Chapter 296: Contribution
"Lord Hoffland, just name your terms. Whether I can fulfill them or not is my concern."
"Very well..." Hoffland, hearing this, realized that this conversation couldn't be brushed off so casually. On one side was the enormously wealthy Gilded Rose, on the other, the Elder Council with its surprisingly firm stance. Hoffland pondered for nearly a minute before coming up with a solution.
His solution was simple: stall...
First, he would use an extremely harsh condition to hold up the Gilded Rose, buying himself time to think of other options. In any case, the goal was to bring the Gilded Rose back into the Merlin Family fold.
This was crucial for the Merlin Family...
With the vast wealth of the Gilded Rose, if used wisely, the Merlin Family's power could rise to a whole new level.
Besides, the Gilded Rose wasn't just about money...
Judging by the various reports William Merlin had sent back recently, the Gilded Rose had resources, technology, and talent. On top of that, they'd somehow acquired a mercenary corps—fifty men, all Grand Mage-level. Even in a place like Auckland, that would be considered a formidable force.
Combined with their staggering wealth, given a little more time, even the Merlin Family might not be able to contain them...
Only those blind old fools on the Elder Council would push away a family descendant who controls the Gilded Rose. Any other faction would be begging him to enter their ancestral grounds...
With that thought, Hoffland steadied himself. "The Merlin Ancestral Estate is different from other families—only the most core descendants can enter. As for the criteria, at the very least, you must be a strong contender for the next family head..."
...Leon hadn't even opened his mouth when William Merlin beside him sucked in a sharp breath.
I mean...
Isn't that a bit much for a joke?
Everyone in the Merlin Family knows the conditions for entering the ancestral grounds. This 'strong contender for the next family head' bit is just blatant nonsense!
Well...
Honestly, talking nonsense with a straight face isn't the real issue...
The problem is, you're just asking for trouble this way...
Right now, Owen Merlin, Leon Merlin, and Ross Merlin are already fighting over the next family head position—things are chaotic enough. Now you're just adding fuel to the fire. What if my cousin actually believes you?
This is no joke...
If he really believes it, then Owen Merlin, Leon Merlin, Ross Merlin—none of them would likely survive. With his personality, he'd probably wipe them all out, leaving himself as the only candidate for family head. Imagine killing so many people over a casual joke—how could you live with yourself?
Just thinking about it made William Merlin's face go pale. He frantically shot Hoffland meaningful glances, hoping the old man would take back what he just said...
Thankfully, thankfully...
Hoffland hadn't noticed William Merlin's signals, but after finishing his sentence, he hesitated a bit. "Of course, if you make a great contribution to the Merlin Family, you can enter the ancestral grounds too..."
"Whew..." William Merlin let out a long breath. Thank goodness, thank goodness, the old man reacted in time...
Sure enough, Leon barely hesitated before asking, "So what counts as a great contribution?"
"It's simple..." Hoffland replied breezily. "Three hundred years ago, Auckland had a Charlotte Family. Though their strength and heritage were far below the Merlin Family, one day a genius emerged—Fusen Charlotte. He became an Archmage at eighteen, a Magister at twenty-five, and by thirty-three, was just one step away from becoming a Title Archmage..."
"And then?"
"With such a genius rising in the Charlotte Family, they thought they could challenge the Merlin Family. Again and again, they provoked us, even publicly declaring that Fusen Charlotte would reach the Sky Rank before fifty, and then sweep away both the Merlin and Watson Families..."
That's quite the boast...
It sure was. The Charlotte Family was full of bravado back then, but you can't blame them—Fusen Charlotte really was a genius among geniuses. His magical progress was lightning-fast, and neither the Merlin nor Watson Families had any young talent who could compare.
So what happened?
Well..." Hoffland smiled at Leon. "In the end, he was killed during a hunt by a Magister from the Merlin Family, before he could become a Title Archmage. The Magister who killed him was Thornton Merlin—one of only three Heavenly Mages the family has produced in five hundred years. Before that, Thornton was just a distant branch member with very diluted Merlin blood. But after he killed Fusen Charlotte, he was allowed into the Merlin Ancestral Grounds, became a Title Archmage three years later, and twenty years after that, ascended to Heavenly Mage. If you're interested, you can check the Merlin Family Chronicle—it's quite an interesting story..."
"Alright, I understand." Leon nodded, not asking further, but instead inquired, "Who's the Watson Family's top genius right now?"
"Stan Watson, a thirty-year-old Eighth-Tier Archmage. He's about as talented as Fusen Charlotte was back in the day..." Hoffland answered automatically, then asked, "Why do you want to know?"
"No reason, just curious. Well then, Lord Hoffland, we'll take our leave..." With that, Leon didn't wait for Hoffland to try and stop them, and left the third-floor study with William Merlin.
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"Huh?" Hoffland was momentarily stunned, just staring at the two as they left. It took him a full minute to realize, "Hey, I'm not done talking!"
Unfortunately, by then, they were already gone...
No one heard whatever else Hoffland said after that.
"He really does have Judd Merlin's temper..." Hoffland muttered to himself, then fell back into deep thought.
What did Matthew Merlin mean by that...?
Why did he leave with William Merlin before I could finish speaking...?
Could it be...?
Wait a minute!
At that thought, Hoffland suddenly started.
No way...
Could Matthew Merlin have asked about the Watson Family's top genius because he plans to do what Thornton Merlin did—to take out the rival family's best?
"Uh..." The thought left Hoffland dumbfounded.
Wait... this can't be serious, right?
The whole point of that story was just to show how hard it is to enter the ancestral grounds! Thornton Merlin only got in after defeating the Charlotte Family's top genius. Matthew Merlin's situation is similar, so shouldn't he make a comparable contribution?
Heaven knows, I was just hinting!
With the wealth of the Gilded Rose, even sharing a small part with the Merlin Family—or opening up some of its technology and resources—would be a contribution on par with Thornton Merlin's.
I never meant for him to go kill Stan Watson...
Stan Watson is an Eighth-Tier Archmage, and rumor has it he might reach Ninth-Tier soon. At that level, his mana and spell power would be truly formidable...
Besides, as the Watson Family's top genius, Stan is sure to have impressive protection—several Magisters as bodyguards at the very least, maybe even a Title Archmage. This is no joke! Not even Matthew Merlin or William Merlin would dare try anything, let alone Hoffland himself, even as a Title Archmage.
Stan is the Watson Family's lifeblood...
For all I know, the Watson Family's ancestors—those rumored to have reached Heavenly Mage—are secretly watching over Stan. With someone like that, it's not even about whether you could kill him. Even if you did, you'd only be bringing trouble on yourself.
Damn...
With that thought, Hoffland cursed under his breath.
What now?
"Link, come here for a moment." Given the gravity of the situation, Hoffland didn't bother with other methods and called out to the air.
Strangely enough, as soon as Hoffland called, a dark figure appeared in the previously empty study. "What are your orders, Master?"
The dark figure's face was completely hidden by his hood, half merged with the shadows—his features impossible to discern. Judging by his voice, he was likely a man in his forties.
"Link, I need a favor. Did you see those two youngsters who just left? Please keep an eye on them for a while. If you discover—I'm saying if—if you discover they're planning to assassinate Stan Watson of the Watson Family, you must do everything you can to stop them."
"Yes." The dark figure called Link nodded, then melted back into the shadows. If not for the sound of his voice, anyone would have thought he was never there.
After watching Link disappear, Hoffland Merlin finally let out a long breath...
With Link watching those two, there shouldn't be any problems.
Only Hoffland Merlin knew that Link had been working for the Merlin Family for nearly five hundred years...
Link's first master was Thornton Merlin, the very one who killed Fusen Charlotte. Since then, Link has never left the Merlin Family, obeying only the orders of the family patriarch.
Link's existence is a secret known only to successive patriarchs of the Merlin Family...