were slim; the Fischer family had just eliminated an important member of the Meyer family, and the hatred between them had reached its peak.

Yet, as a father, Byrne couldn’t help but try every possible means beyond his reason.

The acting steward hesitated before replying:

“Actually, we do have some connections in Rhea; after all, the Ten Great Pillars families in the East are all entangled with each other—broadly speaking, they’re all relatives. But the chances of ransoming Young Master Darren are really low…”

He had no more appetite for conversation and with a wave of his hand and turning around, he said:

“Hmm, I understand, you may go now.”

Alone, Byrne closed his eyes, silent for a long time, and then took a deep breath.

“Sigh.”

The Meyer family’s attack, Irene’s departure, the Romann family’s mission, and Darren’s captivity had all come one after the other, leaving him exhausted.

It was an exhaustion that came from the depths of his soul, rendering him helpless.

“I wonder how Uncle Chris will react when he comes back and finds out about Irene’s situation…”

“Darren…”

“Whether it’s this issue or the Romann family’s stance, the family will have to vote on a course of action.”

He opened his eyes again, calmly took out an alchemy potion for calming the mind and drank it, forcibly dispelling all the exhaustion in his thoughts.

Then, just like every other day, he walked out of the room with a serene expression, ready to deal with the day’s affairs of the Fischer family before breakfast.

Byrne never had a day’s rest, for the Fischer family simply couldn’t do without him.

He couldn’t even afford to miss breakfast, let alone show the tiredness in his eyes.

Nobles often ate breakfast with many servants watching; Byrne couldn’t afford to reveal any sign of weakness.

Otherwise, everyone in the Fischer family would immediately feel that perhaps another significant event had occurred?

It wasn’t just him—recently everyone had been under great stress, and he couldn’t add to it; he needed to keep smiling and encourage and reassure the rest of the family.

“Hahahahahaha!”

Thinking this, Byrne suddenly couldn’t stop laughing, gripping his hand tightly and feeling a deep sense of irony in his heart.

As the mainstay of his family, he had to maintain a mindset that could confidently face anything.

——

A few days earlier.

Silver-white moonlight filtered through the damp walls, casting a feeble and sinister glow atop the unbearable mustiness that filled the corner of the cell.

“Ah, ahh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhh!”

Darren’s skin, scorched by fire, was severely swollen, blistered, and even ulcerated, making him feel as if every inch of his body was being continuously ravaged by extreme pain.

That pain never ceased.

He had not imagined that the agony of full-body burns could be so great, to the point where he wanted to die, but the Rhea’s forced treatments prevented Darren from succumbing to death.

“Ahhhh, ahhhhhh!”

Darren’s appearance had become too ghastly to bear; his body covered in repulsive ulcers, hardly anyone had the courage to look at him for long.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a surge of life force emerging from outside his body, slowly healing the severe wounds throughout his flesh.

“Ugh, cough, cough cough…cough cough…”

It was the Power of Consecution from the old butler, Theo, the ability of “household management.” Darren immediately knew what it was and felt somewhat relieved.

The family hasn’t abandoned me! Yes, they would never abandon me; father would certainly not ignore my plight!

The abundant life force made his breathing more stable, and the pain began to subside, though the external traces of his skin burns showed no signs of improvement.

“Huff, huff…”

The prolonged suffering finally began to ease, and though it was still uncomfortable, it had lessened considerably, at least to a bearable level.

Overwhelmed by immense fatigue, he quickly grew drowsy and eventually fell into a deep sleep.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Darren finally awoke from his deep slumber and soon felt intense pain throughout his body again, yet he could endure it this time.

Where on earth is this?

He surveyed his surroundings and found the area very dim, with nothing but darkness visible beyond the iron bars. He quickly realized he was in a cell.

Outside the cell were the wails and sobbing of many people, their cries emanating continuously from the darkness, undoubtedly indicating that the cell was within a vast prison.

A strong sense of fear quickly rose within Darren as he realized the direness of his situation.

“Ahh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh!”

The immense pain and fear were too much for Darren’s mind to bear; he shook uncontrollably, on the brink of collapse, screaming and crying incessantly.

Why?

Why has this happened to me, how have I ended up here?

Damn it, damn it! Motherfucker!

He trembled with disbelief and pain in the moldy, stinking cell, his mind filled with struggle, regret, and rage.

I want to escape and go back. Who can save me, someone please save me; father, mother, Uncle Chris, Aunt Irene… The Meyer family deserves to die, damn it!

“Great, great Lord of the Lost, Lord of the Lost…”

He muttered the name of the Lord of the Lost shakily, as if merely articulating the name could alleviate the pain in his body and the despair in his heart.

He didn’t know how long he had been reciting, but suddenly, the door to the cell opened.

Several Rhea medics came in to check his body and were surprised to find that Darren’s injuries had greatly decreased. He wouldn’t have much trouble even without their further treatment.

“It seems he’s one of the Extraordinary Exponents that excels in recovery. We have to be careful not to let him have the chance to escape.”

Shortly after, several guards came in and fastened Darren with numerous shackles, specially crafted alchemical tools designed to suppress the power of Bloodline and spellcasting talent.

For Extraordinary Exponents below the Transmutation Level, wearing these specially crafted alchemical shackles would render them no different from an ordinary person.

“Ah! Ahhh! Get away, don’t, don’t touch me!”

Darren howled in pain, but those people paid no heed to his feelings and were rough and cruel, leaving him disgusting gruel for food.

“You Cyart bastard, this is the fate you deserve, pah! Rot in your cell!”

He quickly understood that the Rhea’s intent was merely to ensure he wouldn’t die.

Once those people had left, Darren reluctantly took a few bites of the ghastly gruel. It was so vile, like cow dung, that he instinctively spat it out, then ate a few more bites before he couldn’t help but break down in tears.

The fear, the grief, the pain, and the despair in his heart mingled together, and he writhed on the ground, unable to stop crying for a long time.

“Whimper, whimper…”

At that moment, his eyes started shining with a strange black light.

The sobbing Darren froze for a second, then realized with wild joy what it was—the gift from the great Lord of the Lost, the power of spirit runes!

“Destruction”?