Chapter 320: The Arden Family

Late at night…

Merlin walked out of his room and ran into Linda, who had also just come out.

“Are we leaving now?” Merlin asked.

Linda smiled. “Yes, we’re leaving now. I was going to knock on your door, but you came out first. Let’s go.”

Merlin chuckled softly and nodded. The two of them went down to the first floor, gave the keys to the receptionist, and walked out of the inn.

Being close to the sea, the air was naturally cool and refreshing. Fortunately, they were wearing magic cloaks, so they didn’t feel cold at all.

“Are we going straight to the port?”

“No. Let’s have some fun first. We still have an hour before the ship we’re going to board departs.”

Merlin said nothing and took Linda’s hand, which surprised her.

However, Linda didn’t pull away. She tightened her grip and went to have some fun with Merlin.

An hour later, they arrived at Calvira Port, which was crowded with people from all over the continent.

“It’s so crowded. Is there a big event?” Merlin asked in amazement.

“Pfft! Nothing like that. It’s just harvest season. Many farmers from various kingdoms come here to sell their crops to merchants. The merchants then use this port to ship the crops and sell them elsewhere.”

“So that’s how it is…” Merlin nodded slightly.

“Let’s go. Our ship is over there,” Linda said, pointing to a blue-brown ship about a hundred meters away from them.

Merlin didn’t say anything else and immediately walked toward the ship. It was quite large and could accommodate two hundred people at once.

From its appearance, it didn’t look like a merchant ship or an ordinary vessel, but a special and expensive transport ship.

The ticket price alone was three gold coins, which seemed unreasonable for a ship.

When Merlin and Linda entered, they were greeted by an extraordinary sight inside.

A spacious hall stretched out before them, filled with expensive, classic-style furniture.

If Merlin hadn’t seen the ship’s hull from the outside, he might have thought he was in a royal hall. The interior was truly beautiful.

“Let’s go up to the deck.”

Linda led Merlin upstairs. The moment they arrived, another amazing sight appeared before them. The deck was vast, and quite a few people were already there.

Before Merlin could say anything, he suddenly noticed something strange about himself.

’A disguise spell?’ he muttered in surprise, touching his face.

He glanced at his master, who responded with a smile and a small nod.

Merlin wanted to ask why she had cast it on him but quickly stopped himself. In a situation like this, asking questions would only make him seem annoying.

It was better to let Linda explain it herself.

Linda led him to the edge of the ship. There were many pairs of chairs with a round table between them, all covered by a large umbrella.

There were about ten to fifteen sets. As they approached, a ship’s attendant quickly guided them to their seats.

“What would you like to order, ma’am and sir?” the attendant asked respectfully.

“I’d like a cup of Liria flower tea. How about you, my dear?”

Linda turned to Merlin and winked at him.

Merlin was stunned by the nickname, but he quickly composed himself and replied, “I’d like a cup of Suncrest Coffee. Do you have that?”

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

The attendant bowed slightly before turning away.

A cold wind blew from the west, making Merlin’s now-black hair sway gently.

“So, can you explain everything to me?” Merlin asked in a heavy voice.

He could no longer contain his curiosity.

Linda rested her arms on the table and smiled slightly.

“Have you ever heard of Rigen Island?”

“Rigen Island?” Merlin’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, I don’t know it. Is that where we’re going?”

Linda nodded. “Yeah, we’re going there. On that island…”

She suddenly stopped talking and waved her left hand slightly.

An invisible shield appeared and surrounded them. Merlin immediately recognized the magic—a sound barrier.

Any conversation inside the shield would be inaudible to those outside, while sounds from outside could still be heard by those inside.

Merlin’s curiosity grew, and he waited calmly for Linda to finish her sentence.

“Rigen Island is a private island owned by the Arden family, one of the wealthiest families in the world. Do you know about them?”

Merlin froze. The Arden family… of course he knew them.

In the novel The Lost Hero, they were a super-rich family that could rival the Beethovens.

However, the scale of their operations was not in surface businesses like the Beethovens, but in dangerous black market activities.

One of their most famous businesses was selling awakening serum.

It was the same serum used by the Dark Tunnel members he had killed earlier.

However, the Arden family’s involvement had only been revealed in the latest volume before his death.

If he remembered correctly, the draft he was editing at the time was related to the upcoming battle between the main character and the Arden family.

Of course, the battle hadn’t started yet, because the Arden family arc was long and complicated.

Besides, Abel still had many unresolved issues—one of which was the conflict with the Arcadia Magic Kingdom.

In short, the issue with the Arden family was still only a side conflict and hadn’t reached its climax yet.

He didn’t expect his master to suddenly mention the Arden family.

Could their journey be related to the serum issue?

Composing himself, Merlin replied cautiously, “I know them, but I don’t know much about them. All I know is that they are the second richest family after the Beethovens. Am I right?”

“Yes, you’re right. Although the Arden family is extremely wealthy, they are still inferior to the Beethoven family. Even so, that family cannot be underestimated. Their intelligence network is powerful and widespread. They also control the supply of raw materials for the potions used by alchemists,” Linda explained with a serious expression. “But I don’t want to talk about that. Instead, let’s talk about the island we’re going to visit, Rigen Island.”

“Excuse me. Here are your orders.”

The previous attendant suddenly appeared and placed their tea and coffee on the table.

Linda smiled and said, “Thank you.”

The attendant smiled back and walked away.

Linda sipped her tea, feeling her throat relax, then continued, “The Arden family is having a party on Rigen Island. Coincidentally, they invited me, but I don’t have a partner. So, I invited you. You’re not angry, are you?”

Merlin was surprised, never expecting Linda to invite him just for that. No wonder she had referred to this trip as a “date.”

“It’s okay, Master. How could I be angry?” Merlin chuckled softly and sipped his coffee. “Perhaps it’s just my intuition, but I believe you have your own plan, don’t you?”

His eyes flashed meaningfully. Linda couldn’t help but smile and gave him an appreciative nod.

“You are indeed very smart. Yes, I do have my own plan. Read this. I’m sure you’ll be interested.”

She snapped her fingers, and a document suddenly appeared on the table.

Merlin curiously picked it up, examined it, and opened it.

He read the contents with a solemn expression. Instantly, his eyes widened in shock.

“Is this a human trafficking document?” he exclaimed.

The document clearly recorded the crimes of the Arden family, such as human trafficking, the sale of illegal potions, and more.

But strangely, Merlin did not find any evidence of the awakening serum trade described in the novel.

There was only one possibility: the Arden family’s crimes related to that had not yet been uncovered.

“Yes, that is evidence of the Arden family’s crimes. According to the investigation, the Arden family is responsible for the disappearance of thousands of children in the cities of Horos and Tulic, on the border of the Arcadia Magic Kingdom. I’m sure you’ve heard the news, right?”

Merlin’s face turned serious as he nodded slightly.

“Yes, I have. From what I heard, the missing children were five to six years old. It’s truly… disgusting. I never imagined that the Arden family was behind it all.”

His hands clenched tightly. The crime Merlin hated most was one that involved children.

Those who committed such crimes deserved to be put to death—or even tortured for years before being killed.

“Master, since you were able to obtain this information, I’m sure others must have gotten it too, right? Why isn’t anyone taking action? I mean, experts at the First Spirit Core, Nine-Star Mage, and Ninth Awakening levels should have that ability, don’t they?”

Linda simply smiled at his question. She didn’t answer right away.

She calmly sipped her tea before opening her mouth.

“Merlin, I understand your thoughts. I used to think the same way. If I could become a powerful expert on this continent, I would eradicate all evil in the world. That way of thinking isn’t wrong. It’s just that reality isn’t that simple.”

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she stared at her teacup and slowly swirled it.

“Those who have reached the pinnacle of this continent are afraid of death. They no longer care about such matters. For them, reaching greater heights is the ultimate goal. The line between good and evil… no longer matters to them.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep