Chapter 2629: A Conversation Between Grandfather and Grandson, the Final Investment

Meanwhile, Talafu, who had been teleported to the Guangyao Hai, quickly returned home and met his grandfather, the true Controller of the Mairide Family—Amur Pasha, beside a pool.

"Grandfather, that is how the events transpired."

After finishing his complete introduction of the trip to the Northland, Talafu stood silently bowing beside the pool; although his father was the family heir, as the second son, the power he possessed was actually extremely low.

If not for the last family crisis, where the Xia Duo he invited unexpectedly exposed the conspiracy, he would not even be able to see his grandfather directly now.

But even so, he still maintained great humility, following protocol everywhere and not daring to overstep in the slightest; of course, he behaved this way because the previous incident had birthed a small ambition in him that he might never have had before.

Striving to maintain and even monopolize the connection with the Northland, and then using this as an opportunity to attempt to replace his older brother—this was a bold decision, but it was also a necessity, as his older brother had already begun to touch upon family affairs.

If he did not start from this aspect, he might never be able to replace the other party.

Just as thoughts were flying through Talafu's mind, a figure that could not be considered aged slowly rose from the pool and walked toward the shore; seeing this, Talafu hurriedly took a thin blanket from a servant nearby and stepped forward quickly to drape it over Amuer.

However, his further attempt to support him was rejected by Amuer, "I am not yet so old that I cannot move; let us go sit in that pavilion over there to talk!"

Amuer moved, and a large group of servants followed along, some carrying fruit, some holding wine bottles, some holding umbrellas, and some carrying snacks.

In addition, there were guards wearing only sleeveless armor on their upper bodies and holding long-handled axes, who moved ahead of everyone to set up a perimeter.

Upon reaching the pavilion, Amuer had someone pour a cup of sweet wine for Talafu as well, and only then did he slowly speak: "You handled this matter very well; you neither took on too much nor left no room for maneuver, and the matter itself is beneficial to the family."

"But wanting to complete it perfectly, that is, transferring the dark clouds of the Northland to Calimshan, is not something the Mairide Family can accomplish alone."

"Then, Grandfather, your meaning is—" Talafu asked tentatively.

"Find families with close relations to do it together; of course, if that Lord Xia Duo cannot handle Kaitemier and Zhamu Dasi, then some additional price will need to be paid."

"I understand, then how should I reply to Lord Xia Duo?" Talafu asked again.

"Just say that the Mairide Family will fully support the Northland Water Vapor Migration Project with our allies, and you will coordinate the actions of the various Wind Lords; as for here in the country, I will have your brother go to help you."

Hearing such instructions from his grandfather, Talafu felt a sudden sense of relief, but he could not help but feel disappointed; he felt relieved because his grandfather tacitly allowed him to continue monopolizing the connection with the Northland, but he was disappointed because by not touching domestic affairs, he might be moving further and further away from the status of heir.

After all, he was very clear about how much actual friendship he had with Xia Duo; he believed that if his brother were to come instead, it would have no impact on the communication between the two sides.

In other words, his so-called monopoly on the Northland connection was very fragile and could be easily replaced, while his brother's various relationships within the country were very difficult to replace.

However, Talafu could also understand his grandfather's approach; sharing risk was the most normal practice in family operations, not to mention his grandfather, who was known for his consistently steady style.

It was fundamentally impossible to bet the family's future entirely on the Northland, not to mention the incredibly stubborn patriarchal inheritance traditions of Calimshan; unless the heir in line was too incompetent, most family members were willing to uphold tradition.

This was also an important pillar that allowed the family to be passed down stably.

Historically, any non-heir who crossed the line of succession either ended in bloodshed and chaos or achieved victory through great merit, but even with victory, many hidden dangers would remain.

The decline of many families in Calimshan was not because their descendants were incompetent; on the contrary, it was precisely because the non-heirs were too outstanding, even capable of leading the family to a brief brilliance.

But after the brilliance, the hidden dangers that had been suppressed would erupt violently, and if luck was not on their side, the trend of the family's decline could not be reversed.

And the Mairide Family had already suffered no small amount of criticism during the previous incident of the assassination of the Elf Prince; although it was eventually proven that they were framed, before the incident was reversed, the family's losses could not be fully recovered.

Not to mention that this was accompanied by the turning of allies, the siege of neutrals, and so on; it could be said that even now, the family's situation was not very good.

Under these circumstances, as the Controller of the family, his grandfather had even less reason to take risks; being able to support him in continuing to monopolize the connection with the Northland was already quite good.

Of course, from another perspective, this support was actually also out of a consideration for stability, worrying about the potential unfavorable consequences for the family if the person were changed.

It was precisely because of these things that Talafu had no complaints about his grandfather letting his brother take charge of domestic affairs, at most just some disappointment.

"Then I will reply to Lord Xia Duo like this; as for my brother—"

"I will send someone to notify your brother; you can go to the Northland now, and when your brother has contacted the domestic allies, he will contact you."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Talafu responded and was about to leave when he was called back by Amuer, "The family previously had some cooperation with the Jilan Tower of Netheril; although the cooperation is broken now, there is no guarantee there won't be more in the future. When you go to the Northland, you can pick a few Scholars who participated in the cooperation to take with you; additionally, those people in your household can also be taken along as helpers."

"Grandfather!"

Hearing these words, Talafu's eyes immediately turned a bit red; he understood that this should be the family's final investment in him, and what he could achieve in the future would all depend on himself!

Of course, this also meant that on this line of the Northland, he could be considered to have completely stood his ground.

"Go!"

Amuer waved his hand, then refocused his attention on the wine glass in his hand; not until Talafu's footsteps had faded did he let out a long sigh, and immediately had his attendant summon Talafu's brother.

And on the other side, Seventon.

Xia Duo had already introduced the Water Vapor Migration Plan proposed by Talafu to Iolum in its entirety, and at the same time mentioned the obstacles that might be encountered in completing this plan—

"If the water vapor is transferred to the southern Calimshan, it may be necessary for the Council to send people to the south to negotiate with Kaitemier and Zhamu Dasi regarding the issue of the water vapor wind belt crossing the border.

"If the water vapor is transferred to the Narrow Sea or the Arctic, then it is only necessary to coordinate with the Inner Land lords, without needing to consider the situation abroad.

"Of course, if the latter is chosen, Calimshan's desire to complete such a project is clearly not just to earn a few Arcane Crystals; their true goal should be the Mythallar.

"Even if we don't give it this time, next time, or the time after that, we might not be able to refuse." End of chapter.