Chapter 26 - Wesley's Networks (2)

Neal still had not recovered from his initial surprise when he heard Wesley's questions, causing him to feel even more lost. He just stared at Wesley as if trying to figure out if Wesley was joking with him or if he simply didn’t fully understand the situation.

"Around two hundred thousand gold for the initial setup. Then we'll need around one hundred thousand gold each year for maintenance and collection of information."

Three hundred thousand gold was not a small amount. This was about the total revenue of some small cities and could fund an entire army of ten thousand for about two months. This wasn’t the amount of gold one would expect anyone to easily give out. In fact, Neal was skeptical that his family’s entire wealth was enough to cover this for long, let alone this little juvenile kid in front of him. But Wesley’s next words shook him to his core:

"That is acceptable. Start setting up the networks as soon as possible. If things go as I hope, we should be able to deal with these four families."

Wesley’s words showed his clear relief. The prospect of facing off against the powerful four families alone was virtually impossible. However, if there was an information network in place that enabled Wesley to observe and plan, then the difficulty would be greatly reduced, even bordering on manageable. Wesley’s idea was not too different from the one Neal and his brother had come up with—only he was planning on using it offensively, while they had planned to use it defensively.

Across from Wesley, Neal still couldn’t believe his ears. Producing three hundred thousand gold as if it were nothing was not something a normal person could do. He was really interested in knowing Wesley’s identity, and since Wesley purposefully left out his family name, Neal couldn’t help but grow weary of this mysterious person. After almost five breaths of silence, Neal spoke up again, his voice somewhat shaky:

"Why... Why are you going through so much effort for people you don’t even know?"

Neal was worried that Wesley had some hidden agenda. After all, spending such wealth instead of just letting the children go meant that Wesley saw the kids as worth more than gold, but Neal simply couldn’t see how. Wesley, on the other hand, having guessed Neal's thoughts, let out a dry laugh for the first time during this encounter:

"Haha, Neal, no need to be so paranoid. I believe that since the siblings and I had an agreement, it’s only fair that I keep my end of the deal. Also..."

Wesley’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and a gloomy, dreadful feeling emanated from him:

"After I killed the Shorn Family, there’s a chance I might be targeted by the four families. I’m simply clearing any potential sources of danger for the future."

Neal, seeing Wesley’s change of attitude and feeling the oppressive atmosphere surrounding him, felt a cold sweat run down his back. Wesley didn’t wait for Neal to speak further and continued:

"Now, tell me how this network of yours will be set up. I need to know its capabilities and whether it can be traced back to me."

- - - - - - - -

Around six in the morning, the sounds outside the study where Wesley and Neal were increased as the maids were preparing for the day and the guards were changing shifts. Wesley and Neal’s discussion continued for five hours, and although Neal felt some reservations regarding Wesley, he knew that if he was to safeguard the safety of his remaining family, Wesley was his best option.

The plan that Neal and his brother devised was simple: collect people from the four kingdoms who were loyal to the Black Family and have them reside in Blackreach City while working in various places such as pubs, stores, or as guards. Then, simply collect information regarding the movements of the four families and plan countermeasures accordingly. This plan was not very comprehensive, as the Black Family did not have a lot of gold.

After hearing the details of the plan, Wesley realized that it was more of a dying struggle than an actual plan. It would have allowed the Black Family to see glimpses of whatever the four families were planning, and although these glimpses might have allowed them to escape one or two plots, it would have eventually failed.

After discussing his thoughts with Neal, they decided on a way to improve the plan. Using Wesley's tremendous wealth, they could now not only place people in pubs and stores but also in government offices, and perhaps even as servants to the four families. Placing people in government positions would not only give Wesley a better glimpse at what the four families were planning, but also enable him to slow or hinder them to some extent.

At the end of their planning, the initial cost, which had been around three hundred thousand, almost doubled. Neal was worried that Wesley might not be able to cover the increased cost, but Wesley assured him that such a thing was not a problem, which surprised Neal slightly.

"When do you think everything will be set up?"

"The initial plan was going to take a little more than two weeks, but now it should take no less than two months, considering we have to infiltrate the government offices and the families."

"Good. Also, remember to make sure that your people are insulated from one another. It would be troublesome if one person's failure causes the entire network to crumble."

"Don’t worry, our family has done this for far more than a thousand years."

"I see. Also..."

Before Wesley could finish his words, a knock on the door interrupted him. Wesley looked up at the door, and a faint smile crept on his lips as he spoke:

"Come."

As soon as the words left Wesley’s lips, the door was opened and pushed in. A slender youth with dark hair walked in. This youth was not too tall, around five feet four at most, but his neatly cut hair, strong jaw, and sharp eyes gave him a cool demeanor.

As soon as Lane walked in, his eyes drifted to the dark-robed person sitting across from his master, with his back facing the entrance. What surprised him was not that his master had a guest, but rather that he had been told nothing was out of the ordinary by the guards. Yet, here was a person sitting in front of his master, whose arrival had not been reported. Lane was greatly alarmed, but seeing his master’s smiling face, he decided to put it aside and spoke after bowing slightly:

"Good morning, Master."

"Haha, Lane. Good morning. Are all your siblings awake?"

Wesley purposefully echoed Lane's words out loud, and as soon as he did that, the quiet Neal, who was sitting in front of him, opened his eyes wide, with a multitude of emotions flashing across his face. Lane didn’t see this, as Neal had his back to him, so he just replied:

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Bring them here. I have someone for all of you to meet."

Lane’s eyes once more drifted toward the back of the dark-clad man sitting across from his master. Who could this man be, that his master would want him and his siblings to meet? And how did he manage to enter the manor without anyone noticing?

"Yes, Master."

Lane immediately turned and exited the study. Wesley looked at Neal and spoke:

"Haha, what’s wrong, Neal? I thought you’d be more excited to see your nephews."

Neal didn’t even look at Wesley anymore and simply stared at the ground, tears streaming down his face. His brother, his wife, his uncles—they were all dead. His only remaining relatives in this world were those children. Neal couldn’t help but cry for those who had died, but he also cried for the children—those children who now carried the remainder of his family's legacy and future.

Wesley simply sat there with a smile on his face. He had never experienced what Neal was going through, but he knew that Neal's tears were those of joy. After a few minutes, Lane returned with his four siblings in tow.

As soon as they entered the room, Neal immediately stood up and looked at them with tears in his eyes and his cheeks red. His gaze swept across the five siblings one by one. The siblings stood motionlessly, staring at the sobbing man in front of them, not understanding what was going on. Neal’s eyes finally rested on the giggling Sala, then he spoke:

"Y...you look just like your mother."

Hearing Neal’s words, all the children had their jaws drop. What did it mean for someone to know their parents? But before they could say anything, Wesley stood up, walked toward the exit with a wide grin on his face, and simply left the room.