524 A Lame Stray Dog in the Winter Rain
The heavy gates of the Lin family mansion
slowly closed behind the last representative of the branch family, emitting a dull thud, as if drawing a cold period to this meeting that would decide the family's fate.
Inside the council hall, only Lin Zhengxin remained.
The air was thick with the lingering smell of cigars and a suffocating oppression.
Lin Zhengxin, like a soulless statue, slumped into the carved armchair symbolizing power and responsibility.
His face was ashen, his eyes blankly staring at the gleaming marble floor, where the afterimages of the heated debate seemed to linger.
"Reconcile with Su Yu..." he murmured, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows, each word forced out from the depths of his throat, carrying a metallic taste.
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Reconcile?
Reconcile with the murderer who killed his only daughter, Lin Wei?
This thought, like the most vicious curse, swirled wildly in his mind, tearing at his heart.
He remembered how, immersed in the immense grief of losing his daughter, he vowed to make Su Yu pay for his crime in blood.
But now, the family meeting's resolution, like a cold dagger, pierced through all his resolve and the flames of revenge.
The reason?
What a grand yet pragmatic reason!
"Su Yu is now a Baron of Ying, his status is equal to yours, the head of the family."
"Forced revenge will only trigger a full-scale conflict between the two families, a losing proposition."
"Moreover, he has the explicit support of Duchess Loward of France, Princess Lin Pengpeng! There are even rumors that the Duchess intends to marry him!"
"For the survival of the Lin family, for the overall interests of the family, we must endure, we must reach a reconciliation with Su Yu."
Family interests… family interests!
Lin Zhengxin clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, bringing a sharp pain, but this pain was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
He understood the inner struggle of every family representative present, including his own younger brother Lin Zhenghong, when making this decision.
In this world of interests, personal emotions and hatred seem so insignificant and trivial in the face of the family machine and political realities.
His younger brother, Lin Zhenghong, had looked at him with eyes full of reluctance and sympathy, yet ultimately chose silence, choosing to stand on the side of "family interests."
Lin Zhengxin didn't blame him; if he were in his shoes, he might have made the same choice.
But Weiwei… his Weiwei!
Sixteen-year-old Lin Wei was the brightest star in his life.
She not only possessed beautiful looks but also extraordinary talent and intelligence.
Student council president of the Qing Teng Academy's senior division, a first-level mage—among her peers, this was already an achievement one in ten thousand.
She was the pride of the Lin family, the hope for the future.
Her smile, her voice, her little temper, her obsession with magic and her aspirations for the future…
each scene, like the sharpest blade, repeatedly cut into his nerves.
Such a promising life, like the rising sun, had been cruelly taken away by Su Yu!
And he, as her father, the head of the family, was not even qualified to avenge his daughter because of the so-called "equal status," "princess's support," and "family interests"?
What was this?
How utterly absurd!
A chilling despair washed over Lin Zhengxin like a tidal wave.
He felt his blood was freezing.
He, a baron, a patriarch, seemed utterly ridiculous at this moment.
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..." A low, suppressed laugh escaped his throat, tinged with sorrow and self-mockery. The first rays of
dawn shone
through the glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
In the Dean's office of Qing Teng Academy, Lü Ziming sat behind his oak desk, his gaze fixed on a magical image suspended in the air.
The image was clear, displaying scenes from all over the academy in real time.
At this moment, the image was fixed on the towering bookshelves of the Qing Teng Library.
A figure was slowly walking among them—it was Su Yu.
He held a book in his hands, his expression focused, occasionally pausing, his brow furrowed, as if deep in thought.
"It's been four days already..." A staff member standing to the side said softly, "They come into the library every day and hardly ever leave. Apart from short breaks and meals, they spend most of their time immersed in books."
Upon hearing this, Lü Ziming slowly withdrew his gaze and sighed softly, "Putting aside everything else, this devotion and dedication to knowledge alone surpasses the vast majority of students in the academy."
Just as Lü Ziming was reflecting, a crystal ball on the table suddenly emitted a soft light, its slight vibration breaking the silence of the office.
This was a signal from magical communication.
Lü Ziming reached out and pressed his hand on the crystal ball, and a voice came from it.
Lü Ziming's expression changed with the conversation. He stood up and asked, "Oh, Parliament has basically approved granting Su Yu the title of Baron? The envoy has arrived in Blackshire?"
Receiving an affirmative answer, Lü Ziming took a breath, calming the turmoil within him.
For someone of his status, it wasn't that he feared or was afraid of the title of Baron.
But the title of Baron was the closest to the Golden Family in the aristocratic system.
Those who received it often became prominent figures in the county.
Song Shuying's current title was still Baron.
This was a title that allowed her to sit on equal footing with the Dean.
"I understand, I'll contact Su Yu right away." With that, Lü Ziming ended the call and paced thoughtfully.
"Mage, from Baron, thesis."
"In less than a year, Su
Yu has accomplished what others take 40 years to achieve."
Meanwhile, in the Qing Teng Society library, Su Yu was immersed in his own world, holding a yellowed copy of "Biographies of Famous Mages Throughout History," leisurely strolling between the bookshelves.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a halo around him and illuminating the dormant books on the shelves.
To outsiders, Su Yu appeared to be casually browsing, occasionally pausing to flip through a few pages.
But in reality, with each bookshelf he passed, books within a three-meter radius were silently copied into the system.
[Successfully copied "Basic Theories of Ancient Magic," consuming 1.2 units of Gray Crystals]
[Successfully copied "Outline of the History of Magic in Ying Kingdom," consuming 0.8 units of Gray Crystals]
[Successfully copied "Analysis of Intermediate Spell Principles," consuming 2.5 units of Gray Crystals]
System notifications rang in Su Yu's mind. The books on his virtual bookshelf increased, covering various fields such as magic theory, history, herbalism, and alchemy.
However, along with the accumulation of knowledge, Su Yu's Gray Crystals were also being consumed at an alarming rate.
Su Yu wasn't just copying; he was also reading diligently.
Actually, he wasn't very interested in biographical books, but browsing through "Biographies of Famous Mages Throughout History" was still purposeful.
"The characters' levels are not high."
Most of the famous figures recorded in the book had a professional level of 5 or 6, with a few reaching level 8, but very few exceeding level 10.
"This seems a bit low?"
Su Yu frowned, filled with doubt, and randomly flipped to a page, which described a mage named "Yiminglang."
According to the book, this mage was not only renowned in Blackshire but also a celebrity throughout the entire Ying Kingdom. He had overseen numerous large-scale magical projects and was hailed as an "authority in magical architecture."
However, such a figure was only at level 6?
Su Yu clearly remembered that when Mellen Island was transformed, isolating it from darkness and creating a self-contained system required power far beyond the reach of a level 6 mage.
If even a "celebrity" like Iminglang was only level 6, where did the power behind Mellen Island's transformation come from?
"It seems to be a collaboration between various forces?"
He knew about collaborations before, but he hadn't expected high-level professionals to be so rare.
"There must be some unknown secret here..." Su Yu muttered to himself.
After five days in the library, Su Yu's gray crystals in his system space were almost depleted.
The energy he had gained from this desperate hunt for evil spirits was now exhausted again, leaving only enough for emergency storage.
Left with no other choice, Su Yu had to leave this treasure trove of knowledge.
"Right now, I've only copied about 30% of the intermediate spells?"
"The journey is still long!"
"Sigh, if only someone would give me 10,000 gray crystals in one go, I could probably move the entire library into my system."
"But gray crystals are souls."
"Who could give me that many?"
"If I had to kill them myself, how long would it take?"
When Su Yu pushed open the library door, the sunlight made him squint.
After a moment, Su Yu noticed a figure standing at the door—a middle-aged man with a haggard face and sunken eyes.
After looking for a while, he recognized him as Baron Lin Zhengxin, a prominent figure from Blackshire.
In the short time he had been away, Lin Zhengxin seemed to have aged ten years.
His hair had turned gray and disheveled, his once-crisp aristocratic clothes were now wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot, and he exuded an aura of decay.
Seeing Su Yu emerge, Lin Zhengxin's eyes instantly blazed with rage. He lunged forward, his voice hoarse and low, like the roar of a wounded beast: "Su Yu! Don't be so smug! Do you think what you've done is flawless? One day, I'll catch you red-handed and make you pay for Wei'er's death!"
Su Yu was startled.
Lin Wei had indeed died at his hands; that was beyond question.
But what did Lin Zhengxin mean by this?
Su Yu glanced at him coldly.
At this moment, Lin Zhengxin was like a stray dog stripped of everything, utterly pathetic.
"What happened?"
"What happened now?"
Su Yu ignored him and turned to leave.
He might feel some pity for a father who had lost his daughter, but that pity quickly vanished; it was his own fault.
But Lin Zhengxin's attitude was strange!
Last time, he had an attitude of "Come on, kill me, or I'll kill you."
This change was too drastic.
Just as Su Yu was about to leave the library, the delicate brooch on his chest suddenly vibrated slightly, emitting a soft light.
This was a proprietary communication signal.
Su Yu stopped and answered the call.
"Su Yu, come to my office immediately. I need to speak with you on something important." Lü Ziming's voice sounded somewhat serious.
"Yes, Dean, I'll be right there." Su Yu replied, disconnected the call, and glanced back at Lin Zhengxin.
"Indeed, like a lame stray dog in the winter rain."