Chapter 554: Acting Foolish
"You..."
Hearing Leon's terms, Carl Watson's face froze, his gaze growing dangerously dark. He had no choice but to suppress his anger—if this stalemate continued and the Black Tower made a move on the Horn of Plenty, the Watson Family wouldn't get a single scrap of benefit.
At last, Carl Watson took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Merlin, do you have any other conditions? If not, let's start drafting the details of our cooperation. First, this assault on the Horn of Plenty is no trivial matter—both our families must..."
"Yes..."
Just as Carl Watson was getting worked up, Leon gently tapped the table, interrupting him.
"What is it?" Carl Watson's face was clouded with confusion.
"I have one more condition..."
...
Carl Watson took another deep breath. If it weren't for his position as patriarch, he would've cursed out loud by now. Damn this Leon Merlin—always pushing his luck. He'd only made a casual remark, but the guy actually took it seriously...
At this moment, he really wanted to ask the young mage before him: Do you even realize how much of an advantage your Merlin Family is gaining in this deal?
If it were any other time, not to mention Archmage Leon as the Planar Legion Commander—even if it were Hofland, the Merlin Family Patriarch, if he dared to make such brazen demands of the Watson Family, he wouldn't even need to think about it—he'd be rejected outright, maybe even have the partnership terminated on the spot...
But now, clearly, that wasn't an option...
"Go ahead..." After a silence of four or five minutes, when Carl Watson finally spoke again, his spirit seemed depleted, as if he'd aged a dozen years in an instant. Leon Merlin was really driving him mad...
"The half of the land our Merlin Family receives must be the portion along the Howling River..." Leon touched his nose. That was exactly the land he needed; if the Watson Family got it, it would cause him no small amount of trouble.
"Fine, I accept your condition..." Carl Watson frowned deeply. Agreeing to Leon's terms was a loss for the Watson Family, but not a huge one—the stretch along the Howling River was slightly more prosperous. "Merlin, let's discuss the details of our cooperation. Your Merlin Family should mobilize the Planar Legion tonight, and join forces with the Watson Family first thing tomorrow morning..."
After speaking, Carl Watson's face was heavy with worry. He gave Leon a wry smile. "You may not know, but the Black Tower somehow got wind of our plans. They've been mobilizing their mage legions lately. If we keep stalling, by the time the Black Tower makes a move on the Horn of Plenty, there'll be nothing left for us..."
Heh, Lord Carl, I think your concern is unnecessary. If the Black Tower joins the fray, why not have the three major powers unite? That way, taking the Horn of Plenty will be much easier..." Leon smiled faintly, looking completely unconcerned.
As soon as Leon finished speaking, Carl Watson's gaze turned strange, followed by a wave of bewilderment. What was going on? Had Leon Merlin lost his mind?
Did he really understand just how powerful the Black Tower was?
The Black Tower was one of the two great mage powers in the entire kingdom—a true colossus. To put it bluntly, the Black Tower could crush any force in Auckland except for the Skyspire Tower, and the Watson Family was no exception...
At this moment, Carl Watson truly thought this Commander Leon Merlin was dreaming. The Black Tower was always domineering—how could they possibly choose to cooperate? Sure, the Watson and Merlin Families were top-tier powers in Auckland, but even combined, they were barely a third of the Black Tower's strength...
What did the Black Tower have to gain from working with them?
Or rather, what value did they have that was worth the Black Tower's cooperation...
It wasn't even worth thinking about—Carl Watson knew it was impossible. He gave Leon a deep look and shook his head. This young mage had some skill, but he was still too inexperienced. Otherwise, how could he say something so ridiculous?
"Merlin, I have to say, what you just suggested might be feasible in theory, but it's not realistic. The Black Tower is always domineering—they'd never choose to cooperate with us two families. And even if we could work with them, the Black Tower would hold all the cards. The benefits they'd share with us would be negligible. I think you should forget about it..." As he spoke, Carl Watson suddenly felt thirsty. He grabbed his water cup and took a few hard gulps.
*Cough, cough...*
But at that moment, Carl Watson's hand froze mid-drink, and he even choked a little. He didn't have time to care about that, though, because he saw a familiar figure walk into the reception room. Instinctively, he shot to his feet: "Lord Weiss, you... you actually came."
He really hadn't expected Weiss, a member of the Black Tower's Sevenfold Council, to show up at Blazeforge Fortress...
What was going on?
But Weiss, who had just entered, clearly wasn't planning to explain anything to Carl Watson. He only gave him a brief glance before turning to Leon: "Archmage Merlin, have you considered my previous proposal for cooperation?"
This...
Weiss's blunt words left Carl Watson utterly stunned, his face full of disbelief. He could hardly trust his own ears—a force as powerful as the Black Tower was actually proposing cooperation with the Merlin Family...
Was this real or just a dream?
Carl Watson felt dazed, unable to comprehend why the Black Tower would want to cooperate with the Merlin Family.
It made no sense...
With the Black Tower's strength, did they really need to cooperate with anyone else?
And yet...
Cooperating with the Merlin Family was one thing, but for Weiss—a member of the Black Tower's Sevenfold Council—to personally come to Blazeforge Fortress and ask for their decision?
Crazy. This was absolutely crazy...
After Weiss finished speaking, his gaze shifted to Carl Watson, and he frowned, clearly remembering the unpleasant encounter with Mark Watson half a month ago. Now he seemed to harbor some prejudice against the Watson patriarch as well: "If the Watson Family joins this partnership, then control of the Horn of Plenty will be split—thirty percent each to the Merlin and Watson Families, the remainder to us, the Black Tower. As for military forces, we've already mobilized two mage legions..."
Of course, this is only the preliminary stage of our cooperation. Once we secure the Horn of Plenty, the Black Tower will move on to several nearby fortresses. At that point, you can decide whether to continue the partnership—our Black Tower won't interfere with your decision..."
Ah...
Carl Watson was completely dumbstruck. He gazed at Weiss, his voice barely more than a dreamlike whisper.
The more he listened, the stranger it all seemed...
At first, hearing Weiss invite the Watson Family to join the alliance, his first reaction was shock. This was a personal invitation from the Black Tower—proof that the Watson Family actually mattered to them. Otherwise, why would they extend such an offer?
Then, when it came to the division of benefits, he was completely floored...
Was this a dream?
He could tell right away—the split Weiss proposed gave the Watson and Merlin Families a huge advantage. It was almost unbelievable. According to this plan, the three powers were basically sharing the spoils equally. When had the domineering Black Tower ever been so generous?
Suddenly, the Black Tower felt unfamiliar to him...
Yes, that was exactly how he felt...
He'd sat as Watson Family patriarch for decades, dealt with the Black Tower countless times in Auckland, and had brushed shoulders with the Sevenfold Council, including Heron. He knew all too well how terrifying this power was.
Most people who moved in Auckland's upper circles knew the Black Tower valued only profit. If there was something to gain, they'd fight for it without hesitation. Most forces in Auckland had suffered at their hands—the Watson Family included.
Even if they suffered losses, those forces didn't dare say a word. The reason was simple: it was the Black Tower!
In the entire Andalusia Kingdom, only the Skyspire Tower dared to defy the Black Tower...
Carl Watson had always thought that when dealing with the Black Tower, getting away without a loss was the best outcome. But just now, he clearly heard Weiss's benefit split—which was incredibly favorable for the Watson Family. If they'd only worked with the Merlin Family, they'd have suffered losses even if they took the Horn of Plenty. But with the Black Tower joining, the three powers could easily crush the Fireblade Tribe's forces stationed there.
Thinking of this, Carl Watson was immersed in joy. But just then, a calm voice sounded in the reception room...
"Lord Weiss, isn't the Black Tower getting a bit too much here? This won't do—you'll need to concede a bit more..."
As soon as Leon finished, Carl Watson stared at him as if he'd seen a ghost. In truth, he was laughing inside—Leon Merlin looked clever, but at this critical moment, he was acting foolish.
The Black Tower was one of the two great mage powers in the Andalusia Kingdom. To get a deal this generous was a blessing, but here was Leon Merlin, foolishly trying to haggle for more...