Chapter 156: Growth

The carriage sped swiftly yet smoothly along the road. Inside, Marquis Visen and Monica barely felt any jolting.

Marquis Visen remained silent, his eyes closed in rest, and Monica did not dare speak casually.

Soon, as the carriage finally left White Mountain City and headed toward the outskirts, Marquis Visen finally opened his eyes.

“Grandfather, are you feeling better?”

“I won’t die just yet.” Marquis Visen shook his head slightly.

“Grandfather!”

“No need to be so shocked,” Marquis Visen said in a low voice. “Shuvaric knew I was dying, so he originally didn’t want to fight me. But I made it clear that if he didn’t fight, I would kill his heir, so he had no choice. Although I’ve suffered more severe injuries this time, he didn’t come out of it unscathed either. However, the next heir of the Antares Family clearly has potential. If the generation following yours in the Kasein Family can’t hold things up, then you must arrange for a branch of the family to leave.”

Monica looked up, her face full of shock and horror. “Grandfather, you’ll be fine. As long as we find the Flame Pearl…”

“It’s useless.” Marquis Visen shook his head. “In this clash with Shuvaric, he intended to take the opportunity to kill me. He just didn’t dare exchange his life with mine, so instead I gravely injured him. But my injuries are extremely serious. Shuvaric Antares knows this, which is why the Senels Family suddenly made a move... So even if we actually retrieve the Flame Pearl from the Secret Vault, I’ll only live another ten years at most.”

At this, Marquis Visen smiled. “But to me, what difference is there between five years and ten?”

Monica remained silent.

“Although Shuvaric Antares’s injuries didn’t damage his foundation, they’re no lighter than mine. He won’t recover anytime soon. Coupled with the fact that the Fertile Territory currently has no Fifth-Tier Bloodline User, your twenty years after succession will be a period of peace. You must use this time to strengthen our family and solidify our influence in the Red Eagle Territory.”

“Don’t worry about the Weist Family for now. Let them continue managing the Forest Territory. Once I’ve dealt with the Senels Family, they’ll behave for a long while. But you must closely monitor the Weist Family’s movements. That fence-sitter of a family could easily lean toward the Cold Ridge Territory if we’re not careful. So if the family has more capable people, you can find a way to replace them. This sort of thing isn’t new to you. You should know how to handle it.”

“Yes.” Monica nodded.

“As for the Gem Territory… Anna is clearly out of control. Her child will be the key to us controlling the Gem Territory in the future, so you must protect him well.”

“What if he has no Bloodline Aptitude at all?” Monica asked.

“Our Kasein Family can afford to raise a breeding pig,” Marquis Visen said coldly.

Monica understood what her grandfather meant.

“And the White Mountain Territory?”

“Don’t worry about the White Mountain Territory. I’ve already made a deal with Yam.” Marquis Visen paused to think, then spoke in a low voice, “You must remember, Yam’s family is the Soderbell Family, not the Bourbon Family. Do you understand what I mean?”

Monica froze for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Understood.”

She grasped her grandfather’s meaning. The matter of Yam being of Bourbon bloodline must end with her. This secret must never be leaked. Her grandfather didn’t even need to say much—she could already infer the implications: revealing Yam as the last remnant of the Bourbon bloodline would be tantamount to admitting that the Kasein Family had taken possession of the Bourbon Family’s assets.

The Tyrella Royal Family and the Southern Duke had kept their eyes on the Red Eagle Territory for more than fifty years after the Bourbon Family’s downfall—not without reason.

So before they could claim and fully absorb the Bourbon Family’s inheritance, pushing Yam to the opposing side would bring them nothing but harm. Once they had completely digested this Bourbon legacy, and the Soderbell Family’s reputation was fully stabilized, then as long as Yam was smart enough, he would surely sever ties with the Bourbon Family. By then, no evidence relating to the Bourbon Family would ever point to the Soderbell Family.

This historical enigma would come to an end with their generation.

But what about afterward?

“What about Yam Soderbell’s descendants? Or the third, fourth generation members of the Soderbell Family?”

“That will depend on whether their potential is worthy of our support, or whether their stance aligns with ours,” Marquis Visen shook his head. “By that time, I’ll be gone. It’ll be you leading the Kasein Family forward, Monica… So you must remember, a competent patriarch always places the family’s interests first and doesn’t let hatred, anger, or other emotions cloud their judgment and lead to wrong decisions.”

“But an exceptional patriarch knows how to resolve hatred and guide the family toward continuous growth.”

Monica didn’t respond immediately, but she clearly understood her grandfather was implying that in the face of the family’s interests and future, personal pride was meaningless. Even though he was a Marquis, far above the current Soderbell Family in status, he could still lower himself, personally approach Yam, and swiftly reach a new deal.

Did they not know that Atork Senels had come to see Yam?

Perhaps they didn’t know the exact details of the conversation between Atork and Yam, but in the Red Eagle Territory, news of Bayor Territory’s first heir leaving his domain and arriving at White Mountain Territory could not be hidden from the Kasein Family.

To Marquis Visen, it didn’t matter what Atork discussed or even agreed upon with Yam.

Because they had the higher bargaining chip.

As long as Yam was not a fool, he would know what choice to make.

As for betraying the Senels Family?

That was not betrayal.

They had merely told Yam a truth that the Senels Family had hidden, and then let him make the “right choice,” nothing more.

“But what should we do about that third-generation member of the Soderbell Family?”

“That young lad Aches, he’s thirteen this year, right?” Marquis Visen smiled. “So, that’s why I set the deadline for the deal with Yam at two years... If in two years, Aches is proven to have enough potential, then while I’m still alive, I can arrange a marriage. But if he lacks potential, then likewise, with me still alive, no one would dare say anything.”

“As for the future…”

“Then it depends on whether Yam plans to have another child. If he doesn’t, then observe Akar’s child, and also keep an eye on Yam’s grandson.”

“I understand, Grandfather.” Monica nodded.

The carriage interior quickly fell silent again.

Foss, who was driving the carriage, quietly listened to the conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter inside. His expression was calm and serene, but no one knew what he was truly thinking.

...

From that night on, the entire Red Eagle Territory seemed to awaken with a new vitality.

People soon noticed that commercial activities in Bayor Territory became more frequent, with large quantities of goods flowing in and out. Trade with the White Mountain Territory, Forest Territory, and Gem Territory had clearly increased significantly.

Large volumes of grain were transported to the Gem Territory and White Mountain Territory, and from there, other resources were taken in exchange.

Meanwhile, as Westerburg in the White Mountain Territory neared completion and began expanding patrols, smuggling operations from the Fertile Plains started to become increasingly difficult. Yet despite the decrease in smuggled goods, prices of many commodities did not drop but instead rose. It was even said that this impacted prices across the entire Southern Region, to the point that even the Southern Duke began inquiring about the situation between the two territories.

For some reason, however, the Count of Fertile Plains and the Marquis of Red Eagle remained silent and showed no intention of rectifying the situation, though they strictly ordered that no warfare break out along their territorial borders.

Strangely, despite Red River Territory being the trade hub of the Red Eagle Territory, it seemed that commercial focus was shifting toward Bayor Territory in recent times.

Especially since the death of Joshua, many people noticed that the Gem Territory appeared somewhat distanced from the Kasein Family. Lord Anna even transferred all smuggling operations to Bayor Territory—this shift was one of the main reasons the commercial hub began tilting toward Bayor.

Many had expected the strong-armed Kasein Family to crack down on Bayor Territory, possibly imposing sanctions on those trade caravans. But oddly enough, aside from increasing border tariffs and placing some restrictions, the Kasein Family took no direct actions against Bayor Territory.

This only elevated Bayor Territory’s status and boosted the Senels Family’s influence: many merchant guilds began increasing their investments in Bayor.

Nevertheless.

Despite the rapid development of the Red Eagle Territory, the White Mountain Territory maintained an air of detachment from worldly affairs.

Yam Soderbell had vanished from the eyes of the people for two full years.

During that time, however, many residents of White Mountain City came to know a new figure of power.

Aches Arsen Soderbell.

Lord of the White Mountain Territory, husband of Baroness Lily Soderbell, nephew of Yam Soderbell, Knight Commander of the Bole Family, grandson of Ion Soderbell, and the first third-generation member of the Soderbell Family.

This fifteen-year-old youth, before revealing his identity, had already established a small foundation in White Mountain City through his own fists: he dominated several streets, drove out all the thugs and ruffians, formed the first neighborhood brotherhood association, and within just half a year, rapidly became the leading underground force in White Mountain City.

Then, he transformed all those subdued ruffians and thugs into the city guard.

Only then did people learn that this young man, so intolerant of evil, actually had such a significant background. Naturally, those ruffians tricked into donning the city guard uniforms were not spared punishment: they were all sent by Ion to Westerburg for formal and rigorous military training. Afterward, they would officially be employed as the border guards of Westerburg and the White Mountain Territory.

Yet, this youth who exuded authority before others seemed flustered as he now stood before the bearded Yam.

He was clearly nervous.

At nearly thirty, with a grown beard, Yam had shed the aura of youth and matured. Looking at his nephew, he could not hide the joy in his eyes. “Very good. When you said you could clean up those thugs and rogues in White Mountain City, I thought you were joking. But in just over half a year, you resolved something that troubled your aunt quite a bit. Clearly, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”

“Better than mine, at least.”

Aches smiled a little shyly. “Actually, it wasn’t entirely my doing, it was…”

“Doesn’t matter.” Yam shook his head. “Your companions are your support. You must nurture your relationships with them, because they’ll become your core team in the future, understand?… So when I praise you, reward you, you should share that reward with your companions. That’s what a good leader does, understand?”

Aches nodded somewhat hesitantly.

But from his expression, Yam could tell he didn’t fully grasp the deeper meaning of those words.

Still, Yam wasn’t concerned. After all, Aches was still very young—only fifteen—and had plenty of time to grow and learn.

Today, however, there was something else of great importance.

“Do you know why I asked you to come today?”

“Yes.” Aches nodded excitedly. “To test whether I have Bloodline Aptitude and can become a Bloodline Knight!”

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