Chapter 376: The Aftermath
"..." Leon listened, utterly baffled. What did he mean by 'we meet again'?
At this moment, Leon actually wanted to remind Lord Ryan Merlin that this was their first meeting, wasn't it...
And besides...
Since returning to the Merlin Family, it's only been a little over a month. Let alone making any contributions, my sense of presence is still painfully thin. Back then, I had to exchange Stan Watson's life just for a single Bloodline Rite. Honestly, apart from Ross Merlin and William Merlin, I have absolutely no foundation in the Merlin Family.
Given all that, how could the ancestors from the Ancestral Estate possibly hand over command of the Planar Legion to me?
How could they possibly trust me so much?
No matter how Leon thought about it, he just couldn't figure it out...
Leon didn't even notice that, as the old man finished speaking, the atmosphere around him grew strangely tense. The way everyone looked at him became odd—some surprised, some envious, and some even hiding a trace of jealousy...
Yes, everyone...
Even Patriarch Hoffland and Thorne Merlin—everyone looked at Leon with the same strange expression.
No one could have imagined that Lord Ryan Merlin, from the Ancestral Estate, would speak to him in this manner...
Just think about it: not long ago, Leon caused chaos in the Elder Council. Four elders—three dead, one gravely wounded. This sort of scandal had never happened in the Merlin Family's thousand-year history. No faction could tolerate such a thing; even the weakest, most insignificant group would do everything in their power to kill the one responsible for such provocation.
There could be no compromise...
But now...
Lord Ryan Merlin, knowing all this, simply brushed it off, advising, "Young people shouldn't be so impulsive..."
Hell, how could it be just 'young people shouldn't be so impulsive'?
When those words left his mouth, everyone felt like they were about to go insane.
It just didn't make any sense...
Was there something wrong in all this...?
"Could it be..." At that moment, Patriarch Hoffland in the crowd suddenly jolted with realization.
Earlier, Hoffland had been wondering about this young mage, whose terrifying power at such a young age surely hinted at some extraordinary background. At the time, Hoffland thought maybe it was Cloudspire Tower, or perhaps the Black Tower...
But now, Hoffland suddenly realized that this young mage's background might be even more terrifying than he'd imagined...
Hoffland remembered clearly—just now, Lord Ryan Merlin had said, "We meet again so soon..."
Yes, that was exactly what Lord Ryan Merlin said at the time...
On the surface, the words seemed unremarkable—just proof that the two had met before, nothing more.
But Hoffland didn't see it that way...
Because Lord Ryan Merlin's attitude was simply too forgiving—toward this young mage who had caused chaos in the Elder Council, all he did was gently advise him not to be so impulsive, and then handed over command of half the Planar Legion...
What did that even mean...?
It was blatant favoritism, with not even a hint of concealment...
More importantly, Hoffland suddenly recalled the real reason this young mage had returned to the Merlin Family...
In the entire Merlin Family, only Hoffland and William Merlin knew that this young mage—who actually ruled all of Seaview City—had only returned for one reason: he wanted to enter the Merlin Ancestral Estate.
Before, Hoffland thought it was simply that the young mage wanted his identity recognized.
But now, Hoffland didn't dare think that way anymore...
On one side, a young mage desperate to enter the Merlin Ancestral Estate. On the other, Lord Ryan Merlin showing blatant favoritism. Add in that strange 'we meet again so soon'—even if Hoffland were slow to catch on, he'd know there must be some extraordinary secret behind it all...
Could it be...
Matthew Merlin's background isn't Cloudspire Tower, nor Black Tower, but that mist-shrouded Ancestral Estate?
This sudden thought nearly scared Hoffland out of his wits. If that were true, then today's Elder Council would be nothing but a joke!
Lurgan Merlin and Owen Merlin could never have imagined that the young mage whose assets they coveted actually possessed such a staggering background...
The more Hoffland thought about it, the paler his face became. Huge beads of cold sweat started dripping from his forehead, landing on the ground with a steady 'plop, plop'...
"Alright, that's all I have to say. In three months, the Watson Family will send someone to contact you. As for how the Merlin and Watson Families will handle their relationship after conquering Burning City, you can figure that out yourselves—just do as you see fit. Don't let this brief cooperation affect anything." The old man finished and, without greeting anyone, turned to leave. But before he left, he glanced back at Leon: "Oh, right, Matthew Merlin, if you have time in the next two months, you'd best visit the Ancestral Estate again. There's an old fellow waiting to see you there."
...A crowd stood there in a daze, watching the old man's figure fade into the distance. From start to finish, not a single sound was uttered.
After a long while, Hoffland finally gave a dry cough: "So, you two—how about we call this fight to an end?"
"No objections from me..." Leon looked utterly unconcerned. Honestly, Thorne Merlin's strength was beyond Leon's expectations. Throughout the fight, Leon hadn't gained the upper hand at all. Continuing would be pointless.
Of course, if Leon really wanted to win, there were ways—but the price would be too high, and simply not worth it...
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"Hmph!" Thorne Merlin gave a cold snort, slung the Crimson Flame Sword onto his back, picked up the now-recovered Owen Merlin, and left the battlefield without another word.
"Alright, alright, at least things ended peacefully." Hoffland breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Thorne Merlin and his son walk away. Then he turned to the others: "In my opinion, what happened today is rather disgraceful for the Merlin Family. So I suggest everyone here keep quiet about it—otherwise, Lord Ryan Merlin might not be too pleased..."
...The moment he said that, all the elders were left speechless. Damn, out of four elders, three were gravely injured and one was dead, even Thorne Merlin, the commander of the Planar Legion, had joined the fight—and this is what you call a peaceful ending?
Isn't that a bit too peaceful...?
Still, though the dozen or so elders all grumbled inwardly, none dared show any disrespect. Each agreed to Hoffland's request faster than the last.
"Of course, of course..."
"We definitely won't leak anything, absolutely not..."
"Rest assured, Patriarch Hoffland, none of us will say a word!"
............
After all, who among the elders could truly be an idiot?
With Lord Ryan Merlin involved, who would dare spread rumors? That'd be asking for a quick death...
At last, the farce came to an end.
Leon collected the three True Spirit artifacts and called out to Ross Merlin, who'd spent the whole day as a bystander. Just as they were about to leave, Leon noticed that Leon Merlin had somehow started following them...
"Leon Merlin, why are you following us?" Ross Merlin protested immediately...
Originally, there were three contenders for the next Patriarch of the Merlin Family: Ross Merlin, Leon Merlin, and Owen Merlin. Now that Owen Merlin had been crippled by Lin Yun's unraveling of the magic vortex—falling from a fifth-tier mage to a mere invalid—only Ross Merlin and Leon Merlin remained eligible for the succession.
In other words, from now on, the two were direct rivals.
Given that, there was no way Ross Merlin would let him tag along. If Leon Merlin got any support from Cousin Matthew, Ross's hard-won chance at the patriarch's seat could slip away.
"Hey, Leon Merlin, the Elder Council's over and we're heading home. Why are you still following us? Planning to join us for dinner too?" Ross Merlin's eyes flashed as he came up with a plan, squeezing out a mocking, sarcastic grin...
Both were young prodigies of the Merlin Family and had crossed paths many times. Ross Merlin knew well that Leon Merlin, hailing from Cloudspire Tower, was proud and never tolerated the slightest slight.
Ross Merlin's mocking smile was perfectly calculated to provoke him.
However...
This time, Ross Merlin miscalculated...
Usually so proud, Leon Merlin didn't get angry at Ross Merlin's jibes. Instead, he shamelessly flashed a fawning grin: "Of course I'm joining for dinner! It's been ages since I saw Cousin Matthew, we have to eat together. That's settled—tonight it's on me, nobody argue! Let's go, Cousin Matthew, I know a few good restaurants outside the Merlin Family Manor..."
As he spoke, he dragged Lin Yun off without waiting for a reply...