Muzhik was not pleased.
No one would be happy about waiting over a year for goods they'd already paid for.
No one knew how difficult and miserable Muzhik's family's life had been over the past year.
Earlier, Muzhik had been misled, selling everything they had to scrape together the money to acquire Chaldea. Then, he was told Chaldea had been destroyed, and the Association refused to refund his money, using the excuse, "You didn't manage it properly."
This plunged the once wealthy Gordolf Family into a rapid decline.
But this wasn't even what angered Muzhik the most.
Money could always be earned back. His invented alchemy could turn rotten meat into prime marbled beef, so making money was quite easy for him.
However, his family's rivals gave the Gordolf Family no chance to recover, swiftly seizing control and undermining them. It was only recently, with the entire Magic Association thrown into chaos by the Elf Queen, that the Gordolf Family finally got a moment to breathe.
Then, just half a month ago, news reached Muzhik that Chaldea had reappeared! Muzhik was overjoyed, believing this was the Gordolf Family's chance to turn things around.
So!
Muzhik immediately gathered the last of his family's core strength, a 200-strong team of Homunculi, and prepared to head to the South Pole! He intended to reclaim what was rightfully his!
However!
"Bastards!! Everyone from the Barthomeloi Family is a bastard! Thieves! Dictators!! I'm so mad!"
On a ship sailing the high seas, a blonde, portly man was cursing loudly.
He was incredibly furious. He had only intended to secretly take Chaldea with his 200 people, but then someone from the Barthomeloi Family discovered his plan and proposed "joining forces," subsequently dispatching nearly a thousand mercenaries to accompany him to the South Pole to seize Chaldea.
The blonde, portly man was Muzhik, the administrator of the Gordolf Family, and the one who had bought Chaldea.
He was a very shrewd businessman who had recognized Chaldea's value, so he had purchased its ownership early on. Unfortunately, Chaldea had been destroyed over a year ago.
He had thought it was a complete failure of an investment, but then, Chaldea reappeared!
Since it had reappeared, he didn't care if it was the exact same Chaldea as before; as long as it was Chaldea, that was enough. So, he reported to the Clock Tower to claim Chaldea.
The Clock Tower was currently too busy to deal with Muzhik's affairs. They went through the motions, sending a few acquisition notices to Chaldea, and it didn't matter if they were rejected—they didn't care! They left it to Muzhik to handle himself.
So Muzhik took his Homunculus team, preparing to take Chaldea and earn the world's praise. Who knew that the Clock Tower's attempt to claim Chaldea would be leaked, ultimately drawing the attention of the Barthomeloi Family.
"Master, please keep your voice down. Angering them won't do either of us any good."
While Muzhik was shouting, a maid beside him promptly stopped his behavior.
Although the maid could speak, her expression was a little stiff; she was, in fact, a Homunculus created by Muzhik.
The person the maid referred to was Bartholomew Flender, a powerful Mage from the Clock Tower. His strength had already reached Arch-rank, which wasn't particularly remarkable in itself.
However, this man was also a relatively important member of the Barthomeloi Family, capable of easily summoning nearly a thousand Mage mercenaries.
While not the head of the Barthomeloi family, his status surpassed Muzhik's. In terms of both strength and social standing, he completely overwhelmed Muzhik. This time, it was he who "sent" Muzhik and the others here.
Hearing the maid's words, Muzhik became even angrier.
But the maid was right; he couldn't possibly deal with Flender. Resisting might even bring ruin upon his family. In the eyes of nobles like the Barthomeloi, ordinary families like theirs were no different from commoners.
He deflated.
Muzhik plopped down onto a chair. The maid brought him black tea, and Muzhik picked it up and drank.
"Hot, hot, hot! You did that on purpose, didn't you, you tool!"
Muzhik's tongue was scalded red. He glared at the maid, who turned her head away, as if she knew nothing.
Just then.
"Attention, passengers, we have arrived at our destination and will be docking shortly, docking shortly. Please prepare to disembark."
A clear broadcast voice sounded. Muzhik's expression turned serious. He put down his cup, stood up, and subtly adjusted his clothes.
"Finally here. What's meant to be will be; what's not, can't be avoided. Hmph, Chaldea is mine! I'd like to see what tricks this Flender fellow is going to pull!"
With that, Muzhik walked straight towards the door.
The maid obediently followed behind him. A tiny signal emitter was on her ear. As a signal was sent out, the 200 Homunculi scattered across the ship immediately received the command, turning and heading towards the maid's direction.
Mo Shuying hadn't been idle since his return; he still had to examine the jade slip he had just acquired.
It contained a very complete Spirit Summoning Arts, even accompanied by a more advanced Spirit Nurturing Art.
While the other party hadn't made any moves yet, Mo Shuying returned to his room to begin cultivating this new skill.
Mo Shuying was truly curious: who exactly was his Guardian Spirit? He hoped it would be a very beautiful woman; that way, he wouldn't be bored even when he was alone.
Uh... he could at least call her out to chat, right?
And so, filled with anticipation, Mo Shuying began his spirit nurturing and summoning.
A day passed quickly. There was no sign of successful summoning yet, but the Spirit Nurturing Art had improved.
Mo Shuying could feel the connection with his Guardian Spirit becoming clearer, like a layer of window paper that was just a poke away from breaking. But this final layer was not so easy to breakthrough.
Ultimately, Mo Shuying failed to summon his Guardian Spirit before the new ship docked.
"Any new discoveries?"
When Mo Shuying arrived at the monitoring room, he saw Romani looking serious. Mo Shuying had a feeling things weren't quite so simple.
"Looks like we've got a big fish on our hands."
Romani said with a wry smile.
"Huh?"
Mo Shuying looked puzzled. Could the Clock Tower's director have arrived?
As a mysterious entity created by the Clock Tower 2,000 years ago, if they were here, Mo Shuying would be very worried and might even consider making a quick escape.
But.
"Two groups of people who appear to be leaders have come down. One of them bears the family crest of the Barthomeloi Family, one of the Clock Tower's three noble families. If it truly is someone from the Barthomeloi Family, then the pressure this time will be immense."
Romani gestured with his eyes. Mo Shuying glanced at all the staff present and saw that their expressions were extremely serious, their bodies completely tensed.
Wow, they weren't this nervous even when facing Goetia, but now, encountering a Mage family, they've become like this.
"Barthomeloi? I think I've heard that name. Are they really that powerful?"
Mo Shuying asked, puzzled.
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