A Wizard’s Secret

Merlin withdrew his consciousness from the Illusory World. He picked up the clothes he had prepared beforehand and put them on before turning to check on the Nourishment Pond.

At this time, the Nourishment Pond had become a deep moss green and did not emit any unpleasant odor. The two hundred or so materials that Merlin had added earlier must have been absorbed by him.

He faintly felt that if he wanted to raise the grade of shifting, he would need more materials to prepare the Nourishment Pond, and that amount would be quite terrifying.

“I need more money. A thousand gold coins or even two or three thousand gold coins are far from enough.”

Merlin knew that the Nourishment Ponds for Hosts were expensive but he did not expect that it would be so expensive. Although Count Stanwin doted on him very much and gave him everything he asked for, it was the first time he needed so much money after coming to an unfamiliar place.

Furthermore, the three hundred heavy knights who had followed Count Stanwin were a big expense. It was already good that Merlin was given one thousand gold coins. It would be unrealistic to ask Count Stanwin for more.

However, for a while after Merlin had arrived in the Holy Dragon Empire, he could not think of any other ways.

Nothing would come out of staying in the laboratory, so Merlin simply left and locked it up. This laboratory was his secret that only Count Stanwin could know about.

After returning to the hall, he saw Count Stanwin who seemed to be looking for Merlin.

“Leon, you’ve come at the right time. Come visit Count Altadin with me.”

Count Stanwin said to Merlin with a smile.

“Count Altadin?”

Merlin looked puzzled.

“We’ll talk in the carriage.”

Thus, Merlin could only follow Count Stanwin into the carriage.

In the carriage, Count Stanwin explained before Merlin could ask, “Count Altadin is my good friend. I saved his life in the past before, so I asked him for help after coming to the Holy Dragon City this time. This manor was found with the help of Count Altadin. I’m bringing you along to visit Count Altadin and introduce him to you.”

Merlin nodded. It was not surprising that Count Stanwin was able to find such a large manor so quickly. Although it was deserted, it was not something that anyone could simply buy.

Count Altadin must have contributed greatly.

After understanding the reason, Merlin did not ask anything else and instead, silently stayed in the carriage, listening to the sound of the carriage wheels as if dazed.

After a while, the carriage came to a gradual stop. Count Stanwin lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked back at Merlin before saying, “Leon, we’ve reached Count Altadin’s manor. Let’s go.”

Merlin followed Count Stanwin out of the carriage and looked in front. A huge manor that looked relatively old appeared in front of him. There were also some guards patrolling outside.

These guards became even more courteous upon seeing Merlin and the others.

“I’m Count Stanwin. I’ve come to visit Count Altadin.”

Count Stanwin directly revealed his identity, and all the guards saluted at once.

“Honorable Count Stanwin, please wait a moment while we report your arrival.”

The guards immediately went to report the matter, and soon, a middle-aged attractive and plump woman of about forty years old appeared.

“Count Stanwin, I’m Nathalian, Count Altadin’s housekeeper. Count Altadin is delighted to know of your arrival. Please, follow me.”

Although the lady housekeeper, Nathalian, was in her forties, she still looked like she was in her thirties. She possessed a full figure, and was especially plump on her bosom, inciting the imagination of others.

Under the guidance of this charming housekeeper, Merlin and Count Stanwin entered the manor.

The environment of the manor was very beautiful with bursts of flowers. Merlin had not expected flowers to bloom in such cold weather. It must have taken a lot of effort to make them bloom.

Arriving in the drawing room, there was already a middle-aged man dressed in an aristocratic attire who was around the same age as Count Stanwin, waiting. Seeing Count Stanwin, he immediately stood up with a smile and said hoarsely, “Count Stanwin, welcome to my manor.”

“Count Altadin, I’ve come to thank you for your help last time. This is my son, Leon.”

Merlin stepped forward and saluted slightly, “Count Altadin.”

Count Altadin’s eyes brightened as he carefully looked at Merlin while Merlin was somewhat confused. Count Altadin was acting inconsistently with aristocratic manners.

He also looked at Count Altadin from the corner of his eye. The other party was slightly plump, with a mustache on his upper lip. His clothes were very neat and even his nails were neatly trimmed. He seemed to be an aristocrat who paid great attention to his own image.

“Leon, this is the first time I’ve met you. You’re very much like the Count Stanwin of the past.”

Count Altadin’s gaze seemed to have a deeper meaning.

“Baratha, this is Count Stanwin.”

Merlin then saw a petite lady on one side of the hall. She wore a long white dress and had a round face, as beautiful as jade. She looked incredibly lovely.

“Count Stanwin.”

Baratha bowed slightly and then looked at Merlin, which was rather bold.

“Good, Baratha has grown up well. I remember when I saw her more than ten years ago, she was just a little girl.”

Count Stanwin said emotionally but there was a smile on his face. Count Altadin also nodded secretly.

Seeing this, Merlin finally felt that something was wrong.

“Father, did you bring me here to meet Baratha?”

How could Merlin still be ignorant of the Count Stanwin and Count Altadin’s meaning? The purpose of their visit was supposedly to visit Count Altadin but it was to let Baratha and Merlin meet each other.

Merlin was somewhat helpless. No matter if he was in the Void Zone or the Almighty Beast World, some problems could not be gotten rid of.

Then, Count Stanwin chatted with Count Altadin, and talked about the recent situation of the Holy Dragon Empire.

“The situation in the Holy Dragon Empire isn’t good. Many nobles have given up their territories and came to the Holy Dragon City. They regard this as the final place to take refuge.”

Count Altadin felt very helpless as he mentioned this.

Count Stanwin and Merlin were the same. They gave up their territories and escaped to the Holy Dragon City. After all, the Holy Dragon City had the suppression of the legendary sacred beast Regulus’ skull. Even if the Holy Dragon Empire began to fall into chaos, the Holy Dragon City would be very safe.

Therefore, many nobles regarded the Holy Dragon City as their first choice of refuge.

“Hasn’t the royal family done anything at present?”

Count Stanwin asked in a heavy voice.

“What can the royal family do? The royal family has far less control than it had hundreds of years ago. Some nobles don’t even obey the royal family’s orders anymore. The royal family’s influence is still very strong in the Holy Dragon City. However, outside the city, their influence is even less than that of the nobles in some territories.”

Count Altadin seemed to be very concerned and helpless about the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire. The weakening of the royal family was the root cause of the chaos in the Holy Dragon Empire.

However, the decline of the royal family was due to the thin bloodline of the royal family and the absence of descendants with a strong Regulus bloodline. As a result, the entire Holy Dragon Empire had started to collapse.

Just as Count Altadin was feeling helpless, Count Stanwin suddenly stood up. His entire body immediately began to morph as he snorted coldly, “Who’s there?”

“Bang.”

Count Altadin’s dressing room door crashed into pieces following a loud noise. The entire manor seemed to be shaking.