Chapter 360: Elemental Tide
"No, I have to go talk to Patriarch Hoffland!" William Merlin suddenly shot to his feet.
Back then, Patriarch Hoffland had offered generous terms to persuade Leon to return to the Merlin Family. William Merlin, acting as their bridge, had been involved in the entire process. To be honest, the conditions Hoffland proposed were indeed quite advantageous—some so tempting that even William couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
But once Leon rejoined the Merlin Family, the promises Hoffland made began to change. First was the issue of access to the ancestral estate. To this day, William still harbors some resentment. Everything had been agreed upon, but as soon as Leon returned, suddenly it all hinged on 'family contributions.' If it weren't for Marfa being his cousin, anyone else would have been ruined just by that assassination attempt on Stan Watson...
After that incident, William Merlin was already dissatisfied with the family. He only endured it because Leon hadn't spoken up.
He hadn't expected that, not long after, something like this would happen again...
This time, they've really gone too far...
Right now, William Merlin just wanted to ask Patriarch Hoffland if those promises he made still meant anything at all.
"Heh, this mess has nothing to do with Patriarch Hoffland..." Ross Merlin, sitting nearby, shook his head. "You know how Hoffland operates—he's always been soft. Even if he covets the Gilded Rose, he'd use gentler methods, like appealing to emotions or something else, trying to convince Marfa to form a partnership. With the Gilded Rose's current strength, even a modest collaboration could raise the Merlin Family's alchemical standards by a whole level..."
"The ones truly trying to swallow the Gilded Rose are those narrow-minded old fogies on the Elder Council. I bet they have no idea that the Gilded Rose is now the alchemical monster monopolizing the kingdom's east. If the Merlin Family tries to take it over, they're just asking to choke themselves to death..."
"So Patriarch Hoffland is just going to watch this happen?"
"There's nothing he can do. You know how much power the Elder Council wields—they're practically above the patriarch. And for the past century, the Ancestral Grounds have been backing the Elder Council without reservation. Honestly, Hoffland's in a tough spot."
"But..."
"Enough, Cousin William..." Leon shook his head, cutting off William Merlin's protest.
For Leon, the Elder Council's covetousness wasn't exactly a surprise...
Back at the Blackhorn Auction, when he spent thirty or forty million gold coins in one go, Leon already knew that kind of wealth would make some people jealous.
The Elder Council's reaction was perfectly predictable...
Leon just hadn't expected the Ancestral Grounds to be tangled up in all this too...
But it doesn't matter anymore...
After all, he'd already completed the Bloodline Rite in the Ancestral Grounds, unified all ten Mana Harnesses. His status as a Merlin Family scion was pretty much optional now. If those old geezers on the Elder Council could be polite, fine. But if they really wanted to snatch the Gilded Rose from him like Ross Merlin said, then they'd only have themselves to blame for their bad luck...
With that thought, Leon stopped worrying about the matter and picked up the Meditation Codex Ross Merlin had organized, focusing all his attention on reading...
Honestly, the first stage of Elemental Tide was hardly complicated—in Leon's eyes, it was almost crude. It took him less than half an hour to work through the first stage, and once he was sure he hadn't missed anything, he spread a sheet of draft paper out on the table...
Scratch, scratch, scratch...
The room was eerily quiet, broken only by the sound of a quill tip gliding across the draft paper...
At this point, both William Merlin and Ross Merlin unconsciously held their breath, sitting perfectly still. Neither dared to speak or interrupt. They just watched Leon write, watched as the once-blank draft paper filled up with dense, intricate characters...
An hour later, Leon finished deducing the second stage of Elemental Tide...
"Whew..." Leon let out a long breath, flexing his hand, sore from writing so much, and began preparing for the third stage of Elemental Tide...
For Leon, the second stage of Elemental Tide was just the beginning. The real challenge was the third stage—the true essence of the entire Elemental Tide. After all, it's a Meditation Codex with thirteen formulas. Even with magical knowledge that outstripped the entire era, Leon would need to pour serious effort into deducing it.
Leon set down his quill and took a sip of water from the cup beside him.
"Marfa, how... how is it?" Only now did Ross Merlin dare to speak, though his voice was so dry it was almost frightening compared to usual...
That was perfectly normal...
For William Merlin, the Elemental Tide Meditation Codex directly determined his future path in magic. If completed successfully, his prospects were limitless—not only was the Title Archmage all but guaranteed, but even the Heavenly Tier might be within reach in a century. But if he failed, there was nothing to discuss; Fifth-Tier Archmage would be the ceiling, and even advancing beyond that would be painfully difficult...
It was just that important...
Leon held the newly completed second stage of Elemental Tide, studying it for nearly ten minutes before finally saying, "It'll take some time..."
"Really?" Ross Merlin had been striving for a complete Elemental Tide ever since he got the first stage as a teenager—nearly ten years of effort, one plane after another, one clue after another. There were times Ross thought he'd never make it, especially when that map fell into Stan Watson's hands. He'd almost given up hope.
Honestly, Ross Merlin never imagined things would turn out so dramatic. The complete Elemental Tide he'd lost hope for was suddenly within reach, close enough to touch.
When Ross Merlin heard that unfathomable cousin Marfa say it just needed a little more time, his first reaction was disbelief...
It was like walking down the street and suddenly getting buried under a pile of gold coins...
"Mm." Leon nodded, estimating the time. "If you have things to do, go ahead. Just come back tonight—it should be done by then..."
"No, no, no, I'm staying right here, right here..." At a moment like this, there was no way Ross Merlin would leave.
No matter how big the problem, it could wait until Elemental Tide was complete...
"Alright then..." Leon understood that Ross Merlin was too anxious to be calm right now, so after a moment's thought, he didn't push it. Instead, he turned to William Merlin: "I've noticed your Bloodstone Meditation Codex has improved a lot lately. Why not spar with Cousin Ross for a bit?"
"How could I? I don't usually pick on people..." William Merlin shot Ross Merlin a provocative look.
"Who's picking on who, huh!" Ross Merlin's face darkened. Sure, they were on the same side now, but their relationship had never been great—one was still bitter over his sister's death, the other couldn't forget his recent defeat. When Leon suggested they spar, both William and Ross immediately looked eager for a rematch.
"Go on, get out of here..." Leon waved them away, only then refocusing his attention on the third stage of Elemental Tide.
The third stage of Elemental Tide was far more complex than the previous two. Even after two hours, Leon had only finished a third of it—and that third was the least important part.
But Leon wasn't in any rush...
The completed Elemental Tide contained thirteen formulas—top-tier in all of Northend World. Even with knowledge that surpassed the era and nearly omnipotent Mana Harnesses, creating Elemental Tide from scratch was never going to be easy.
In the quiet room, the only sound was the quill tip gliding across the draft paper—scratch, scratch, scratch—a rhythm all its own. By now, Leon's desk was piled high with sheets covered in dense characters and formulas...
The sky gradually darkened...
Leon set down his cup, rubbed his brow, and finally stopped spreading out new draft paper. Now, all thirteen formulas of Elemental Tide were complete; only some finishing touches remained. What Leon needed to do now was optimize the formulas so Ross Merlin could master the complete Elemental Tide as easily as possible.
"Is Marfa Merlin in?" Just then, someone knocked at the door.
"Hm?" Leon frowned, annoyed at being interrupted just as he was about to finish. Anyone would be irritated at a moment like this.
"Marfa Merlin, come out. I need to talk to you!" The person outside knocked a few more times, and when there was no response, their voice rose several notches.
Leon shook his head in resignation, knowing the visitor wouldn't leave easily. In the end, he could only sigh and say, "Come in..."