And the elderly man didn't seem to mind at all, only taking over the heavy, stout Ring of Golden Flame. Strangely enough, the ring, which had become dull and lightless after the event at Fenris, brightened once again in his hands when he held it up against the light of the fireplace.

The ring once again shone brightly, radiating a golden, molten-like glow.

He slowly rotated the ring, silent for a long period.

Others, unsure of what was happening, could only watch.

After a good while, the old man finally broke the silence, "Thirty years ago, I saw this ring once, and after that, Linxiu and I went our separate ways, each promising to investigate everything behind Dolifen—"

"But now the ring seems to be filled with an inexplicable power, entirely different from thirty years ago," he lifted his head, his white eyebrows raised, looking at Fang Hong, "I heard that Dolifen's Phantom Realm has disappeared; I presume you have been to that place, haven't you?"

Fang Hong did not hide the truth, and nodded.

"No wonder then, it seems the opportunity has arrived." The old man muttered to himself, then looked at the group again, "Since they chose to send you to this place, I believe they must have their reasons, and this change in the ring seems to explain it all."

"Explain what?" Tianlan asked, puzzled.

The others didn't stop her this time because they shared the same doubt in their hearts.

"It explains a lot of things, but it's quite complicated to spell out at the moment," the old man answered, "And since you came to me with this ring, it suggests you too might want to understand the full story behind all this—"

The group was taken aback.

Fang Hong glanced at Atira and Hilveld; their role was merely that of messengers, but to say he didn't want to know everything about the Dragon Witch and the Dark Giant Dragon after experiencing the series of events in Dolifen and Fenris Isle wasn't quite true either.

At that moment, Atira seemed to think of something and nodded gently, "Please, go ahead, sir."

Fang Hong looked at the Elf Miss in slight surprise.

And it was then that he noticed a change in the task line of the Dragon's Witch in his system, a notification appeared indicating that the sub-directory of the Dragon Witch event was being updated.

The elder, anticipating their response, raised the ring in his hand, pondered silently for a long while, then sighed, "Before I start telling all this, let me begin with introducing myself."

The others were slightly taken aback, curious about this elderly man.

Although Mazak sent them to find him and entrusted the Ring of Golden Flame to this gentleman, he had never told them why and who the old man was.

Fang Hong also had many speculations, such as guessing that this old man was the one who had been supporting Mazak and the Black Goat Commerce Association from behind the scenes for the past thirty years.

"My real name is Aorxin Duke, with Duke being my surname," the old man spoke, "Those familiar with noble lineages would know that this surname is linked to a series of families, all originating from the region of Nosnia."

"In earlier times, we pledged allegiance to a main family, later known as the Beverly Family. Although over the past two centuries, as the kingdom's power consolidated and the relationships among nobles gradually diluted, families historically connected often still maintained private alliances—"

"In my younger days, I too had followed a prominent figure from the Beverly Family."

"Since you have visited Dolifen, you should be aware of the Phantom Realm there; it was a reenactment of the past thirty years ago. Although I visited that place less often afterwards to avoid recalling painful memories, I have always had a clear memory of everything that happened thirty years ago."

The old man suddenly looked up, "So, do you know the origin of that ceremony?"

Hilveld recalled the situation at the time, responding, "It seemed to be in celebration of a certain important person."

"You are right, young lady," the old man looked at her, nodding approvingly, "That important person was called Sean Beverly, or the Stoneheart Earl. Have you heard of this name?"

Hilveld thought for a moment, "Thirty years ago he was a senior minister of the kingdom, I have heard the title Stoneheart Earl."

The old man looked surprised, "It seems you know the nobility of the kingdom quite well."

Hilveld glanced at Fang Hong and smiled slightly, "I am a native, Sir."

The old man then revealed a look of realization, nodding as he continued the story, "And this Stoneheart Earl was my direct superior, at the time esteemed by the King, appointed to take over the position of Governor of Dolifen."

The group then understood, that was the reason for the ceremony— a senior minister of the King, although his position at the time was equivalent to the Dolifen Governor Earl Rogsel, was revered far more highly.

No wonder Earl Rogsel was so cautious about the ceremony then.

Seeing the understanding in the group's eyes, the old man realized they grasped the implications, "That ceremony was held for this reason, and at that time, I was among the entourage of that important person."

"You know what happened next, I personally experienced that disaster, and the Stoneheart Earl disappeared when Dolifen fell; in fact, I almost lost my life myself. It was Linxiu's two friends who saved us all."

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