The carriage ride to the main mansion was tense. As Ryan stepped out, the Duke's servants whispered with cautious eyes, but Duchess Maria rushed forward, pulling her son into a fierce embrace.
"Oh, my dear son, I really missed you so much," she cried.
"Good to see you, Mom," Ryan replied. He offered a small lie about remembering her from when he was three, though in truth, his grown-up mind remembered every detail. After a brief reunion, he sought out the Duke.
Inside the private office, Thomas Blackhart stood by the window, his back to the room. The silence was broken only by the crackle of the fireplace as Ryan revealed the truth of the Infernal Mana Core.
"Infernal Mana... The power of the Abyss, harnessed by a child of eight," Thomas muttered. He turned around, his eyes sharp and analytical. "Ryan, do you realize the Holy Inquisition has burned people for less than what you just demonstrated?"
"I do, Father. That is why I'm not asking for your permission to be 'normal.' I'm asking for your support to be powerful. If I can master this, House Blackhart will possess a strength that no other Duchy—not even the Royal Family—can match."
Thomas picked up a Blackhart Dagger Ryan had brought. He channeled a bit of his own Pure Mana into it; the silver-black alloy resonated in a strange, harmonious hum. A small smile appeared on the Duke's face.
"The craftsmanship is... terrifyingly efficient," Thomas admitted. "Very well. I will suppress the rumors. I will tell the court that you are an occultist with a skill for blacksmithing. It's close enough to the truth to satisfy the curious."
"Thank you, Father. Also... I intend to join the Adventurer's Guild in Ashbury. I need real combat data for my assimilation process."
"Ambitious," Thomas mused. "I will allow it, on one condition: a squad of my 'Shadow Guards' will watch from the perimeter. And Amelia... she will report your sanity levels to me every week."
"Agreed," Ryan said.
As the carriage rattled toward Ashbury, Ryan leaned back, visualizing his mental status window. Father's support is a huge buff. Now that the 'Noble' side of my life is secure, I can focus on the 'Game' side. If I remember correctly, the Ashbury Guild has a hidden quest line available only during the 'Year of the Crimson Moon.'
With a clear goal in mind, the Rank 1 player moved forward into his new reality.
******
The carriage jolted over the cobblestone roads as the jagged skyline of Ashbury appeared on the horizon. Ryan watched the city walls through the window, his expression neutral, but his mind was racing with data points and coordinates.
The Year of the Crimson Moon, he mused. In the game, this was a limited-time event that most players missed because they lacked the high-level environmental triggers. If I remember the Istahar Online logs correctly, the moon's influence thins the barrier between the physical world and the infernal plane right beneath the Ashbury sewers.
He looked down at his small hands, sensing the Dark Seed pulsing in rhythm with the city's deep, hidden vibrations. The hidden quest, 'Whispers of the Blood Moon,' was the only way to obtain the Blood-Stained Anvil. While he could eventually forge an anvil himself, it would take years; this relic was the shortcut he needed to reach 20% assimilation before the year's end.
"Young Master, we are approaching the gates," Amelia said, pulling him from his thoughts. "The Adventurer's Guild is in the central district. Shall I handle the initial paperwork?"
"I'll do it," Ryan replied, stepping out of the carriage. "To trigger this quest, I need to interact with the Guild Master directly. A common clerk won't have the dialogue options I need."
As he walked toward the sprawling stone building, the Shadow Guards his father had assigned blended into the crowds and rooftops. Ryan smirked. They didn't realize he could sense their mana signatures perfectly; to his infernal vision, their "Pure Mana" was as bright as thermal heat signatures.
Inside the guild, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of leather and steel. Ryan walked past rowdy C-rankers, heading straight for the main counter.
"Welcome to the Ashbury Branch," the receptionist said, her tone skeptical. "Are you here for a delivery, little lord?"
"I am Ryan Blackhart," he stated, his voice steady. "I am here to register as an adventurer, and I wish to speak with the Branch Manager regarding a Crimson Moon anomaly I've detected in the outskirts."
The receptionist's hand hovered over her papers. "Crimson Moon? That's not a standard monster classification... that's related to demons. Who did you say you were?"
"A Blackhart. And someone who knows exactly why the rats in your basement are starting to grow red fur."
The color drained from her face. "Wait here. I'll ask Guildmaster Edward Harvey about this."
Edward Harvey, Ryan thought as she hurried away. In the lore, he was the predecessor to Lord Valerius. A veteran of the border wars who has seen infernal corruption firsthand. He won't take the mention of the red-furred rats lightly.
Moments later, a heavy set of footsteps echoed from the balcony above. A man with a thick, iron-grey beard and a face mapped with scars peered down. His eyes locked onto Ryan, narrowing with intense scrutiny.
"You. The Blackhart boy. Come up here," Edward barked.
Ryan and Amelia ascended the stairs to the office, a room filled with maps and gruesome monster trophies. Edward slammed the door shut the moment they entered.
"How do you know about the rats?" Edward demanded. "That information was suppressed to prevent panic. Not even the local knights are supposed to know the specifics of the 'red fur' yet."
"I have my ways," Ryan said, unfazed. "But more importantly, I know the red fur is just the beginning. The barrier in the sewers is leaking infernal mana. I'm after the Blood-Stained Anvil hidden in the depths."