Imperial Throne

Chapter 7: Farewell

Ion's family was heading south, but naturally, this wasn't a decision made on a whim that could be acted upon immediately.

Ion's wife had been in poor health ever since they fled three years ago. Only in recent months had she been able to help with household chores and interact more with the village women.

Of course, this was largely due to the exceptional nature of Ion and his three sons.

Regardless, Ion's wife was certainly in no condition to travel with them.

After all, they could only sense that the components needed for the Rusty Sword were located somewhere in the south, but the exact location was unknown.

Moreover, their journey would take them through the Gem Territory, which made Ion's family uneasy.

The White Mountain Territory lay north of the Gem Territory, sharing a mountain range.

Unfortunately, while two-thirds of this range was within the White Mountain Territory, it lacked any resources.

In contrast, the one-third within the Gem Territory contained an iron mine with reserves exceeding 100,000 tons.

To the northwest of the Gem Territory, and west of the White Mountain Territory, was the Red River Territory.

Southwest of the Gem Territory, and south of the Red River Territory, was the Red Soil Territory, the only nearby region where Flame Hounds nested.

Under normal circumstances, the Red Soil Territory, Red River Territory, and White Mountain Territory allowed for smooth passage. Although tolls were required when crossing territories, it was generally profitable for merchants and traders.

However, when war broke out between the Gem Territory and the Red River Territory, the Gem Territory's private army swiftly seized two main routes in the Red River Territory, cutting off access to the south.

This prevented both the Red Soil Territory and the Forest Territory from conducting trade with the Red River Territory, leading to a sharp rise in prices in surrounding regions, especially for magical creature resources from the Red Soil Territory.

Ion had already gathered this information from familiar traveling merchants.

Currently, to reach the Red Soil Territory, one could either travel south through the Gem Territory and endure its harsh taxes or detour around the Gem and Red River Territories: heading west from the White Mountain Territory into the Red River Territory, then northwest into the Bayor Territory and Longwind Territory, before entering the Forest Territory and finally reaching the Red Soil Territory.

This detour would take at least five months, as it involved crossing four territories.

After thorough discussion, this plan was dismissed.

Ultimately, Ion and his three sons decided to pass through the Gem Territory, which would take about a month and a half to reach the Red Soil Territory. If all went well, they could return in two to three months.

Before setting out, they needed to prepare additional materials.

Ion had no intention of bringing back the Flame Hound Heart. Instead, he planned to concoct the potion on-site and complete the bloodline awakening ritual.

…

In a slightly aged castle corridor, a middle-aged man walked briskly with a serious expression.

Soon, he pushed open two heavy wooden doors.

Inside, the room resembled a study, but at its center stood a large sand table.

The sand table vividly depicted mountains, rivers, and forests, as if an entire territory had been miniaturized to scale.

Anyone familiar with the surrounding territories would notice that the sand table displayed more than just one region.

The terrains of the Gem Territory, White Mountain Territory, Red River Territory, Red Soil Territory, Forest Territory, and Bayor Territory were all represented.

As the middle-aged man entered, the three men and one woman in the room looked up.

“What happened?” asked a middle-aged man standing at the head of the sand table.

“Lord Baron, the Red River Territory is on the verge of collapse,” the man replied gravely. “The Gem Territory's military actions are unusual.”

“Any movements from the Forest Territory or Red Soil Territory?”

“None,” the man responded.

“Heh.” A young man, bearing a striking resemblance to the central figure, sneered. “It seems they've already struck a deal with that wolf, Robert. No wonder the Gem Territory immediately seized two trade routes, and those two remain silent. Fools.”

“You're the fool. The Antares and Weist families have controlled the Forest and Red Soil Territories for over fifty years since the Bourbon family's downfall. Do you think they're idiots?” The middle-aged baron glanced at his son and sneered.

“The royal family must have made these promises. Without royal guarantees, they wouldn't have allied with that wolf from the Gem Territory.”

“Father!” the young man's face turned pale with fear.

The other three in the room shared his expression.

“What about the Duke?”

“Even Count Count Shuvaric hasn't intervened,” the baron snorted. “This is a war among us 'barons.' So even if that wolf from the Gem Territory captures the Red River Territory, he can't occupy it. But undeniably, he'll reap the greatest benefits.”

“After all, he has the royal family's backing,” the young man muttered sarcastically.

“The Bourbon family’s [Raging Flame Lion] was a seventh-tier bloodline, after all. The discord between the Griffin Family and the Golden Lion Family is no secret in the Tyrella Kingdom,” the middle-aged baron said coldly. “If you can’t learn how to act like a noble, then you’d better stop dreaming about inheriting my title. You’ll doom the entire family.”

Hearing such words, the other two men and one woman in the room all lowered their heads toward the sand table, wishing they could be deaf at that moment.

The young man, however, was unfazed. Instead, he sneered and said, “If not for the family, I would have left a long time ago. You only managed to produce one child with a bloodline, and that’s me. If John, Joel, or even little Lily could’ve awakened a bloodline, do you think you’d still see me standing here?”

The baron shot a glance at his son but didn’t continue the argument.

He understood all too well that while his own bloodline was relatively strong among third-tiers, its side effect was a low fertility rate.

While other baronial families had four, five, or even over a dozen children, he had only four. What was more disheartening was that whereas his generation had seen three awakenings, the next had only one.

John and Joel had each taken ten doses of the Bloodline potion, but failed to awaken. It was clear they never would.

The only remaining hope was his youngest daughter, Lily, just fifteen years old and having taken her first dose of the Bloodline potion. No signs had appeared yet.

“My lord, what should we do next?”

“We’ve no stake in the Red River Baron’s affairs, and since Count Count Shuvaric hasn’t issued any orders, this has nothing to do with us.” The baron shook his head. “This war won’t end until the big players finish negotiating their benefits. In the meantime, we can take the opportunity to organize a merchant convoy and stockpile some goods. …By the way, have our merchants noticed anything?”

“Half a month ago, someone bought a Flame Hound Heart.”

“[Flame Hound] bloodline?” The baron’s brow furrowed. “Someone’s still trying to walk that path?”

“A wasted effort,” the young man said dismissively. “It’s long been proven that tier two is the limit. Except for the Bourbon family, no one has succeeded in reaching tier three with the [Flame Tiger]. Everyone knows the upgrade path for [Raging Flame Lion] is flawed.”

“[Raging Flame Lion] may be a dead end, but one can still convert to [Infernal Golem] or [Flame-Spitting Lizard]. Otherwise, the Flame Hound Heart wouldn’t fetch any price.”

“Nine deaths out of ten,” the young man scoffed. “A futile struggle.”

“One success is enough to make someone a ‘baron’,” the middle-aged baron said solemnly. “Moreover, the [Flame-Spitting Lizard] is one of the advancement paths for fire-type dragon bloodlines. Once they reach that tier, there’s no risk of death until tier six, only the question of whether the bloodline awakens.”

With that, he ignored his son and turned to the middle-aged man who had entered earlier. “Did you find out who made the purchase?”

“It was the militia instructor from Fisher Village,” the man replied.

“He’s likely preparing it for his eldest son. I’ve investigated, his swordsmanship is quite solid, clearly Kingdom Military Swordsmanship. The son’s better with the sword than his father. No info yet on the younger son.”

“Leave it be for now. Our focus remains on the war between the Red River Territory and the Gem Territory.”

“Yes, sir.”

After issuing a few more instructions, the baron dismissed his three knights.

When they had left, the baron turned to his son and asked, “Do you know what to do next?”

“I’ll keep an eye on that man,” the young man nodded. “If he awakens his bloodline, I’ll invite him back.”

“No,” the baron shook his head. “You should formally invite him as the future heir of the White Mountain Territory. Offer him the position of your household knight and promise that Fisher Village will be his fiefdom.”

A thoughtful expression crossed the young man’s face.

After a pause, he spoke, “In that case, he’ll be more invested in training the Fisher Village militia. And once I inherit the White Mountain Territory, I’ll immediately have a private force loyal to me, and a knight.”

The baron nodded slightly, then asked, “And after you inherit the territory?”

“Collect the Bloodline potion for [Flame-Spitting Lizard] or [Infernal Golem]…”

“No,” the baron interrupted. “Only [Infernal Golem].”

The young heir paused in thought before nodding. “I understand now, Father. [Infernal Golem] can only reach tier three and has no upgrade potions beyond that. That way, his strength will never surpass our family’s, and even if he becomes a baron, he’ll be our natural ally. No risk of him turning on us.”

“Go.” The baron nodded in satisfaction and waved him off. “Continue playing your part.”

“Yes, Father.”

As he watched his son’s departing figure, the graying baron turned his gaze back to the sand table. His once composed demeanor now reflected concern.

…

Ion had always been highly efficient.

In less than a month, he had gathered all auxiliary materials and consumables for the second dose of the [Flame Hound] Bloodline potion.

The only things missing were the Ice Cauldron and the Flame Hound Heart.

However, with experience from the first concoction, he realized the Ice Cauldron wasn’t essential. He planned to make do with the previously cracked one. As for the Flame Hound Heart, that was one of the goals of this journey, so they would obtain it along the way.

Still, he made extra preparations. After staying in Fisher Village for nearly two more months, he finally departed with Akar.

Only Yam came to see them off.

“Take care of your mother,” Ion said, patting Yam’s shoulder. “Wait for our return.”

“Safe travels, Father,” Yam said, taking a deep breath and trying to stay calm. “Take care of Father.”

“Don’t worry, bro,” Akar said with a grin. “Wait for my good news!”