Chapter 553: Fifty Percent
"There must be another way..."
Leon frowned, his gaze fixed on the five Dragon Cores atop the alchemy table. He racked his brain for a solution, but nothing came to mind. Time slipped by—day after day—and the alchemy lab remained eerily silent. Leon just stared blankly at the Dragon Cores, lost in thought.
At last, on the fifteenth day, Leon slowly pushed open the door of the alchemy lab and drew a deep breath of fresh air. "Instead of stubbornly clinging to the energy cycle of five Dragon Cores, maybe I should fuse them into one—create a single Dragon Core to embed in the Doombringer Staff..."
To be precise, he abandoned the previous plan and, in a burst of wild inspiration, decided to try fusing all five Dragon Cores. Of course, that came with its own set of daunting challenges...
When he finally emerged from the alchemy lab, he was surprised to find that it wasn't just Reina waiting outside—Uriel Merlin was there too.
"Archmage Leon..." Uriel Merlin rushed over as soon as he saw Leon, looking rather anxious.
"What's wrong, Uriel?" Leon gave Uriel Merlin a curious look. "Did something happen while I was away?"
"This morning, Lord Carl Watson of the Watson Family arrived at Blazeforge Fortress. He said he wanted to discuss some matters with you, but since you never came out, he's been waiting in the reception room ever since..."
"Lord Carl Watson?"
"Carl Watson, current patriarch of the Watson Family..."
"Then take me to see this Lord Carl," Leon said.
With Uriel Merlin's detailed introduction, Leon finally understood who Carl Watson was. Hearing Carl Watson's identity, Leon was genuinely surprised. He knew the Watson Family had come to discuss cooperation regarding the campaign for the Horn of Plenty, but he hadn't expected the patriarch himself to show up...
One thing was certain: the Watson patriarch had remarkable patience. From morning until now, he'd waited at least five or six hours...
Soon, after passing through layer upon layer of guards, Leon stepped into the reception room. Inside was a gaunt, white-haired old man.
The old man spotted Leon and immediately smiled warmly, looking just like any ordinary elder. "Archmage Leon..."
Leon touched his nose, a smile appearing on his face. The old man's composure was leagues above Mark Watson's. He'd waited at least five or six hours and didn't seem to mind at all. "Lord Carl, my apologies for keeping you waiting so long..."
"Heh..."
Carl Watson waved his hand, still smiling at Leon. "No need to apologize, Merlin. I came to Inferno Fortress without any advance notice, and you were busy with urgent matters. Waiting a little longer was only natural..."
With that, Carl Watson gave Leon a long, searching look...
Half a month ago, Mark Watson had been sent to Inferno Fortress by Carl himself to propose a partnership to the Merlin Family.
Truth be told, he'd never really worried about it...
In his view, there was a ninety percent chance this partnership would go through. After all, the Horn of Plenty was the richest region in the entire Blazeforge Realm—even just twenty percent of its land would generate unimaginable wealth every year. With an opportunity like that, why would the Merlin Family ever say no?
Unless the Merlin Family's commander had lost his mind, refusing would be unthinkable...
Forget refusing—they'd probably be begging for a partnership themselves...
The allure of the Horn of Plenty was far beyond what most could imagine. The Watson Family had considered reaching out to other factions, but after careful deliberation, they had to give up on that idea. In the Blazeforge Realm, most military powers were far weaker than the Watsons—only the Merlin Family was comparable. The only others were the Black Tower and Cloudspire Tower.
No question, the Watsons would never team up with either of those giants. If they did, they'd lose all control—and getting even twenty percent of the land would be a miracle. Of course, there's another possibility: the Black Tower and Cloudspire Tower might not even bother with the Watsons and just go after the Horn of Plenty on their own.
After weighing all the options, partnering with the Merlin Family was the only logical choice...
But three days later, Carl Watson realized something was off. This was supposed to be the day the Merlin Family gave their answer, but he waited until midnight and still didn't hear from them.
Maybe they just needed more time to think...
That was how Carl Watson tried to comfort himself. Even then, he was convinced the Merlin Family would never refuse such a partnership, so he endured another stretch of endless waiting. But there was still no word from the Merlin Family. By the tenth day, Carl was finally getting restless—had the message not been delivered?
He went to find Mark Watson, who'd been sent to Inferno Fortress, and got confirmation: the message had been delivered, and the Merlin Family had been fully briefed on the details.
So Carl Watson swallowed his frustration and decided to wait a little longer. He figured the Merlin Family was just playing hardball, holding out for better terms. If he sent someone over first, it would only make the Watsons look desperate.
But five days later, there was still no news from the Merlin Family. Instead, the Black Tower kept sending mage legions to the Horn of Plenty. When Carl heard about it, he got a sinking feeling—just what was the Black Tower up to?
He sent people to investigate and was stunned by what he learned: the Black Tower seemed to have discovered something unusual about the Horn of Plenty and was preparing to attack...
This...
When Carl Watson heard the news, he nearly lost it. The Black Tower was far stronger than the Watsons; they didn't need anyone's help to seize the Horn of Plenty. If that happened, what would be left for the Watson Family?
That was why the anxious Carl Watson came to Inferno Fortress himself. Even though he was deeply dissatisfied with the Merlin Family, he didn't show it.
Thinking of all this, Carl's smile grew a bit stiff. He looked at the young commander across from him and said, "Merlin, I think you know why I'm here at Inferno Fortress. To be precise, it's about the partnership between the Watson Family and the Merlin Family. If we successfully take the Horn of Plenty, your Merlin Family will get thirty percent of the land. What do you think?"
Now that the Black Tower was getting involved, Carl Watson felt a heavy pressure. The campaign for the Horn of Plenty couldn't be delayed any longer. He was even willing to make concessions—offering the Merlin Family a greater share of the spoils after the war.
That was just how things had to be...
As the patriarch, coming to Inferno Fortress in person had already put the Watson Family at a disadvantage in these negotiations.
"Heh..." Leon couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at Carl Watson's proposal, pausing for a good ten seconds before finally replying, "To be honest, Lord Carl, our Merlin Family isn't all that interested in the campaign for the Horn of Plenty. I might disappoint you..."
Leon wasn't just brushing him off. After the campaign against the Firefusion Tribe, the Merlin Family had gained so much—doubling their territory and acquiring a wealth of mineral resources. Leon wasn't clear on all the details, but he knew enough to realize it would take the family a long time to absorb the spoils.
As a result, the Merlin Family's planar legion was stretched thin across the region, with everyone busy and no forces left idle...
After all, the Merlin Family's strength was nothing compared to the Black Tower. When the Firefusion Tribe campaign ended, the Black Tower still had plenty of military power to spare.
"Huh?"
Carl Watson was clearly stunned, staring blankly at Leon. He could hardly believe his ears—had the Merlin Family really refused so bluntly?
How could the Merlin Family not be interested in the Horn of Plenty...?
"Merlin... don't be so quick to decide. Think it over—this is the Horn of Plenty, the richest region in the entire Blazeforge Realm. If you can help take it, your Merlin Family will reap unimaginable rewards..." Carl Watson's aged face forced out a smile, but inside he was anything but calm. The Watson Family's rise depended on this.
After thinking it over, Carl Watson gritted his teeth and said, "Half a year ago, your Merlin Family’s ancestral grounds reached an agreement with our Watson Family: in the Blazeforge Realm, we must cooperate. Capturing the Horn of Plenty brings no harm to the Merlin Family. If you’re dissatisfied with the division of spoils, you can raise it directly. As our closest partner, the Watson Family won’t haggle over details…"
As he said this, Carl Watson felt his heart bleeding—this meant handing the initiative over to the Merlin Family.
But what choice did he have?
If the Black Tower hadn’t suddenly intervened, the Watson Family could have tried something else. But now, they really didn’t have any time left to waste…
At that moment, Leon’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed. This was exactly what he’d been waiting for from Carl Watson. In truth, how could he not be interested in the Horn of Plenty?
After all, the Horn of Plenty isn’t just rich in resources—it’s also dangerously close to the end of the Howling River.
“The Watson Family is truly generous…” Leon smiled as he glanced at Carl Watson, and upon seeing Carl’s face turn ashen, he decided not to press further. Instead, he slowly raised five fingers. “Lord Carl, the Merlin Family will only agree to this alliance if we receive fifty percent of the land.”