After hearing what his senior sister said, Allen also felt something was amiss.
"Senior sister, four years ago, when I was participating in the Magic Stone Island investigation team on behalf of Marvin, Nora had just entered the secret realm."
"Even if Nora had spent the next four years in seclusion in the secret realm, she's only twenty-five now."
Alan pondered.
"At twenty-five, her cultivation level is at least late fourth level, possibly even higher. This talent... is far superior to Marvin's!"
"Junior brother, Nora awakened the bloodline of the Elephant Man at a young age, joined the Beast Worship Cult, and merged with the bloodline of the Bat Man. She might even advance to the level of a Rakshasa Demon in the future!"
Tanya couldn't help but worry.
"Nora is young and energetic, with incredible talent. She might become your formidable enemy in the future!"
Alan smiled faintly.
"Senior Sister, I killed her eldest brother, and her father's death was indirectly caused by me. She certainly has reason to seek revenge on me."
"On the other hand, if I had the chance to kill Nora, I wouldn't show her mercy."
"She's also a member of the Ganesha family. We're all family, so we must be together!"
Tanya heard the murderous intent in his words and sighed. She stopped talking about Nora and turned to the next page of the list.
Sonia was among the candidates for the "Human Demon Cult."
Her two demon wolves, Hugo and Marlowe, were also selected.
This shows that the Origin City's investigation was very meticulous.
After the twin wolves evolved, their hidden strength was revealed.
In the North Island Federation, each of the five major dragon vein families had a distinguished member selected.
Including Spencer's boyfriend, the young master of the Blue Dragon, Aslan.
In addition to the five major dragon vein families, the South Island Federation also boasts a long-established warlock family: the Demons family, from which Janet descends. They are renowned for producing demonic warlocks with awakened Abyssal bloodlines.
Unfortunately, Allen didn't find Janet's name among the candidates from the Demons family.
The last table shows the candidates from the South Island Federation.
The Randolph family, with its four elemental bloodlines of water, fire, earth, and wind, has selected talented individuals.
Miss Pamela represents the "wind element"!
The Russell family, with its young talents from the three bloodlines of flowers, vines, and trees, is also included in the trial list.
Among them, the one Allen is most familiar with is Gluttony, who represents the "tree element."
Furthermore, Tanya, Julie, and Feilin are also selected.
These three nominally represent South Island College, but in reality, they are all training on Silvermoon Island and are members of the Panthers family.
Tanya read the list again and tentatively asked Allen.
"Junior Brother, Kelly's name doesn't seem to be on the list?"
"My sister and Renee haven't reached the minimum standard for the Origin City Trial."
Allen put the list away and said to Tanya:
"But that doesn't mean they have no chance."
"Origin City will open on New Year's Day."
"Before then, those who meet the standards can also be selected."
"There's still about six months left."
"I plan to send Kelly and Renee to the mushroom garden and personally supervise them." Intensify your cultivation."
"Half a year in the outside world is equivalent to three years in the mushroom garden."
"With Kelly and Renee's aptitude, they'll be able to advance to the late Fourth Stage in less than three years and qualify to go to Origin City."
"Sister, I'm going to find my sister and Renee now. Would you like to come with me?"
"I won't go..." Tanya held his hand, looking a little embarrassed. "Junior brother, there's one more thing..."
"Sister, feel free to tell me."
Tanya bit her lip, her face sheepish.
Under Alan's concerned gaze, she finally mustered the courage.
"You must not tell anyone about this, and don't laugh at me!"
Alan nodded in agreement, growing increasingly curious about her sister's unspoken secret.
"Junior Brother, my fourth-level body-refining secret technique is called 'Iron Maiden.'"
"Only female sorcerers can practice this technique. Upon reaching the highest level, the automatic defense mechanism is activated."
"Even when not in combat, my body automatically enters a defensive state due to external stimuli. My muscles tense and become as hard as iron."
"This is a good thing, preventing sneak attacks."
"But... the 'Iron Maiden' automatic defense is too sensitive. Even a mere mosquito bite will trigger it."
Tanya lowered her head, her cheeks flushing.
"Junior Brother, you know I know very little about the relationship between men and women..."
"Even in the Meditation World, I've never been close to a man."
"So, every time you hug me... kiss me, I can't help but feel so nervous and excited..."
"If this continues, what will I do?"
Seeing his senior sister's anxious look, Allen couldn't help but laugh.
"Senior Sister, I thought it was some big trouble!"
"It's just a small matter, there's no need to worry—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted angrily by Tanya.
"Junior Brother, are you trying to comfort me, or do you really not understand the seriousness of the matter?"
"Although this matter is private, it must not be taken lightly!"
"If this prevents me from fulfilling my responsibilities as a wife, from bearing children for you and carrying on your family line..."
Thinking of all the dire consequences, Tanya's eyes turned red with anxiety, and her voice choked with sobs.
"Junior Brother... will you dislike me? Will you abandon me?"
"Senior Sister, I swear to the ancestors, I will never dislike you!"
Alan hugged Tanya tightly, neither laughing nor crying.
No wonder he'd noticed her muscles had become unusually hard during their intimate moments earlier. It turned out to be a side effect of practicing "Iron Maiden." Allen was no stranger to this situation.
In Ella's meditation world, General Eva, the "Iron Swordsman," had experienced the same affliction.
Later, Allen and Eva united, and she even gave birth to a daughter.
The same experience could be applied to his senior sister.
But if he told her the truth, Allen worried she would become jealous.
Even though Eva was only a long-dead ancestral spirit.
Tanya, held in his arms, her body stiffening in response.
Thankfully, her mind remained clear, her thoughts not rigid.
"Junior brother, is there something that can relax the body?"
Tanya suddenly had an idea.
"If there is, wouldn't it be possible to counteract the 'Iron Maiden's' automatic defense mechanism?"
Alan frowned.
However, for him and his senior sister, a legitimate couple, loving each other, to use such a thing felt out of place! Alan didn't want to disappoint his senior sister, so he granted her wish, promising her satisfaction.
Tanya, relieved, put her coat on Alan and sent him out, repeatedly urging him:
"Junior brother, you must take this to heart and get it done as soon as possible!"
"Actually, I'm not in a hurry. I'm just worried it might affect your sexual well-being!"
...
Time flew by, summer passed, autumn arrived.
Three years after moving to Silvermoon Island, Alan finally realized his childhood dream.
The Panthers family was officially established!
The Pansons, Griffins, and Cases families all joined the Panthers family as collateral branches.
Furthermore, with the strong support of the Silvermoon Monastery, this newly established family quickly became a rising power, attracting the attention of the major families.
The poor in the bustling city are ignored, but the rich in the remote mountains have distant relatives.
The world is fickle, as it has been since ancient times.
As soon as the Panthers family was founded, it attracted many vassal forces eager to curry favor.
Among them was the Cochise family, the heirs of the Tigerman bloodline.
"What Cochise family?" Allen asked Renee nonchalantly. "What does it have to do with me?"
"How did you develop amnesia at such a young age?!"
Tigress Renee was furious at his words.
"Just in case you forgot, I'm reminding you. My last name is Cochise!"
"Isn't your last name Panthers?"
"That's the name I changed after I sold myself to you!"
Renee was furious, but she had to patiently explain.
"Foolish junior brother! The Cochise family is my mother's family!"
"Oh, I remember now. There seems to be such an unremarkable little family..."
Alan's face darkened, and he angrily scolded the maid. "Reni, what's with that attitude? You call your master an idiot right out of the blue. How dare you kneel down and admit your mistake!"
"Tsk... you have a bad memory, and yet you still have the nerve to act so arrogant!"
Reni said she wasn't convinced, but her body was docile, kneeling obediently at Alan's feet.
This, infuriated Alan again!
He jumped up and kicked her in the butt.
"I told you to kneel down and admit your mistake, and listen to the master's lecture!"
"Why are you facing me with your butt? Turn around!"
"Oh? Is that so..."
Reni rubbed her butt, turned around, and giggled.
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood the meaning of 'punishment.' I thought you were going to spank me and then do something bad..."
Alan rolled his eyes at her and scolded her angrily:
"I'm the head of the clan, after all. How could I do such a thing in broad daylight in this elegant and solemn study..."
"But that's not what you said the other morning when you made me bend over the desk and bullied me!" Reni complained angrily.
Alan was speechless for a moment. He coughed dryly and changed the subject.
"Is the current head of the Cochise family your grandfather?"
"That's right!"
"I remember you'd severed ties with the family. Why are they looking for you again?"
"You're a snob!"
Reni openly exposed her family's shortcomings.
"I retreated in the Mushroom Garden for three months and successfully advanced to the late Fourth Stage, qualifying for the Origin City Trial."
"When my grandfather learned of this, he was deeply shocked and rekindled his interest in me, the family's outcast."
"Later, when he learned I held a certain position within your family, the second-ranking head maid in the Panthers family, second only to the head steward, Ms. Sora, he became interested."
"My grandfather came to me personally, hoping I could act as a liaison to arrange a meeting with you to discuss your integration into the Panthers family."
Alan took the teacup from Renée, sipped the unsweetened black tea, and slowly asked:
"Renee, your cultivation level is rarely known, even within the Silver Moon Monastery. How did this reach your grandfather?"
"Of course, it's because I mentioned it in my letter to my parents!"
Renee placed her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face.
"I've finally made it big, so of course I have to show off and make those who used to look down on me regret their indifference!"
Alan was so angry again that his chest felt tight.
Putting down his teacup, he pointed at Renee's nose and angrily scolded her: "vulgar," "superficial," and "a villain who gets ahead!"
Reni was already used to his scolding, so she ignored it, smiling and not angry.
After his outburst, Alan calmed down a bit and got down to business.
"Reni, your family has taken the initiative to come to you. What are your plans? Do you want to give them a chance to mend their ways?"
"Well, I'm torn too..."
Tiger Girl's green eyes were filled with confusion.
"I don't want to bother with these powerful villains, but I can't help but want to show off in front of them... Junior Brother, you should make the decision for me!"
"I don't care!" Allen scoffed.
"I can't ignore you!" Renee glared, hands on her hips. "I'm your concubine. If you don't care about me, wouldn't I have sold myself for nothing?!"
Allen was stunned by Renee's yelling, and unconsciously accepted her twisted logic.
Desperate, he wrote a letter and handed it to Renee.
"Your family, I'll disappear. Take this letter back."
"Then I'll give you a week off to visit your family."
"If you wish, you can stay home and be the mistress. You won't have to come back to serve."
The next day.
Reni took the letter and accompanied her grandfather home to visit his family, taking care of household chores.
Alan was worried that this naive young woman had been deceived, so he gave detailed instructions in the letter on how to deal with it.
Not long after, Renee's grandfather announced his retirement and nominated his granddaughter, Renee, to take over as head of the Cochise family.
Renee entrusted the daily affairs of the family to her father, requiring her to send a letter for his approval for any major matters.
Renee herself was truly unfit for the occasion!
She abandoned her position as the almighty mistress of the family, commanding the attention of all and running back to continue serving as Allen's maid, even bringing him a large bag of local specialties.
I have to say, Renee's candies and pastries are quite delicious, worthy of being a century-old establishment renowned on Silvermoon Island!
Allen devoured the 20 kilograms of candies and pastries that Renee had painstakingly carried back from so far away in one sitting.
As he ate the pastries and drank the juice, Allan felt quite melancholy.
Having established her own family and earned recognition from the major warlock families, they all sent people to celebrate.
This marked the acceptance of Allen Panthers into the nobility, officially becoming a member of the sorcerer world's ruling class!
As a time traveler, Allen had always despised the extravagant, reckless, and decadent ways of the major sorcerer families.
Even more so, he couldn't stand the cruel exploitation, undisguised contempt, and trampling of the common people by the aristocratic children.
Now Allen had become the head of his family, a lofty noble lord.
He and his relatives and friends could now bully the common people as a matter of course.
His and their descendants, even if they were mediocre in talent or low in character, could still rely on their noble bloodline to wield power, forcing women on the streets while passersby dared not speak out.
So was this the life he wanted?
If he clearly disliked the sorcerer aristocracy of this world, was he still willing to go along with them? Or should he step forward, using the power and authority he possesses to attempt to bring about change and alter this unfair world?
As a time traveler, Eren's heart leaned towards the latter.
But he knew how difficult this path would be. With the world as his enemy, the chances of success were almost zero.
Even if he reached the end, how could he ensure that he, the "Dragon Slayer," wouldn't become a dragon himself once he wielded power?
Even if he remained aloof, how could he ensure that the fruits of the revolution wouldn't be stolen and his successors wouldn't be corrupted?
Eren couldn't yet offer perfect answers to these questions.
But he would keep them in mind and remain vigilant.
In the pursuit of power, he must avoid losing himself and mistaking the means for the end.
…
With the family's founding, there was a wealth of matters to attend to.
Alan, overwhelmed by his own efforts, delegated these chores to his sister, Renée, and teacher Sora.
He brought Pansen and Tanya, father and daughter, along with Feilin, Julie, and Gluttony, back to South Island College to participate in the armistice negotiations.
Under the mediation of the Holy Demon Royal Family, the North and South officially ceased hostilities.
In late August, representatives from all sides gathered on Heritage Island to negotiate a peace agreement.
Alan, as a member of the Silver Moon Island delegation, had also received an invitation.
He didn't want to waste time at the negotiation table, so he returned to the college and let loose.