The two elders heard what Finn had said. Even so, they did not respond right away and remained silent.
There was no denying the truth: in this world, nothing came free—everything one desired had a price. The alliance the young man was proposing was no trivial matter. The fate of their entire clan—the entire Golden Lion Family—would be tied to such an agreement.
If he truly wished to forge an alliance between the Azure Wood Family and the Golden Lion Family, he first had to prove that the Golden Lion Family would benefit from it as well.
But what payment could Finn offer their clan? His family was merely an ordinary clan, so there was a high possibility that the Azure Wood Family possessed no wealth that could capture the Golden Lion Family's interest.
Besides, the Golden Lion Family was a powerful Aristocrat Clan, and it was likely that whatever riches the Azure Wood Family owned, they already had as well.
Seeing the two remain silent, Finn suddenly moved his hand, as if reaching into his pocket. He took something out and held his palm open before them.
The two frowned slightly and calmly looked to see what was in the young man's hand.
"An interspatial ring? If this is the payment you mean—"
"Of course, I know your clan already has many of these, but this isn't what I'm offering you as compensation. Please, accept it and see what's inside," Finn Doria interrupted Augustus with a calm smile.
"Hm." Augustus nodded, taking the ring gently from the young man's palm.
Using his soulforce, Augustus inspected the ring's contents—and immediately, an expression of utter disbelief crossed his face.
"What is it, Family Head Augustus?" the First Elder asked in surprise.
He wondered what could have shocked Augustus so severely when he looked into the interspatial ring from Finn. He was also curious, but waited for Augustus to recover first.
"First Elder, look…" Without realizing it, Augustus handed the ring to the First Elder, speaking in a low voice.
The First Elder took it and, just as Augustus had, used his soulforce to inspect the ring's contents.
Like Augustus, the First Elder's face transformed with shock and disbelief. They both turned wide-eyed to Finn.
"You already know what's inside that ring, don't you?" Finn asked them with a faint smile. He glanced at the ring and said softly,
"Inside it are three Advance Profound Pills and two Low-tier Excellent Armaments. I am certain you won't be able to refuse. The Advance Profound Pill is comparable to the Profound Nurturing Pill—but unlike the Profound Nurturing Pill, which only has a thirty percent chance of advancing to Profound Rank, the Advance Profound Pill has a fifty percent chance."
They looked even more shocked upon hearing his explanation.
Fifty percent!
Finn smiled at the reaction on their faces. This was precisely what he needed—to see their interest and surprise. From their expressions alone, he was now certain that his chances of winning the Golden Lion Family's cooperation had greatly increased.
"A-Are you sure this is what you're offering as payment, Finn Doria?" Augustus asked, his voice trembling as his hands shook and he stared anxiously at Finn.
Even if Finn had offered only one of those pills, they would already have been tempted. But there were three—and not only that—there were also two Low-tier Excellent Armaments!
Among all six Aristocrat Clans, not a single one possessed even a single Excellent Armament. Only the Noble Clans owned such treasures. But if they accepted Finn's offer, they would obtain them.
The two weapons were a spear and a longsword:
[Silver Spear]
Armament Grade: Excellent
Quality: Low-tier
Damage: 2,330
[Bright-Long Sword]
Armament Grade: Excellent
Quality: Low-tier
Damage: 2,350
Augustus studied Finn closely and asked calmly, "Aren't you afraid to show us treasures like these?"
Finn smiled meaningfully—he understood exactly what Augustus was implying with those words.
"Family Head Augustus, what do you mean by that? You are the father of my only friend, Isake. I am certain you would never tarnish your good reputation over mere wealth," Finn replied calmly.
He was not afraid that they might try to rob or attack him. He had many ways to escape safely from the Golden Lion Family's territory. But more importantly, he trusted that this clan was not greedy for treasures, and so he was confident placing his faith in them.
"Family Head Augustus, First Elder, I will not hide the truth from you any longer," Finn suddenly declared, breaking the silence. He looked at them seriously and said,
"In truth, it is not only the Black Tiger Family that is our enemy. There is an even greater clan behind all of this."
He did not wish to conceal this from them—he needed to warn Augustus and the First Elder about the true danger facing the Azure Wood Family. He wanted to be fair, to tell them everything so they could fully consider whether to accept his alliance proposal.
"A much greater clan? Can you tell us which clan it is—and why they are targeting your family?" the First Elder asked curiously.
"The Nine Ice Family. As for their reasons, I cannot tell you that yet," Finn said, shaking his head.
"The Nine Ice Family?! If I'm not mistaken, your families used to be close, didn't you? Why would they be attacking you now?" Augustus asked in confusion.
The incident of Creed rescuing Cleo was no secret. Every influential or even Ordinary Clan knew about it. Cleo herself had publicly announced her decision to betroth her daughter to Creed's son, Finn. So how could there be enmity between the Azure Wood Family and the Nine Ice Family? They couldn't understand it at all.
If this was all true, Augustus and the First Elder began to hesitate again. If they formed this alliance, the Golden Lion Family would certainly be drawn into conflict between the Nine Ice Family and the Azure Wood Family.
"Tell us—are the Black Tiger Family harassing you because of the Nine Ice Family? Are the Nine Ice Family using the Black Tiger Family to attack you?" Augustus asked intently.
In the past, the Black Tiger Family had been slightly weaker than the Golden Lion Family in terms of overall strength. But in recent years, they had suddenly risen to equal strength—and perhaps even surpassed them. For example, Frederick had spent a huge sum of money at the Auction House and won the Profound Nurturing Pill.
Finn did not deny this. He simply nodded calmly and looked them in the eye, speaking directly:
"Are you willing to form an alliance with my clan? Perhaps right now we are just an Ordinary Clan, but I promise that in the future, the Azure Wood Family will be one of the leading clans in the entire Sacred Dragon Kingdom. And when that day comes, I vow that you will share in the benefits."
If such words came from some ordinary adventurer, Augustus and the First Elder would have thought him mad. But hearing them from Finn—they could not say why—but they believed him.
This young man had offered up three Advance Profound Pills and two Low-tier Excellent Armaments without hesitation. It meant he did not lack such treasures. But how much more wealth he held—they could not even guess.
If they still refused him now, Finn would have no choice but to return to his family empty-handed.
Augustus took a deep breath and looked to the First Elder. His eyes were full of uncertainty as he asked, "First Elder, what do you think?"
"This is a great opportunity for our clan. With the three Advance Profound Pills and these armaments, I am certain that in a few years, we could become a true Noble Clan. When that happens, even the Black Tiger Family will not compare to us. But the Nine Ice Family… We must take a risk—if we do not sacrifice now, we will forever remain just an Aristocrat Clan," the First Elder said solemnly.
Finn finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the First Elder's opinion. From those words, it was clear the elder agreed. At last—he had convinced the Golden Lion Family to accept his offer of alliance.
Before long, the three of them reached an agreement, and Augustus promised that in the coming month, the Golden Lion Family would officially announce the alliance with the Azure Wood Family. Augustus would also send several Scarlet Gold Rank Elders to reside temporarily in the Azure Wood Family to serve as their protectors.
--
It was already night when Finn left the Golden Lion Family's territory. At first, the two had insisted he stay the night, but he declined—he needed to return to the Azure Wood Family as soon as possible.
Before departing Mulberry City, Finn stopped by the local branch of the Adventurers' Guild to hire a messenger. There was something he wanted to send to the Black Tiger Family—and whatever it was, he was certain it would shock them.
"Black Tiger Family… I hope you enjoy my little gift," Finn said coldly to himself.
Afterward, using his full speed, he set off toward Aurora Town—the place where his clan awaited him.
"Father, Mother, little sister… my return is near. Wait for me—because I have many changes to bring."
--
Aurora Town, Azure Wood Family
The sun was high across the continent. Inside the council chamber of the Azure Wood Family's territory, two men were speaking seriously. One was none other than the head of the Azure Wood Family—and Finn's father—Creed.
"Third Elder Creed, I truly don't understand why the Nine Ice Family have become so cold toward us. I sent them a message, pleading for help against the Black Tiger Family's harassment, but to this day they haven't replied. Have we done something to offend them?" the elderly clan leader asked solemnly.
"There is nothing we can do about that, Family Head. They were our only remaining hope, but it seems they have no intention to help us. Ever since Cleo began his journey, their attitude toward us has slowly changed—and even I don't understand why…" Creed answered solemnly.
They were speaking in all seriousness when suddenly, an elderly man burst into the council chamber in a panic.
"Fourth Elder—what is it? Why are you so agitated?"
"Family Head! Third Elder! We have visitors outside the gates!" the Fourth Elder said nervously.
"Visitors? Who are they?" the old leader asked, frowning.
Very few people had come to visit them since the Black Tiger Family's aggression had begun. Even the ordinary clans who had once been close to the Azure Wood Family had changed their attitude—understandably afraid of getting caught up in the conflict.
So Creed and the old leader were both surprised.
"They arrived in a extravagant carriage! And according to the man who stepped out—he says he is an Elder of the Nine Ice Family!"