As previously mentioned, House Darkan was the closest noble house to the Last Front.
In terms of the land they ruled over, their territory was vast, equivalent to that of a duchy. However, the Solaris Empire did not operate under feudal titles like 'duke' or 'duchess.'
Instead, they used a system of suns.
Suns were rewards granted to citizens who had made remarkable contributions to the empire through academics, battle, technology, or other feats. The more suns accumulated, the greater the privileges and authority granted to the individual or family increased. It was like the empire was saying, anyone could have similar status to a noble, they just had to create influence.
Since pledging allegiance to the empire, House Darkan had earned two suns. And two suns earned one the right to rule over a landmass the size of a duchy.
As they entered Darkan territory, unique structures sprawled before them.
At regular intervals, towering black buildings loomed, while dragons of various sizes flew gracefully from tower to tower, then beneath came the cities. Various sizes of buildings with stalls and shops, with people moving about their business. The scene resembled something from a medieval painting, yet the old-world aesthetics was magic technology.
As they moved into the land, better looking buildings, better dressed people, and the lingering air of wealth. This was where the most-wealthy in the Darkan land were gathered, where most family executives and collateral line resided, and the capital of the whole darkan lands.
"Welcome to Drakos," Tasha said with a smile, turning to Baines, expecting a reaction. But he remained impassive.
Unbothered, she turned away and continued leading the way with her father deeper into the capital.
Soon, they reached the heart of Darkan's domain, the main estate of the darkan family.
Towering gates adorned with dragon designs stood proudly, guarded by two knights at the 5th star. This show alone displayed power anywhere. For a 5th star to be used as a glorified gateman, if that didn't display power, nothing else did.
However, at the sight of their lord, they bowed deeply and greeted with reverence, and the gates opened to allow them entry.
Compared to the Last Front, this was paradise.
Clean, paved roads. Gardens blooming with deep red flowers that honored their ancient bloodline. Dragons soared above the skies in graceful formation. Majestic buildings stretched toward the heavens, but none could rival the colossal structure at the very center.
"Take him to his lodgings," the Darkan head said and turned to Baines. "I'll contact you soon. For now, you're free to do as you please."
With that, he and Tasha disappeared into the main building alongside a small escort.
Before long, Baines was shown to his new quarters, located near the central building.
Luxurious, comfortable, well-equipped, however none of it fazed him.
In the first place, he was no stranger to wealth, having grown up in the Baek family. Food, a bed, a clean space, that was all he needed.
He had learned that simple lifestyle in Ruins of Ashenfall.
"Haa..." he sighed, sinking into the soft bed, dropping his luggage on the ground—a sword and armor gifted to him from the last front.
Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling, recalling the long journey that had brought him here.
Six years and some months had already passed.
His original plan to be sold to the outliers turned to smoke as he was betrayed by a trusted family member. Survived a stab through the heart and saved by Eye's intervention. Waking up amidst the ruins of Ashenfall, learning the sword under Martos, and reaching the 5th star.
He had forged five stars from Ashenfall's legacy and mastered the ancient collections of his ancestors.
He had escaped, crossed paths with a man who subtly changed his perception of the empire, then clawed his way into the Last Front, where he carved out his achievements.
He fought a 6th-star as a 5th-star, devised two battlefield-altering formations, tweaked countless battle techniques, and here he was.
Honestly, he couldn't have hoped for anything better. After actually meeting the outliers, no doubt they would have devoured him, but not before satisfying their sickening desires.
'Everyone... look at how far I've come. It won't be long now.' He closed his eyes, recalling their faces.
He slowly rose and stood before the mirror, and it was messy.
Despite his slightly better luxury, his hygiene in the last front wasn't the best. That wasn't his only concern, fatigue etched across his face.
His last decent sleep was in the ruins.
After a brief inspection, he stripped off his clothes and headed into the bathroom and settled himself in the tub.
'What should I do next?' He needed a plan.
Now that he had left the last front, he needed a way forward. The good thing about leaving the last front at the moment was, he could actively find his family.
For this, achievements alone wouldn't be enough. He had to actively push toward finding his remaining family.
'For that, I need...information.' His eyes widened as the word clicked in his mind.
'Yes, information.' He had almost forgotten. This was a plan, Eye had even helped him out in drafting. In a land this large, there were bound to be intelligence networks operating in the shadows.
He could buy information and use his plant creations as payment; that was what 'Eye' had advised.
A plan quickly formed in his mind.
But he frowned. 'I can't just openly ask about the Baek family from eleven years ago... or the tragedy six years ago.' There was a reason he was using a fake name in the first place. If he just asked, more investigations would delve into his business.
Basically, the end of it was, he would be found, and those masked individuals would get a scent of it.
'Then I'll need someone who can do it for me. I could find someone to do my bidding and pay them. Or I could use an underground group.' He nodded to himself.
'As I gather achievements, I will make lots of enemies along the way, and those enemies are those underground organizations.' A rare small smile tugged his lips.
It turns out, he just had to keep doing what he was doing, and everything would fall in place
He would be killing multiple birds with one stone.
With the plan fresh in his mind, Baines emerged from the bathroom, feeling lighter.
He changed into fresh clothes.
Now, he had to grow stronger, and fast. Though he was already exceptional for his age, it wasn't enough.
Breaking through the 6th star would happen sooner or later; he just needed more opportunities to grasp the will of the sword further, and that likewise needed battle experience.
But that wasn't all he had, he also had the collections he had garnered from his ancestors.
It was high time he began to use them
Baines had twenty collections in total:
The first was Eye. It was his most actively used of the collections.
'It was rumored to be the "All-Seeing Eyes, but just turned out to be a futuristic technology crafted by the Baek family in the future.'
He brought the rest from his storage pouch and laid them on the bed.
"Ancient Genius's Book," He picked out a thick, old-looking brown book. It looked plain, however, in terms of relevance, maybe it was only behind Eye. Also, from a ruin, this tome contained a genius law reader's prediction on the locations of future treasures.
How he had done it was unknown, but the main point was, the book had some locations.
He nodded and looked at his father's collection.
Empty Sword
This was the only weapon he had brought out till now. From the sheath, it could shape energy into any weapon he envisioned.
There was also the red dagger he used to stab himself. He didn't know much about it as Baines hadn't used it, however, he was setting it aside for his revenge
The black cloak.
He began putting this cloak around his neck ever since what Vole Malakar told him. And anytime he looked at it, he remembered his goal, his revenge. It was a cloak that could morph into anything he wanted and had a defensive enhancement that could block sword intent to an extent. This was already the best kind of treasures money could buy, and it wasn't even its main effect.
The spatial pouch that stored anything he wished.
Then there was the nameless Martial arts manual. Eye had translated it to him, yet he didn't understand it. In the end, it all boiled down to comprehension.
Then, there was a black bow. Even with his current ashenfall boosted physical abilities, he still couldn't pull its string.
The Core Bead that granted him a secondary energy core in his heart.
A dual technique that could let him perform two things at the same time, like gathering mana and aura, or performing two aura cultivation techniques. He didn't need this at the moment, but soon, when selecting his cultivation technique, he would need it.
The Silent staff of knowledge. In another part of the world, there was a group of monks who sought knowledge above everything. It was said they had lost their sacred treasure years ago during a war, and here it was.
There was also the dark Sun's degraded divine power.
It was filled with insanely pure mana, but Baines hadn't absorbed any of it into himself yet. It was still in its bead form in his core, and with his technique that could let him cultivate mana and aura, it was still there.
He couldn't understand how he hadn't absorbed it, but it surely had something to do with the Origin arts technique.
Then, there was the Origin Arts Cultivation Manual. He hadn't seen its full extent yet, but from what he knew, it was a technique that gathered only the purest energy into one's core.
It also formed the foundation of his Ashen-Origin technique.
These thirteen were more like support that actively needed him to do something with before they could become useful..
The last seven collections, however...
They were something else entirely.