The Old Saintess stepped outside, her gaze lifted toward the towering structure in the distance—
The Inheritance Tower.
The truth would be revealed soon enough.
Klaus exhaled slowly.
Then, without another word, he followed.
***
Max and Callie stood before the towering Inheritance Tower, its black surface glistening under the dim light of the city.
The air was heavy, thick with anticipation.
Around them, hundreds of young guild mbers had gathered.
Their eyes were locked onto him.
So looked at him with profound respect, as if he were a legendary figure pulled from ancient myths.
Others…
Their gazes burned with envy, jealousy, sharp like daggers—yet none dared to act on it.
And Max didn't need to guess their thoughts.
Because he could 'feel' them.
'They won't go against .'
The certainty of that realization struck deep.
This wasn't ego.
This wasn't assumption.
This was instinct.
Sothing within their very bloodline made them 'incapable' of directly opposing him.
That was the truth.
A truth that ran deeper than conscious thought—
A fundantal law of their existence.
And then—
A thought surfaced.
'Is that why everyone knows about my secret?'
The idea clicked into place.
If those with the Black Lotus bloodline were 'bound' to loyalty, then it made sense.
It wasn't just rumors that spread his identity.
It wasn't just whispers in the dark.
They were told everything about him.
But then…
A shadow of doubt crept in.
Because Max rembered.
He rembered how he obtained this bloodline.
A forr leader of the Black Lotus Guild had stolen the bloodline treasure.
He had betrayed the guild.
And then—he died in a dungeon.
And in the aftermath…
Max had been the one to inherit it.
If the bloodline truly prevented betrayal—
Then why had the previous leader been able to take it and leave?
That shouldn't have been possible.
But it had happened.
And that realization sent a chill through him.
'So it's not absolute.'
The loyalty wasn't unbreakable.
There were exceptions.
People who could go against the guild.
People who could defy the instinctual force that bound them.
And if one person had done it before—
Then others could too.
Max's expression remained calm, unreadable.
But his thoughts sharpened.
'I don't like those chances.'
Because a bond that can break once… can break again.
Max's gaze flickered over the gathered crowd once more.
Even if their blood compelled them to follow him…
He wouldn't rely on sothing so fickle.
Loyalty gained through instinct wasn't true loyalty—
It was control.
And control could always be broken.
But then—
His mind turned over a new possibility.
'If my bloodline can suppress everyone, regardless of power…'
'Can I also control them?'
His sharp gaze swept across the countless young n and won surrounding him.
So eyes held respect.
So burned with envy.
So brimd with curiosity.
And so… held fear.
If their bloodline instinctively acknowledged his authority, did that an he could make them obey beyond just intimidation?
Could he command them?
Bend them to his will?
Would his authority be absolute?
Or was there a limit?
Max turned to Callie, his expression unreadable, but his eyes—sharp.
"Tell sothing."
His voice was calm but carried a weight of expectation.
"Why is it that my identity is known to so many in your guild?"
Callie didn't even flinch.
She didn't hesitate.
She simply shook her head.
"Not 'everyone' knows," she corrected, her voice even.
"But at least 'most' do."
Max's frown deepened slightly.
That wasn't much of a difference.
Callie continued, her tone steady.
"Our intelligence network has always functioned this way."
She spoke as if she were stating an undeniable truth.
"Any information we gather—whether it's sothing we acquire, sothing important to the guild, or intelligence that could influence us—is shared with 'almost all our mbers' to improve efficiency."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Your identity wasn't an exception."
Max remained silent.
Processing. Calculating.
This wasn't about loyalty or even bloodline instinct—
It was strategy.
A system built on trust through knowledge-sharing.
Which ant—
It wasn't just that they 'knew' who he was.
They had accepted him before he even had a chance to reject them.
A guild that knew too much.
Max's brow twitched.
He hadn't expected that kind of answer.
His first instinct had been to assu it was so sort of bloodline resonance—
A natural awareness, passed through their lineage.
But no—this was different.
This was a deliberate choice.
The Black Lotus Guild actively spread intelligence throughout its ranks, ensuring that all mbers were aware of critical figures—
Including him.
It was… unusual.
Most powers relied on secrecy to protect their valuable assets.
Yet, here—knowledge wasn't restricted. It was shared.
A network built on awareness, rather than isolation.
A system where every mber knew too much—
And yet, sohow, the guild remained intact.
That didn't sit right with him.
His gaze darkened slightly.
"Aren't you afraid so will betray the guild?"
It was a simple question.
A logical one.
But Callie didn't even pause.
She rely smiled faintly.
"We don't worry about that."
Max's eyes narrowed.
"And why's that?"
Callie's smile didn't fade.
If anything—it sharpened.
And then—
She spoke, her tone calm—but absolute.
"Because if any mber of our guild 'betrays' us…"
"They will 'lose their bloodline forever.'"
"And they will 'die.'"
Max froze.
His thoughts halted.
Then, his gaze slowly honed in on Callie.
"What do you an by that?"
His voice was controlled, steady—
But underneath, his mind was racing.
A bloodline that could be 'revoked'?
A power that enforced loyalty not through choice, but through 'death?'
This wasn't just about trust.
This was control.
And if that was true—
Then he had just uncovered one of the darkest truths about the Black Lotus Guild.
"Its is what is it is." Callie said once again. "Those who betrays the guild, their only fate is death."
Max stilled.
For a mont, the noise of the crowd around them faded into the background.
He studied her expression, searching for any hint of deception. But Callie's face remained composed, as if she had simply stated a fact.
His mind processed the implications.
The Black Lotus Bloodline wasn't just a power—it was a binding contract. A contract that, once broken, didn't just strip soone of their strength… it killed them.
Max let out a slow breath.
'So that's the price of betrayal.'
At that mont, a realization struck Max like a bolt of lightning.
'The previous leader… he didn't steal the bloodline out of greed.'
It had always seed strange to him.
If the bloodline was so dangerous that it had nearly killed him, then countless others before him must have also perished trying to claim it.
So why would soone as powerful as a guild leader take such a reckless risk?
Why would a man—who already stood at the top of the Black Lotus Guild—
Throw everything away for sothing so uncertain?
Then, suddenly—
Everything clicked.
Maybe…
He hadn't stolen it for personal gain.
Maybe he had no choice.
If the Black Lotus Bloodline was an unbreakable contract—
One that killed its mbers the mont they betrayed the guild—
Then the previous leader couldn't have simply abandoned them.
Not without dying.
Unless—
He found a way to break free.
And the only way to do that—
Was to possess a stronger bloodline.
A bloodline that wasn't just superior—
But absolute.
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