In the Duke Stark's residence, in the martial arts training room located in the northwest corner, a figure stood alone. The person pointed his right hand at a stone wall that was about two meters high and one meter thick, saying, "Little greedy, bombard it."
As soon as he finished speaking, a fist-sized wolf's head abruptly appeared on his right arm. The wolf's mouth opened, and a white orb, less than ten centimeters in diameter, was ejected from its mouth, hitting the stone wall and creating a hole about five centimeters deep and ten centimeters wide. In addition, numerous large and small wounds were scattered across the stone wall, indicating that this wall had been used as a target for some time.
The person expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Little greedy, you're not in good form today!"
It seemed as if he was listening to something, and after a pause, that person said, "So you're hungry again. If this continues, I might be consumed by you."
That person walked out of the martial arts training room, looked at the sky, and saw the bright moon hanging in the air; today was a full moon day. Under the moonlight, it was clear that this person was Yafan.
It was a month and a half after the greedy wolf entered its growth period.During the previous month, the greedy wolf had been sleeping, no matter how much Yafan called out, the sensation coming from his right arm was always that of deep slumber.
Until ten days ago, the slumbering greedy wolf finally woke up, immediately catching the attention of Yafan during class. Overjoyed, Yafan disregarded the gazes of his teacher and classmates, and without saying a word, he immediately ran home. Anyway, basic education was almost over, and it didn't matter whether he attended or not. Furthermore, as someone deemed 'unsuccessful', no one cared what he wanted to do.
Once at home, Yafan immediately summoned the greedy wolf, and he discovered that the greedy wolf had not grown at all over the past month.
Once awake, the greedy wolf appeared very hungry and devoured all the energy stones and other energy-rich items in the house within just ten minutes. This was when Yafan realized that the greedy wolf needed energy, not just energy stones.
Knowing this, Yafan quickly went out and bought a large supply of energy stones for the greedy wolf to eat to its heart's content.After ten days of experimentation, Yafan finally discovered that his connection with the greedy wolf was so close that he could even communicate telepathically with it.
Moreover, Yafan also discovered that aside from lacking attributes, the greedy wolf was no different from an ordinary spirit beast. It still possessed first and second forms and could concentrate the energy within to unleash a cannon attack. However, Yafan found that the greedy wolf could actually fire a cannon attack that only the first form could use while in its second form, which was clearly different from ordinary spirit beasts.This great discovery filled Yafan with excitement. That evening, as Yafan was enhancing the combat abilities of the greedy wolf through intense training, they finally reached a certain stage. Yafan took the greedy wolf out of the training hall.
From a distance, he saw that his father's room light was unexpectedly on.
A thought crossed his mind, could it be that his father has returned? Just thinking about this, Yafan immediately ran over joyfully. Besides the fact that he hadn't seen his father for three months, he was also eager to introduce his father to his star wolf. As he reached the door of his father's study, before he could even knock, he heard a loud roar: 'Who?'
Yafan was still confused about the situation when the door was suddenly flung open with great force. He didn't even catch a glimpse of the figure before he felt a tight grip at the back of his collar, lifting him off the ground and into the room. Shocked and disoriented, Yafan was surprised and happy at the sight in the room.
At the head of the room sat two people. On the left was an old man who looked to be about seventy, with a head full of white hair and a foot-long snowy long beard. His face was covered with serious lines from years of sternness, but at this moment, he relaxed upon seeing him, revealing a gentle and kind smile. This was the renowned old general of the Miracle Martial Continent, known for his extraordinary tactics on the battlefield, 'Glorious Tiger King' Hanrosdake, his grandfather.
On the right sat a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties, with a strong build and a head full of black hair, free of any wrinkles. His handsome and rugged features exuded a mature charisma that suggested he must have captivated countless talented ladies in his youth. He was his father—Yulai, known for his defensive prowess and respected as the 'Unbreakable Bear General.'
On each side of the room, there were two additional seats, already occupied by three individuals. Directly in front to the right was his older brother—Yahua, who resembled their father nine-tenths, but was more robust than him. In fact, all three of his brothers looked very much like their father, especially the eldest. Yahua, thirty years old this year, was renowned on the battlefield for his remarkable martial prowess and was known as the 'Thunderfire Fierce Lion.'
In comparison to the rugged elder brother, the younger brother sitting in the front left, Yaxu, seemed quite gentle and refined. However, one should not underestimate Yaxu, who was known on the battlefield as the 'Devil Wind Fox' for his elusive and unexpected ambushes that struck terror in the hearts of the enemy. He was also the brain of the family and was twenty-eight this year.
Next to the second brother is the third brother, Yaruo. He lacks the bravery of the eldest brother and the cunning wit of the second brother, but when it comes to battlefield reputation, the third brother instills the greatest fear in the enemy. "No need to surrender, no need for captives; once we face the enemy, execute without mercy." This is the assessment of the third brother on the battlefield, which is why he is also known as the 'Eagle of Death.' He is twenty-seven years old this year.
All the people present are fierce generals who instill fear in their enemies on the battlefield, but now they are just Yafan's family, and upon seeing him, they all showed rare smiles.
Yafan also cleverly greeted everyone, and suddenly he thought about his father and brothers who were in front. Who was the one standing behind him and holding his collar?He couldn't help but ask, "Third Brother, who is behind me?"Before Yaru could answer, a deep voice came from behind: "Little Yafan, only now do you remember me?"When Yafan heard this, the voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before.Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head, and he joyfully shouted, "Uncle Leon?"
A loud laugh came from behind, and when he turned to face Yafan, he saw a man in white clothes, with shoulder-length flaxen hair casually draped over his back. He looked to be in his thirties, not overly handsome, but with a free and elegant aura. This was Yafan's little uncle, Leon Long, whom he hadn't seen for more than five years.
Looking at the face strikingly similar to his deceased sister, a wave of nostalgia for her rose up in Leon's heart. As one of the three greatest beauties of the TaiLong Empire, many young nobles had looked down on her, yet she fell in love at first sight with the general of the enemy nation, Yleis Dak. At that time, he was already in his thirties, a widower with three children. It was hard to believe that his nineteen-year-old sister would fall for him, even going so far as to defy their father's wishes, give up her status as the heir of the Long family duke, and elope to the principality of Huana Bang.
Leon couldn't help but glance at his brother-in-law, reaching out to touch Yafan's head, and said, 'It's been so long since we last met, my little Yafan has grown so much. Have you missed your uncle? Your uncle thinks about you every day! Why haven't you written to your uncle?'
Yafan knew that Uncle Leon liked to tease him since childhood, and after so many years without seeing each other, he couldn't help but joke back, 'Uncle, how can you say that? I don't know how many letters I've written, but who knows which continent you've wandered off to again? I don't even know where to send them!'
Upon hearing this, Leon was left speechless. It was a well-known fact that he was free-spirited and loved to wander. Now, being called out by his nephew, he found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing his awkwardness, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter for the first time in days.After greeting everyone, Yafan saw his family gathered together, which hadn't happened for a long time, and felt a stirring in his heart. He couldn't help but ask, "Dad, is there something major happening?"
As soon as everyone in the study heard Yafan's question, they were taken aback and exchanged glances. Yulai spoke up and asked, "Yafan, why would you ask that? Can't we go home to rest?"
Yafan shook his head and said, "I'm certainly happy that you can go home, but I don't think it's as simple as just coming back for a break.'"
At this point, Yafan saw that everyone looked like they wanted him to continue speaking, so he continued: "Since I can remember, during major festivals, there would always be at least one of my dad or three older brothers stationed outside. It's never been like this before, with grandpa, dad, and brothers all gathered here, even my uncle. This leaves only two possibilities: one is that a major event threatening the country is about to happen, like a war with the mainland, but things have been very calm lately; there's not only no war, but even some small countries are showing signs of peace talks, so the first possibility can be ruled out. Now, let's consider the second possibility..."
At this point, Yafan noticed the dazed expressions on his grandfather, father, and brothers, and he said seriously: "Recently, I've learned a saying: 'Great achievements can shake one's lord.' It seems that King Deye is almost eighty now."
Seeing the shock on his family's faces, which could hardly be described as anything other than stunned, he realized he had unfortunately guessed correctly. Yafan couldn't help but sigh, saying: "I really hope I guessed wrong."
After a long while, Second Brother Yaxu asked, "Yafan, how do you know about these things?"
Yafan sighed, "Although I am not successful, I am not an idiot, nor am I deaf. Of course, I can hear and think about some things!"
That said, being able to draw conclusions that are not far from the truth based on some small rumors was enough to surprise everyone.
Yu Lai felt both comforted and ashamed; he realized that he had been too lacking in his concern for his younger son, to the point that he didn't even know he possessed such outstanding talents.
At this moment, Han Luo, who had never spoken before, finally spoke up: "Ya Xu, you should tell Ya Fan about some things, as there are certain things he should know. After all, Ya Fan is also a part of our family; perhaps he can offer some ideas." Ya Xu agreed. With the explanation from his second brother, Ya Fan learned that the truth was not far off from his conjectures, but the situation was even more dire than he had imagined.
It turns out that the Emperor of the Duchy, De Ye Wang, was ambitious in his youth, determined to establish strong achievements, and promoted many outstanding military talents, such as the Stark family. Now that he is old, his ambition has turned into suspicion. Although he wants to pass the throne to the Crown Prince (note 1), he fears that the generals whom he personally promoted, and who command great armies, might take advantage of the new emperor's youth and rebel.
Especially after the court turmoil ten years ago, many generals were executed, either intentionally or unintentionally, for mistakes. Now, the only family that remains relatively intact is the Stark family.
But now, the situation is not looking good; King Deya's suspicion seems to have shifted to them. However, every member of House Stark holds a prominent position, and ten years ago, they had worked hard to help King Deya keep his throne, so they are still somewhat safe.
However, a month ago, news came from the court that King Deya has decided to pass the throne to the crown prince during the national day celebration in February next year. Coupled with the recent defeats of the Stark family, the parliament (note 2) expressed deep dissatisfaction and summoned them back to the capital to discuss their punishment, so the situation has worsened considerably.
Elder brother Yahua said with a bit of frustration: "If it wasn't for the so-called military supervisor sent by His Majesty interfering with my plans everywhere, and not knowing which bastard leaked military secrets, I wouldn't have lost."
Yulai frowned and said, "Yahua, don't speak so rudely."
Yafan, unable to pay attention to what the elder brother was saying, urgently asked, "Second brother, do you mean The Majesty will use this to strike at our family?"
Yaxu nodded gravely.
The facts presented by second brother deeply shocked Yafan; he had never thought that behind the family's glory lay such a significant crisis.
The cost of high official ranks and titles could mean the family could fall apart at any moment. In an instant, the originally spirited appearance of his family appeared to be so haggard in Yafan's eyes.
Hanlu, seeing Yafan's incredulous expression, couldn't help but sigh. Although he found Yafan's wisdom to be extraordinary, after all, he was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child; was it wrong to let him know about these things so early?
He wanted Yafan to grow up like an ordinary child, so when Yulai told him that he wanted to use his relationship to let him enter the high-level class of Yunyang Academy, he insisted that he let him choose, and he really didn't want Yafan to embark on the same path as his brother and father.
In order to divert Yafan's attention, Han Luo smiled and said, "Yafan, don't think so much, anyway, everything is covered by grandpa, I don't believe that with these ministers and parliamentarians who will only hide in the rear and shout, what happened to our Stark family?" "
"By the way, if I remember correctly, it's your birthday in half a month, right?"
Upon hearing Han Luo's words, Yafan felt skeptical in his heart, but he also understood that the old man didn't want him to worry, so he smiled and nodded in agreement. He replied, 'Grandpa, in another fourteen days, I will be sixteen.'
"Grandpa doesn't know if he can make it to that time, so while he still remembers, I'll give you your birthday gift now."
After all, being a child, the moment he heard that Grandpa was going to give him a birthday gift, he immediately forgot his earlier worries and reached out to act cute, saying: "Thank you, Grandpa, but if the gift is too shabby, I won't accept it."
Seeing Yafan's childlike nature of wanting gifts yet fearing they would be too poor, everyone couldn't help but laugh heartily.
Han Luo smiled and said, "Don't worry, you will definitely be satisfied with this gift. I'm just afraid your father and brothers will say I am too biased."
As he spoke, Han Luo took out a spirit beast egg from his bosom, about the size of a fist, with a smooth white exterior that faintly glowed.
Yafan and Leon exclaimed in unison: "The egg of the Light Spirit Beast." Yafan was speechless, never having imagined that his grandfather would gift him an egg of a Light Spirit Beast for his birthday. He anxiously said, "Grandpa, this is too precious, I... I... I... I can't accept it..." Han Luo pretended to be angry and said: "What are you talking about! Do you not like the gift your grandpa gave you, or do you look down on this gift?"
Yafan panicked and said, "No, Grandpa, it's just that the egg of this spirit beast belongs to a higher-level spirit beast above level eight. I'm afraid I can't handle it, and moreover, my brothers definitely need it more and have a better use for it. If you give it to me, wouldn't that violate the laws of the principality? Why not give this spirit beast egg to my brothers? Besides, I already have..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hanlu interrupted him and said, "A real man is a real man, good is good, bad is bad; why say so much? Do you really think the elders would allocate another spirit beast for you? If they were going to give it, they should have done it three years ago. Why wait until now?"
Yafan hurriedly said, "Grandpa, that's not what I meant, I..."
Yafan hadn't finished speaking when Hanlu interrupted, saying, "Stop being so sentimental. Your brothers all have their spirit beasts, and you are the only one left without one. Do you really want people to say, 'The Stark family's son is so useless that he doesn't even have a spirit beast,' and let grandpa, at his old age, be laughed at?" Beside him, the second brother Yaxu also said, "Yafan, don't let grandpa's kindness go to waste."
Eldest brother Yahua said, "To be honest, I also really want one after watching, but don't think that big brother is really so brave that he can provide energy for two advanced spirit beasts, okay?"
The third brother straightforwardly said, "If you don't accept it, Grandpa might really get angry and think that you truly look down on him."
Hearing this, Yafan had no choice but to step forward and bow to Hanluo, accepting the high-level eighth tier Spirit Beast egg.
Hanluo said with satisfaction, "Yafan, listen carefully. Ten years ago, during the palace turmoil, Grandpa lost his original Spirit Beast and earned great merit, which is why the Elder Council made an exception to assign this Spirit Beast to Grandpa. Grandpa's nickname 'Glorious Tiger King' also came from this, so make sure to make good use of it and not tarnish Grandpa's reputation."
Yafan respectfully replied, "Yes."
Han Luo was obviously very happy, laughing loudly: "I want everyone in the principality to know that my Stark family is stronger one after another."
At this moment, Han Luo, amidst his joy, clearly did not pay attention to the obstacles ahead.Seeing his grandfather so happy, Yafan was also very pleased.
Suddenly, Yafan noticed that his father and brother looked strange, and thinking they were dissatisfied, he felt uneasy and asked, "Dad, what's wrong with you?"
Hanlu also noticed and, based on the same concern as Yafan, asked with wide eyes, "What? Yulai, do you really think I shouldn't give this thing to Yafan?"
Yulai smiled bitterly and said, "Dad, how could you think that? Giving it to Yafan is the same as giving it to me, right? It's just that the birthday gift I prepared for Yafan is now useless."After saying this, Yulai took out a fist-sized, slightly uneven, yellowish spirit beast egg from his pocket with a wry smile.
He said: "This is the egg of my Earth Bear, I originally intended to give it to Yafan as a birthday gift, but now it is no longer needed." Yahua, Yaxu, and Yaru beside him all smiled wryly and took out a spirit beast egg each.
Yafan couldn't help but tear up at the corners of his eyes, because he knew that once a spirit beast entered its mature stage, it would generally not give birth to spirit beast eggs unless it was specifically for reproduction. However, if the owner forced it to reproduce, the spirit beast could still lay eggs, but this would severely injure its vitality, and it would require a long period of recuperation to recover.
Looking at the Earth Bear Egg in his father's hands; the bright red, fur-covered Upper Tier 7 Fire Lion Egg of his eldest brother; the light blue egg of the Upper Tier 7 Wind Fox with three yellow stripes on it from his second brother; the pitch-black egg with shining silver lines of the Upper Tier 7 Water Thunder Eagle in his third brother's hand.
Moreover, the size of his father and brothers was also a size larger than that of their grandfather, indicating that their spirit beasts were in their second form, absorbing energy to extend their recovery time.
At such a critical moment, his family still cared for him so much, thinking about him, which deeply moved Yafan.
Yafan shouted, "I want it, I want it."He almost snatched this unforgettable sixteenth birthday gift from the hands of his family.
Note 1: The De Ye Wang family has been passed down for three generations, and the only son died in the court turmoil ten years ago. Now the crown prince is the imperial great-grandson - Li An Ai Sai Si.
Note 2: The principality has a political system of emperor and dual prime ministers. In addition to the emperor, there are two prime ministers who manage political and economic affairs separately.
There is also an elder council made up of emperors and nobles, and a public council comprising commoners.When major decisions are to be made, the emperor has one vote, each prime minister has one vote, and each council represents one vote, totaling five votes to decide on decisions.Except for the hereditary role of the emperor, the prime ministers are selected by the emperor and then subjected to simultaneous votes by both councils for their competence. The elder council is composed of respected emperors and nobles, while the public council is made up of representatives elected by the people.