Chapter 36 - Family Situation

"All that for a young genius? Hmm.. this is more than expected, much more... it seems that the family is not doing well these days..." Robin frowned, this massive welcome for Caesar didn't put him at ease at all.

"Of course they aren't doing well! but this is not a product of today or yesterday.. the Burton family hasn't produced a single high-leveled Saint for hundreds of years, even your current Patriarch Earl Brian is at level 25, still a mid-level Saint like me.

Without a strong saint leading the family, the rest of the families surrounding you will continue making raids, that how simple it is. and this happening with the Burtons for ages.

they would raid the mines and cities, taking lands from you to Increase their own, actually every year dozens or even hundreds of deaths fall from the Burton family."

"Invasions and raids from families next to us? Aren't we all subordinate to the Black Sun kingdom?" Robin raised his eyebrows, he never cared about the family situation while he was still in it.

"Hehe~ Who is the fool now? The lands that the family can control depend on the strength of their army. Do you think the royal family distributed these lands to those they love? NO. Every week little battles or even a small war breaks out somewhere inside the kingdom, mostly to acquire new lands from the neighbors." Mila stated as if it was a very normal situation.

"This... doesn't this mean that the kingdom is in a constant state of internal war? Why doesn't the royal family intervene?" Robin was shocked by this, it is known that an internal war is the killing of any country.

"In their view, the state of internal war is not a bad thing as long as the scale of the conflict can be controlled and as long as the families swear to forget their grudges and join hands in case of any external threat, it keeps the noble families on alert and in constant search for strength, which will strengthen the kingdom as a whole, don't you think that too, Mr. genius?" Mila rolled her eyes at him

Robin did not find anything to refute her words. Indeed, if all the families and the major powers are in a state of constant readiness for war, this will make the country military power stronger, and its defenses will be difficult to breach, but at the same time, will this not consume the families internally in the long run, burn the resources on useless wars instead of internal growth, and weaken the sense of belonging to the Kingdom as a whole?

Robin did not comprehend their train of thought.. to have a strong but internally disintegrated country was never a good thing. One of the neighboring kingdoms might be able to entice one of the bigger families to join them, and this is easy as the families obtained their lands by their own efforts, they would not feel that they would commit a great betrayal by taking such a decision.

"Anyway, Do I understand from you that the Burton family is currently at war?"

"It is always so, they lost a huge piece of land about ten years ago to a Marquess next to them, the loss was a painful blow that almost cost them to be lowed from an Earldom to a Visconite, but Patriarch Brian led a large army in a suicidal operation to recover part of the land, a few thousands of your cousins died that day, but at the end, The Burtons managed to recover just enough piece of land to keep the title of Earl."

"...the situation is worse than I thought, no wonder they had such a huge celebration for Caesar." Robin sighed, "So... what happened after that banquet?"

"Nothing exciting.. Caesar began to challenge those of his level in the Duchy of Alton, and when he crushed them all he began to travel to the rest of the Dukes to defeat all the geniuses of his level.. When he finished he began to challenge those above him by a level.. Then by two levels...

Caesar is currently treated as a god within the Burton family. I think he is still in the Duchy of Stanley right now to fight one of their level 10 geniuses."

"Haha, all this and nothing exciting?" Robin felt proud upon hearing this, perhaps because it was his son who had raised him since he was a baby, perhaps because he was the one who got him that strength... or perhaps both.

"Hmph, I saw that attack myself that day, no human or beast can stop that white flame at the same level, anyone standing in front of it with less than a difference of at least 2 levels would be just asking to be insulted ." Mila snored, then leaned over Robin, showing him her big breasts, "You still don't intend to pass the White Flame Technique to me? I won't be stingy with you.."

"Oh? They're not bad at all... work as a maid for me for twenty years and I promise you that I'll think about it seriously," Robin chuckled.

"Tsk~ in your dreams!" Mila returned to its original position, looking through the window

Robin laughed but didn't talk more about it, Mila built her Pillars to the 11 and 21 levels using the Fire Shards secondary Law as well, after all, it is one of the most famous secondary laws techniques among the nobles of the Black Sun Kingdom.

it's not that it is the strongest or best secondary law... but that the choices themselves were very limited. The number of discovered laws was not much - less than a thousand - and most of those who discovered a law made it exclusive to their family or followers,

some even announced that they discovered a law and publicly used it, but did not make the law-cultivation technique for future generations.

others completed the law-cultivation technique, but died before it spread, therefore the law-cultivation technique died with them.

In practice, the number of the law-cultivation techniques available isn't much at all.

Especially those that had been researched to the second or even the third level like the Fire Shards law-cultivation technique, in any kingdom one can count those with one hand.

"Are you here to buy something specific?" After a few minutes of silence, Robin asked

"No, I was free so I came. Who knows, maybe I will find something that would help me break through to the next level."

"Something to help break through to level 25? Looks like you have high expectations for this auction..." Robin began to look seriously at what would be sold.

"...Huh? How did you know I'm at level 24? It wasn't announced, and all I told you earlier is that I'm at Saint Intermediate levels." Mila looked at him in amazement, the expression of middle levels included from 24 to 27.

"Damn it, woman! Would you stop thinking of me as a normal person? for god's sake..."