"By the way, how should we handle this?" As if remembering something important, Eros pulled the black cube—the Divine Kingdom fragment—from his pocket.

  The five clan members, who had been standing guard nearby, stared at the object in his hand. One of them asked, sounding genuinely confused, "What is that?"

  It was Eros’s turn to be stunned. The confusion on the man’s face didn't look faked. He scanned the rest of the group, only to realize that none of them seemed to recognize the object.

  "This is the Divine Kingdom fragment," Eros explained, perplexed.

  "What?!"

  At his words, the five operatives swarmed toward him in a blur, their expressions shifting instantly from confusion to overwhelming reverence and excitement. This was the Heavenly Kingdom of a Great One! Even if it was just a fraction, its divine status remained untarnished. More importantly, this was the kingdom of their Ancestor. Reclaiming another piece meant they were one step closer to the Ancestor’s return from the long River of Time.

  Still, they were puzzled. This fragment looked nothing like the ones kept within the clan. Usually, even when shrunk, a fragment would allow one to glimpse the spectral architecture within. But the one in Eros’s hand was just a featureless black cube. To be precise, it was too black—as if it were entirely enveloped by the power of shadows.

  Despite their surprise at its appearance, they didn't doubt Eros for a second. Without delay, one of them opened a leather suitcase and produced a wooden box. It was pitch-black and carved with intricate, mystical patterns.

  "This is the Box of Blood Kin," the man explained while holding it out. "It’s crafted from Shadow-wood of the Umbral Realm mixed with the blood of our clan members through a specialized alchemical process. It’s designed specifically to store our Ancestor's fragments."

  "Only the Box of Blood Kin can isolate the spirituality of the Divine Kingdom for extended periods. Our life-levels are too low; if we don't isolate that spirituality, we won't be able to carry it once the temporary sealing ritual expires."

  With that, he reached out carefully to take the fragment from Eros. As soon as his fingers closed around it, Eros let go.

  In the next heartbeat, the man’s expression of pious reverence shattered. He felt a sudden, crushing weight on his wrist. A force so immense it defied imagination yanked him downward, slamming him face-first into the dirt.

  "This fragment hasn't been sealed by a ritual array!" the fallen man cried out in shock.

  The others stared at Eros, their eyes wide with disbelief. They couldn't fathom how Eros was able to hold an unsealed Divine Kingdom fragment so casually.

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  Eros was equally baffled. What’s going on?

  Seeing her son’s confusion, Estelle spoke up softly. "Even a shattered Divine Kingdom is the property of a Great One. Its status—its Status/Position (位格)—is sublime. Without a ritual array to temporarily suppress it, we low-sequence dwellers cannot carry or even touch it."

  "To us, an unsealed kingdom is a massive source of Contamination, even if its former master was our own Ancestor."

  At that moment, Barbara’s voice rang in Eros’s mind:

  "Your mother is right. Traditionally, the clan sets up a ritual before reclaiming a fragment. They use the ritual and bloodline connection to borrow the 'Hidden Power' of that stupid book to mask the kingdom’s contamination and status. Only then do they put it in that special box."

  "But you don't need isolation to carry it. So, I simply used shadows to lock away its contamination so it wouldn't affect the others."

  Eros: "..."

  Letting out a long sigh, Eros leaned over, picked up the cube, and placed it into the box himself. "It is sealed," he lied smoothly, "but only the contamination part. As for why I can carry it... it’s because of the Divine Artifact."

  When in doubt, blame Barbara. Whether they believed him or not wasn't his problem; they had no way to verify it anyway. Looking at their nodding heads, they clearly accepted the explanation. It was the only thing that made logical sense—unless they were prepared to believe Eros’s own "Status" was equal to that of a Great One. That was just absurd.

  Once the Box of Blood Kin was secured in the suitcase, one of the men looked at where the rift had vanished and sighed. "It’s a pity this Sin-Domain collapsed. If it hadn't, the clan could have developed it in secret. Our Spirit Marrow production would have skyrocketed."

  The man next to him snorted. "Dream on. We’re too far from the clan's territory. You think the Church is blind? Developing a site this far out is asking for trouble."

  "Hey, I was just thinking out loud! Let’s move. Now that the job is done, we need to disappear before the Church's 'hounds' catch our scent."

  Following the original plan, the group split up to return. The only difference was that the suitcase containing the fragment was now carried by Eros. With Barbara having regained some of her power, Eros was arguably the strongest person present. Putting the item with him was the safest bet—especially since he could literally duck into the Shadow Realm if things got hairy.

  Eros and Estelle eventually made it back to Indiles. Standing in a deserted alleyway, Estelle looked toward her son. Sensing her gaze, Eros gave a light cough. "Take my hand."

  He closed his eyes and reopened them; his left eye had turned into a void of pure black. Taking a deep breath, he pulled Estelle into the shadows of the corner.

  Back at the Duke’s mansion, Eros summoned the butler. The butler was curious about why the future master of the house wanted to see him so urgently. Then, he heard a strange request: build a large bathhouse in the backyard.

  The butler was confused. Is the washroom not good enough? Nevertheless, he set the work in motion. even Estelle was curious about what her son was up to, but Eros only offered a mysterious smile. "It’s a secret."

  What kind of secret involves a bathtub?

  Since the mission hadn't taken long—leaving in the morning and returning by the afternoon—Eros rested at home for a few more days to maintain appearances before returning to the academy.

  At the academy, Ayesha, disguised as a man, was in a remarkably good mood because she hadn't seen "that pervert" for several days. Her stride was light, almost bouncy.

  Suddenly, a heavy arm draped over her shoulder, and a familiar, annoying face leaned into hers. It was Eros.

  Eros took a sudden, deep sniff near her neck, uttering a sentence that turned the red-haired girl into a statue of ice:

  "Brother... you smell really nice today."