Chapter 960: Alternate Timeline: Hidden Quest

"For over one hundred thousand Heavenly years, the House Frost served as one of the guardian powers protecting the Heavenly Ocean Empire against monsters and dimensional threats."

Then his expression darkened.

"But fifty Heavenly years ago... greed entered our hearts."

His voice became heavier. ℴ

"Your maternal great-grandfather, House Lord Viserius Frost, joined forces with several martial clans and overlords to overthrow the Emperor."

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"If the rebellion had succeeded, the House Frost would have risen to become the number one overlord across the entire empire."

"But heaven does not always favor ambition."

The room remained silent as Ares narrated slowly, almost like an old storyteller recounting a ruined dynasty beside a dying fire.

"We lost. And our defeat shattered everything."

He folded his hands quietly.

"Our reputation collapsed. Our influence crumbled. Many disciples abandoned the clan like rats fleeing a sinking ship. The descendants begin to leave with their families. Even the elders in our own House Frost began forming factions among themselves. Meanwhile, the Imperial Family kept pressing down upon us relentlessly."

Eamor lowered his head slightly.

Even now, shame still lingered among Frost Clan disciples whenever that history was mentioned.

"We survived the war," Ares continued, "but survival itself became another battlefield. The Emperor deliberately provoked us repeatedly, waiting for us to make another mistake so he could unite the remaining guardian clans and erase us completely."

His eyes dimmed.

"To prevent civil war within the clan and appease the Emperor... my father, Lord Viserius Frost, made a cruel decision."

A pause followed.

"He crippled the cultivation of his only two sons."

Kiara’s fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

Slowly.

Rhythmically.

"He then exiled us from the dominion."

A faint smile appeared on Ares Frost’s face afterward.

"Surprisingly, the Emperor himself proved merciful. He believed the House Frost had suffered enough. Considering our past contributions, he eventually chose forgiveness."

"But before exiling us," Ares continued, "the House Lord, who is also the Clan Leader, forced every elder to swear an oath not to covet the clan leader position while he remained alive."

"The main bloodline had effectively ended. So they agreed."

The old man’s voice softened afterward.

"However... no one knew that the House Lord prepared a hidden path for us."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Before our cultivation was destroyed entirely, he secretly fed us a cultivation storage potion. That potion preserved fragments of our ether within specific areas of the body. Once we became ordinary mortals on the surface, my brother and I were secretly sent to the mortal plane."

A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"Seven loyal companions followed us. Together, we reached this world."

Kiara listened silently.

Her expression remained unreadable.

"When we arrived here," Ares continued, "we discovered a Frost Clan branch already existed in the Phoenix Empire. It had been founded centuries ago by descendants expelled from the House Frost. Additionally, this world is rich in ether, this mortal world where ether shouldn’t even exist."

"So we quietly took control of it and rebuilt our cultivation little by little."

Then he sighed.

"Unlike my elder brother, I was never blessed by the Frost Dragon bloodline. That is why even after fifty years, I still failed to reach my true peak."

For a moment, regret surfaced clearly within his old eyes.

But it vanished quickly.

"Anyway," he said, steering the topic back, "you are the descendant of Lysander Frost and the possessor of the Frost Dragon bloodline. We don’t follow Patriarchy. So, even though you are a woman who cannot even hold an official position in this backward realm, you still possess the qualifications to inherit the main family line of our House Frost."

The old man’s voice gradually grew firmer.

"Our House may have declined, but history cannot be erased. We still possess unimaginable reserves of wealth, martial techniques, ancient skill books, treasures, medicinal herbs, and resources."

His gaze sharpened.

"If you return with us and claim your rightful place, then within ten years, becoming an ascendant... I mean, in your terms, a Demigod would not be difficult for you."

Eamor’s breathing unconsciously slowed while hearing those words.

Even he felt tempted, imagining such a future.

"And if you continue cultivating diligently for another century or two," Ares said meaningfully, "you may even become an immortal and step into the Transcendant Realm (11-star)."

A faint smile appeared.

"What do you say?"

Ares Frost already realized Kiara was not someone who could be moved by emotional stories alone.

So instead of appealing to family ties...

He appealed to power instead.

Meanwhile, Kiara remained completely silent.

Ares assumed she was deeply considering the offer.

But in reality...

Kiara’s attention was elsewhere entirely.

A translucent holographic screen floated before her eyes.

[Ding! You triggered a mandatory hidden quest.]

Quest: Return to the Roots

Description: The host was able to activate the Frost Dragon bloodline due to the mother’s family line. One way or another, the host is connected to House Frost. It is the duty of the host to repay the debt by returning House Frost to its former glory.

Reward: Adamantine Ammunition (On return), Unknown (Depends on how long it takes to complete the quest)

Time limit: None

[Ding! The system accepted the quest on your behalf.]

Kiara stared at the notification silently.

Mandatory quests.

The one type of quest she could never reject.

Still, since there was no time limit attached to it, she did not feel particularly worried. As for Adamantine Ammunition, it is public knowledge in this world that the adamantine, the strongest material in the universe, is created from the first fires of a universe’s creation, meaning, scientifically, it refers to the era right after the creation when the first atoms, stars, and galaxies began to form.

However, those older galaxies and planets were created and destroyed many times during the planes of existence separation, making adamantine scatter all over the planes.

Hence, she could see how important this quest is, atleast to the system that is offering such a reward while not leaving her any opportunity to reject just to return to her roots.

Closing the screen mentally, she finally returned her focus to the old man.

Now her thoughts shifted completely.

Not toward the quest.

But toward negotiation.

What Kiara appreciated about Ares Frost was simple.

The old man never once tried using emotional manipulation.

He never called himself her granduncle and addressed her ’my grandniece’ or affectionate terms like that.

Instead, he treated her like an independent person whose value stood on her own.

Kiara liked that.

After thinking carefully for a while, she finally spoke. "I will go with you."

Eamor’s eyes widened instantly.

Ares Frost himself looked surprised.

But before either could speak, Kiara continued calmly.

"But, not now."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly.

"There are several matters I must finish first."

Kiara leaned back slowly. "Can’t go into many details, but before I leave, I do have the plan to restore the Frost Clan branch within the Desmont mountain range."

Eamor became startled again.

Restore the Frost Clan?

Ares Frost, however, remained thoughtful.

Kiara then crossed her arms and said calmly, "If you truly want me to return with you someday, then I ask you to stand beside my decisions, whatever I may take."

A faint smile appeared on her lips afterward.

"After all, Lord Frost... if oxen are expected to plow the field, should they not at least be fed beforehand?"

Ares Frost originally came to the Phoenix Empire carrying his own plans. In his mind, Kiara was merely the bridge needed to reconnect the broken main bloodline to the House Frost.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

But now, after sitting across from this young woman for less than an hour, he suddenly thought he might get dragged into a whirlpool of hidden enemies, dead parents, mysterious organizations, imperial conspiracies, and clan restoration plans.

The old man inwardly sighed.

Like a fisherman who cast his net hoping to catch a single fish, only to discover he had accidentally hooked a sea serpent instead.

Still...

What choice did he have?

Among all possible descendants, Kiara was his greatest hope.

Unlike this mortal plane, where noblewomen were chained by political marriages and imperial obligations, the House Frost treated men and women equally regarding inheritance and authority.

Serestia Phoenix, despite possessing extraordinary talent, remained tied to the Imperial Family.

Kaelan Phoenix didn’t carry the blood of House Frost.

Kiara, however, was different.

She was free.

Dangerous perhaps.

Complicated certainly.

But free.

And most importantly...

She awakened the Frost Dragon bloodline.

None of House Frost’s direct descendants had awakened it in the last thousand Heavenly years.

There was only one, Lysander Frost, and he was expelled by fate, and now he is no more.

That fact alone forced him to compromise.

After several moments of silence, the old man finally nodded.

"Very well," he said slowly. "I will help you with whatever is necessary. I will stand by your every decision, regardless of whatever you do."

Then his gaze deepened slightly.

"And I promise you that the Solaria Kingdom shall stand behind you as well."

A bright smile appeared on Kiara’s face immediately, getting that promise.

Like a merchant successfully closing a profitable deal before the customer realized how much they had already agreed to spend.

She wasted absolutely no time.

"Then, I shall not waste any more time," she said calmly, "At the moment, I need information regarding two organizations."

Ares Frost narrowed his eyes slightly "Which ones?"

"The Church of Doom."

"And the Church of Thanatos."

Even Eamor’s expression changed faintly upon hearing those names. Those were not organizations that people normally want to investigate.

Kiara continued calmly. "I only need accurate information regarding their strength, structure, territory, and manpower."

Then her eyes sharpened slightly.

"Additionally, I want your assistance from the shadows while investigating the masterminds behind my parents’ deaths."

A brief pause followed.

"And naturally... I expect complete secrecy regarding today’s conversation, including the fact that I already know the truth of my birth."

Ares Frost quietly observed her for several seconds.

Then inwardly...

He sighed in relief.

Compared to the terrifying possibilities he had imagined earlier, these requests were actually simple.

At least for someone with his influence.

"Consider it done," he replied.

Kiara nodded with satisfaction.

However...

She still was not finished.

A faint thoughtful look appeared on her face as though she had suddenly remembered something casually.

"I heard my grandfather once possessed a beast named Zheng as his mount," she said lightly. "As a summoner, I naturally find spirit beasts interesting. I would like to know more about it. Its abilities, habits, weaknesses... things like that."

In reality, Kiara carefully avoided directly revealing her knowledge.

She still did not know how much Ares Frost truly understood regarding Zheng.

So she chose caution.

Meanwhile, the old man did not suspect anything unusual and answered naturally. "Zheng is an extremely terrifying multi-attribute beast," he explained slowly. "Almost impossible to tame under normal circumstances."

His eyes carried faint admiration.

"If not for the fact that my elder brother discovered it while it was still inside an egg, he would never have succeeded."

Kiara blinked. "An egg?"

Her expression turned strange.

"But... isn’t Zheng basically a leopard, a mammal?"

For a brief second, even Eamor looked amused.

Meanwhile, Kiara genuinely felt her understanding of biology collapsing little by little inside this bizarre world.

First Lux.

Now Zheng.

At this point, she honestly wondered whether every feline-type spirit beast in existence laid eggs in this universe.

Then again...

She was not a zoologist.

And frankly speaking, she no longer cared enough to question reality.

So she simply accepted the absurdity and motioned for Ares Frost to continue.

"Zheng possesses five tails," the old man explained patiently. "Each tail represents one attribute. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning."

His tone gradually grew more serious.