Thoren’s finger paused slightly on the armrest. His expression did not change, but the air around him seemed to still for a moment.

Immediately, Solenne noticed it.

Of course, she noticed it.

She had seen Thoren face the terrifying beast tides without any fluctuation in his expression. But whenever his sister was mentioned, something cold and sharp always flashed beneath his calm surface.

Unknown to her, the subtle changes in Thoren’s demeanor were not solely due to the mention of his sister. It was something else.

Now, with many ruins discovered with each passing day and the history of the Bleeding Desert being unearthed at an alarming speed, Thoren had begun to see fragments of a truth far larger than Mantis Town.

From what he found so far, the Bleeding Desert was not so simple after all. Even though he already expected it, the results from the fragmented ruin scrolls still left him flabbergasted.

This world belonged to an ancient race known as the Veyrath.

They were not humans and not beastmen. They were the original intelligent race of the Three Moon World. They had pale skin, golden blood, long lives, and powerful spiritual bodies.

What was more, their civilization was extremely advanced. But their main focus was soul research. In this aspect, they progressed at an alarming rate.

To many civilizations, souls had been an illusory realm.

Metaphysical.

Some even believed it was the other realm.

Some called it the spirit realm.

A sacred zone that must not be touched.

A taboo.

Some did not believe the soul actually existed.

But for the Veyrath, it could not have been more real.

From the ancient record, the Veyrath had touched the soul realm and had begun to explore it. With their long lives, they were patient with this boring research.

The more the Veyrath knew about the soul, the more fascinated they became. Research facilities were built at every corner of the Three Moon World.

Each one tried to surpass the others.

Each facility carried its own doctrine.

Each faction believed its own path was the closest to the truth.

Some studied memory.

Some studied spiritual bodies.

Some studied reincarnation.

Some studied soul erosion and soul division.

However, the turning point was when they discovered how to cultivate their souls. This discovery made them realize stronger souls could make them more intelligent.

More importantly, they could roam worlds beyond their physical Three Moon World for more knowledge and discoveries with their soul.

Just the ability to shed their mortal shells threw their world into a frenzy.

And this led to various thought provoking questions.

If the soul could leave the body, was the body truly necessary?

If the soul could be strengthened, could death be delayed?

If memory could be preserved, could a person truly disappear?

If the soul could roam beyond the world, then what waited outside the Three Moon World?

With each discovery, they embarked on many inhumane experiments.

The Veyrath were divided into many factions.

Some wanted their experiments and research to be strictly monitored, while others disagreed.

Some proposed not to perform their inhumane experiments on their fellow species and use animals.

Unfortunately, the Three Moon World was far too lost in its thirst for knowledge to listen to reason.

The pursuit of eternal knowledge became their lifelong goal.

Each faction was racing not to be outdone by its competitors.

Even those that were trying to conduct their research with strict moral ideals threw their moral compass out of the window when they were being overshadowed.

This period was the golden era of the Three Moon World.

Research papers were being published at an alarming rate.

Discoveries were being made almost every year.

Pushing the ancient Veyrath race to the peak of their civilization.

Cities of white stone and gold veins rose beneath the three moons.

Soul towers pierced the sky.

Underground laboratories spread beneath deserts, forests, mountains, and seas.

Ancient arrays were carved into the world itself.

And in those laboratories, countless experiments were performed in the name of progress.

Thinking of everything he had discovered so far, Thoren could not help but shake his head and sigh softly.

"What are you thinking?" Solenne asked, creasing her brow.

She rarely saw Thoren with such an expression.

"Are you thinking about your sister?" she asked.

"No..." Thoren shook his head.

As for his sister, he could not help but crease his brow.

Previously, he thought he was troublesome, turning the Abyss world upside down. But compared to his sister, Lyra, he still had a lot of catching up to do.

Lyra and her party were fearless.

They confronted the Slave Trade Guild and Scorpion Clan in many bloody battles.

More importantly, their party unearthed many secrets that made both the two factions hate them to their bones.

Most especially the Scorpion Clan.

According to what he discovered, Lyra tricked the Scorpion Clan and sneaked into their library and stole an important scroll.

For months, they hunted Lyra and her party, but every time, his sister and her party always managed to escape until they finally vanished from the Bleeding Desert.

As for why they vanished, he had no information about that.

But he knew one thing, it was related to the Scorpion Clan.

The scroll Lyra stole was not ordinary.

From the few fragmented records Thoren had pieced together, the Scorpion Clan seemed to know far more about the Veyrath ruins than any other beastmen clan.

Their archive contained histories that should have been lost.

And their obsession with ruins, bloodlines, and their determination to stop humans from completing their trial was another story entirely.

Just thinking of the Scorpion Clan, he continued to tap his armrest rhythmically. Looking at Thoren, Solenne could finally determine that a lot was going on in his mind.

But what could he be thinking?

Shaking her head softly, she decided not to concern herself about him. With Thoren’s power and influence, she knew no ordinary thing could make him lost in thought.

Coming out of his thoughts, he stared at Solenne, and his gaze became deadly sharp.

"Are you ready to turn the table?" he asked.

Listening to the question, Solenne did not respond immediately. She stared at him for a moment before a slow smile crept up her face.

"I thought you would never ask."