37: confusion

The next morning.

Charles Manor, castle dining room.

Cracking wood burned in the warm fireplace, dispelling the chill of winter.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted bread and fried meat.

Li Ke sat at the head of the long dining table.

In front of him was a sizzling steak, its cut revealing an enticing pink.

He held the silver knife and fork, his movements elegant, slowly cutting the meat.

Threads of blood oozed out slightly, emitting an alluring meaty aroma.

Butler Barton, dressed in a black butler uniform,

Stood respectfully to the side, his grizzled hair meticulously combed.

Taking advantage of Li Ke's mealtime,

He took the opportunity to report on the recent situation of the Manor.

“Master, the Manor has hired a new chef.”

“He used to work for the Claus Family, and his skills are quite good; today’s breakfast was prepared by him.”

Li Ke forked a small piece of steak into his mouth.

The meat was tender, the juices rich, and the doneness just right.

He nodded slightly, indicating his approval.

“Additionally, a few new maids have been added to the Manor.”

“I personally selected them; they are diligent and presentable.”

The old man paused slightly,

Carefully observing Li Ke's profile,

That young, profound face was half in shadow, without any expression.

“Master, forgive this old servant for speaking out of turn.”

“You are now the sole heir of the Charles Family, and for the continuation of the Family’s Bloodline…”

“Perhaps… it’s time to consider choosing a few suitable women to bear children for the Charles Family.”

Two new maids stood in the shadows not far away,

With their heads bowed, hands clasped in front of them, their bodies slightly tense.

They both came from commoner families in Xilin Town,

Having heard that the new master of Charles Manor was unmarried,

Their parents had pulled strings to send them into the Manor, hoping to establish a connection with the hereditary nobility.

At this moment, they even lightened their breathing,

Stealing glances at the young Lord with the corner of their eyes,

Secretly wondering how he would treat them.

However, that elegant and composed figure made no response,

Which made them quietly breathe a sigh of relief, then immediately a faint sense of disappointment arose.

Li Ke did not respond, continuing to cut the steak.

He forked a small piece of beef with blood, put it into his mouth, and chewed carefully,

Enjoying the sweetness of the meat releasing on his taste buds, but his thoughts drifted far away.

The night the Varnes Family was annihilated,

The Bronze Armor Corpse had absorbed the life essence and Clairvoyance characteristics of two Clairvoyance in a row,

Although they were both Black Iron rank, it still fed back a considerable amount of energy to Li Ke.

According to normal reasoning,

He was already at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

After receiving the feedback from this pure energy, there should have been some reaction.

However, Li Ke looked within himself,

In his Dantian Qi Sea, those nine drops of Devilish Qi liquid,

Other than becoming deeper, there were no other changes,

There was no sign of breaking through the Bottleneck and forging the Dao Foundation at all.

“It seems there is still a large energy gap before the start of Foundation Establishment…”

“Is it the suppression of this world’s rules…”

“Or is the Dao Foundation that the Summoning Demon Scripture seeks to forge inherently this difficult…”

“Perhaps, it’s time to go to Xilin Town.”

Li Ke pursed his lips, lost in thought.

Since the Varnes Family dared to cooperate with the Holy Meal Society,

They would naturally have investigated relevant information about the Holy Meal Society and mastered its contact methods.

In Baron Varnes’s memory,

There was information about a secret Holy Meal Society stronghold nearby,

Its location was in Xilin Town…

And based on Baron Varnes’s intelligence,

At least three Holy Meal Society Clairvoyance were stationed in that secret stronghold…

Li Ke's eyes flickered slightly.

“This is truly a feast.”

He licked his lips and put the last piece of steak into his mouth.

......

At the same time,

The Varnes Family was annihilated overnight!

This news quickly spread throughout the entire Oak Tree Territory.

For a time, all the nobles were shaken.

Although when Elvin announced the “Purification Operation,”

Many people had already anticipated that the Oak Tree Territory would usher in a cruel reshuffle.

Many people had also made plans to profit from the chaos or to cut their losses to protect themselves.

But no one expected the intensity of this operation to be so strong!

The first to fall was an old Family with a decent Legacy!

Moreover, the annihilation was so fast and so thorough…

Logically speaking, the small nobles without Clairvoyance guardians should have been the first to be annexed.

This was an unspoken rule in the hearts of many nobles.

And the Varnes Family, although it had declined in recent years,

Still had at least one or two Clairvoyance openly in charge.

How could such a Family with a certain level of strength become the first target?

Who broke this rule?

Could it be some old noble Family with a long-standing grudge against the Varnes Family?

Then why choose such a secretive night raid method,

Instead of openly annexing them under the banner of “purifying evil”? Was it simply for revenge?

Some people also cast suspicious glances at Charles Manor.

After all, on the very day the Varnes Family was annihilated,

The two families had just had a conflict in front of Oak Earl’s door,

And the young Clairvoyance of the Varnes Family had even suffered serious injuries because of it.

But this speculation was quickly rejected by most people.

According to intelligence gathered from various sources,

As an old noble Family, the Varnes Family could not possibly have only one Clairvoyance.

Secretly, other forces must have been hidden.

And the Charles Family from that remote countryside, whose Foundation was originally shallow,

Had just suffered a devastating disaster, almost breaking their Legacy,

Now being able to produce a capable Clairvoyance guard was already beyond everyone's expectations.

No matter how you looked at it, the Charles Family did not possess the strength to silently annihilate the entire Varnes Family.

Under various dark speculations,

The Oak Tree Territory was strangely quiet for a few days, Li Ke the brief calm before a storm.

Then, more violent conflicts erupted without warning.

Within just a few days,

Three weaker small noble families were consecutively accused of secretly colluding with evil forces.

The accusers even produced some “ironclad evidence,”

On the basis that the noble circle was generally not clean, it was truly difficult to distinguish between true and false.

Thus, under the grand banner of “purifying evil,”

These three small noble families with shallow Foundations were jointly annihilated and purged by several families.

They couldn't even organize a decent resistance before becoming dust in history.

Their territories and wealth were openly divided among the families participating in the purification operation, according to the rules set by Elvin.

For a time, more families began to stir.

The scent of blood began to permeate the air above the Oak Tree Territory.

Everyone realized that greater chaos was about to begin.

......

Meanwhile, in Xilin Town,

The afternoon sun was somewhat lazy.

A very plain-looking carriage slowly entered the town's vicinity.

“Gurgle gurgle…”

The wheels rolled over the flagstone road, making a monotonous clatter.