Gardner Martin's butler, Faustino, didn't leave the room after guiding Lumian in. Instead, he opened his arms with a smile.

"Welcome, new brother."

You're also a member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order? Lumian was taken aback at first, but then he accepted it as a matter of fact.

A butler, as the master's eyes, ears, and limbs, likely knew many of Gardner Martin's secrets. So it made sense that he either promoted Faustino to be a member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order or had a member of the Order become his butler.

Lumian observed Faustino's slightly gray temples, sunken eyes, and light-blue eyes, then embraced him warmly.

"Thank you."

Faustino, dressed in his butler attire, went to the dining table and pulled out a chair at the west end, saying to Lumian, "Sit here."

Lumian nodded and settled down, feeling strangely at home.

Of course, thanks to Aurore's education, he had avoided the habit of raising his legs and crossing them at the edge of the dining table.

Faustino seated himself beside Lumian and briefly explained, "A few more brothers will come later."

Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the Iron and Blood Cross Order members arrived. Following Faustino's introductions, Lumian embraced each one.

They were:

Vincent Lorraine, representing Gardner Martin in the Rist dock operations, was under 30 years old with a typical Intis lookblack hair, blue eyes, refined appearance, and slender figure. He didn't strike Lumian as a Beyonder of the Hunter pathway as he didn't differ much from ordinary white-collar workers, but that begged the questionhow did he survive the vigil?

Parsifal, who helped Gardner Martin manage the depot and freight company, appeared as an average middle-aged man with slightly disheveled brown hair and amiable brown eyes when he smiled. However, his emotionless gaze gave Lumian chills, making him wary.

Not in charge of specific matters, Albus seemed to operate in the dark and had a hint of red in his hair. His sharp brown eyebrows and eyes made him rather handsome, but he had a less likable appearance.

There was also an acquaintance of Lumian's, "Blood Palm" Black of the Savoie Mob.

As the manager of Le March du Quartier du Gentleman, he was dressed formally, had brown hair and blue eyes, and enjoyed a cigar with a warm smile.

Lumian had suspected that the Savoie Mob had an official member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order secretly monitoring the market district and their activities. However, he hadn't expected it to be "Blood Palm" Black, who didn't stand out at all.

Lumian had initially thought it might be Baron Brignais or "Rat" Christo, but it turned out differently.

Strangely, Black bore a resemblance to Gardner Martin.

With Faustino and Lumian, there were now six members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order present.

In the past, Lumian had criticized, "Isn't it too much for a regional mob like the Savoie Mob to have five or six Beyonders?" But now, he found it unsurprising.

As a secret organization with a long history, it was normal for the Iron and Blood Cross Order to have such influence and heritage. Even its subsidiaries enjoyed abundant resources.

After exchanging pleasantries, Butler Faustino introduced the items on the table to Lumian.

"In the ensuing ritual, the goblets will be our weapons. They can also be used as cannons. Red wine will be ordinary explosives, white wine will be potent explosives, food will be the components, and knives and forks will be sharp swords"

Lumian listened quietly, wondering if there was something odd about their thinking.

Are they too self-aware?

Or is there some mystical significance to this?

By the time Faustino finished speaking, Gardner Martin, now wearing his tailcoat and an Iron Cross medal embedded with a ruby over his chest, entered the room.

He stood on the east side of the long dining table, facing the six seated members on the west side.

With a swoosh, the five members, excluding Lumian, stood up in unison.

Oh Lumian inwardly sighed as he rose to his feet.

"Good evening, CO Sir." Faustino, Black, and the others greeted him in unison. Lumian was slightly slower to respond.

Gardner Martin motioned for everyone to take their seats and smiled.

"We'll officially begin the ritual when the Supervisor arrives.

"Ciel, let me tell you what the core you're about to join represents."

Gardner Martin locked eyes with Lumian, his tone growing more serious.

"We are all members of a secretive organization with a history spanning centuries.

"It's known as the Iron and Blood Cross Order."

Lumian didn't show any intentional surprise or dismay. After all, the name sounded rather ordinary.

Albus, the young man with dark-red hair sitting at the edge of the dining table, seemed about to speak, but Gardner Martin shot him a stern look.

The Commanding Officer of the Iron and Blood Cross Order turned his attention back to Lumian.

"Nearly 300 years ago, a few influential figures established the Iron and Blood Cross Order. They believed that deities were merely powerful Beyonders, and no matter how you look at it, even the weakest Beyonder is fundamentally different from ordinary people.

"Our philosophy is that regardless of how one obtains Beyonder powers, they should be recognized and treated with a status above ordinary people. However, the two Churches and the government only acknowledge the Beyonders they nurture. They also insist that supernatural powers should be concealed from ordinary folks as much as possible.

"This goes against nature and the course of history. We must change it.

"This also means we have to oppose the government and the two Churches, but there's no need to fear. We possess sufficient strength and true demigods.

"In the future, if the two Churches are willing to accept wild Beyonders and acknowledge their statuses, we might consider cooperating with them."

In other words, the ultimate goal is to overthrow the government and establish a country where Beyonders hold positions at all levels? Lumian interpreted Gardner Martin's words from his own perspective.

Gardner Martin glanced at the six members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order seated opposite him and smiled once more.

"Our Iron and Blood Cross Order's strength is mainly concentrated in Intis, with over a third of our members based in Trier. As you can see, we have many powerful brothers in the market district alone, and even more Beyonders under our control.

"I am the CO, or Commanding Officer, responsible for leading you and handling various matters in the market district. Above me are several branch presidents, also referred to as 'Deputy Brigade Commanders.' Each of them is a true and powerful demigod.

"Above the branch presidents is our Iron and Blood Cross Order's president, also known as the Brigade Commander. He is a mysterious and formidable figure.

"Below me are NCOs. When we have more than ten brothers in the market district, I'll appoint two NCOs to assist me in management. NCOs receive additional resources and support."

Is this some kind of military game? Lumian guessed from the titles of the different levels within the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

Gardner Martin turned his gaze to the door and spoke, "Apart from that, we also have many Supervisors. Each Supervisor acts independently and patrols the areas under the jurisdiction of different commanding officers.

"In the future, if anything happens to me and I exhibit any abnormalities, you must find the Supervisor immediately and report the situation to him. Similarly, if you discover that the Supervisor has done something abnormal, inform me immediately."

Gardner Martin grinned playfully at Lumian and said, "Ciel, let me introduce you to Olson, the Supervisor in charge of the market district."

Perplexed, Lumian followed Gardner Martin's finger and looked at the door.

In the next moment, a tall, thin man in a blue vest and black suit entered the room.

The man had short auburn hair, reddish-brown eyes, thick eyebrows, and a wild beard. He resembled a famished bear.

As Lumian recognized Supervisor Olson, his pupils widened.

It was the trader he, Christo, and Simon had encountered underground!

Lumian vividly remembered that he had been nothing but a head and a blood-stained spine. He had been pursued by another headless monster, both of which were extremely dangerous. Yet, here he was, underground and appearing at Gardner Martin's house!

Lumian couldn't help but glance at Olson's hands, noticing his fair skin and the small suitcase he carried.

He has a body again? Has he merged with the headless monster? Lumian's mind raced as he observed Olson approaching Gardner Martin.

He began to suspect that the two monsters they had encountered during the transaction were illusions created by Olson. There was nothing abnormal about him.

Since the transaction had been a test, it wasn't surprising that the monster had been fake.

But was it not too realistic? Lumian watched with suspicion as Gardner Martin and Olson each took a goblet and addressed everyone present, "Load the explosives!"

Albus, Parsifal, and the other members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order placed a goblet in front of them and poured alluring red wine into them.

So this is how you load explosives? Lumian recalled Faustino's words about goblets being weapons or cannons, and wine being explosives.

After filling the "cannons" with "explosives," Gardner Martin called out, "Attention!

"Port arms!"

In an instant, everyone stood up and placed their right hands on the goblets filled with red wine.

"Present arms!" Gardner Martin gave another command.

In unison, he raised the goblet to his chest.

Lumian marveled and followed suit, imitating the actions of the other members around him.