Chapter 44: The Neighbor
The provincial city of Basil was the capital of the great northern province ruled by the ancient Jax family. The Jax family could be considered the local tyrants. At the annual Jax family gathering, members of various branch families would rush to the provincial city from all over.
In the northeastern part of the provincial city, the ancient castle that occupied an extremely vast area was the seat of the Jax family.
On November 14th, 10008 of the Yulan calendar, the Jax family had the castle decorated with lanterns and colored banners, the guards were three times more numerous than in the past, and family members from all corners of the land were constantly arriving.
"Sister, the clan's castle is much bigger than ours, at least ten times larger." Keane looked out the carriage window and sighed.
Inside the carriage were Keane, Irene, and Jenny.
Jenny also looked out the window and nodded, "There are obviously many more experts in the clan than in ours. I just wonder if Great-Grandfather will attend the gathering this time."
The Great-Grandfather Jenny referred to was McKenzie.
The family's annual gathering wasn't something McKenzie would necessarily attend, but he had shown up once two years ago. That time, Jenny and Keane had fulfilled their wish of meeting their idolized hero.
"It's very possible. Irene has never seen Great-Grandfather before." Keane held his wife's hand.
The carriage procession soon arrived at the castle gate and naturally stopped. Jenny, Keane, and Irene knew the rules and all got off the carriage one by one.
"Jenny!" A cheerful, frivolous voice rang out.
Jenny's brow furrowed upon hearing this voice, but she still forced a smile. She turned to look at the young man standing at the castle gate, whose hair was so shiny it could be used as a mirror. "Cousin Albert."
"Cousin Albert." Keane and Irene also bowed in greeting.
Albert was decent-looking, and his upbringing had given him the bearing of an ancient aristocrat. However, just by looking at his eyes and complexion, one could tell he was fond of women's beauty, which had drained his body.
But Albert was the eldest son of the current Jax family patriarch and the first heir.
The future patriarch of the Jax family. With such status, who would dare to underestimate Albert?
"Jenny gets more beautiful every year. Keane, Irene, don't just stand there like fools, come on in." Albert warmly led Jenny and the others into the castle.
...
Because the family gathering was on November 15th, the entire Jax family castle was bustling with unprecedented liveliness.
"Sister, are you worried about Albert?"
In Jenny's room, Keane walked in and saw Jenny standing by the window sighing. He had some idea of what was on his sister's mind.
Jenny turned to look at her younger brother and frowned, saying, "That Albert has always had ill intentions. Every time we attend the family gathering, he comes to pester me. These few days are going to be hard to get through."
"Sister." Keane held his sister's hand and said apologetically, "I know you're staying longer just to spend more time with me. Otherwise, you probably would have left with Brother Lei long ago."
"Keane." Jenny affectionately ruffled Keane's head. "Keane is taller than your sister now."
Keane bowed his head in silence.
Since childhood, Jenny had always taken care of Keane. After they arrived in the Sacred Alliance, their mother had been bedridden with illness. Jenny had taken care of Keane like a mother.
The bond between brother and sister was truly deep.
"Jenny, Cousin Jenny." Albert's voice rang out again.
Keane and Jenny both frowned, displeasure showing on their faces. This Albert was really as annoying as a fly.
In a flash, Albert was at the door.
"Jenny, oh, Keane is here too." Albert said with a smile. "Jenny, I'm holding a small banquet in the back hall. Jenny, come join us. I've even prepared several sets of beautiful evening gowns."
Jenny shook her head. "No need. I have a bit of a headache. I'm not feeling well."
"You're not feeling well? Let me take a look." Albert actually tried to reach out and touch Jenny's forehead. Jenny immediately stepped back two paces.
Keane chuckled softly beside them. "Cousin Albert, my sister isn't feeling well. Just let her rest here."
Albert lingered for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Alright." Then he stared at Keane. "Keane, come out with me for a moment. Cousin Jenny, rest well. If you need anything, just tell the servants." He then glanced at Keane.
Keane nodded and followed Albert out.
In the garden.
Albert and Keane walked together in silence. Keane could only remain silent as well.
After a long while...
"Keane, how do you find being the city lord of the county city?" Albert suddenly asked.
Keane was startled, then understood. "It feels alright."
Albert nodded with a smile. "Of course it's fine. Managing millions of subjects, Keane, you should know that the entire northwest province has only ten county cities. Being a county city lord is a lucrative position. Many people have their eyes on that spot, after all, our Jax family is a large family."
Keane nodded thoughtfully.
The Jax family kept branching out, naturally having more people with each generation. Back then, Keane's father, Count Wade, because of his close relationship with the current family patriarch, had luckily obtained the position of county city lord.
In reality, the position of county city lord was entirely decided by the Jax patriarch.
After all, the northwest province was entirely controlled by the Jax family.
"Keane, you should know that my younger brothers and sisters, many of them have come of age. For example, my third brother is just a squadron leader in the city guard. These people all very much want to become county city lords." Albert looked at Keane with a half-smile.
Keane understood Albert's meaning.
"Not only my brothers and sisters, but also my uncles. They didn't manage to compete with your father back then, but they've never given up."
Albert looked at Keane. "Keane, I think highly of you. But you should also know that to gain something, you must give something."
Keane remained silent.
"Keane, I can put you in the city lord's seat, and I, as the future patriarch, can also take you down." Albert said coldly when he saw Keane's silence.
"Cousin Albert, just say what you want." Keane forced a smile and said.
Albert laughed. "Haha, you're my cousin, of course I won't force you. I just want us to become even closer. For example, have your sister marry me. What do you think?"
Keane felt a surge of anger in his heart.
He had long known Albert's intentions. Jenny was a gentle, beautiful, kind woman. Especially after cultivating water magic, her temperament became even more enchanting.
Albert had been watching her all along.
But Albert was already in his thirties and had three wives. Even if his sister married Albert, she would only be a concubine.
Furthermore, his sister was going to leave with Linley.
"Cousin Albert, I've told you before. My sister has someone she likes." Keane said helplessly.
"Nonsense." Albert sneered. "Keane, if your sister really had someone she liked, why hasn't she married yet? And even if she does have someone she likes, just kill him, problem solved."
Albert had always had Jenny on his mind. A beautiful woman, and a mage at that. After cultivating magic, one's lifespan would increase. Even at sixty or seventy, Jenny would still look like a thirty-year-old young woman. Such a wife, Albert naturally wanted.
"Can't kill him. The person my sister likes is a level-nine warrior." Keane hardened his heart and said.
"A level-nine warrior?" Albert's eyebrows shot up.
This was troublesome. If he, Albert, were the current patriarch, he could dispatch the family's strongest guards to kill a level-nine warrior. But he was just an heir, with very few people he could command. His strength wasn't that great either.
"Keane, you'd better not be lying." Albert glared at Keane.
Keane slightly bowed. "Cousin Albert, I am absolutely not lying. My sister likes him, and there's nothing I can do about it. Cousin Albert, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave."
Albert snorted coldly, watching Keane leave.
"Five years already." Albert looked toward Jenny's room. "This time, I absolutely won't let Jenny slip away again. A level-nine warrior, so what? Would he dare to come and cause trouble at my Jax family?" A fierce, wolf-like glint appeared in Albert's eyes.
*******
On the 15th, Linley went to the Dawson Chamber of Commerce's outpost in the morning. Using the elder token, he sent someone to Cloud Peak Town to inform Sessler and the others that he would be delayed in returning.
Afterward, Linley quietly stayed at the Neil Hotel.
Behind the Neil Hotel were over a dozen independent courtyards. These independent courtyards were high-class accommodations, and Linley was staying in one of them.
In the courtyard, Linley finished carving a stone sculpture, then held the Black Heavy Sword and moved it freely in the yard.
Bebe and Blackcloud were both lazily lying on the ground.
After moving for a long time, Linley stopped, thoughtful. "I've been at the peak of level eight for over a year now. This past month, I've always felt like I was about to break through, but I'm always just a little short of that feeling."
For ordinary people, the peak of level eight and level nine might not seem like a big difference.
But for a ultimate warrior, the peak of level eight and level nine were vastly different. Once he entered level nine, after dragonizing, he would step into the Saint realm.
"I can't be impatient. My training speed is already very fast." Linley's heart was relatively calm. He looked south and thought of his younger brother Wharton. "Once I reach level nine, I'll set out for the imperial capital to see my brother. It's been a very, very long time since I've seen Wharton."
Since Wharton left home at age six with the butler, Grandpa Hiri, for the O'Brien Empire, the two brothers had never met.
And now Wharton was twenty-two years old. In a little over a month, he would be twenty-three.
"Hmm?" Linley suddenly turned his head to look at the courtyard wall.
The hotel's courtyards were adjacent to each other, separated by a single wall. At this moment, a guest from the courtyard next to Linley's was climbing up the wall, peeking over the top.
This guest was a cute, lively girl with big, sparkling eyes looking toward Linley's side, then locking onto the black-striped cloud leopard lying on the ground.
"Wow, what a big leopard!" The girl nimbly jumped down from the wall and then bounced over toward Blackcloud.
"Don't touch." Linley stopped her.
The girl stopped and smiled at Linley. "Big brother, I've never seen such a cute, big black leopard before. Can you let me pet it?"
This girl had silver hair, and her eyes were very lively. A mischievous smile often played on her face. She was dressed like a female warrior.
Linley, however, looked at the silver-haired girl appraisingly.
It was hard to fully judge a warrior's strength from their appearance alone, but Linley could tell from her aura that this girl was at least a level-seven warrior, perhaps even higher.
"Blackcloud doesn't like being touched." Linley said coldly.
The silver-haired girl frowned, then wrinkled her nose and snorted. "I don't believe you. My teacher's magical beast lets me pet it all the time." Saying this, she charged straight at Blackcloud.
"Roar~~" Blackcloud suddenly stood up, baring its sharp fangs, its cold eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl.
The silver-haired girl was startled and immediately stepped back two paces.
"I told you, Blackcloud doesn't like being touched. Alright, you should go back to your own place." Linley directly dismissed her.
The silver-haired girl smiled at Linley. "My teacher said that leopard-type magical beasts are very powerful. So, big brother, you must be very strong. Can I ask for your guidance?"
"Guidance?" Linley didn't like having his life disrupted by others.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Light Blue." The silver-haired girl squinted her eyes cutely.
"You can call me Lei, but I don't have time. You should go back." Linley remained very cold. A girl who was at least a level-seven warrior.
That was no small feat.
The silver-haired girl pouted helplessly. "Oh, I see." Then she turned around, but in her heart, she was troubled. "This Linley is really cold. It's hard to get close to him. But I won't give up so easily. If I can kill him simply, I will."
This silver-haired girl was none other than Lan Dan.
But in terms of temperament, Lan Dan had changed too much. The once icy angel was now cute and lively. One had to admit she was a good actress.
"Ah, Brother Lei, you do stone carving!" Lan Dan saw a completed stone sculpture beside Linley and immediately ran over excitedly, staring at it with fascination. "My teacher loves stone carvings the most, but he can't carve." As she spoke, she curiously examined the sculpture closely.
Linley frowned.
This silver-haired girl was really annoying!
(End of Chapter 1!)