Imperial Throne

Chapter 5: Three Years

“Brother!”

A dark-skinned young man greeted another young man who was practicing sword swings with a smile.

The young man, silently swinging his sword on the training ground, turned his head upon hearing the voice. His tense facial features finally relaxed into a slight smile.

A few large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks as he turned, dripping from his chin onto the ground.

Beneath his feet, a small patch of land had become noticeably darker compared to the surrounding area.

“You're back?”

“Mm.” The dark-skinned young man nodded joyfully. “Father finally managed to purchase the last ingredient during his trip to the city. He can now prepare a bottle of the potion for you.”

As he spoke, he lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear.

These two were the brothers from Ion's family, who had previously fled from the Gem Territory.

It had been three years since their escape.

Now, the second son, Yam, was nineteen, and the third son, Akar, was sixteen. According to the standards of the Tyrella Kingdom, anyone over sixteen was considered an adult.

Over the past two years, Ion had been tirelessly collecting ingredients for the [Flame Hound] potion throughout the White Mountain Territory.

He even ventured into the mountains with a rusty sword several times, hoping to help his two sons become Bloodline Users. After all, he possessed a complete inheritance of the [Flame Hound] bloodline.

Not only did he have the Bloodline Stimulation Method, but he also had the formula for the corresponding Bloodline potion!

This made Ion increasingly aware that the rusty sword his eldest son had purchased was no ordinary weapon.

Yam had accompanied his father on a few trips but gained little. He then decided to focus on learning the kingdom's military swordsmanship, taking over his father's role as the militia instructor in their small mountain village, responsible for training the village's militia.

Perhaps Yam had a greater aptitude for swordsmanship.

He found the kingdom's military swordsmanship to be intuitive and efficient. In just two years, his proficiency had already surpassed his father's.

Previously, Yam had decided that if he couldn't gather all the ingredients for the [Flame Hound] potion by the time he turned twenty, he would enlist in the army.

Consequently, he stopped accompanying his father to collect ingredients and dedicated himself to practicing the kingdom's military swordsmanship.

Unexpectedly, he now received such good news.

Yam couldn't help but show joy and excitement on his face.

However, he quickly furrowed his brow and asked in a low voice, “Only one dose?”

“Only one.” Akar nodded helplessly. “The other ingredients are easy to find; if necessary, Father can hunt them in the mountains. But the most crucial ingredient, the heart of a Flame Hound, is extremely rare. Especially in the White Mountain Territory, where there are no Flame Hound populations. Father managed to buy one from a merchant caravan, thanks to connections he had made during previous trips to the city. But it cost ten gold coins.”

Upon hearing this, Yam's face showed shock.

Ten gold coins!

“Why is it so expensive? I thought it was only four or five gold coins at most. This is double the price!”

“The Red River Territory has been at war with the Gem Territory for the past two years, disrupting several trade routes. Many merchant caravans avoid that area now.” Akar's face also showed helplessness. “Recently, only the Red Soil Territory has had sightings of Flame Hounds, but to get there, one must pass through the Red River Territory. The caravan leader said that ten gold coins were a favor because Father had helped them before. Otherwise, it would have cost at least fifteen gold coins. If transported further to Iceport, it could sell for over thirty gold coins.”

“It's the Gem Territory again.” Yam cursed with resentment. “So, what will you do?”

“Hehe, Second Brother, your swordsmanship is better than both Father’s and mine. As long as you succeed, we can make a trip to the Red Soil Territory ourselves.” Akar chuckled, a hint of pride on his face.

Hearing his younger brother's words, Yam smiled wryly and shook his head.

He had always known his brother was very clever, which was why he supported Akar in accompanying their father to the city while he took over their father's duties.

“Have you considered what happens if I fail?”

“Then I'll enlist in the army with you.” Akar shrugged. “The kingdom's army provides bloodlines too, and they're free.”

Yam fell silent upon hearing Akar's words.

He realized that his brother had seen through his thoughts.

The White Mountain Territory was not a prosperous land. Its soil was infertile, with limited arable land, and although mountainous, it lacked mineral resources.

Life for the inhabitants was relatively difficult. Fortunately, the lord was a benevolent person who imposed few taxes and harsh policies.

Apart from the fixed biannual taxes, the only other levies were the head tax for entering the city and the goods transaction tax.

When Ion's family fled here years ago, they saved several hunters during their journey, earning the favor of the village chief of Fisher Village, who took them in.

Later, thanks to Ion's presence, the village survived a bandit attack. As a result, the village chief appointed Ion as the militia instructor.

However, to this day, the villagers of Fisher Village remained unaware that Ion was a Bloodline User.

Even so, Ion’s family could only save up less than a single gold coin each year.

This time, spending ten gold coins had completely drained the family’s savings from over a decade.

Yam felt immense pressure.

“Brother, we aren’t a bloodline family, no one really knows what bloodlines are like. Even Father became a Bloodline User by pure chance.” Akar shook his head, trying to comfort his older brother.

“You don’t need to stress this much. If it really doesn’t work out, we can just enlist in the army together. Or maybe pledge ourselves to the lord of White Mountain Territory, that wouldn’t be a bad choice, right?”

“Mm,” Yam responded.

Indeed, pledging to the lord of White Mountain Territory had been one of Yam’s original suggestions.

Because of the scarcity of resources in White Mountain Territory, the lord couldn’t afford to support many Bloodline Knights.

He had only three household knights, unlike the Gem Territory and Red River Territory, where even five or six knights were common.

Previously, Yam and Ion had investigated the matter. They learned that the White Mountain lord, Mike Eisen, treated his household knights fairly well.

Of the five villages in the territory, three had already been granted as fiefs. If Ion were to pledge himself, he might very well be granted a village.

However, considering the peculiar nature of the rusty sword at home, they hadn’t taken that step.

Although the three knights of White Mountain each had their fiefdoms, they didn’t actually live in the villages.

The village chiefs handled daily affairs, while the knights and their families lived in the lord’s manor.

If Ion were to pledge himself, hiding the rusty sword would be impossible.

With their minds full of thoughts, the two brothers returned home to find their father, Ion, already busy preparing the Bloodline potion.

…

Inside the sword, Robin quietly observed Ion’s actions.

After more than two years of recovery, he was now able to perceive the area within a five-meter radius around the rusty sword, independent of the swordbearer’s senses.

Though the range was still limited, it was more than enough to clearly see everything inside Ion’s small home.

In an instant, he realized that Ion was preparing the [Flame Hound] Bloodline potion.

He didn’t fully understand what the [Universal Bloodline Power] truly was, but he had seen Bloodline Users slay gods, so he considered himself to have some understanding.

What puzzled him was how the art of bloodlines had devolved into its current form.

In Robin’s memory, the [Universal Bloodline Power] had originally been a manifestation of the commoners’ own innate potential, something akin to a natural gift.

Yet now, the Bloodline Stimulation Method and Bloodline potions had become nearly indispensable.

Each bloodline required its own unique stimulation method.

For example, the [Violent Bear] bloodline primarily stimulated physical strength and endurance, whereas the [Flame Hound] targeted breathing rhythm and blood supply speed.

Robin speculated, based on the fact that the [Violent Bear] could manifest two distinct abilities, that the [Flame Hound] likely had more than one as well, and that the [Blood Flame] was merely one of them.

He suspected that differences in how the bloodline manifested might lie in the ratios and substitutions used in the potion.

For instance, the main ingredient of the [Flame Hound] potion had to be its heart, but three of the five secondary materials could be substituted, and all eight expendable materials had alternative options.

Among the materials Ion had gathered over the past two years, all but a few non-substitutable ingredients had been replaced with substitutes.

If he had attempted to collect the exact ingredients from the formula Robin remembered, it would have cost well over a hundred gold coins, yet another reason why becoming a Bloodline User was a luxury only the wealthy could afford.

Another barrier for commoners to ascend into Bloodline Users was compatibility.

Even though Ion had gathered materials for one bloodline potion, it would only yield ten doses.

If Yam failed to activate his bloodline power within those ten doses using the stimulation method, then not only would the materials go to waste, but it would also confirm that he was incompatible with the [Flame Hound] bloodline.

Just as Ion had once failed to activate the [Violent Bear] bloodline.

Theoretically, every person could try three to five different bloodlines, but how many commoners had that luxury? One potion could bankrupt a family, who could afford a second or third?

This was also why among the Bloodline Nobles, there was a common saying, “The offspring of a Bloodline User isn’t necessarily a Bloodline User.”

…

Yam and Akar returned home and immediately began helping their father with the potion preparation.

Calling it “preparation” was a bit generous, it mainly involved grinding ingredients into powder and gradually adding them into a special vessel for brewing.

The [Flame Hound] bloodline belonged to the fire element, fiery, wild, and frenzied.

Of the eight expendable ingredients, six enhanced its fire properties.

Meanwhile, the secondary ingredients were meant to neutralize its violent nature, preventing the concoction from becoming a dangerous poison that could drive the user mad.

Thus, the cauldron had to be made from water- or ice-elemental minerals, and the fire used for heating had to be wind-elemental, capable of stimulating fire properties.

Akar managed the fire. Yam steadily added expendable and secondary materials into the ice cauldron. Ion kept watch over the color changes of the mixture.

Though it was their first attempt, the family of three worked with surprising coordination.

Before long, all materials were added, and the wind-elemental fuel was used up. Suddenly, a soft “poof” came from the cauldron.

The once thick, pitch-black substance cracked open, and violet-red liquid began to bubble forth, releasing a pungent aroma.

“It worked!” Ion exclaimed with excitement as he watched the fiery, violet-red liquid emerge.

He knew that his two years of effort hadn’t been in vain, this batch of the [Flame Hound] Bloodline potion was a success!

Now, what truly worried him was whether his son could successfully awaken the [Flame Hound] bloodline.

“Father!”

Akar’s sudden, low exclamation cut through Ion’s joy.

“Look!”