Chương 86: The Bloodline of the Grand Duke of Ash

Upon hearing Richard's question, Isabella lowered her eyes and sighed softly, "I—came here to find someone talented."

Richard blinked.

"Looking for someone? Who could be so important that an imperial family member would personally come looking for them?"

Isabella paused for a few seconds, then said, "Now that things have come to this, it's okay to tell you."

"In the north of our empire, there is a renowned Conrad family, whose patriarch is a hereditary duke and often a powerful sorcerer skilled in fire magic, hence he is also known as the Duke of Ashes."

"The current Grand Duke of Ashes is named Franz. He is of noble character and powerful, living up to the name of his ancestors. Logically, he should be able to ensure the prosperity of the family and guard the increasingly turbulent northern border for the empire. However—"

"About three months ago, he was attacked by several powerful individuals while inspecting his territory, and ultimately succumbed to his injuries."

"What's worse, he had few children, and his only son and grandson happened to be with him at the time, and they both met a tragic end."

"With this, the direct bloodline of the Conrad family came to an end."

Upon hearing this, Richard's eyes widened in surprise.

He knew the name of Grand Duke Franz of Ashes.

This man has been famous for decades, and even in the distant Gulf region, many poets recite his story, and Richard himself can sing many of the poems.

I never imagined that such a powerful figure was already dead.

And they were childless!

Isabella continued, "In the aftermath of this tragedy, the entire empire is eager to select a new person to inherit the name, power, and responsibility of the Grand Duke of Ashes."

"But this is more difficult than anyone expected."

"This is because the Conrad family is different from ordinary sorcerer families. They worship an ancient fairy, and each generation's head of the family must first sign a contract with her to obtain her power in order to fully activate their bloodline and take control of the family's legacy."

"The problem lies with this fairy. After Franz died, she rejected all the remaining members of the Conrad family, claiming that Franz still had direct descendants in the world, and that she would and would only sign a contract with that person."

"Left with no other choice, the entire empire had to search for Franz's lost bloodline."

"During this time, I visited a reliable prophet, from whom I learned that Franz's son had impregnated a prostitute, who, by some twist of fate, ended up in Phoenix and gave Franz a female offspring —" Richard suddenly realized.

"So this is the real reason you came to Phoenix City—but if you're looking for someone, why did you have to pretend to be someone else?"

Why not just state our purpose directly and then get the nobles of Phoenix to cooperate?

Isabella explained, "Because it's not just the Imperials looking for the descendants of the Ash Duke; the Empire's enemies are looking too."

"Furthermore, there's a lot of internal strife within the Empire, to the point that some people don't want to see me get what I want—well, if we go any further, it involves some headaches, and it'll probably take a long time to explain. Richard, are you sure you want to hear it?"

Richard immediately shook his head so hard it left an afterimage.

He had already experienced enough of the internal strife within the country during his history classes in his previous life.

Isabella smiled.

"I guess you don't like to hear this either. Anyway, the reason I disguised my identity was to minimize the disturbance as much as possible and ensure that no unsuitable person finds the descendant of the Ash Duke before me."

Richard pressed further: "Then why aren't you pretending anymore?"

Putting everything else aside, it's obvious that everyone on Thumb Island knows Isabella is a princess.

Faced with this question, Isabella, for the first time ever, pouted like a sulky little girl. After pausing for several seconds, she finally managed to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth: "Because I failed."

"It failed?"

"Hmm, we only found a few graves, and then all the clues went cold. We also used up all the precious scrolls that could be used to identify bloodlines. Perhaps, the prophecy was wrong from the start."

Isabella managed a wry smile as she finished speaking.

Clearly, all the efforts of the past month have been in vain, and even a princess would find it difficult to face it with equanimity.

Richard pursed his lips, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but since it was the first time he had heard about this, he hadn't quite sorted things out in his mind, nor did he know the gravity of the situation, so he didn't know where to begin.

Isabella continued, "Since the operation failed, there was little point in me hiding my identity. After unexpectedly learning that Master Ignas had also come to Phoenix City, I revealed my identity and came to visit him. He had taught me swordsmanship in the Empire and could be considered my half-teacher."

"And then—well, I reunited with you, Richard~" Looking at Richard, her tone lifted slightly, and her mood finally became more positive.

Richard, however, immediately thought of another problem.

"You came looking for someone, but couldn't find them, so you came to visit Master Ignas. Now the master has left, in other words—are you about to leave as well?"

Isabella nodded: "You guessed right, in a few days I will also be setting off back to the Empire."'

"" Although they hadn't known each other for very long, Richard couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

"What, still want to keep surprising each other?" Isabella winked and smiled.

"Then, how about coming to the Empire with me?"

Richard: "Huh?"

"The stage of Phoenix City is too small for you. Moreover, you are now completely hated by the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and the Phoenix family. Even if they don't dare to retaliate against you for the time being, they will definitely make some underhanded moves in the long run."

Isabella took two more steps forward, getting so close that she could feel Richard's breath. Her long, curved eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said in a rather seductive voice, "So, I truly believe that you can come back to the Empire with me."

Richard squinted and began to seriously consider the proposal.

And the more I thought about it, the more excited I became.

Firstly, William is in the Empire, and as long as he still wants revenge, he will definitely have to go there.

Secondly, he was a bard, and his profession name contained the word "wander," meaning he was born to travel the world. The Empire—the strongest nation on the continent—was something he couldn't afford to miss.

In conclusion, he will go to the empire sooner or later.

Since we're going there sooner or later, what reason is there not to go with Isabella?

However, since it was time to leave the hometown where I grew up, I still felt a little reluctant before leaving.

Across from her, Isabella noticed Richard's hesitation and smiled, "It's alright, there's no need to rush into a decision. I'll stay around Phoenix City for a few more days. If you have any ideas, just come find me at the Temple of the Church of Radiance."

"And then—oh right, I almost forgot, there's one more thing I need to tell you."

Isabella's eyes widened suddenly, then she pulled something still warm from her bosom and handed it to Richard—