They all call me Great Master

The fervor in Little Lion's eyes was filled with a greed that was almost tangible and...

bewildering.

Greed stems from the truest desires of the heart.

He had waited too long.

He wanted to uncover Count Bert's 'undying' secret. Upon learning of this from his father, he harbored this thought.

As a king, he deemed it only fitting to be undying.

And as a king, while waiting for an opportunity, he was also preparing himself.

He didn't mind using Arthur as a stepping stone, and he was ready to step in himself if necessary.

Therefore—

Ever since he first laid eyes on Count Bert, everything was aimed at probing this moment. The shock, disbelief, mixed fear displayed in his emotions, and the endless stream of secret techniques were all tests.

Fortunately, he succeeded in probing.

"Time!

It was actually time!

Hahaha!"

Unable to hold back, Little Lion laughed happily, his laughter loud and unrestrained.

If 'flesh compensation' was the lowest tier, the limit of Little Lion's patience, then 'time' was what Little Lion desired most and welcomed most willingly.

He had pursued 'time' countless times.

But to no avail.

Though the Golden Lion Family had records of the 'Time Dragon' and 'Helk's Twenty-Seven Tools. Time Sword,' the Time Dragon vanished during an unknown great war in the Age of the Gods.

As for the 'Time Sword,' the foremost of 'Helk's Twenty-Seven Tools'?

It was Helk's personal sword, which required finding the master to obtain it.

This was nearly impossible, even harder than finding the vanished Time Dragon.

After all, the master's whereabouts were always elusive.

Their character defies precise description by words.

And their strength was known as 'godlike.'

Thus, Little Lion set his eyes on the 'Time Dragon'—the living 'Time Dragon' had disappeared. Dead ones?

Highly likely they still existed.

Even obtaining a scale, or some blood, would be good.

However, this too was fraught with difficulty.

Even after spending innumerable manpower and resources, he only gathered a few words a decade ago.

Possibly in Bert Territory.

Just possible.

Not accurate enough.

Even biased sometimes.

Nevertheless, Little Lion continued attempting in that direction, speculating whether it was connected with Count Bert.

Now!

It finally proved true!

It was Count Bert!

He didn't know whether Count Bert had obtained a scale, blood, or some other more precious materials from the 'Time Dragon.'

He only knew that now these were his—

"Hand it over!"

A whisper, the fervor in Little Lion's right eye transformed into layers upon layers of unclear [Glyphic Language], which eventually turned pitch black.

This pitch blackness did not only fill Little Lion's right eye but also turned the entire secret chamber dark.

When the layered [Glyphic Language] appeared in Little Lion's right eye, Count Bert's face for the first time showed surprise and panic.

His whole body retreated swiftly.

A speed long beyond ordinary comprehension.

But, the darkness was swifter.

As if, upon appearance, it enveloped the surroundings.

"Count Bert, have you ever heard of the 'Thief's Door'?"

Little Lion's voice carried a hint of pride.

"Of course.

The 'Thief's Door,' a tool crafted with his path as an anchor point by the 'Gentleman Thief' Carmen, implanted into his right eye, alongside 'Fearless Thief' in his left eye, was key to his 'ascending step,' always advancing. However, in the Silver Era of year 160, when the Gentleman Thief was 151 years old, due to dissatisfaction with the 'Blood Marquis's' kin for their unrestrained 'Blood Hunting,' this 'Gentleman Thief' went to the Blood Marquis realm.

The result?

The Gentle Thief lost!

Unusually lost!

It was a disastrous failure, nearly costing his life, not only was he severely injured, but his right eye was plucked by the 'Blood Marquis' and placed in the 'Bloodline Clan's' collection.

After that?

With the Blood Marquis's son massacring the Bloodline Clan, everything vanished without a trace.

Until it reappeared here."

Count Bert replied.

His voice was clear, maintaining a calm demeanor even more.

Gone was his previous panic.

This surprised Little Lion.

Immediately, a sense of unease arose in his heart.

But Count Bert's words continued.

"Indeed...

The massacre of the Bloodline Clan was the doing of the Golden Lion Family, and your family should have been aware of that incident back then, thus getting furious, right?"

Count Bert countered.

"Ha, aren't you angry?

We were all played like monkeys!"

Little Lion coldly laughed and then began probing Count Bert, hinting at a similar 'same camp'.

Of course, the 'Thief's Door' continued operating.

"Don't be like that.

A loss is a loss.

When facing the victor, one must show the humility of the defeated."

Count Bert denied it.

With the assistance of the 'Thief's Door', Little Lion could clearly 'see' the Count nodding slightly, with the corners of his mouth...

a sneer.

Little Lion knew well that the sneer from Count Bert was certainly not directed at the victor 'Blood Marquis'.

It was aimed at him!

He didn't get what he wanted.

The 'Thief's Door' did not steal the ability he wanted.

Count Bert's 'undying' was not sourced from time.

He was deceived.

Almost instantly, this heir of the Inner Bay thought of the information he accidentally obtained a decade ago regarding some 'Time Dragon' materials appearing in an ancient tomb.

Seemingly perceiving Little Lion's thought, Count Bert nodded generously.

"Correct.

It was news I deliberately released."

"To lure me in?"

Little Lion frowned tightly.

Before, he had more than once overestimated Count Bert.

But now it appeared, he still underestimated this count.

If indeed the other party started laying plans a decade ago, then how deep and meticulous must the opponent's calculation be?

The mere thought of it was terrifying.

Fortunately, Count Bert shook his head.

"Impossible!

I am not one for scheming; the information I spread was for self-protection!"

"Self-protection?

To hide your true abilities?!"

In a moment, Little Lion guessed Count Bert's aim before him.

"You see, I prefer talking to intelligent people.

Because it always saves me time and effort.

So, could you keep being clever?

After all—

I never imagined that the serendipitous layout back then would eventually confirm the murderer of the Bloodline Clan massacre, then, Glesia Hamlet, could you reveal the truth of that incident to me?"

As he spoke, Count Bert raised his hand and gouged out Little Lion's right eye.