Chapter 1346
Their abilities are impressive, but they lack direction. Take Percival, for instance—his theoretical research could make him a top-tier creator even thousands of years from now, but without a proper path, his progress is painfully slow. He spends ninety-nine percent of his time just eliminating incorrect paths. Once Leon gave him the right direction, results followed quickly.
After leaving the Blazeforge Realm, Leon entered the Plane of Golems again. It was still the safest spot first discovered by the Astral Academy: surrounded by mountains that were all golem graveyards. Each mountain was a heap of discarded golem parts, mostly from low-tier alchemical golems, made of things like magisteel.
Channeling his mana, Leon flew to the summit of a giant mountain of parts, over a thousand meters high. A hurricane swept through, and the junk on this mountain spun like it was caught in a tornado, vanishing into a vortex in midair. In just half a minute, the mountain—over a kilometer tall and several kilometers wide at the base—was gone.
Not lingering, Leon returned to the Blazeforge Realm. Inside the USS Dauntless, he found a room expanded to over ten kilometers wide and dumped all the discarded parts there. The materials were low-grade, but they were more than enough as supplementary ingredients for the arcane battleship.
With those tasks done, Leon went back to the Northend World. He'd barely set foot inside when the bad news arrived: three material suppliers from the Odin Kingdom had cut ties with the Gilded Rose.
Several alchemical ingredients needed by the Gilded Rose suddenly became scarce; the current stock would last only a few more months at best.
"Master Merlin, these three magical plant and herb families were our closest partners. For them to break off all at once—something's off. Even when others left before, these three made it clear they'd keep working with the Gilded Rose and wouldn't yield to outside pressure. Now, this happens.
I already sent people to talk to their patriarchs, but their stance is firm—they'd rather pay us a huge sum in purple gold coins than continue the partnership...
It's not normal. I've investigated using our Gilded Rose connections, and it looks like the decision was made suddenly by the patriarchs. Anyone in their families who tried to object was locked away..."
Farrow reported the latest problem to Leon, his face full of worry.
Leon frowned. The Gilded Rose's material supply was always a major concern, but he hadn't expected it to be exploited like this. Their merchant convoys and suppliers had been attacked before; ever since the Gilded Rose fielded over twenty Level 40 alchemical golems, attacks had dropped by half but continued to harass them—like pests, not deadly but endlessly irritating. Now, something new had happened.
These three suppliers had signed contracts with the Gilded Rose—some of the strictest in the business. Breaking the contract meant they'd have to pay the Gilded Rose at least a hundredfold in purple gold coins within a short time.
The Gilded Rose was now their biggest alchemy client in northern Odin Kingdom, with the highest demand for materials, offering nearly double the profit compared to other shops. But if they broke the contract, they'd have to pay a hundred times the losses, enough to cripple their families—at least twenty years of pure profit gone. Unless the patriarchs had lost their minds, they'd never do this.
“How's the investigation into the Rose Circle going? Did they have anything to do with this?”
Last time, they suspected the Rose Circle. Now, with this bizarre situation, Leon was even more convinced. Only the Rose Circle would pull off something so strange—it fit their style perfectly. But he still didn't understand when they'd offended the southern Odin Kingdom faction; the Gilded Rose's business didn't even conflict with the Rose Circle…
Why would they keep doing things that hurt others but don't benefit themselves? Even if someone paid them handsomely to target the Gilded Rose, would they really risk destabilizing the Rose Circle for it?
Leon was puzzled, but he didn't care much. With support from Andalusia Kingdom and the Blazeforge Realm, plus their stockpiles, the Gilded Rose could hold out for at least half a year—probably longer.
Half a year was plenty of time to finish the basic arcane battleships. Their main job was defense, not conquest, so even if the ships weren't done, they could still move to that plane and take it over. There weren't any powerful creatures there, and it produced lots of materials anyway. Six months would keep the Gilded Rose safe.
Leon couldn't be bothered with the issue anymore. After two consecutive supply crises, he'd given up relying on Odin Kingdom's suppliers. Once the new plane started producing, Odin's materials would just be a backup—if that.
Lord Sean had only gotten halfway through his tirade when he suddenly noticed something was off. Glancing around, he saw Leon and immediately scowled in displeasure.
Merlin, what do you want? I’m busy disciplining those useless laborers—they’re terrible! I should’ve bought some orc workers instead. A mage, and the buildings he makes are all crooked! Damn it, I’m furious. Send me back, I need to show them what happens when they defy Lord Sean’s orders…
Leon said nothing, just watched Lord Sean quietly. After a few minutes, Sean grew uneasy and finally sat down, sulking.
Master Merlin, what’s the matter? I’m busy, you know—ever since you broke the seals on those laborers in the semi-plane, their efficiency and quality have gotten worse. Those idiots spend all day secretly meditating, and they work even less than before. I’m supervising them…
Sean grew nervous under Leon’s gaze, his eyes darting around, nearly in tears.
Damn, I’ve been getting too full of myself lately. I knew it—without the magic weapon’s power, Merlin’s going to make me suffer. He must be thinking of new ways to torment me. Shuban’s been behaving lately, so Merlin hasn’t had a reason to punish him. Now he’s coming after me…
Just as Lord Sean was growing anxious, the sound of wings flapping came from the window. Hughes flew in, looking proud.
Master Merlin, Master Merlin, I saw everything! So many idiots—all gathered at the place you mentioned. There was an annoying woman too, almost spotted the great Hughes, but luckily I’m clever and didn’t get caught…
Leon nodded, pulled out a palm-sized treat, and tossed it to Hughes. Instantly, Hughes’s stern owl face broke into a smile. He hugged the little plate with both wings and waddled out.
Lord Sean, come with me tomorrow. There might be something fun for you.
Lord Sean let out a sigh of relief and nodded quickly.
Leon’s face wore a subtle smile, betraying nothing.
Shuban had been well-behaved lately. Even after advancing to the Sky Rank, he still couldn’t beat Pabbet, which frustrated the fool. Now he spent his days training and sleeping. Hughes was a simple-minded bird—give him a treat, and he’d do anything.
Lord Sean had gotten a bit too full of himself lately. Without a lesson, he’d probably forget his own name…
Leon didn’t say a word, but Lord Sean was already frightened into behaving himself.
The next day, at an estate fifty kilometers outside Neverwinter City—close enough for any mage to act instantly. Even the top experts at Starfall Academy could strike from here, and anyone not strong enough would be wiped out with a single blow, no skill required.
Normally, those powerful figures paid no attention to the goings-on outside Neverwinter City. Even if they noticed something, they couldn’t be bothered.
This estate belonged to one of the three magical plant families. Within ten kilometers, the land was filled with medicinal herbs and magical plants. Even the guards were treants, cultivated by forest elves—magical plants themselves, serving as sentinels and improving the garden’s environment and mana flow.
The Gilded Rose partnered with them because the estate was so close to Neverwinter City. It made transportation easy and ensured smooth cooperation.
Setting foot in the estate for the first time, Leon saw towering treants lining both sides of the road, each twenty or thirty meters tall, standing guard day and night. A faint mist filled the garden, rich with fragrance and magical energy.
That damned Archmage Merlin—he's got a terrible temper. Before, whenever someone targeted the Gilded Rose and its guards couldn't handle it, he'd always step in himself. But this time, not only have the merchant convoys and suppliers been attacked, even the three best partner families have been forced to break their contracts.
And yet Archmage Merlin hasn't reacted at all—he seems completely unconcerned. How am I supposed to know why? The files say he's got a bad temper, so why isn't he doing anything?
How should I know why this is happening? He's supposed to be the kind who never lets anyone get the better of him, so why isn't he reacting at all? Damn it…
Neo felt frustrated; it had been a flawless plan, supposed to lure Leon out alone. But now, the legendary bad temper—after being provoked so many times—had shown no reaction at all. This was anything but normal…
Master Amy, let’s invite Archmage Merlin to negotiate in the name of those three patriarchs, then ambush him and finish him off.
Tomorrow’s the last day on those contracts. The patriarchs might break free from our control. We should also invite Merlin’s enemies, using the names of the three supplier families.
When Merlin arrives, we act immediately—Master Amy, you take charge. With Merlin’s enemies there too, they’ll have no choice but to help us finish him off. If Merlin survives, he’ll definitely take revenge on them.
And Merlin has no idea who we really are. Let those idiot families and his enemies take the fall!
Amy, still shrouded in black-gray mist, nodded.
Fine, we’ll invite Merlin in the name of those three idiot patriarchs. I’ll set everything up ahead of time. Headquarters has more important matters right now—we can’t waste any more time on Merlin. Since no one else can finish him, we’ll have to do it ourselves. Neo, you handle the cleanup.
We can't leave any trace of the Rose Circle. If you mess up again, you know the consequences.
With a single sentence, the black-gray mist around Amy thickened suddenly. In less than a second, his body was completely shrouded; then the mist slowly dissipated, and Amy vanished.
Neo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried off to make preparations.
In less than an hour, an invitation was delivered to Leon.
Looking at the invitation in his hand, Leon’s lips curled into a playful smile.
Farrow stood nearby, a cold smile on his face.
Master Merlin, tomorrow is the last day according to the contract. If they don’t pay the penalty by then, they’ll learn what kind of power the Gilded Rose contract really holds.
Now they’ve sent an invitation, specifically asking you to negotiate in person. Clearly, they don’t plan to pay the penalty. They must have thought cutting off our supplies would force us to come begging, but we did nothing—and now they’re panicking.
Inviting you for negotiations tomorrow is just a ploy to squeeze more out of us. These damned vampires—our Gilded Rose prices are already the highest, yet they’re still not satisfied and use these tactics to threaten us…
Farrow’s angry rant wasn’t finished before Leon waved him off with a smile.
Don’t worry, Farrow. Since they want to negotiate, I’ll go myself. I want to see what tricks they’re playing—these foolish groundhogs really think I’ve gone soft?
If they can’t help but jump out, let me see who they really are.
Farrow was a little confused, but Leon didn’t explain. Ever since the Gilded Rose’s merchant convoy was attacked again, the Rodney Family had quickly distanced themselves, and the Roosevelt Trading Consortium hinted at doing the same. Clearly, they both knew who was behind it—they just weren’t saying.
The Rodney Family’s story was believable. From the start, they’d been stirring things up—first provoking the Rodney Family, then the Roosevelt Consortium, and finally, when no one else was left, taking action themselves.
He remembered when he first arrived in Odin Kingdom—just off the floating vessel from Skyhold Fortress, he was ambushed outside Neverwinter City. The attackers clearly hated him, but after one assassination attempt, they did nothing more. Now, he finally understood.
Whether it was the Rodney Family or the Roosevelt Consortium, these shadowy figures were always lurking behind the scenes. They could manipulate both families, not with persuasion, strength, or seduction—one was a family weathered by countless years, the other a trading house older than the Stoneland Kingdom itself. There’s no way they’d be swayed so easily.
[Skipped: This line is a system prompt and not part of the narrative.]
Leon recalled the information on the Rose Circle. This faction was bizarre—selling intelligence was a risky business. Extracting secrets from a mage was nearly impossible, yet the Rose Circle managed it. Even the occasional leak was strange and unsettling.
He dragged Lord Sean out of the semi-plane; Sean was still holding his head high, cursing with disdain.
Fools, fools! Lord Sean hasn’t put you in your place for a few days and you’re already forgetting…