Imperial Throne

Chapter 9: Bloodline Oath

“Sir Knight!”

Upon hearing these words, Yam realized he had been recognized.

He had already heard from his father that in this world, noble titles of knight and above required strict levels of bloodline power.

Only those possessing first or second-tier bloodline power could be called knights, while the minimum requirement to become a baron was third-tier or higher bloodline power.

This was why they were referred to as Bloodline Nobles.

Because the foundation of their privileged status stemmed from the power of their bloodlines.

“Yam,” he promptly reported his name.

Although he didn't know what the name “Giggs Bole” signified, nor who this young man before him was, he could now surmise the general identity of the other party.

“I know,” Giggs nodded. “I came specifically to find you.”

Yam was somewhat surprised.

“To find me? Why?”

Giggs didn't answer directly but instead focused his gaze on the exotic iron saber hanging at Yam's waist.

Because of the special effect the Rusty Sword had on the Bloodline Potion, Ion naturally took it with him when he departed.

However, considering Yam's current status, he left the rare iron saber, taken from the slain knight in the Gem Territory, for Yam.

Although termed swordsmanship, the Kingdom's Military Swordsmanship was actually a combat technique emphasizing slashing as the primary force application.

Therefore, some techniques could also be executed using a saber.

Over the past few months, Yam had been continuously honing his skills, and now he could effectively utilize his swordsmanship abilities.

He had even learned to harness his bloodline power to unleash a flame blade aura capable of attacking targets within a three-meter range.

This discovery delighted Yam and led him to consider using concentrated fireballs as a trump card.

Seeing Giggs' gaze fall upon the saber at his waist, Yam fully understood: “You want to recruit me?”

Giggs nodded and said, “Yes.”

Without waiting for Yam to speak again, he continued, “I am the eldest son of the Baron of White Mountain and the future heir of the White Mountain Territory. I can, in this capacity, make a noble oath to you. If you swear allegiance to me, then when I inherit the territory, Fisher Village will become your fief.”

Yam didn't fully understand what a fief or a noble oath entailed. He had only become a Bloodline User three months ago, and all his knowledge about Bloodline Nobles came from his father's brief mentions.

Moreover, he was aware that his father's understanding was based on hearsay from his time in the Kingdom's army, and not all of it might be accurate.

With this in mind, Yam directly asked, “What is a noble oath?”

Giggs was momentarily taken aback, then asked in surprise, “Isn't your family a fallen knight lineage? Are you a Bloodline Lucky One?”

Hearing these unfamiliar terms, Yam became even more puzzled: “I don't understand what you're saying... My father found a recorded formula for the Bloodline Potion among my grandfather's relics, so I attempted bloodline stimulation. As you can see, I was fortunate enough to succeed. If that's what you mean by 'Bloodline Lucky One,' then yes, I suppose I am.”

“Apologies,” Giggs realized his rudeness and sincerely apologized, “I didn't mean it that way.”

Yam shook his head, indicating he didn't mind.

“Let's talk somewhere else; standing here isn't ideal, don't you think?” Giggs smiled again. “To make up for my earlier rudeness, please allow me to buy you a mug of ale and explain these matters to you.”

Yam didn't hesitate long before nodding in agreement.

He knew that his family truly lacked knowledge about Bloodline Nobles. Now that they possessed the Rusty Sword, they had fully embarked on the path of Bloodline Nobility and would inevitably interact with other Bloodline Nobles.

Therefore, it was crucial to understand what was basic common knowledge to others to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He had a clear intuition:

The matter of the Rusty Sword must never be revealed to outsiders; otherwise, it would undoubtedly bring disaster upon their family.

Soon, Yam led Giggs to the village's only tavern.

It was approaching nightfall, and the tavern was just beginning its preparations. Normally, they wouldn't serve anyone at this time.

However, with pressure from the old Village Chief and Yam, the Militia Instructor, the tavern owner had no choice.

They even thoughtfully arranged a secluded corner for Yam and Giggs to converse without disturbance.

“Let me start with the noble oath.”

Once they were seated, Giggs began to speak.

The middle-aged Bloodline Knight sat at another table near the corner and did not join the conversation between the two.

“Do you know the duties of Bloodline Nobles?”

“I do,” Yam nodded. “My father once told me that the duty of Bloodline Nobles is to protect the survival of the people.”

“That's close,” Giggs nodded. “But more accurately, Bloodline Nobles must protect humanity from extinction by calamities and monsters. According to ancient legends, ever since the gods vanished, this world has no longer been under divine protection, and humanity fractured into countless separate tribes.”

“The People of the Abyss, who still worship the old gods, spilled corrupted blood upon the earth, giving birth to monsters that seek to devour humanity.”

“The Forest Witches, who revere destruction and death, spread fear across the world, attempting to destroy it through engineered disasters, which they call the baptism of rebirth.”

“Fortunately, the heroes of the Azure crushed the plots of the Sinful and the Forest Witches and left behind a power for humanity called ‘Bloodline’. All who obtain the power of bloodline bear the duty to shield humanity from monsters and calamities. This is the Bloodline Oath etched deep within all Bloodline Nobles, none can defy it. Even if you are unaware, from the moment you became a Bloodline User, you inherited this responsibility.”

“Hence, it is also known as the ‘Noble Oath’.”

“When two Bloodline Users resonate with one another using their bloodline power and jointly swear an oath, the Bloodline Oath takes effect immediately,” Giggs explained slowly.

“Though not everything can be bound by a Noble Oath, it can indeed prevent many complications... You can think of it as a form of obsession, a mental bond, or any similar concept.”

Yam tried to process Giggs' words. “So, if I swear allegiance to you, and you promise to make Fisher Village my fief, then that’s our shared bond?”

“Yes,” Giggs nodded. “If I break my word to you, I’ll suffer backlash from the Bloodline Oath. Losing my power would be the lightest consequence; in a severe case, I could be utterly crippled. That’s why, even though the Bloodline Oath isn’t always enforceable, most people still don’t take such an oath lightly.”

“I understand,” Yam nodded. “Then what does ‘fief’ mean?”

“A fief is basically a territory,” Giggs replied. “Just as the White Mountain Territory is the fief of the Bole family, Fisher Village will become your territory. From then on, its tax revenue won’t go to me, it’ll go to you. You’ll even be able to set the tax policies yourself. But likewise, all future expenses in that territory will be your own responsibility. The Bole family will no longer cover them.”

“What about fallen knights?”

“Do you know that the descendants of Bloodline Users are not necessarily Bloodline Users themselves?”

“I’ve heard about that,” Yam nodded.

“Suppose your descendants don’t awaken any bloodline power, but you pass down the formula for the Bloodline Potion. If one of them awakens bloodline power and reenters the ranks of Bloodline Nobles, then your lineage will be considered a Fallen Noble,” Giggs explained.

“A fallen knight simply refers to your current bloodline power tier. For example, my family holds baron-level bloodline power, if something like this happened to me, my descendants would be called Fallen Barons.”

Upon hearing this, Yam finally understood Giggs’ earlier reaction.

If a person passed down a formula for the Bloodline Potion, they would undoubtedly pass on knowledge about Bloodline Nobility, and their descendants wouldn’t be so ignorant of basic facts.

“There’s also the Wandering Noble, though this typically only applies to Bloodline Knights.”

“What do you mean?”

“You swear loyalty to me and become my household knight. But if one day I die, or even my family is wiped out, and you’re left with no one to serve, you’ll be called a Wandering Knight until you find a new lord, or become a lord yourself,” Giggs said calmly.

“As for Lucky Ones, those are people who awakened their bloodline power by sheer fortune.”

“So, those Kingdom soldiers who awakened the [Violent Bear] bloodline are all Lucky Ones?”

“Of course,” Giggs nodded naturally. “It’s said there’s a tool that can measure bloodline concentration, but activating it is extremely expensive each time. The Kingdom won’t use it on regular foot soldiers, so they have to rely on this needle-in-a-haystack method to find candidates.”

At this, Giggs curled his lips in displeasure, clearly disapproving of some of the Kingdom army’s practices, though he chose not to dwell on the topic.

“So, what’s your answer to my invitation?”

“May I think about it?” Yam wasn’t dazzled by his luck and only responded after a moment of hesitation.

“Of course,” Giggs smiled and nodded, showing no sign of being offended by Yam’s delay. “You can take your time or discuss it with your family. I’ll return with the tax officer in a while.”

“Thank you very much, Lord Giggs.”

Giggs stood up with a smile, patted Yam on the arm, and said, “White Mountain Territory might not be rich, but it has its own strengths that no other territory can match. The Bole family has always been generous to our household knights.”