Imperial Throne

Chapter 10: Invitation

White Forest Castle, an ancient fortress perched atop a 500-meter-high mountain, was named for its numerous observation towers that resembled a forest canopy.

This was the residence of the Bole family, lords of the White Mountain Territory.

At the foot of the mountain lay the only city in the White Mountain Territory, White Mountain City.

Under the protection of his accompanying knights, Giggs Bole returned smoothly to White Forest Castle.

Upon his return, he quickly avoided others in the castle and went alone to the grand study to meet his father.

"How do you feel?" asked the White Mountain Baron, lord of the White Mountain Territory and head of the Bole family, who was nearly fifty years old. He was not surprised that his son's first action upon returning was to seek him out.

"Where did that boy with the  bloodline obtain the Bloodline Potion formula?"

"From a fallen knight family that lost its inheritance," Giggs respectfully replied. "They even lost their surname."

The White Mountain Baron, who had been reading, looked up in surprise. "They lost their surname?"

"He calls himself Yam and didn't mention his surname," Giggs recalled. "The Bloodline Potion formula was found by his father among his grandfather's belongings, which sparked the idea to try it. Strictly speaking, he's quite fortunate."

"A fortunate one who awakened his bloodline in just three months?" The White Mountain Baron snorted. "His ancestors might not be simple. Perhaps he's a distant branch or relative of the Bourbon family, which could explain why he abandoned his surname."

"I hadn't considered that," Giggs admitted, startled.

"Let this be a lesson. Be more careful in the future," the White Mountain Baron said, shaking his head.

He wasn't entirely satisfied with his eldest son.

Giggs wasn't a traditional genius, and his bloodline concentration wasn't high.

He had to spend considerable time stimulating his bloodline, leaving less time to learn the ways of noble survival.

To inherit the title of the White Mountain Territory, one needed corresponding strength; otherwise, royal recognition was unattainable.

His second and third sons couldn't awaken their bloodlines and were thus excluded from succession.

Though he had a young daughter, she was still too young. Even if she could awaken her bloodline, he wasn't sure he had enough time to teach her.

Therefore, he created the illusion of discord between father and son, hoping to mislead enemies into thinking they could exploit internal strife, giving him the chance to mentor his eldest son.

"So, do you think you can win him over?"

Changing the subject, the White Mountain Baron brought up Yam again.

He knew Giggs's character.

Though his eldest son didn't seem particularly clever and had limited cunning, he was sincere and had some personal charm.

That's why he saw winning over Yam as a test for him. To prevent his son from being too restrained, he even disclosed the bottom line, allowing him to offer Fisher Village as a fief to Yam.

Notably, the family's three knights had each served over ten years before receiving their fiefs.

"I can tell he's tempted," Giggs said, a rare smile on his face.

"He's hesitant because he doesn't yet understand the difficulties of advancing as a Bloodline Noble. But I've hinted at it. Once he realizes, he'll accept my invitation."

"Once he accepts, what will you do?"

"I won't grant him the fief immediately; otherwise, the other three knights would be displeased. I'll wait until I inherit the title before rewarding him," Giggs explained, having clearly thought it through.

"Before that, I'll gather some auxiliary materials and consumables for the Infernal Golem. When he becomes a second-tier Bloodline User and shows potential to reach the third tier, I'll acquire the main materials for the Infernal Golem and give them to him along with the Potion formula."

"Why give him the Potion formula instead of just the Bloodline Potion?" the White Mountain Baron asked again.

"I recall you once said, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,'" Giggs replied calmly.

"If I only give him the Bloodline Potion, he might be grateful but not truly aligned with me. But if I give him the Potion formula, he'll have the foundation to establish a Bloodline Baron family. Then he'll be more eager than I am to obtain territory."

He paused briefly before continuing hesitantly, "Moreover, this way, our family gains a steadfast ally... at least for three generations, we won't have to worry about betrayal."

"Very good," the White Mountain Baron finally smiled.

"As a lord, you may not be exceptional, but understanding this means you're competent. At least when I hand over the family to you, it won't be ruined."

Giggs didn't show pride, only slight unease.

His father's candid remarks clearly caused him some apprehension.

...

Yam was unaware that Giggs sought him not only to gain his allegiance but also to extract information.

He didn't realize that in their brief conversation, he had already revealed much.

More importantly, if it had been the White Mountain Baron himself who came, he might have even disclosed the existence of the Rusty Sword.

His hesitation in accepting Giggs's invitation stemmed from his uncertainty about his future plans.

After all, if his younger brother Akar successfully awakened his bloodline as well, then their family would have three Bloodline Knights, father and two sons, wielding the power of bloodlines.

Even if Yam didn’t fully understand the complexities of Bloodline Nobles, he knew that such power would be a tremendous asset to any lord.

That was why he worried that if he too readily accepted Giggs's invitation, it might bring unexpected trouble.

However, he was not opposed to the idea of pledging allegiance.

On this matter, the family had already come to a consensus: severely lacking knowledge about Bloodline Nobles, they knew that to gain such knowledge, they would need to serve under a lord.

In preparation for this, Ion and his family had carefully crafted a set of explanations, which naturally included a backstory about how they had come to possess the Bloodline Potion formula for the [Flame Hound].

The only flaw was the rare iron saber currently in Yam's possession.

This iron saber had been taken from a 【[Flame Hound] bloodline knight of the Gem Territory. After settling in Fisher Village, Ion had secretly taken it to be repaired; he had originally considered melting it down and reforging it into a two-handed sword.

But since the saber was significantly smaller than a two-handed sword, such a plan would have been as costly as forging a new exotic iron weapon altogether. The expenses and material shortages forced him to give up the idea.

What the Yam family didn’t know was that during the White Mountain Baron’s previous investigation, this very act had played a critical role in convincing him to believe Yam's story about being a fallen noble from a broken lineage with no surname.

Inadvertently, the Yam family had acted in a manner that perfectly aligned with their claimed identity.

Time passed quietly.

Before long, the end of February arrived, and Giggs returned to Fisher Village once more with the tax officials.

Yet Yam’s father and younger brother had still not returned. Counting the time, they had been gone for four months already.

If things had gone smoothly, they should have been on their way back by now. Their absence clearly suggested the journey hadn’t gone well.

Yam trusted his father's experience and believed they wouldn’t have encountered issues entering the Red Soil Territory.

The problems likely arose while searching for components.

But there was nothing he could do to help from this distance.

Thus, when Giggs extended his invitation again, Yam accepted without hesitation.

Joy immediately spread across Giggs's face, and he even invited Yam to return with him to White Forest Castle that very day.

Yam, however, expressed a desire to stay in Fisher Village for a few more days to handle some matters.

Though slightly disappointed, Giggs nodded in agreement.

After seeing Giggs off, Yam returned home.

"Mother, I'm back."

With his father and brother away, the household now only consisted of him and his mother.

"Back already?" came a gentle cough, followed by a joyful voice. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. Uncle Arlo finally stopped accidentally hurting others."

*Cough cough.*

As Yam walked into the inner room, a pale woman lay coughing on the bed. But upon seeing her son, a smile bloomed on her face. "Aunt Arlo always said her husband was a bit clumsy, but kind-hearted. He just tended to mess things up despite good intentions. Now that you’re filling in for your father, you have to teach them properly. Your father said this could save lives."

"I understand, Mother," Yam nodded.

"Today, Aunt Al from next door came to see me. Little Al is getting older. She asked if he could start learning some skills from you too."

Listening to his mother chatter, and looking at the woman who, despite being only around forty, now appeared as aged and frail as an old crone, Yam sighed softly.

During their earlier days of fleeing, his mother had been deeply traumatized, which had left her with lingering health issues.

Though years of rest had improved her condition, the recent worry over her long-absent husband and youngest son had worn her down mentally and physically.

She had caught a chill and, in just half a month, had lost nearly twenty pounds, now looking like little more than skin and bones.

He remembered well that a few years ago, his mother had been a famed beauty in the mercenary group.

Even in Fisher Village, Yam had thought she was the most beautiful woman.

Now, seeing her resembling more a skeleton than a person, Yam could not help but feel anger.

Anger toward the Baron of Gem Territory.

But he knew this resentment had to stay buried deep in his heart.

"Mother, I’ve accepted the invitation from the White Mountain Baron’s eldest son. I’m going to become his household knight," Yam said suddenly, interrupting his mother’s musings.

"If all goes well, I’ll be leaving for White Forest Castle in the next couple of days. I’d like to ask you to come with me."

The woman on the bed stared blankly for a while before muttering, "Is that so? That’s good… but someone should stay behind. What if your father and brother return and find no one here?"

"We can leave a letter with the neighbors," Yam said gently. "Mother, your health requires rest. Fisher Village isn’t suitable. Only White Mountain City can help you recover. And if you’re with me, I can take care of you myself."

Part of the reason Yam had agreed to Giggs’s invitation so readily was because of his mother’s worsening condition.

Fisher Village had no physicians, no one who could care for her properly. So he decided to take her with him to White Mountain City.

"I... I..." The woman, though only in her mid-forties, looked like she was in her seventies, and her face twisted in deep conflict.

"Can I really go? Wouldn’t I affect your future? I’m already old… and sick. I can’t help you with anything. I... I don’t want to go. Can’t I stay?"

"Mother." Yam hurried to embrace her. "You’re not old at all. I can take care of the family now. Don’t worry. Just come with me to White Mountain City. I’ll find someone to look after you. Your health will improve."

The frail woman reached out trembling hands, gently stroking his head and patting his back.

"I know, actually. I won’t recover. There’s no need to spend all that money… You haven’t even married yet. Save your money."

She smiled again, then added, "Many girls in the village have their eyes on you, but I know you and your brother are different now. Those girls aren’t right for you… Your brother didn’t leave any children. You mustn’t follow in his footsteps. When you get to the city, if you meet the right girl, don’t miss your chance."

"Mother!"

"I’ll be fine," she said, shaking her head and gently patting his back. "Don’t worry about me. I have to stay and wait for your father. Besides, now that you’re a lord’s household knight, people in Fisher Village will only respect me more. There’s no need to worry."