Left behind, Strange looked at Po Kong with his dark-circled eyes, seemingly considering how to start the conversation.
After a long silence, he finally seemed to make up his mind and spoke to the four of them.
“Regarding the evil magic formation that appeared in District One, I will continue to send people for an in-depth investigation. Since your four-person team reported it promptly and explored it bravely, successfully preventing a potentially serious disaster, the Adventurers Guild has decided to upgrade the commission rank for this incident to Rank 7 and prepare appropriate rewards for you.”
“As for the identities of the two ladies... though it isn't a huge issue, it would be best for you to register at the guild to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings... Um... also, for the time being, it’s best if you all stick together and don’t wander too far. Is that acceptable?”
“Once I return to my office, I’ll help you get everything ready. You can go through the procedures tomorrow... Let’s leave it at that for now. You are free to go.”
Having said all this, Strange seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After a brief farewell, he left the room.
“Is that... it?”
“Po Kong, who exactly are you?”
As soon as Strange left, Starlight and Xia Duo immediately stepped forward and asked curiously.
It was simply too absurd to think that a single badge presented by Po Kong could cause the attitude of two Saint Rank experts to do a complete 180-degree turn.
Whether it was that golden battle qi from before or his current unknown identity, what else was this guy hiding from everyone?
Under their persistent questioning, Po Kong, who had initially wanted to change the subject, had no choice but to come clean about his background.
“I’m sorry for keeping this from you all this time. My full name is Po Kong-Mars, and I am the grandson of Grand Duke Mars...”
“For some personal reasons, I left my family for a while and ran away from the Royal Capital to Violet City, wanting to make a name for myself as an adventurer. That’s why I never mentioned the surname Mars to you.”
“The golden battle qi I used back in the catacombs is our family’s ancestral War God Battle Qi. It’s an ultra-high-tier technique that can only be activated by those with the Mars bloodline. However, if used before reaching Saint Rank... it’s extremely difficult to control and can cause self-injury. Under normal circumstances, I don’t use it in combat... Well... that’s about it, I guess?”
Po Kong organized his thoughts and laid everything out. However, after he finished speaking, he noticed the atmosphere had fallen into an eerie silence.
“Hey! I’m finished! Give me some kind of reaction!” Unable to take it, Po Kong scratched his head and broke the silence first.
“So... why exactly did Grand Duke Joseph and the others change their minds? Just because you’re the grandson of another Grand Duke? I find that a bit hard to believe,” Starlight replied with a strange expression.
“Um... what exactly did you mean by that 'War God' thing? Mars... I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before,” Xia Duo said sheepishly, clearly unfamiliar with what Po Kong was talking about.
Po Kong looked at the two of them, feeling quite speechless. After explaining so much, had they completely missed the point?
“Good grief... I forgot... It’s understandable that Little Star doesn't know, but Xia Duo, are you serious? You’re not pulling my leg?”
Po Kong had seriously considered how to answer their questions, only to find that they weren't even on the same wavelength. It left him not knowing how to continue.
Seeing the conversation between the three of them was so disjointed, even Moen couldn't bear to watch anymore. She stepped forward to explain on Po Kong’s behalf.
The surname Mars came from the War God of the Age of Gods, who was the only super-powerhouse at the time to ascend to godhood with a human body.
Unlike other aloof deities, the human-born War God left his bloodline in the mortal realm. His descendants survived the great catastrophe during the era when the gods perished, eventually forming the House of Mars in the current human kingdom.
A large part of the reason the current human kingdom remained standing was due to the active efforts of the House of Mars.
Possessing the bloodline of a god, they had maintained a stance of absolute non-involvement in political disputes since ancient times, acting as the loyal support for the royal House of Leon.
At the same time, the House of Mars was the only Grand Duke family without any fief.
While not having a fief seemed like a loss of power, the influence of the House of Mars was far beyond what any other family could compare to.
First, in terms of combat power, the House of Mars produced at least two Saint Rank experts in every era.
Furthermore, with the blessing of the War God bloodline, their strength far surpassed that of average Saint Rank individuals, allowing them to fight multiple opponents of the same rank simultaneously.
And that was only counting the experts among the direct relatives of the Mars family.
Another trump card that made them fearless was the legendary War God Legion.
This super-legion, directly controlled by successive heads of the House of Mars, was not large in number, but every member was a renowned powerhouse.
They were never permanently stationed in one place but traveled across the entire continent. Wherever there was war, they would appear.
This allowed them to accumulate unparalleled combat experience.
In the history of the human kingdom, there had been arrogant fools who dared to challenge the royal family and the House of Mars, but those rebels were invariably crushed into dust by the ruthless War God Legion.
It was no exaggeration to say that a single War God Legion was enough to turn the tide of a war. Even in battles against the Demons, they had never let the name of the War God be tarnished.
Thus, it wasn't just that the current Grand Duke Mars was exceptionally powerful; the existence of the War God Legion struck fear into the hearts of everyone. Such a reputation could not be ignored anywhere on the continent.
“In summary, that is the information I have. Mr. Po Kong’s identity is indeed quite staggering... No wonder President Strange and the others changed their attitudes so drastically. By the way, Sister, you should learn more about this kind of information. It’s useful, after all. A ranger’s job includes intelligence analysis, doesn't it?”
After Moen’s detailed explanation, Starlight and Xia Duo finally understood the gravity of the situation.
Moen then mentioned that this level of information was practically common knowledge on the continent nowadays, which made both of them feel even more embarrassed.
“Alright... I just didn't look into it before. I’ll pay more attention from now on!” Xia Duo looked at her sister with a sheepish grin. She understood that Moen’s reminder was well-intentioned and that she still had much to learn.
Starlight, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed at Po Kong before heavily slapping him on the shoulder.
“Well, well! You were hiding it that deep, Po Kong? No wonder Noah said you had a secret... It turns out I was the only one kept in the dark!”
Starlight didn't hold back with that slap. It landed right on Po Kong’s unhealed wound, making him jump with a start.
“That hurts! Is this how you treat an injured person?”
“That’s what you get for being so dishonest... Well... on second thought, it’s not that big a deal. I just felt like punching you.”
Rate on N.U.
