Negotiations

[Name - Drake Moonfall | Age - 23 Years Old

Race - Human / Wereraven

Demonic Raven Bloodline (Stage I) - 31% Purity

Attributes:

Strength - 9.3 (+4.5) | Agility - 5.2 (+3.5) | Vitality - 10.5 (+4.5) | Magic Power - 18.2

Perks: Demonic Raven Bloodline (Stage II: +1.5 Strength, +1.5 Agility, +1.5 Vitality), Grand Knight Physique (+3.0 Strength, +3.0 Vitality, +2.0 Agility), Sword Aura (Sword-related attacks deal 60% more damage)

Skills: Moonfall Knight Swordsmanship (125), Alchemy (88), Magical Knowledge (108), Etiquette (50), Archery (65), Architecture (60), Horsemanship (40), Cartography (26), War Cry (15)...

Innate Spells: Demonic Raven Vision (125), Demonic Raven Forcefield (60), Demonic Raven Blink (12)

Spell: Shadow Touch (53), Shadow Claws (30), Shadow Wolf Spirit (45)

Artefact: Sharpness Ring (Low-grade), Arcane Grimoire (Mid-grade)]

When Drake entered the patriarch's room, he was greeted by the stern and admirative looks of the three elders Helena, Karl and Peter. The three of them had benefitted a lot from Drake's rise as a potioneering genius. As for his parents, there was nothing but a complicated look towards him.

Drake could feel like that they were immensely grateful for his potions that allowed them to become advanced rank acolytes. James and Serena Moonfall, the [Loving Crows], as they were nicknamed, had done immense contributions in the past five years, as if they were trying to make up for their past mistakes. They subdued several intermediate rank beasts, and participated in the Northern Barbarian Mountain Conquest.

However, no matter how strong they had become, Drake could feel that they were still feeling guilty about not raising him.

The past resentment towards this secondary branch of the family no longer existed. Drake was considered a genius, and he was at the same level as elders from his alchemical achievements alone, but everyone knew that he was a combat freak as well, the reputation of having destroyed the Elderwood Army still fresh in everyone's mind.

Still, Drake was far from being independant.

His success was only possible thanks to the family support, that put him in a great position to develop his alchemical skills. Although it was out of goodwill that the patriarch invested so much resources into his laboratory, spending more magic crystals than what the family gained, it was a two-way contract. Drake could not do as he pleased.

Responsibility was a tricky thing.

The more responsibility you had, and the stronger you became, the more tied to your organization you would become as people start to rely on you. Only now could Drake realize how heavy the responsibility of patriarch was. Drake was just a potioneering genius, and yet he could already feel the burden of supporting a whole household with potions.

"No", the patriarch's voice reverberated, not leaving any room for negotiation

Drake squinted: "Why?"

The Patriarch shook his head: "I value your strength, and I value the courage you have for wanting to participate in the pocket dimension war. However, as long as you are alive, the Moonfall household will rise. It is not logical to let you participate when it can endanger the future of the house"

Drake decided that it was time. Every single soul in this room had achieved and sacrificed a lot for the household. None of them would spread the secret, even if he revealed it. Not hiding his power anymore, everyone in the room felt a gush of wind as Drake released his full aura. It was not the aura of an intermediate rank acolyte, or that of a newly advanced Grand Knight.

It was the aura of peak grand knight, with extreme achievements in the way of the sword, and advanced-rank cultivation. This meant one thing: the Moonfall family actually possessed a sixth advanced rank acolyte, and he had been hiding his aura from everyone in the family.

"Patriarch, as you can see, I am more than enough to defend myself. I won't let the party down. You have seen my potioneering skills. It is nothing like the crude potions made by the royal alchemists, not to mention those who will support the Crown Prince. The inheritance war in the pocket dimension will last for extended periods of times. Months, if not years. Even if the motive is to decide a victor, the magus households supporting each faction come in for the sake of exploring the pocket dimension and gather resources. If I join this expedition, I will be able to turn those resources into strength almost immediately, so it would dramatically raise the odds of victory"

The Patriarch could not believe his eyes. For the very first time since the time he fought the previous head of the Elderwood County, the patriarch could not see through someone. He already knew that Drake was a Grand Knight, but he never expected Drake, a young man in his early twenties, to reach a realm that even he, as a genius that appeared once in a century, took thirty five years to reach.

Elder Karl continued: "Patriarch, it seems like the family has welcomed another advanced rank acolyte. As he said, his presence in the expedition will raise the strength and morale of our men by leaps and bounds. I have seen the quality of his healing potions and chirurgical skills, he will be able to save lives inside"

Elder Helena continued: "We all know that the Fireheart Dukedom is likely to send two peak rank acolytes inside the pocket dimension. Since you have to guard the Ivory Tower, this leaves us with no peak rank acolyte besides the third princess. However, unlike the battle hardened Fireheart peak rank acolyte, the third princess has been sheltered ever since she was born. She knows nothing of the world, or war"

Elder Peter continued: "Allow me to personally guard Drake. With me protecting him at all times, even a peak rank acolyte would find it difficult to kill him. Not to mention his vitality as a Grand Knight, I believe that even peak rank knights will have to think twice before fighting us both"

Grinning, the patriarch laughed: "It seems like you have all become crazy"

The aura of the patriarch was fully exerted on the elders.

Everyone could feel the difference between a peak rank acolyte and an advanced rank acolyte at this point. Although the spiritual force only showed a couple of points of difference, the difference in will, expertise and strength was huge.

"This is what you are going to face", the patriarch said in a cold voice, "Are you confident you will be able to defeat me? The Fireheart peak rank acolytes won't be much weaker than me, not to mention that they are two"

Drake smiled and moved forward: "Bring it on..."

Taking his two-handed Great Sword out, Drake slashed in front of him, creating an enormous pressure and flow of wind. There was no spiritual force involved, no runes, no tricks. It was pure physical strength.

Drake was someone who had reached the peak of the Grand Knight Realm, someone who had refined and consumed hundreds of the highest-quality strength and vitality elixirs. With the resources he had access to, Drake only sold a part of his successful brewings, consuming the rest of them. His body had already exceeded what talent alone would have originally allowed him to reach. He was a supernatural Grand Knight, who had transcended the human realm.

Drake continued: "Although I am a bloodline type warlock, with high mastery of my spells, do not forget that I am inherently a body refinement acolyte. Pressure, spiritual force and spells will not work against me in close combat. If peak rank acolytes decide to come after me, then we can always run. My agility far exceeds that of regular magical beasts"

Seeing this, the patriarch immediately retracted his aura. He nodded: "You have convinced me. While I am confident I will be able to kill you in an all-out battle, I can't say I am confident in killing you if you decide to run. I lied when I said that the Fireheart acolytes will be at the same level as I am. I heard that the three of them are quite old. While they have a lot of experience, it must have been decades since they have stepped into a war"

He continued: "All who participate in the pocket dimension expedition will be given a magical artefact. You are not an exception to the rule. Elder Peter returned with this pendant from the ruin expedition. Although I did not plan on it, I guess you are the most suited one to wear it"

Drake nodded. Of course the patriarch would maximize his odds of survival.

[Healing Water Spirit Pendant - High-grade Rank 0 artefact

Can be used to summon a Peak-Rank Acolyte-level [healing water spirit] for a couple of minutes. You can then exchange magic crystals for the spirit's services. The more magic crystals you use, the more powerful the healing spell will be]

This was definitely a worthy trump card