System's POV - Chapter 1004 - 1004: They Are No Longer Needed In The New Era
The Stallard Clan was currently in a state of panic.
The elders who had used their authority to get their way, bullying countless people while at it, immediately held an emergency meeting.
Not everyone who went to the Aldebaran Continent participated in attacking the Leventis Family. Some had merely come along to monitor the movements of the other families, as well as gather information, like whether the Central Government was going to make their move.
As soon as Aaron and Norman were defeated, the intel group they brought along quickly passed the news back to their homes. When the news spread and reached the higher-ups, it didn’t take long before the Ashford and Stallard Clans locked down their territories under martial law, closing off their borders to and from the public.
They had also activated their strongest defenses, as if hoping it would be enough to deter the Leventis Family from taking revenge upon them.
“Callista is a Monarch, and Michael is a Throne?!” One of the Elders of the Stallard Clan pounded his fist on the conference room’s table. “Just what is the intelligence team doing?! How could they not report such an important matter?!”
“Now is not the time to be pointing fingers at each other,” another Elder commented. “The Leventis Family hid their secrets and hid them well. Clearly, they could have announced to the world that they were now a Monarch Clan.
“But they deliberately held back, and we were taken by surprise. If Callista is now a Monarch, I believe Arthur has long become one as well.”
A Sovereign Family.
This was what the people of Solterra called any faction that had more than one Monarch protecting it.
Sovereign Clans were more common in Solterra than Pangea, and this had always been the goal of the Monarch Clans.
Unfortunately, becoming a Monarch had very strict conditions, including eliminating a Rank 9 Sovereign or defeating three Rank 8 Sovereigns with a team of other Wanderers.
Arthur had met all of these conditions, while Lady Callista had Zion to help him.
He had also helped his uncle, Michael, become a Throne, creating the strongest family in Pangea.
Gerald and Alessia, on the other hand, didn’t wish to be involved in any conflicts since their main priority now was taking care of their family.
Zion’s father had also found his calling in crafting and finding joy in creating mythical weapons that only he could make.
He was doing his best to arm his entire family to the teeth, including his children.
Gerald wanted them to overcome any challenges with the equipment he crafted with his blood, sweat, and tears.
If people were to discover what he was capable of doing, everyone, including the Monarchs, would try to form strong ties with him, making him the most “important” person in the world.
Mythical Equipment was the pinnacle of the weapons available in Pangea.
So any person who could craft them was bound to be treated more grandly than the Monarchs, who only held their ground partly thanks to the weapons they possessed.
However, despite his achievements, there was one person who still had the nerve, audacity, and qualification to mock him.
“Pops, you only crafted a mythical weapon,” Thirteen said. “I created a Legendary one. Can you stop slacking and put more effort into your work?”
Gerald was very tempted to smack Zion’s bum on that day, but his pride as a blacksmith prevented him from doing so.
“There would always be a mountain beyond a mountain.”
“As long as you understand that, Pops, you would be able to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.”
And thus, Gerald embarked on his next mission, which was to create a Legendary Weapon. All out of spite and to shut his son up, then make the latter admit that his Dad was cool and amazing.
Of course, the Elders of the Ashford and Stallard Clans had yet to know that Gerald was also one of the assets of the Leventis Family.
An asset who would soon devour more than half of their treasury to fund his crafting sessions.
“What should we do now?” the Head Elder of the Stallard Clan asked. “We need to find a way to fix this problem.”
“Elder, I have a way,” Kane Stallard, who had pursued Shasha since the battle in the Arcadia Archipelago, spoke up. “All you need to do is convince the Leventis Family to marry Shasha to me. As long as you can do that, we will all be spared.”
The elder looked at Kane long and hard before pointing in his direction.
“Beat the crap out of that bastard, and kick him out of this place!” the Head Elder, Bastian Stallard, who was also Kane’s grandfather, shouted in anger.
Everyone knew that Kane had been pursuing Shasha for many years, even going to the Leventis Family to ask for her hand in marriage.
Unfortunately for him, Gerald smacked him into oblivion and sent him back to the Stallard Clan tied up in ropes.
The Stallard Clan didn’t take any offense at this incident. In their eyes, that was just a small issue.
Shasha was one of the most beautiful young ladies of Pangea, and her background only made her more desirable to the guys who wished to melt and win her icy heart.
Unfortunately, Zion had raised the bar of Shasha’s standards.
She would only seriously consider someone who was as capable as her younger brother to become her partner in life.
“What about the Ashford Clan?” Bastian asked the other Elders. “Have they come up with a solution?”
“They are on the same page as us,” another Elder replied. “However, they are trying to pin all the blame on Claude and make him a scapegoat. They have already imprisoned him and his wife. They’re only waiting for the Leventis Family to come knocking on their doors.”
Bastian sneered because he knew that this futile attempt of the Ashford Clan wouldn’t work on the Leventis Family.
Suddenly, one of Bastian’s subordinates entered the conference room with a panicked look on his face.
“Arthur Leventis has arrived in the Leventis Residence!” the subordinate reported. “And they are now headed to their airport. They’re going to fly to the Sirius Continent!”
Everyone in the conference room knew that the moment of truth had come.
“Should we send our naval and aerial forces to intercept them on their way here?” one of the Elders asked.
“If you do that, then they will show us no mercy if you fail to kill them,” Bastian said firmly. “But if we succeed…”
All the Elders in the room shared a knowing glance with each other.
If they intercepted Arthur’s entourage, then there was a chance that they could eliminate him and destroy the person who posed a serious threat to their families.
However, if they failed…
Arthur would exterminate their entire clan, leaving no one behind.
“Calm down, everyone,” one of the Elders said. “Do not forget—Arthur is not their only Monarch. Callista is also one. Also, that is the least of our worries. They still have Zion Leventis.”
After hearing Callista’s and Zion’s names, the people inside the room regained their calm.
Even if they were to succeed in eliminating Arthur and Michael, Callista and Zion would surely avenge them.
And when that happened, there would no longer be a place for them in Pangea.
Even if they migrated to Solterra, there was a possibility that the Leventis Family would follow them there and exterminate their families.
“It seems that we have no choice.” Bastian sighed. “Move the women and children to our Kingdom in Solterra. Fifth and Sixth Elder, you will accompany our people there. The rest will remain here to meet Arthur Leventis. We will try to negotiate with him.
“Even if we have to empty our treasury, we will comply. What matters is that the bloodline of the Stallard Clan remains.”
The people inside the room nodded in understanding.
Even if they were to become the subordinates of the Leventis Family, they would agree to it as long as they were allowed to live to see another day.
They only hoped that Arthur would show a bit of compassion to them, giving them a chance to compensate for the crime of their Patriarch, whom Erasmus planned to torture even after his death.
———
Meanwhile, in the Ashford Clan’s Prison…
Claude and his wife, Natasha, sat beside each other and were talking to someone who might give them salvation.
“Father, mother, don’t worry,” Clark said. “I already talked to Zion, and he guaranteed both of your safety. He even said he would reassign you as the Patriarch of the Ashford Clan.”
“Even if I become the Patriarch, our clan is finished,” Claude replied. “Our assets might still be greater than the Prestigious Families, but we can no longer call ourselves a Monarch Clan, much less a Prestigious Family.
“We will now just be labeled as the Leventis Family’s dogs, who will obey their every order. We have now fallen from grace.”
Clark looked at his dispirited father, who had served as the Ashford Clan’s Patriarch for many years.
“Father, I have an idea,” Clark said. “What if we don’t submit to Arthur Leventis but swear our loyalty to Zion instead?”
“Is there a difference?” Claude asked wryly.
“There is a big difference.” Clark nodded. “Zion is more forgiving and can look at the bigger picture. As long as we obey him, even Arthur will not be able to touch our family.”
“You really have a lot of faith in him, Clark.”
“Let’s just say I’ve seen a side of Zion that not many people have seen. Trust me, Father, we will be safer in his hands than those of Arthur Leventis. Besides… he always claims that soon, his line of the family will become the Main Family, and Arthur’s side will become the Branch Family.
“So, between the two, whom do you want to become a subordinate to? The Main Branch of the Family or the Branch Family?”
Claude chuckled. “You’re so silly, Clark. How can Zion’s family become the main family of the Leventis Family? Arthur will not allow such a thing to happen.”
“Even if he doesn’t allow it, what can he do?” Clark smirked. “Father. Just trust me. Let me talk to Zion. I assure you, Arthur Leventis will not dare cross his grandson even if his life depended on it.”
Claude pondered a bit, but since they had nothing to lose, he decided to agree with Clark’s proposal.
“One more thing, I will ask Zion to kick out the Elders of the Family who put you into prison,” Clark said in a cold tone. “They’re no longer needed in the new era of the Ashford Clan.”
Claude gazed at his son’s confident expression before a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Indeed.” Claude agreed. “They are no longer needed in the new era.”
The father and son pair exchanged a knowing smile with each other before Clark cut the connection so he could talk to Zion as fast as possible.
He believed that as long as the teenage boy agreed, the Ashford Clan would receive an olive branch and continue to exist with a new goal to pursue.
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