Aardvark City.
In the ancestral hall of the Harding family, many important figures of the Harding family gathered, all with gloomy expressions on their faces. Their faces were pitch black, reflecting their gloominess.
“What is Walton Myers eating? With an army of a million soldiers from South Land, he still couldn’t defeat the 100, 000 troops from Kisia. He calls himself the Grand General of the country, but I think he’s just a pig, a dead pig,” shouted a burly man in the crowd.
He was yelling furiously.
Everyone looked at him but stayed silent. They knew that Walton Myers had lost and it wasn’t his fault. No matter who was in command, the outcome would have been the same, if not worse with a faster defeat. But this burly man was Tom Harding, the second-in-command of the Harding family.
His son, Max Harding, had died in South Province.
Not only his son, but five other heirs of the family died too.
Almost all of the heirs of the Harding family were dead.
How could they not be furious about this? Although they knew Walton Myers was not to blame, since Tom Harding was cursing him, they didn’t say anything either. Everyone was angry, but Tom Harding directly expressed it.
“Silence!”
Suddenly, the sound of a cane hitting the ground quieted everyone down.
Some old men with wrinkled faces but an aura of having experienced the vicissitudes of life walked out. They were the elders of the Harding family.
Among them was an especially old man, the grand elder of the Harding family, Ben Harding. In his youth, he was a shockingly amazing figure.
Now old, his prestige remained undiminished. His gaze swept over everyone, exerting great pressure on them.
“This time, we miscalculated. We planned for ten years, laid the groundwork for ten years, but in the end we still failed. The variable we didn’t account for was Robin, who single-handedly turned the tide against us,” said Ben Harding. Even for someone of his stature, it was painful to say these words.
How could they have failed? How could this have happened?
Still, Ben Harding continued, “After South Land’s defeat, Kisia Primus will likely target us next. We can’t stay in South Province anymore, but we also can’t flee the country since the borders are heavily guarded.”
With South Land defeated, no one would draw fire away from them anymore. With Robin’s gaze fixed on them, they were helpless. After all, Robin commanded an army of a million, which they couldn’t withstand.
The key was to flee, but not abroad. Only inland.
They were currently living in South Province, but could no longer remain.
“We have another stronghold in East Continent. Let’s go there,” said Ray Harding with his hands behind his back.
He was currently the head of the Harding family. Usually the Jade House elders only came out during major crises for the family. Now the family was likely to be targeted by Robin, so the Jade House had taken over.
Especially that Grand Elder, Ben Harding, the previous family head. His prestige and strength made him the decision maker for the current Harding family.
“Alright.”
Ben Harding nodded, then looked over everyone, “How many heirs do we have left?”
Hearing this, many people’s expressions changed. Because Ben Harding was choosing a new heir, but most of their heirs were dead.
“Six died. All of the heirs are gone,” said Ray Harding gloomily.
“No.”
But at Ray Harding’s words, an old man walked out from the crowd. He was the one who had comforted Dylan Harding in the ancestral hall before. He was the steward of that branch of the family. He immediately said, “Our branch still has an heir, Dylan Harding. Although his mission also failed, he returned alive.”
He emphasized the word ‘also’. The failure itself was a serious matter, but since they had all failed, by comparison, Dylan Harding didn’t seem too bad. At least he had survived.
“This Dylan Harding has failed missions repeatedly. His heir status should be revoked. My second son is intelligent and cunning beyond his years. I believe he is qualified to be the heir,” Ray Harding continued.
The family could not go a day without a leader or an heir. This was a rule of the Harding family, meant to spur competition among the younger generation and motivate the next generation.
So this heir position was very important, closely watched by the whole family. If anything happened to the family head, the first heir would immediately take over.
“Hmph, Ray Harding, forget that your son is only seven years old. Our family’s rules for becoming an heir depend on achievements, not youthful intelligence and cunning. Your son does not meet the criteria. As for our Dylan Harding, everyone has witnessed his past achievements and knows what kind of person he is,” said the steward of Dylan Harding’s branch.
“The recent failures were against Robin. Dare you say you could complete the missions if faced with Robin? After all, even Walton Myers and South Land’s Emperor Whiteford died at Robin’s hands.”
“Dylan Harding survived, which is the greatest success.”
Dylan Harding’s steward was no pushover either. He was once an heir himself, and almost became family head. He only lost during the final competition. His capabilities were formidable.
With this argument, Ray Harding couldn’t find a way to refute him. The key point was that his eldest son, the original first heir, had been killed by Robin. His second son was only seven years old, far from meeting the heir age requirement. He had no choice left.
Just as he wanted to insist on Dylan Harding’s two failures, Ben Harding looked at him and frowned, “Jiasi, you are the family head. What kind of temper is this, quibbling with a junior?”
The ‘junior’ he referred to was Dylan Harding, who was of a lower seniority.
“You are right to admonish me, Grand Elder,” Ray Harding had no choice but to defer to the command.
Then Ben Harding authoritatively declared, “Since there is only one heir left, I pronounce Dylan Harding to be the First Heir. If anything happens to the family head, Dylan Harding will automatically be promoted to Family Head of the Harding family. That he could escape from Robin proves he is capable.”
“Yes.” Dylan Harding walked out from the crowd and saluted Ben Harding, “If I become family head, I will definitely lead the Harding family towards prosperity, and prevent today’s tragedy from happening again. I will devote myself wholeheartedly to the family until death.”
As Dylan Harding spoke, he thought the complete opposite to himself. Just as he had planned, killing off those other heirs would get him reinstated even if he was sidelined, since he would be the only heir candidate left.
“Greet the First Heir.”
Many young people saluted Dylan Harding. This was the treatment due to the First Heir.
But they didn’t know this heir was also a devil. The Harding family had survived and thrived for over a thousand years, but this generation would finally fall at Dylan Harding’s hands – the heir they had placed high hopes in.