Westminster Bank

'Welcome, President? Who's the President? Are they talking about me? It seems so. What the hell is going on?'

A vast, dark sea of people knelt before Baron. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, still processing the situation, when the High Priest rose and approached him.

"President... why... why did you suddenly come to Berthelili today without sending any word...?"

His voice held a mix of pleasant surprise and a hint of complaint.

'So I really am the President.'

The Chain of the Imitator determined the "imitated" person's appearance based on who was present when its Spiritual Power was activated, as well as the wearer's own memories. Once set, everyone would see the wearer as that "imitated" person.

Baron could understand the two guards at the gate reacting this way, but when had he ever met their President? Logically, he should have some impression of such a major figure, even if he had only seen him once. 'And just like that, I'm the President of the Dragon Eater Association?'

'But since I've taken on the form of the Dragon Eater Association's President, it explains why Freya and her companion were staring at me for so long earlier. I thought they had seen through my disguise, but now it seems I've just stumbled into this role by pure chance.'

Baron subtly glanced at Freya, who was also sizing him up from the side. She clearly had never seen the legendary President of the Dragon Eater Association either, as her clear, searching eyes swept back and forth across Baron's face.

'If I wasn't afraid of the backlash from the Chain of the Imitator, I'd also like to see what this legendary President of the Dragon Eater Association, Martin, actually looks like... If I remember correctly, Norton said that Martin had gone missing. But judging from the High Priest's words, his "disappearance" was either just a ruse or there's another reason behind it.'

He said in a deep voice, "I came to see if the plan is proceeding smoothly."

So the President had come because of the plan. The High Priest said, "The plan is proceeding smoothly. By tonight, we will have produced forty-three Black Iron Tier Dragon Attendants, ten Bronze Tier Dragon Attendants, and one Silver Tier Dragon Attendant. They will all be ready by the time the auction at Traitor's Cliff begins tomorrow."

'This Monastery is being used to cultivate Dragon Attendants...'

Baron's heart sank. 'Just as I thought,' he mused. These Dragon Devourer Cultists were definitely planning something big, and it seemed to be related to tomorrow's auction at Traitor's Cliff.

Baron instantly recalled the Dragon Attendants he had seen in the caverns of the Dracul Mountain Range. One of the reasons those Dragon Devourer Cultists had appeared in the mountains was to hunt Dragon Descendants and Trial Takers to refine them into Dragon Attendants. He had originally thought that those Dragon Attendants could only be sustained within the mountains, relying on the bloodline and strength of the Old Blood Clan descendants. Otherwise, there would have been no need to specifically enter the mountains to hunt Trial Takers.

Now, it seemed this operation had likely started a long time ago.

The auction at Traitor's Cliff... Baron remembered the conversation he had overheard at Beowulf Manor. He knew this was a trap specifically designed to target the Dragon Witch, proposed by Elder Pence of the Hestia Family—the same elder who had declared in the newspapers that he would make Baron pay some godforsaken price.

Looking at it now, the situation was probably not that simple.

But because of this, it seemed Carmen really had no connection to the Dragon Eater Association. After all, if the Association truly revered her, Elder Pence would never have proposed such a blasphemous act.

'I wonder if Carmen will show up for this auction at Traitor's Cliff. But given her cunning, these Old Blood Clans and Law Enforcement Clans probably won't be able to touch her for the time being.

'I should probably warn her when the time is right. After all, I have a [Blood Covenant] with her, and I owe my promotion to Bronze Dragon Knight to her... I wonder if reaching the Silver Tier is also related to her...'

While Baron's mind raced, the High Priest dismissed the surrounding Dragon Devourer Cultists, ordering them to return to their posts. Then he said to Baron:

"President, since you're here, why not take a look at the altar?"

Baron agreed. He had seen the Hestia Family's Elder give him a respectful nod before leading Freya off in a certain direction. His Dragon Knight hearing told him that they were heading for the altar.

Following the High Priest to the altar, Baron was secretly alarmed. The Spiritual Pressure of most of the Dragon Devourer Cultists he encountered along the way was stable at the Black Iron level. There were at least twenty or thirty of them. Although their auras were unstable, suggesting they had used some special means to gain their power, the Demon Hunter Command Spells on their hands were genuine.

Not to mention, these Dragon Devourer Cultists also possessed the bizarre ability to Transform into a Dragon by consuming a Dragon Heart. With their combat power soaring, they couldn't defeat a Bronze Tier, but that many of them could probably hold him back. And that wasn't even counting the numerous ordinary Ancient Descendant Cultists and Bloodless Cultists among them...

'Hmm, it seems that neither the Old Blood Clans, the Law Enforcement Organization, nor a heretical group like the Dragon Eater Association place much importance on the Bloodless. Their only roles are as menial laborers and for offline recruitment. In that regard, they're slightly more useful than a certain famous dung-producing machine whose only purpose was to fill a non-existent, horse-shaped void in a river.'

Sarcasm aside, seeing Law Enforcers among their ranks along the way still made Baron wonder: 'How did the Dragon Eater Association manage to grow to this extent? Are the Law Enforcement Organization and the Old Blood Clans just sitting around doing nothing?'

He completely forgot that he himself, the legendary Escape King of the Inner Side, had already embarrassed the Law Enforcement Organization and the Old Blood Clans many times. Besides shocking the public in the newspapers with the "Counterattack of a Bloodless," he had also caused some government agencies on the Inner Side to start questioning the Law Enforcement Organization's efficiency.

Arriving at the altar, Baron was shocked once again. The so-called altar had been created inside the Monastery's largest chapel by removing all the pews, divine statues, and the like. A massive pit had been dug in the center, probably three or four hundred feet long. Crimson blood churned within it, sending up plumes of steam that gathered into a red cloud beneath the vaulted ceiling. The Bible murals painted on the walls were cast in a sinister, bloody glow by the red cloud.

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