Chapter 318: Dialogue
"Richie?" Ross Merlin paused at the entrance of the auction hall, momentarily stunned when he saw the young man. Suspicion stirred in his heart—after all, this was no ordinary figure. Richie Holland, both his parents were senior alchemists of the Blackhorn Consortium, and he himself was the personal disciple of the renowned Title Archmage Hollard. Though only in his twenties, he had already reached the strength of a Fifth-Tier Archmage and was rumored to be Hollard's chosen successor within the Consortium.
The Merlin Family and the Blackhorn Consortium had always found plenty of opportunities to cooperate. Two outstanding young men, after frequent interactions, naturally became acquainted—perhaps even friends. Ross Merlin knew well that with Richie's status in the Consortium, he should be inside hosting the auction at this hour. Why was he, strangely, standing guard at the entrance like a sentry today?
"Oh, it’s nothing. I just came out to greet a late VIP. I’m heading back in now. What about you, Ross? What brings you to the auction today?"
"You personally came out to greet a VIP?" Ross Merlin’s face showed genuine surprise at this.
Richie’s status was no secret—he was Hollard’s personal disciple, soon to enter the Consortium’s inner circle. If even he had to personally greet this guest, then this was no ordinary VIP…
"Yeah, a very special guest. The higher-ups have been keeping an eye on him for almost a year now…" Richie didn’t bother to hide much; although it was technically confidential, the secrecy wasn’t all that strict.
"No way…" Ross Merlin sucked in a breath. The Blackhorn Consortium wasn’t just any force—in the entire Northend World, it was considered top-tier.
Don’t be fooled by Auckland’s so-called three great powers—the Black Tower, the Skycloud Spire, and Auckland Academy. That’s only because their influence is concentrated in Auckland. In reality, the Blackhorn Consortium is the truly terrifying presence. Their reach permeates every corner of the Northend World, their influence beyond what most can imagine.
Moreover, both the Merlin and Watson Families believed the Consortium was hiding its true strength. Their real power was far from as simple as it appeared…
"No choice—the guest today really is special. Not even twenty-two, and already a Grandmaster…"
"Grandmaster!" Ross Merlin’s eyes widened. A Grandmaster under twenty-two—what did that even mean? It meant, barring any accidents, he was certain to reach the Creator’s realm in his lifetime. In other words, the person Richie just greeted was a future Creator!
"Exactly, a Grandmaster…" Richie smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness in it. His mind was full of the dossier on that Merlin Archmage. In that file, the Merlin mage was shrouded in mystery and brilliance. Thinking about it, they were about the same age—Richie was even a little older—but the gap between them had grown impossibly wide. To say Richie didn’t feel envy or jealousy would be a lie…
But Richie, raised in the Blackhorn Consortium, had one advantage: he could accept realities most people couldn’t. He was used to facing the unimaginable. So after a bitter smile, his face quickly returned to normal. "And, they say this young Grandmaster was just a magic apprentice a little over a year ago. No one knows what happened, but overnight he rose up, swept aside all his rivals. I heard that less than a month ago, he even defeated a Title Archmage…"
"A… A Title Archmage!" Ross Merlin felt a chill run through his limbs. A young Grandmaster under twenty-two, who had also defeated a Title Archmage—this sounded unreal, like something out of a legend. How could anyone be so monstrous?
Before, Ross Merlin had always thought Stan Watson was already monstrous enough—leaving everyone else in the dust, crushing Auckland’s young talents, becoming an Eighth-Tier Archmage before thirty, so powerful it was almost hopeless. Back then, Ross thought he’d never see anyone more freakish than Stan Watson in his lifetime.
But who could’ve guessed…
Today, from Richie’s mouth, he’d heard of someone even younger, even more monstrous. Only twenty-two…
"Oh, I almost forgot—when he defeated the Title Archmage, he was just a Ninth-Tier Grand Mage. And now he’s already an Archmage…"
…Ross Merlin was stunned, at a complete loss for words. A Ninth-Tier Grand Mage defeating a Title Archmage—utterly impossible. For a moment, his eyes glazed over and his mind buzzed, not hearing a word Richie said next.
"Ross, Ross…"
"Huh?" Richie called out twice before Ross Merlin snapped out of it, realizing he’d lost composure. He quickly forced a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I spaced out for a moment. What did you just say?"
"I asked, what brings you to the auction today? Didn’t you always say auctions were for fools with too much money, that only those laughable upstarts came here to waste their coin?"
"Well…" Ross Merlin hesitated. "I’m here to find someone. I want to discuss a deal with him…"
"Oh?"
"Simply put, I have a distant cousin who’s holding something I desperately need. It’s probably useless to him, but vital to me. I tried to negotiate with him back at the Merlin Family Manor—offering magical knowledge and alchemical techniques, even three personal favors for his alchemy shop. But for some reason, he turned me down… despite the generous terms."
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"Haha…" Richie chuckled. "Your cousin really is something. Did you even tell him who you are? Honestly, everyone in Auckland knows you, Young Master Ross—your collection from all those planar wars is enough to make anyone jealous. I’m curious, when your cousin finds out what he missed out on, what kind of face will he make?"
"Ugh, forget it…" Ross Merlin was already frustrated, and Richie’s words didn’t help. "Whatever. That thing is important to me. No matter the cost, I’m getting it."
"Fine, fine. Just tell me your cousin’s name—I’ll check the guest list and try to arrange for you two to meet. Then you can negotiate yourselves…"
"Thanks, Richie. I owe you one." Ross Merlin’s face showed real gratitude. He knew Richie was one of the auction’s supervisors, but helping him like this was pushing the boundaries. If word got out, it could even hurt Richie’s future in the Consortium.
"Enough with the thanks—you can save that for someone else. We don’t need it between us. If you hadn’t helped me back in the Blazeforge Plane, I’d have been in serious trouble. Now, just tell me your cousin’s name…"
"Matthew Merlin."
"Oh, Matthew Merlin…" Richie nodded, pulling out pen and paper to jot down the name. But as he wrote, something felt off. That name sounded… familiar. "Matthew Merlin, Matthew Merlin…"
"What is it?" Ross Merlin asked, puzzled.
"You… you mean Matthew Merlin…" Richie’s expression grew blank, his gaze at Ross Merlin tinged with a hint of fear. "You’re talking about Matthew Merlin from Thousand Sails City, aren’t you?"
"That’s right, from Thousand Sails City. Owner of the Gilded Rose—Matthew Merlin. Why?"
"So, the guy with something you desperately need—the one you want to trade magical knowledge and alchemical techniques for, your distant cousin—is… is really Matthew Merlin?" Richie swallowed hard, his words stuttering.
"Yeah, it’s Matthew Merlin."
…Richie’s legs nearly buckled. He stared at Ross Merlin for a long moment before slowly setting down the pen and paper. "So, Ross, your cousin—is he about twenty, always in a black robe?"
"That’s right, that’s him."
"Have you ever looked into his background?"
"Background?" Ross Merlin blinked. "Sure, I asked around. His grandfather is Hoffland Merlin’s brother—Judd Merlin. No one knows why, but years ago, Judd suddenly left everything behind and moved to Thousand Sails City. There, he had a son, Roger Merlin, who was apparently quite formidable. In just a decade or so, he built the Flashpoint Trading Company from scratch and monopolized the city’s alchemy business, becoming filthy rich. As for Matthew Merlin, I don’t know much. I just heard that after Roger died, he had a pretty rough time until the family sent William Merlin to help. William personally helped him rebuild the Gilded Rose, and now it’s supposedly the biggest alchemy shop in Thousand Sails City."
"That’s all you found out?" Richie couldn’t decide whether to laugh or sigh. Why bother with Judd Merlin and Roger Merlin? You should’ve really looked into Matthew Merlin himself…
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I’ll continue writing after dinner. Toss me some votes to fuel my stomach!