Chapter 2 Decision
On the Yulan Continent, only the Emperor of an empire had the right to elevate his brothers to the rank of "King." The status of a "King" was equivalent to that of a monarch of a kingdom. And a king of a kingdom could at most make his brothers dukes. That was the absolute limit.
The Grand Duke of a grand duchy was, in essence, also a duke.
Empire, Kingdom, Grand Duchy. The hierarchy diminished in that order.
Duke Paderon?
The younger brother of His Majesty, King Cled?
Lin Lei knew very well that the royal family of the Fenlei Kingdom, the "Bolin Family," was a tremendously powerful clan. The two brothers of the Bolin Family were both formidable warriors. The king, "Cled," was hailed as the pride of the Fenlei Kingdom because he was a ninth-level powerhouse.
As for Paderon, although not as strong as his older brother, he was still a seventh-level warrior. He could at least be considered a powerhouse.
"Duke Paderon?" A trace of killing intent surged in Lin Lei's heart.
Lin Lei continued reading—
"Under the guise of a servant, I infiltrated Duke Paderon's manor. After overcoming numerous crises and employing some special methods, I finally captured the leader of that mysterious team from back then—the seventh-level warrior. I used certain interrogation techniques on him, and he eventually confessed... It was Duke Paderon who instructed them to do this. However, according to this seventh-level warrior, after they captured your mother, Linda, it seemed she was subsequently escorted away by another team dispatched by Duke Paderon. Clearly, there is another figure behind Duke Paderon."
"I hadn't had time to investigate further when the disappearance of the seventh-level warrior raised Paderon's suspicions. Although I had made preparations, I was severely injured after killing several experts to escape from Fenn City. I carefully made my way back to the family. Apart from your Uncle Hillman, I did not let anyone else know. I realized my injuries were too severe and I wouldn't last long; I only had time to leave this letter for you."
"Lin Lei, Father was not a good father, and I was too cold towards you in the past. I do not seek your forgiveness, I only hope you remain calm. Now that you possess seventh-level strength, you might have some leverage to investigate. But you must be exceedingly careful. Neither I, nor your mother Linda, want you to die on our account."
"Lin Lei, I am leaving. Now you are the head of the Baruch Family. Everything of the family is entrusted to you."
"At this moment, I so desperately want to see the war blade 'Slaughter,' but I know that is merely a wishful thought. Lin Lei... work hard. Everything of the family depends on you and little Wotton. The proudest achievement of my life is having you and Wotton as my sons."
Looking at the bloodstain on the signature.
Flames erupted from Lin Lei's hand.
*"Tsss tsss~~"* The letter turned to ashes in the blink of an eye.
Hillman, who was nearby, couldn't help but look at Lin Lei.
The father's final relic was burned by Lin Lei like this. Hillman wasn't angry; instead, he secretly nodded in approval. Although this letter was a relic, it also contained that secret. If it fell into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous.
Lin Lei turned to face Hillman: "Uncle Hillman, I have a request for you."
"Speak," Hillman said, looking at Lin Lei.
Hillman was already prepared to help Lin Lei seek revenge.
Lin Lei reached out and lifted the massive war blade 'Slaughter,' then looked at Hillman: "Uncle Hillman, this war blade 'Slaughter' is the ancestral treasure of our Baruch Family. I hope you can take this war blade 'Slaughter' to the O'Brien Empire and deliver it to my brother Wotton, personally, with your own hands!"
"The O'Brien Empire? But what about here..." Hillman was somewhat worried about Lin Lei.
Lin Lei said solemnly: "Uncle Hillman, do not worry. I am now a seventh-level dual-system mage. Even the Church of Light holds me in high regard. Even His Majesty Cled, King of the Fenlei Kingdom, treats me with great respect. You do not need to worry about my safety."
Hillman was merely a warrior. He did not truly understand the significance of a seventeen-year-old, seventh-level dual-system mage.
He didn't even know that Lin Lei held a status near that of stone sculpture masters like Pruxus or Hodgkins—a status of immense prestige.
"In that case..." Hillman's brow furrowed.
"When you deliver the war blade 'Slaughter' to my brother, please stay with him and take care of him, along with Grandfather Xili. Everything here can be handled by me alone; one person is enough." Lin Lei's voice was low but carried a hint of coldness.
In the entire Holy Alliance, he was now alone. His relatives were all gone. So what did he have to fear?
Lin Lei was already determined to avenge his father and get to the bottom of his mother's situation. Was his mother alive or dead? Deep down, Lin Lei still hoped his mother was alive. Although the hope was slim, Lin Lei refused to give up.
"Stay in the O'Brien Empire?" Hillman pondered for a moment. After all, he had a family here in Wushan Town.
However, for a sixth-level warrior like him, he wouldn't worry about going hungry wherever he went.
"Uncle Hillman, bring your entire family with you. Also, here is a Magic Crystal Card. There are no fingerprint records on this card. It holds a deposit of one million gold coins. Take this Magic Crystal Card with you and bring it all to the O'Brien Empire."
Lin Lei took out a Magic Crystal Card from his pocket and handed it to Hillman.
"One million gold coins?" Hillman stared at Lin Lei in shock.
One million gold coins was an absolutely enormous sum. Back when Hogg was alive, they had to sell family items just for a few thousand gold coins. Even selling the entire ancestral manor probably wouldn't fetch one hundred thousand gold coins. But Lin Lei had produced a Magic Crystal Card worth one million gold coins in one go.
"Lin Lei, you... where did this money come from?" Hillman couldn't help but ask.
"Uncle Hillman, please don't ask about that. You will find out naturally in the future." Lin Lei was indeed feeling extremely frustrated and upset at the moment, and was in no mood to boast about his achievements in stone sculpting.
Hillman nodded slightly.
"Lin Lei, wait here." Hillman ran back into the secret chamber behind the ancestral hall and retrieved a jar, which he handed to Lin Lei.
"This is..." Lin Lei's gaze was already fixed on the jar, and he could even guess what was inside it.