Chapter 1: The Rules of the Raymond Family

"Young Master Roko, the Marquis requests your presence in the study."

A slightly respectful voice sounded from outside the door.

As expected, it had come.

Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday.

For a non-heir of the Raymond family, it was a day that marked a turning point in fate.

Roko's heart was calm, without waves, neither happy nor sad.

Any non-heir who reached the age of eighteen was required to head to the frontier and become a Pioneer Knight.

Using their lives and blood to expand the family's survival space.

It sounded grand, but the mortality rate was terrifyingly high.

According to the data he had secretly collected and analyzed over the past few years, the mortality rate for family members sent to the frontier within three years was as high as fifty to sixty percent.

A cold and desperate number.

He had once thought that he might be like those protagonists in novels, obtaining a golden finger and defying his fate.

Unfortunately, fantasy was, after all, just fantasy.

"I understand. Lead the way."

His voice was very calm, revealing no emotion.

The servant bowed slightly and turned to lead the way.

Passing through the long corridor, the carpet beneath his feet was soft and thick, and oil paintings depicting the family's glorious history hung on the walls.

Every detail highlighted the foundation and power of the Raymond family.

Mu Guang City, where they were located, was the largest and most prosperous city within the family's territory.

The city walls towered into the clouds; it was said they were built from special obsidian mixed with magic materials, making them indestructible.

The city had a population of nearly one million, with developed commerce and countless experts.

The patrolling guards were at least at the Quasi-Knight level.

And the Raymond family, which ruled this city, was an even greater behemoth, its strength unfathomable.

Unfortunately, all this prosperity and power had little to do with him, the eighteenth son about to be "exiled."

Soon, they arrived at the study.

The servant pushed open the heavy oak door and respectfully stepped aside.

Roko stepped inside.

The study was large, and the air was filled with the scent of old paper and ink, mixed with a faint trace of cigar smoke.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the architectural silhouette of Mu Guang City.

Behind the desk sat a dignified middle-aged man.

He was Roko's father, the current head of the Raymond family, Marquis Levis · Lei Meng De.

Levis wore a well-tailored noble casual outfit; although there were a few silver strands at his temples, his back was straight, his eyes sharp, and he possessed an inherent dignity.

At this moment, he was looking down at documents, his expression focused.

Standing beside him was a young man whose face was somewhat similar to Levis's, with a steady temperament and a hint of the arrogance of a superior in his eyes.

This was Roko's eldest brother, and the heir to the family title, Kaine · Lei Meng De.

Kaine was assisting his father with government affairs; seeing Roko enter, he merely glanced at him indifferently before withdrawing his gaze, as if Roko were just an insignificant existence.

Roko's gaze fell on his father, Levis.

This father in name, a stranger in reality.

Over the past eighteen years, the number of times he had met this father could be counted on one hand, and their interactions were pitifully few.

However, at the very moment he looked at Levis, a sudden change occurred!

Without any warning, a translucent panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The panel was very simple, with only a few lines of text.

【Name: Levis · Lei Meng De】

【Level: Golden Grade Knight Peak (Level classification: Knight Attendant, Quasi-Knight, Knight, Great Knight, Bronze Grade Knight, Silver Grade Knight, Golden Grade Knight, Awakened Grade Knight...)】

【Talent: S-】

【Status: Healthy】

【Favorability: 60】

【Loyalty: 0】

Roko's heart jumped violently.

But the steady temperament he had cultivated over nearly eighteen years kept his face from showing any abnormality.

A golden finger?

At the final moment before he was about to be sent to a desperate situation, it had finally arrived?

And, not only could he see his own, but he could also see other people's attribute panels?

Levis put down the document in his hand, looked up, and his gaze fell on Roko.

His eyes were complex, containing scrutiny, indifference, and a hint of imperceptible regret.

"Roko, you're here."

Levis's voice was low and magnetic, carrying an unquestionable dignity.

"Father."

Roko bowed slightly, his posture impeccable.

"Do you know why I called you here today?"

Levis tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, making a rhythmic sound.

"I can probably guess; is it because of the family rules?"

Roko replied calmly.

A hint of surprise flashed in Levis's eyes; it seemed he had not expected this usually unremarkable son to be so calm in the face of his impending fate.

Kaine, standing to the side, also raised his eyebrows slightly and took another look at Roko.

"Not bad, it seems you are not living in a dream."

Levis nodded, his tone still flat.

"The rules of the Raymond family are the foundation of our clan and cannot be shaken."

"You are my eighteenth son."

"Before you, except for Kaine, all your other sixteen brothers have gone to the frontier."

Levis's voice paused, as if recalling something.

"Among them, ten have remained there forever; their names are carved on the family's monument of heroes."

The atmosphere in the study instantly became somewhat heavy.

Ten!

This number was even higher than the overall mortality rate Roko had calculated himself.

"So, Roko, do not hold any illusions."

"Do not think that just because you are my, Levis's, son, I can make an exception for you."

"Rules are rules."

"Tomorrow, when you turn eighteen, you must accept the family's arrangement, head to the frontier, and become a Pioneer Knight."

"This is your responsibility, and also your destiny."

Roko remained silent, listening quietly.

As expected, there was no room for negotiation.

Whether he wanted to be a Pioneer Lord or not, he had to be one.

However...

He glanced at the attribute panel in front of him.

The current situation seemed to be a bit different from what he had previously anticipated.

"Of course,"

Levis changed the subject.

"I will not let you go to your death just like that."

"I will never be stingy with necessary assistance."

"Startup funds, basic supplies, a batch of basic followers, and a designated pioneer territory located in the frontier buffer zone—the family will prepare all of these for you."

"This is the assistance the family provides to every Pioneer Knight."

"As for what kind of achievements you can make at the frontier, and how long you can live, that depends on your own ability."

Roko took a deep breath and slowly looked up.

"I understand, Father."

His tone was still calm, even carrying a hint of composure.

"I accept the family's arrangement."

A hint of surprise flashed in Levis's eyes once again.

He had anticipated the reactions Roko might have: fear, begging, unwillingness...

But he had never expected such a calm acceptance.

Even Kaine, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown, seemingly feeling that Roko's reaction was somewhat abnormal.

Only Roko himself knew his current mood.

A glimmer of hope had suddenly appeared in his desperate fate.

Although the fate of a Pioneer Knight could not be changed, with the golden finger, he had the possibility of changing his own destiny!

This attribute panel was his greatest trump card!