Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Snowflakes began to fall from the dark sky in Blackmoon Town. The snow was falling heavily, and soon, the ground was blanketed in a layer of silver-white dust. Even the color of the lava at the walls was dimmed.
That was the border’s second snowfall, and it arrived later than expected.
“Thank you, manor lords, for your visit to Blackmoon Castle today. You are welcome to come again next time.”
Watson stood outside the lava golem wall; he flicked the snowflakes that had covered his shoulders as he waved at the manor owners.
There were dozens of manor owners and guards; their faces were red, and their bodies reeked of alcohol. After they were done with their discussion with Watson’s brothers, Watson had brought them to the city in the sky for a feast.
The Golden Flash had been tasked with taking the manor owners to the castle. When the manor owners saw the more-than-a-hundred meter long dragon spread its wings, their knees nearly buckled. They could not even stand steadily. Watson had to reassure them that they would be fine before they dared to climb onto the Golden Flash’s body.
They were genuinely terrified at first, but they were no longer terrified when the Golden Flash flew upward. Instead, they grew ecstatic. “I can tell everyone that I have ridden a dragon,” they said. They felt fantastic after the dragon ride. The platinum-tier magical beast was a legendary dragon; they might only get that one chance to ride it in their lifetime.
After that, things became much simpler.
The manor owners, who were still in the mood to enjoy the show, were given a tour of the city in the sky by Watson. They erupted in exclamations. That was the first time they had seen a city floating in the sky, especially when they stood near the city’s edge. They could also see clusters of flowers, plants, and trees. A white cloud was drifting in the snow right in front of them. They were able to reach out and touch the snow.
When they looked down, everything on the ground had turned into microscopic black specks. It was as if they had evolved into gods that looked down on other gods. Some manor owners even inquired if they could remain there for two days; they were willing to pay for it.
Compared to that kind of scenery, the other beautiful mountains and rivers in the kingdom appeared dull and uninteresting.
Watson had agreed to those manor owners’ suggestions. After he discussed it with his brothers, he decided to set the price of a one-day stay in the city in the sky at one gold coin.
The manor owners drank a lot of wine at the feast and signed a new trade deal with Zeke and Zenoah. They would transfer resources to Blackmoon Castle so that Watson would fuse them to increase the quality. They would divide it as per the agreed 3:7 dividend ratio, and they wanted to start the implementation right away.
Watson had wanted to wait until winter before he would start the trade. However, he decided not to wait. Those people would not need the rock golems if they did not need to be afraid of the magical beasts. It was better to tell them that they could use it to avoid the magical beasts during the winter. Since they lacked resources, they could raise their prices appropriately, which would allow them to earn more.
So, Watson was sent the manor owners to the nearest town, Monte Town, to stock up on supplies. Zeke, Zenoah, and Peter accompanied them. They would make sure that the manor owners did not pocket any of their own money during the transaction.
Almost all of the manor owners had rented the giant rock golem to escort them to Monte Town. Each of them also bought 15 Phoenix eggs, and they would pay for them in installments. They also brought 35 Phoenix eggs with them to Monte Town so that they could spread the message. There were only 600 Phoenix eggs left in Blackmoon Castle.
On that day, Blackmoon Castle gained a few thousand gold coins from the rental and the gifts presented by the manor owners. Watson did not appear to be overjoyed because that amount was too insignificant to him. When the foreign trade had stabilized, he would make tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of gold coins per day. What were a few thousand gold coins?
“Young Master Watson, please rest assured. We will protect the other young masters on this trip.” Martin, the former Mage Guild elder, was covered in snow. He did not even have time to wipe it off. Instead, he put on a flattering smile in front of Watson. The few remaining elders stood beside him. Anna was also there. She muttered softly, “He made me the new Mage Guild President; am I really qualified for the job?”
They were also traveling to Monte Town. Since they had defeated the Mage Guild, Watson was willing to give Anna the opportunity to be the new president and take over the Mage Guild. Ron, the North Wind mercenary group leader, was there as well.
Those two factions were the most significant forces in Monte Town. If Blackmoon Castle took control of them, then half of Monte Town would be in Watson’s pocket. He was not content with simply rebuilding Blackmoon Castle. He wanted to merge with Monte Town and build the largest and most luxurious city at the border.
At that moment, Ron stood beside Peter; he had a smile on his face. “Young Master Peter, I heard that you were not in good health just recently. Why don’t you ride with me? It’s snowing, and my Ice Field Wolf form excels in traveling in such weather. I can run faster and steadier than a rock golem.” That made Peter feel very awkward.
Shameless!
The few Mage Guild elders glanced at Ron and snorted coldly. The dignified North Wind mercenary group leader had become so subservient. Did he have any backbone?
With that thought in their mind, they did not want to be outdone. They used even more flattering smiles to face Watson’s brothers.
“I’m a silver-tier mage. I can use magic to bring you flying, Young Masters.”
“Choose me; I’m the most powerful in flying spells in the entire Mage Guild.”
They continued to flatter him because Watson had agreed to free them from their slave status if they performed well during that trip. They could be part of Blackmoon Castle, and they might even get to control Monte Town as they did in the past. They had no choice but to compromise for the sake of those benefits.
“We’re leaving now, Watson. Take good care of our family while you’re in Blackmoon Castle.”
Before they left, the three brothers hugged Watson reluctantly as they bade him goodbye.
Watson was the youngest in the family, but they treated him as their core after they had been through so many experiences. The boy was even more trustworthy than their father, who was unreliable most of the time.
“Don’t worry; I will take good care of our family. My brothers, be careful while you’re on the road.”
Watson waved his hand reluctantly as he watched his brothers and the rest of the men leave Blackmoon Town with more than ten giant rock golems as their escort.
A reunion was always shorter than the period of separation.
Watson took a deep breath; his brothers had gone to fulfill their tasks. He would have to continue with his plans for Blackmoon Castle’s future development.
“Maybe I should give the remaining Phoenix eggs to my outstanding subordinates.”
There were thousands of workers in Blackmoon Castle; he would have to choose a few for some preferential treatment. Since the city hovered in the sky, it would not be easy for those people to get up to the castle. Of course, unless they took Phoenix eggs and grew wings.
Just as he thought about how to distribute those eggs, his sixth sister, Margaret, appeared beside him.
“Watson wept as he bid farewell to his family because he knew that his family was about to embark on a journey filled with thorns and hardships! There were bandits and magical beasts along the way, but they would not back down. The bandit gangs had killed tens of thousands of people, and then there was also the magical dragon. Their blood-stained journey must be continued for a brighter future. Oh, the next chapter is out, and it’s more interesting than I thought. However, the name Watson is too boring. Might as well call him Arthur or Mordecai Caesar.”
Margaret stood next to Watson as she wrote rapidly; it left him dumbfounded.
“Thorns and hardships? Bandit gangs that killed more than ten thousand people? Magical dragon? None of those are true! Our brothers are ordinary businessmen. Sister Margaret, even if you want to make up a story, you should at least follow some logic, right?”
“Since you already know that it’s a story, of course, it should be filled with some drama. What’s wrong with some exaggeration?”
Margaret shook the snow-soaked manuscript, puffed out her chest, and pointed into the distance. “And who says there aren’t magical beasts? It’s almost winter. Look at the heavy snow; perhaps the magical beasts from the Misty Forest will appear soon!”
Roar!
A series of beastly roars erupted from a distance as if echoing Margaret’s comments.
Watson looked over with a shocked expression. A layer of black lines had appeared in the distance, connecting to the horizon, and it rushed toward them. There were tens of thousands of roaring magical beasts, and their bodies were covered in snow. Some were trampled to their deaths by other larger magical beasts before they could reach them.
Fresh blood dyed the ground red.
Those magical beasts had escaped from the Misty Forest. When they appeared, the sun in the sky also changed color. It went from incandescent white to a devilish dark red, and the buildings on the ground were pulled into longer silhouettes. The wind and snow appeared to have intensified.
The sun had turned red, and the snow continued to fall. That was the sign of winter; at least that was what Watson remembered.
“Has winter finally come? Sixth Sister, you’ve jinxed us.”
Watson frowned. He glanced at Margaret, who was also a little surprised, and spread the golden combat aura wings on his back as he flew into the sky. “Looks like winter is here; what a coincidence! I had just replenished those giant rock golems’ magic, and it would have lasted them a month. If they exhausted their power in fighting those magical beasts, then I would have to replenish them again. That’s too troublesome. I might as well fuse those magical beasts.”
“System, activate fusion!”
Watson was like a god as he activated the system to fuse those magical beasts within Blackmoon Castle’s vicinity.
Waves of light flickered as tens of thousands of rays fused. In just an instant, the number of magical beasts had been reduced by half. The remaining ones became larger and more ferocious. However, those stronger magical beasts no longer roared. Instead, they knelt on the ground and bowed their heads toward Watson as if they were paying respects to their emperor.
