Chapter 584: The Crucial Neutral Stance
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yet, the moment Lin Li spoke about the seventh Sky Castle, Borg and the others could not help but look at this young Legendary-mage differently. It was their first time treating him as an equal.
“This fella is really sly. Come to think of it, he had never said anything useful.” That was Baldela. He scratched the puff of golden hair on top of his head as he tried to recall the information he heard Lin Li say earlier. That was when he realized that the young Legendary-mage was only saying that there were still things in the ancient ruins.
On the other hand, the Legendary Bandit Lansdale was still as calm as ever. “So what? As long as the ruins are not empty, it would depend on our ability,” said Lansdale unaffectedly.
“I didn’t expect Cheyenne to find Osric’s notes about his adventures. It would really help us in the future. I believe that he would not risk the life of his descendants.”
Borg was very satisfied with the discussion among the three parties. Osric’s notes, in particular, interested him the most. That was the item that would minimize his losses. Furthermore, he believed that Cheyenne did not have any tricks up his sleeves. After all, there were a lot of disciples from Malfa Family in his adventurer team.
“Do you think the sky castle that that fella was talking about would still be in the ruins? I know that sky castles are able to enter the void. Hence, there might be a chance for the sky castle to be hidden there, no?” Baldela made a casual guess.
“Even if there is, do you think he would do anything about the sky castle at such a time? But, I am certain that he is aware of the treasure hidden there.” Borg sighed. He thought about his useless son. If not for his son’s lack of capability, Geresco’s relics would have been in his hands now. The key to the sky castle could be an important clue to the sky castle. No one would reject the ability to take control over a sky castle. That was a great temptation even to Legendary powerhouses.
“It is fine if he decides to keep that a secret. He would never know what we have with us. He is not the one who can determine who should have the treasure.”
He could not help but worry for his incompetent son whenever he had to work with the other two men. How could the father not know his son’s personality? Borg knew that this son did not tell him everything that had happened in the Blackstone Mountains.
After returning to his tent, he called for Stephen immediately. He needed to know his opponent better.
Stephen arrived very quickly. He was still indignant after his father’s order to apologize to Felic. Although he did not dare to oppose his father directly, he could not help but feel resentful.
To be honest, Stephen was extremely confident that he would be able to let Lin Li pay for the embarrassment he’d experienced in the Blackstone Mountains immediately. Having the three Legendary powerhouses and the numerous elites with the Dark Blade, Stephen was deeply convinced that Cheyenne from the Malfa Family would have to bow his head low to him. How could that be comparable to the darn Felic who had just entered the Legendary-realm? Despite hearing the recent news of him defeating a level-22 elven Legendary-mage in Roland City, Stephen was still certain that Felic would not be able to challenge the present Dark Blade.
Stephen absolutely had not expected his father’s order for him to apologize to Felic.
He was like a child who’d eagerly anticipated a candy, but received a tight slap instead. The difference was stark. It would only be normal for him to cry and whine on the ground…
How could Borg not understand Stephen’s thoughts? Borg laughed at the sight of his son’s expression. “What, are you still angry with me?”
“Nope…”
“Hehe…” Borg laughed gently at his son’s stubbornness. A fool would have recognized Stephen’s indignant tone. Borg did not treat Stephen like how he usually treated others. Instead of smacking the table angrily, Borg would prefer to educate his son gently.
After all, Stephen was one of the best magic talents in the Breezy Plains, having the ability above level-18 despite being in his 20s. His craft had improved drastically after his trip to the Blackstone Mountains as well. Borg was confident that his son would reach the Legendary-realm within two years.
How could Borg bear to punish or scold such a son?
If there had to be something that Borg was unsatisfied with, it would be Stephen’s young age and the strong protectiveness he had been getting from the three Legendary powerhouses. Borg believed that it had to be Stephen’s lack of experience that had caused him to take things for granted and be so self-centered.
It was the same this time…
“Hey, you really have too little experience. How could you not know that a slight loss would never matter to people like us? So what if you apologize? Look, who knows if he’d be apologizing to you tomorrow?”
“But, Father…” Stephen felt secretly relieved when he realized that his father had no intention of reprimanding him. After slight hesitation, he said, “The Dark Blade had already acquired enough clues regarding the Immortal King’s treasures. I am confident that the family alone would have 50% chance of locating them ourselves. Why should we share everything with the Malfa Family and… and Felic…?
“You think that this is called sharing?” Borg paused, and suddenly laughed. “Hehe, why don’t you see it like an exploitation?”
“Exploitation?”
Borg did not elaborate further. “Stephen, who do you think is more powerful: the Dark Blade or Malfa Family?” asked Borg abruptly.
“It’s the Dark Blade, of course! Look at who is in our team! I am certain that we would only take half a day to wipe out the whole Malfa Family if we were to have a battle here.”
“Then, who do you think is stronger: me and your two uncles, or Cheyenne and that Felic?”
“Isn’t the answer obvious? It has to be you and my two uncles! Cheyenne has just reached level-21, and Felic is definitely nothing. I saw him reach level-20 in the Breezy Plains with my very own eyes. I am sure that he would never be able to reach level-21 no matter how talented he is, or how much effort he put in. I bet the recent rumors about him defeating a level-22 elven mage are fake. If not, it had to be Felic playing tricks behind the scenes.”
“So, you are saying that the Dark Blade has to be the strongest force?”
“Of course.”
“Then what are you worrying about? We have absolute power in our hands. Why would it matter if we were to join forces with them? Even if we were to find Immortal King’s treasures, the power to allocate them ultimately lies with us.
“Furthermore, it is time to put an end to the conflict between the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family…”
Stephen gasped. “Y-you mean… We can use this chance to get rid of Cheyenne?”
It could be said that the Malfa Family and the Dark Blade were one of the most infamous pairs of enemies in the Breezy Plains. Although the conflict had been around for only a century, they suffered great losses from every battle they had fought. Having invested greatly into each of those battles, they had already become a significant burden to each other. If they did not shrug each other off, they would never rise to be as powerful as the almighty Glittergold Trade Union.
However, neither the Malfa Family nor the Dark Blade got to get rid of each other in the last century. For the Malfa Family, their weakness was a lack of power. Just in terms of Legendary powerhouses alone, the Malfa Family only had one to deal with the three in the Dark Blade. It would not be easy for the one Legendary-mage to protect himself. How could the Malfa Family even uproot the Dark Blade?
At the same time, the Dark Blade was geographically at disadvantage in Aminya. While they had been invading Aminya countless times, they had never been a real treat to the Malfa Family. Although the Dark Blade had had plans to assassinate Cheyenne, the sly Cheyenne had never given the three Legendary powerhouses from the Dark Blade a chance to confront him. This explained why the Dark Blade could never shrug off the burdensome Malfa Family that only had one Legendary-mage.
“Yeah, I’ve been plotting with your two uncles for this opportunity since forever. We would be able to clear this mess in 10 minutes.”
“That’s awesome…”
“Hence, Stephen, this is why I wanted you to apologize to that Felic. Our partnership does not only concern the Immortal King’s treasures, but also the development of the Dark Blade in the future decades and centuries. If we don’t get rid of the Malfa Family, the Dark Blade will be trapped in Aminya forever, and would never flourish like the Glittergold Trade Union… In order to prevent any mishaps, we have to ensure that that Felic remains neutral in the conflict between the two forces. A superficial neutrality would be good enough…”