'But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter to me whether we go together or not …'
As he thought of this, Lin Yun shook his head and followed William Merlin to the 3rd floor of the stone tower. The floor was paved with white moonstones that looked clean and tidy. There were some oil paintings hanging on the walls on both sides. Although Lin Yun couldn't tell which famous artist they were, he could guess from the colors and lines that they weren't cheap.
"Knock, knock, knock …"
William Merlin softly knocked on the door of the study before hearing an aged voice. "Come in."
The study was very large, with seven or eight neat rows of bookshelves surrounding the study in a fan shape. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly. Even in this late autumn weather, one could not feel the slightest chill. A short old man sat on a chair next to the fireplace. He looked to be around seventy years old, and there was still a trace of his youth on his aged face. When he saw the two of them enter, a smile appeared on his aged face. "You must have had a hard journey. Sit down and we'll talk."
"Sir Ofran, you are too polite …" Lin Yun nodded at the old man with a smile and didn't stand on ceremony as he sat down.
"Haha …" The old man was startled at first, because he noticed that the other side had called him Sir Ofran and not Grandfather.
Ofran had entered the Archmage realm ten years ago and was a peak existence in Okland. Normally, Lin Yun calling him Sir Ofran wouldn't be inappropriate.
But one shouldn't forget …
This was the first day Lin Yun had returned to the Merlin Family.
The power of the family was maintained by bloodline, so under normal circumstances, the third generation of the Merlin Family would only call Ofran Grandfather.
But now, Lin Yun was calling him Sir Ofran.
Ofran knew that returning to the Merlin Family would be a lot more difficult than he had imagined.
Ofran felt a headache coming on as he thought of this.
Back then, when Judd Merlin left, only Ofran knew that Judd Merlin was going to Thousand Sails City, and before leaving, he repeatedly told Ofran not to let anyone know of this matter. Thus, Ofran had kept this matter a secret for so many years, because he knew that if Judd Merlin learned that he hadn't kept it a secret, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Until recently, when he heard that a large amount of Nether Iron had appeared in Thousand Sails City, Ofran sent people to Thousand Sails City, only to find out that the person holding the Nether Iron was a descendant of the Merlin Family. When he heard this, Ofran sighed. Judd Merlin, who had been like a shadow looming over his head, was no longer there, and even his son, Locke Merlin, had recently died in a shipwreck.
The only one left was Mafa Merlin's grandson.
Moreover, he had heard that Mafa Merlin wasn't doing well.
Because of this, Ofran sent William Merlin. On one hand, he wanted to talk about the Nether Iron Ore, and on the other hand, he wanted to help Mafa Merlin.
But he hadn't expected …
After William Merlin went to Thousand Sails City, he immediately discovered that the situation wasn't as he had imagined. Indeed, Mafa Merlin was in control of a Nether Iron Vein, but he didn't have any intention of selling it. Moreover, the alchemy shop that was rumored to be heavily in debt was already doing very well. It had completely monopolized Thousand Sails City's alchemy business, and even the neighboring Oddrock City would often have some merchants and mercenaries buying alchemy items from them.
The Merlin Family had some alchemy businesses under their name, and as the Patriarch of the Merlin Family, how could Ofran not know how profitable the alchemy business was?
Let alone Oddrock City …
Just monopolizing Thousand Sails City's alchemy business was very frightening. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was extremely wealthy. William Merlin even said that in all of Thousand Sails City, the only family that could compete with Mafa Merlin in terms of wealth was the Monchi Family, which had been in business for a thousand years.
Ofran actually felt a bit regretful when he heard this.
If he had paid attention to Thousand Sails City earlier, if he had paid attention to Judd Merlin's grandson earlier, then Mafa Merlin, who could compete with the Monchi Family in terms of wealth, might have already become a member of the Merlin Family.
Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything now.
William Merlin's letter clearly stated that Mafa Merlin wasn't too interested in returning to the Merlin Family. He was even somewhat opposed to it. If Ofran rashly sent someone to contact him, it might cause the other side to be disgusted.
Thus, Ofran Merlin didn't send anyone to Thousand Sails City. He only had William Merlin stay there and have him build a good relationship with Mafa Merlin as much as possible and convey the Merlin Family's wishes at the right time.
Because Ofran Merlin knew that he had already missed his best opportunity.
Mafa Merlin had grown up in Thousand Sails City for the past twenty years and hadn't come into contact with anyone from the Merlin Family. Especially after Locke Merlin's shipwreck, the entire Flashing Gold chamber of commerce went bankrupt overnight. At that time, Mafa Merlin had relied on himself to survive.
Now, Mafa Merlin was rich enough to move the Merlin Family. If Ofran sent someone to contact him now, it would only make him feel like he was trying to steal his wealth.
In the end, it was impossible for Mafa Merlin, who had grown up in this kind of environment, to consider himself a member of the Merlin Family.
As the Patriarch of the Merlin Family, Ofran understood this point better than anyone else.
Indeed, a family's influence was maintained by bloodline. But if one wanted to rely on bloodline to make a wealthy merchant return to the Merlin Family, then perhaps only those old men from the Elder Council who only knew how to talk all day would think that it was possible.
Ofran knew that there was still a long way to go for Mafa Merlin to return to the Merlin Family.
Fortunately, after waiting bitterly for a few months, Ofran finally got an opportunity.
William Merlin brought back some shocking news.
Mafa Merlin wanted to enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land!
For the Merlin Family, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It was pretty much obvious …
Although the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land wasn't easy to enter, that was only true for ordinary people. Which core child of the Merlin Family hadn't entered the Ancestral Land before? Take William Merlin's group for example. Aube Merlin, Leon Merlin, Ross Merlin, and even William Merlin would enter the Ancestral Land this year.
Although Mafa Merlin wanting to enter the Ancestral Land was a bit against the rules, wasn't there always an exception?
As long as those old men from the Elder Council raised their hands, the Gilded Rose would return to the Merlin Family.
At that time, Ofran had happily agreed to many conditions.
Although these conditions didn't have much significance to the Merlin Family, in Ofran's eyes, it was a kind of respect for Mafa Merlin.
Then, the two sides had a chat through William Merlin, and it could be considered a pleasant chat.
But he hadn't expected that the matter would be stuck in the hands of the Elder Council.
Because those old men from the Elder Council, who only knew how to talk all day, actually refused Mafa Merlin's request to enter the Ancestral Land on the grounds that they couldn't break the family's traditions.
Ofran Merlin almost went crazy on the spot.
At that time, Ofran Merlin really wished he could point at those old men and ask them, 'Do you know how much wealth Mafa Merlin has in Thousand Sails City? Do you know how much damage the family will suffer by breaking the family's traditions?'
Unfortunately, the Merlin Family was like this. The Elder Council had a lot of power.
Even Ofran, as the Patriarch of the Merlin Family, didn't dare to use his authority to suppress the Elder Council without absolute certainty. Losing face was a small matter if he failed, but it was very likely that he would be impeached by the Elder Council. At that time, even Ofran's position as the Patriarch might not be stable.
At that time, Ofran was still fantasizing that Mafa Merlin's request to enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land was just to obtain a proper identity. If that was the case, it wouldn't be too difficult. As long as Ofran made some promises to appease him and promised to let him enter the Ancestral Land when the time was right, the matter would be resolved.
One of the conditions to enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land was to make contributions to the Merlin Family.
This wasn't difficult for Ofran. To a wealthy merchant, casually helping the Merlin Family with a business deal was considered a meritorious service.
When the time came, he would let him enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land, and everyone would be happy.
But …
The word "sir" made Ofran realize that this descendant he had never met before wasn't as easy to talk to as he had imagined …
"It's about you entering the Ancestral Land …" Ofran opened his mouth, wanting to explain a bit.
To be honest, Ofran was feeling a bit awkward. After all, he was an Archmage and the Patriarch of the Merlin Family. He had promised to help him, but now, he was breaking his promise to a youth a few decades younger than him. If this spread, it would be a huge joke.
"It's nothing, Sir Ofran …" Lin Yun smiled, his expression calm. "I only want to know how to enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land."
"This …" Ofran felt awkward when he heard this.
Normally, entering the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land wasn't difficult.
But this time, for some reason, the Elder Council's voice was unusually firm. For a moment, Ofran didn't dare to agree to anything.
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