Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 429 Relatives from Afar

While Rean was away from home and engrossed in his monk training, a caravan that had come specifically for him had just entered the city gates.

"The lofty classical paladin, the loyal and valiant princess knight, the model of modern knights, uh, is this legendary knight really that 'cowardly lizard'?"

Inside the carriage bearing the coat of arms of the Sudar family, the young nobleman was filled with astonishment.

He muttered "incredible lizard" to himself, and indeed he had the face of a lizard, but for the people of the martial desert kingdom, this was a symbol of noble blood.

Kane Sudar, the second son of the Earl of Sudar in the Desert Kingdoms (a united kingdom of many kingdoms), and in fact the third in line to the throne (he has an eldest daughter above him).

Unlike his younger brother, who had no talent from a young age, he was an excellent sorcerer and alchemist, and the six magic rings on his hands were a symbol of his wealth and power.

And this time, he was also the actual controller of the family delegation that came to attend the wedding.

Yes, nominally they came to attend the wedding, but this was not something they expected from the beginning.

"Ah, wasn't Brother Rean bad at both magic and martial arts, so he switched to being a pharmacist?"

Unlike her brothers, whose signs of atavism were more pronounced, Mina Sudar had only a few small scales on her face, and was a standard little beauty with blonde hair, green eyes, and fair skin. However, this was not a good thing within the Sudar family.

In some ways, she is similar to Rean in the past; her slender and short body, perhaps only half the size of the tall beastman, means that she is also a "failure".

Within the Earl's family, she was probably closest to Rean, not only because they were siblings from the same parents, but also because they were both marginalized members of the family.

Rean disappointed his family, while Mina received no expectation from the beginning.

The products of those who manipulate bloodlines can be good or bad. As a mixed-blood family of sorcerers, the direct line of the contemporary Sudar family, Rean's father and several mothers are closely related. This can result in either high-quality atavism and sorcerer potential, or congenital fragility and disease.

For noble bloodlines that crave power, especially the nobles of the martial desert kingdoms, this inhumane practice is a custom with a hundred benefits and one harm. The more powerful candidates for succession, the better. Even failures have some value. For the sake of family inheritance, all members are merely assets.

Rean is a failed product of distorted growth, and Mina is a failed product of congenital weakness. They are already lucky to have survived to this day, and the family should naturally recoup some of the costs.

Kane, a young genius who is already a fourth-tier warlock and a second-tier alchemist, is the pride and joy of his family. Relying solely on his bloodline power, he is destined to become a great warlock, which is probably the dream of many noble families.

What could be more proof of noble blood than a naturally powerful sorcerer?

Rean wasn't bad off at the start; the fact that he was sent here for a marriage alliance shows that even if he wasn't favored in his own life, his descendants still had high hopes.

But Mina is different. She is so fragile that she is deemed infertile and no one wants her for marriage alliances. If she stays in the family, she is likely to become the concubine of a worthy retainer. But this does not mean that she is worthless; it just means that she is of no value in the eyes of the Sudar family.

"Is that really Brother Rean? The brother who loves playing with flowers and plants and hates violence?" Mina was very smart; she actually had more questions, but she didn't say anything.

The two siblings faced each other, completely unable to believe that the legendary hero knight was their brother, whom they had mocked as a cowardly lizard.

"Mina, is he a paladin? Has he received the call to pure good?" Kane rubbed his temples. The rumors had become distorted by the time they reached the desert kingdom. Knowing that he was a paladin, he thought it was a misconception, but now that a local paladin order had been established, it seemed to be true no matter how you looked at it.

Mina opened her mouth, thinking that her brother's arms, which weren't much thicker than hers, were too heavy to even hold a broom, let alone a sword.

However, she nodded and defended her brother.

"He did say that if he could leave home, he hoped to live like the righteous knight in the story." These seemingly supportive words are actually completely devoid of any "evidence."

The clever Mina laid the groundwork here for her brother's future. She would verify if it was indeed her brother, and if not, she would naturally expose him. But if it was her brother, she would naturally help dispel any possible suspicions.

“Really? I never expected him to think that way. I thought he would resent the family that abandoned him (Mina thought: He does resent them). You are the only one among us brothers and sisters who understands him. You must be right. He probably received the call of pure goodness from the paladin on his journey. I heard that when he came to this city, he was a degenerate first-order knight. He must have had a hard time.”

Kane was also somewhat impressed; he never expected that his younger brother, whom everyone underestimated, would have so much potential.

In reality, Rean was sent here to be bred, and since he came alone, there was a high chance that he would die on the way, and the family accepted this possibility.

For the younger generation of the Sudar family, this is only natural. They cannot contribute to the family, cannot become effective fighting forces, and cannot even become marriage partners to win over domestic families. It is normal for them to lose some of their assets and recoup some losses.

These things are unspoken, but everyone knows them; speaking out would only hurt feelings. Even among aristocratic relatives, it's a struggle to maintain a facade of friendship.

Kane was also a bit of a headache. He was supposed to be attending the wedding, but he hadn't even received an invitation.

Even back home, they didn't know the state of Rean and Suliman's relationship, or whether they had truly reached the stage of marriage.

It's good news to know that they have a good relationship.
"In the end, we are distant relatives who shamelessly came uninvited."

Kane said with a wry smile, referring to the third and fourth people in the carriage.

A woman named Sofia Sudar, his cousin and a member of Sudar's branch family, was in charge of a merchant guild that was very interested in expanding trade in the area. It was her suggestion that made the trip possible.

With the impending arrival of the demonic tide, many secrets of the ancient noble families are now being opened to their own members.

To overcome a crisis, simply gathering all forces and ethnicities together is not enough. Too many disasters and storms can wipe out kingdoms and lands together, let alone families within them.

The simplest way to ensure a family's survival into the next magical tide or even an era is to diversify its investments. This is what the Mirror Maidens' dark elves did, and many ancient families also had numerous branch families. Many of the current so-called main families are actually branch families that diversified their investments in the past.

This so-called delegation from afar, supposedly attending the wedding, is merely a means of expanding domestic influence.

Ultimately, the situation at home wasn't looking good, while Rean's side was developing unexpectedly well, so it was better to invest a little here. As for sending Kane, it was more or less because they were thinking that if Rean remained weak, they could use their brother's authority to reap the benefits.

If possible, changing the fiancé could even be considered.

However, based on the current intelligence, all the previous plans need to be changed. The Rean Sudar mentioned by others is too different from the one in his memory.

Kane was somewhat relieved; thankfully, he had made two preparations and brought Mina Sudar as a "gift." Given the distance, it was impossible for Mina to return from the very beginning.

However, the current developments have exceeded all of Kane's previous plans. If these stories are not so well-crafted, then Rean Sudar, after six months of training, is not just a newly emerging nobleman, but a young leader of a powerful force, a future great nobleman, and a true chosen one of God.

They even suspected that something was wrong, that Rean Sudar had been replaced. This wasn't impossible; perhaps the local royal family had taken the "identity" to promote their own confidant.

The two Sudars discussed among themselves, while Mina silently watched as her attention was focused on the fourth person in the carriage, the true envoy from the kingdom and the real controller of this trip.

The Sudar family is merely hitching a ride on the coattails of the desert nations; what does their own country intend to do here?
"Your Excellency, what exactly are you thinking?"

At this moment, Lord Blue Dragon, the Earl of the Kingdom, suddenly spoke.

"He should be my clansman, and also a very outstanding martial monk."

(End of this chapter)