That thing around my neck is really tight."
This was Byrne's first thought as he regained consciousness, followed by a strong sense of suffocation. His ears buzzed like a beehive, his lungs burned, yet he couldn't draw a single breath.
He thrashed about like a fish out of water, kicking and flailing in mid-air. Each struggle sent a searing pain through his neck. Just as his strength was about to give out and his consciousness began to fade—
"Snap."
The rope broke.
He fell hard onto the cold ground, a sharp pain shooting through his body. His chest heaved as he gulped in air, and unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
A blinding white light shone on a black stone platform. In the center of the platform, a crystal ball the size of a human head quietly floated. Countless eyes were focused there. Byrne Francis's hand was being held by another calloused hand, pressing it toward the surface of the orb.
"Concentrate, child," the voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Let the crystal respond to you."
Time passed, but the crystal ball showed no reaction.
The gray-robed wizard made his merciless pronouncement: "No aptitude. Next."
"No, how is this possible? Let me try again—"
An invisible hand grabbed the struggling Byrne and threw him out.
From then on, he spent his days idle and depressed, finding solace in alcohol. He had managed to get by, but then his Count father suddenly died and demanded he return to his territory, no longer staying in the capital.
More and more blows made it impossible for him to accept.
"Returning to the territory is worse than death."
He unsteadily climbed onto a stool, put the rope around his neck, kicked over the stool… The memory ended there.
Byrne looked at the ceiling beam, muttering, "Better to live a bad life than to die a good one. What was there to be so upset about?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang in his mind.
"The Hall of Heroes is at your service."
A magnificent temple floated in his mind. The enormous structure was indistinct, only its mountain-like outline visible. An invisible force pulled him toward the Hall of Heroes. His vision was instantly covered in a golden light.
After a brief blindness, tens of thousands of stone seats appeared before him, floating in the air. Each seat held a figure. They struck various poses, exuding powerful auras: knights wielding greatswords, bards holding harps, white-haired bald scientists, agronomists with hoes on their shoulders…
Suddenly, the floating stardust in the air paused, and the surrounding space solidified. An ancient stone tablet appeared before Byrne. The surface was conspicuously marked with axe and sword cuts, and golden olive branches entwined its edges. Mysterious characters appeared on the stone tablet.
[Hall of Heroes]
[Byrne Francis]
[Identity: Lord of Storm Territory (Unappointed)]
[Level: LV1 (Ordinary Person)]
[Heroic Spirits: Awaiting Inheritance]
[Heroic Spirit Points: 0 points]
[Hall of Heroes Rules: Completing Heroic Spirit missions grants Heroic Spirit Points. Using Heroic Spirit Points to exchange for Heroic Spirits allows a territorial resident to inherit all of a Heroic Spirit's strength, skills, knowledge, and weaponry. After inheritance, they will be eternally loyal to the Lord.]
[Mission types include the Iron Age, Technology Age, Mythological Age…]
[Complete the initial mission to activate the Hall's Heroic Spirit inheritance function]
[Heroic Spirit Mission: Acquire a territory and successfully assume office]
[Reward: 10 Heroic Spirit Points, Territory Map]
At this moment, a knock came from the door.
"Lord, we should depart." A hoarse voice came from outside the room. It was his father's most trusted knight, who had become Byrne's knight after his father's death.
"Coming."
Today was the day Byrne was to travel from the capital to his territory. The territory was called Storm Territory. The name sounded grand, but in reality, the territory contained only a small town, located at the southernmost tip of the Rock Kingdom, a coastal town.
He took a silk ribbon and tied it around his neck to cover the rope marks. He pushed open the heavy door, walked through the opulent corridor, and reached the entrance of the manor. All the luggage was packed. He got into the carriage and headed south.
After a day and a night of travel, Byrne and his party finally entered the Storm Territory.
He pulled back the curtain on the side of the carriage. "Cotton, how much longer until we reach the town?"
Cotton was Byrne's guardian knight, the most capable helper his father had left him, and the captain of the knight squad.
"Lord, Wind Town is just ahead."
Byrne stepped out of the carriage and stood beside the coachman, looking in the direction Cotton was pointing. He saw a stone road marker with the words Wind Town carved on it.
He wanted to see what kind of territory could make the original owner so distraught.