And now… when she finally gathered the courage to fight again, to stand up again, nobody thought she could do it! She could tell. Although Elizabeth did not say it explicitly, Nassandra knew that they were giving up on the Mordrigan Peaks because of her. To be the cause of their entire group of thirty giving up… It was deeply embarrassing! And more than that, it was disappointing. She was a Ten Dawn, one of the central powers of the Zino Kingdom, but because she was young, people always treated her as a child. Yes, she knew she was immature. There was no denying that. However, she earnestly wanted to prove her worth, to show that she could help too! From the very beginning, her brother had been sheltering her. He fought, bled, suffered, and almost died many times. Nassandra wanted to share his burden, to hold up her piece of the sky! But Elizabeth cut her hopes short, just like that. It was a crushing blow.
When Nassandra realized that, she did not cry. Her expression did not even change. Instead, she bottled up her frustrations and plotted. Since they would not give her the chance, she would change their minds. She would prove herself! And what better way to do that than by finding the Nebulous Star Root herself? It seemed like a good plan. After all, they suspected the strength of their enemies, if there were any, would not be that strong. Nassandra was not particularly concerned. She believed that if she were cautious enough, she would be fine. Being a Ten Dawn gave her that confidence! The only thing was… she was worried how her brother might react to her disappearance. It would surely anger and worry him. She did not want to upset him.
The girl sighed. That breath carried an uncountable number of feelings. It was hard to say whether she made the right decision or not. They were probably searching for her in a frenzy now. As the fire crackled, and the shadows danced, she felt lonely. Maybe she was too rash. Maybe, if she went back and apologized, they would understand. Maybe her worries were unfounded. She hesitated, when a strange, bone-chilling wind blew through and extinguished her fire. It was so cold that Nassandra shivered uncontrollably, as darkness returned. The hairs on her back stood up. She backed up out of reflex until she touched the rock wall.
"Who… Who's there?" Her voice was quiet at the start before building strength.
It was quiet… so very quiet that if Nassandra did not fully focus on her hearing, she might have missed it. But it was there, an unmistakable whisper hidden in the wind. "Hehehe…"
In the capital city, Protector Avin stopped walking suddenly, his brow furrowing.
This caused his companion to inquire, "Is something wrong?"
He closed his eyes and reopened them after a while. "It's nothing. How many families are in attendance tonight?"
The man smiled fawningly. "There are seventeen Hochlaegen Family heads, and nine Kreftig Family heads."
Protector Avin nodded in satisfaction. There were three levels of nobility in the Zino Kingdom. The first was the most famous and powerful, the Engelsheft Families. Since the Arcellius Family collapsed fifty years ago, the same seven Engelsheft Families lasted to the present day. Their reign was absolute! They were the Lanark, Winhelm, Arkfell, Cisvernia, Welgen, Vensire, and Rellion Families. Next was the Hochlaegen Families. There were over forty of such families. Some would rise and fall, but that was very rare. That was because many of the Hochlaegen Families had great strength, waiting to burst out to steal the throne of Engelsheft. Their ambitions burned brightly as they patiently bided their time. Finally, there was the Kreftig Families. They were numerous like the stars with several hundred in the kingdom. Only a few were outstanding enough to enter Protector Avin's notice.
They arrived at the inner hall. The guards opened the door for them, revealing a grand room. A long table was in the center with twenty-five occupied seats. The head seat was left empty, and it was obvious who it was for. The air was rather solemn, as the various family heads inspected Protector Avin closely. Everyone had heard of him whether it was his identity as the Protector of the legendary Arcellius Family, or the mighty Blue Depth Arcanist who swept the battlefield in the Xingyuu Empire. He was quite renown! It was the first time many of these family heads had seen him. They were curious whether his reputation was deserved or not. Protector Avin moved and sat in the main seat grandly. His regal aura bursting out. This made everyone subconsciously take a breath. He was clearly special! Together with the man he came with, all twenty-six seats were occupied.
He did not waste time, and asked, "Has everyone made their decision yet?"
The man to his left, the leader of a very powerful Hochlaegen Family, caressed his long white beard. "Let's not be hasty. Can we hear what compensation we would get, in exchange for supporting the Arcellius Family, again?"
"That's right. This decision shouldn't be rushed."
"We're fighting against a great current. The slightest carelessness could be fatal. We can't risk our families without assurance."
"I agree." The other family heads said one after another.
Protector Avin sneered. These old dogs knew how to scheme! He understood very clearly, being an old political dog himself. Benefits. This was the one guiding principle behind every family's decision. If the benefits were good, they would challenge the heavens. They would do anything! However, if there was nothing to be gained, then forget it. Nothing would shake them! Previously, Protector Avin made agreements with the families individually to gain their cooperation. They did not know what he offered the other families. Naturally, the Kreftig Families were the most vocal, having the lowest status here. Their compensation was probably the lowest. But even among the Hochlaegen Families, it was to their advantage to expose this because they wanted to demand more benefits!
He thought for a moment and replied, "As was discussed, I am willing to accept your families into the Arcellius Family, once we regain our status. I will grant everyone here the status of elder, so that you can partake in the family's decision-making."
This point was non-negotiable. What were these families fighting for? It was the chance to become Engelsheft Families themselves! If they merely became subordinates of the Arcellius Family, then nothing would change. They would just move from one master to another. Such a pointless act, they would naturally not do that. Therefore, Protector Avin needed to absorb them into the main family, to give them the same status as the Arcellius Family. By doing that, they would become true Engelsheft!
The drawback was that they would lose their family legacies. Many people did not want that to happen. After all, their families had long histories. They wanted to leave their own mark in the world, not a part of the Arcellius Family's shadow. This gave Protector Avin quite the headache when he negotiated with them. He needed their strength to contest the Engelsheft Families. Of course, he was not talking just about military strength. Their wealth, connections, influence, and manpower… They were all instrumental to rebuilding the Arcellius Family. Freon and Nassandra thought that their uncle was brutish and did not consider the real challenges involved in rebuilding the family. Except the reality was the opposite. Protector Avin had been thinking deeply about these problems for a long time. He knew he could not do it alone. He needed the help of these families. So, his conditions were very favorable.
After a discussion that lasted two hours, both sides got what they wanted. They were not completely satisfied, and their appetite was hungry for more, but there was nothing they could do about it. Protector Avin had a bottom line, and he would reject their cooperation if they demanded too much. He might even get angry. The fury of a Blue Depth Arcanist was hard to predict! Furthermore, they needed his help too. It was not a one-sided conversation. Without his help, they would never become Engelsheft Families! They would need to bury their ambitions. So, both sides had a grasp on the other's weakness, and once they probed each other's bottom line, they made an agreement. Now that they belonged to the same camp, they were smiling and laughing. The mood was lighthearted. The contrast between the intense battle of wit earlier was great. But life was like that. Switching from foe to friend, it only took a small force!