Although Dusk wasn’t too worried about the reappearance of ancient beings, he couldn’t be certain about the timing.
In his previous life, it was clear that those entities had taken many years to return—and even then, their strength was far from their peak.
But now, the pace of this era had quickened significantly. Therefore, he needed to prepare more thoroughly to minimize the risks.
"What’s an Avatar?" Lysandra asked.
Though she had beco less anxious about divine-like beings suddenly showing up to smite her, she still couldn’t afford to take the matter lightly.
"Avatars," Dusk explained, "are individuals blessed by high-ranking demons. Humans, however, cannot create Avatars. These people, although technically subordinates to the demons, are bound to them in an inseparable and irreplaceable way—unless they’re killed. Those chosen as Avatars not only retain their own powers but also receive a portion of the demon’s might. However, that granted power will never exceed the Avatar’s rank."
While Avatars were indeed stronger than others at the sa level, the difference wasn’t overwhelming.
A Heart Master of the sa rank—with a well-devised strategy and excellent control over their abilities—could absolutely defeat an Avatar.
It was precisely because of this balance within equal-ranked combatants that, in his past life, Dusk had been ganged up on by many enemies, rather than facing a lone opponent.
Though the three of them were hearing this concept for the first ti, they quickly realized that Avatars weren’t as terrifying as they had initially imagined.
Just as Dusk had said, with numbers on their side, they could eliminate such foes.
"Have you ever encountered an Avatar before?" Caelan asked.
In his view, Dusk simply knew far too much. It wasn’t reasonable for soone to gather that much information just by sitting still.
He was convinced that Dusk must have previously encountered ancient beings and Avatars—there was no other way he could speak with such experience.
Dusk was genuinely surprised by Caelan’s sharp deduction. Coincidentally, he had been planning to talk to them about this very topic—but only if they agreed to hear him out.
"There are many important matters still ahead, like how to beco a Heart Master and information regarding an Avatar who may soon target your family. So, what do you two think about Veilrose joining the Great Love Guild? It would be ideal if we stood on the sa side." Dusk spoke with a serious tone, his sharp gaze locking onto them.
He wasn’t joking. He was earnestly seeking valuable allies. If they refused or gave no positive signal, they could forget about getting any more information.
What Dusk had shared so far sounded significant, but its imdiate practicality was still limited.
They didn’t yet know about the existence of spirit fruit nor the deeper intricacies of a Heart Master’s powers. Everything Dusk had said so far was only a surface-level explanation of abilities and the current situation.
Caelan didn’t give an imdiate answer. Instead, he turned toward Tharion, as though silently asking for his counsel. After all, Tharion was still the eldest among them.
But Tharion simply shook his head, clearly indicating he would not be the one to decide.
"I’ve already stepped back," he said. "The family is under your leadership now. I believe you have the capability and vision to lead the Veilrose to even greater prosperity."
Hearing that, Caelan could only nod. His father wasn’t wrong—he was the current head of the family.
After thinking for a mont, he decided it was still too soon to rush into an alliance. Dusk might indeed possess a wealth of valuable information, but that alone wasn’t enough.
His reputation at the mont was abysmal—viewed by society as nothing more than a criminal and a disgrace.
If the Veilrose family were to align themselves openly with Dusk now, they would inevitably be dragged through the mud and suffer severe losses.
Of course, they could try to clear his na—or rather, refra the narrative to help others understand his true greatness. But realistically, the chances of that succeeding were slim.
In the end, Caelan chose to make a promise instead.
"For now, I won’t officially join your Great Love Guild," Caelan said at last, "but I will secretly support certain efforts. If, in the future, you can prove that your guild is strong enough to secure a firm foothold in this new era, then we’ll consider joining."
His aning was clear—Dusk simply didn’t have enough value yet.
’As expected. These old foxes really are hard to persuade. In the end, they’re just being overly cautious. Still, this promise isn’t bad. It’s within acceptable bounds.’
Dusk thought to himself, then his mind drifted toward two other people: Darius and Garrick. The two played key roles in developing his influence in Duskwatch, and in his eyes, they were more trustworthy than the Veilrose family.
But those two had many shortcomings. This was their first ti stepping into this kind of world. If they had so outside support, things would go far more smoothly.
"Very well. In Duskwatch, there are two individuals nad Darius and Garrick. I don’t know their exact whereabouts at the mont, but I believe your family has the resources to find them. I won’t place any specific requests, but if you can, I’d like you to assist them as much as possible."
Caelan committed the nas to mory, then nodded.
"Alright. That won’t be a problem. Now, it’s ti for you to share the more important things with us."
Suddenly, Dusk turned his gaze toward Lysandra, which left her visibly confused. She couldn’t think of any reason why the next part would concern her.
"Do you rember when you found ?" he asked. "The reason I was injured like that... it was because I encountered a lunatic—an Avatar. That man could wield fire and had burned down an entire mansion nearby. I believe you’ve heard about the large fire. But there’s sothing even more important: there’s a high chance your family will be his next target."
Dusk’s words struck like a thunderclap, echoing inside everyone’s heads. No matter how they thought about it, they never would have guessed that the first Avatar they’d ever heard of was already gunning for them.
"Hey, you’re not joking, right?" Tharion frowned deeply. "Why the hell would he be targeting us? Sure, we’ve been in business for years and done so shady things, but nothing that bad. Not enough to stir up that kind of deadly hatred."
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