The Black Family's study was indeed a treasure trove of knowledge. Thousands of books, all in good condition, were collected here. Wesley was sure that he would spend most of his time in here. After staying in the study for an hour or so, Wesley decided to go get some sleep.

Of course since he gave the master bedroom to Lane, he would sleep in one of the smaller rooms. When he reached upstairs, Wesley checked to see if the kids were sleeping well, but he was surprised to find that most of the rooms were empty.

'Hmm. Could it be that they decided to run away.'

Wesley thought that maybe those kids were unwilling to serve him so they decided to escape when he was not looking. However, when Wesley opened the Master bedroom, he saw that all five children were sleeping together, with little Sala in the middle. He realized that it was somewhat thoughtless of him to treat these children like adults and give each of them a bedroom.

Wesley left them to their sleep, and went into one of the unoccupied rooms. Wesley was really tired. This day was longer than most. Having to take the entrance exam, finding a home, buying the home, taking in five children, he felt as if that he did enough for a whole week.

'I really don’t feel like refining tonight. I should just go to sleep.'

Wesley immediately set his dark sword aside and went to sleep.

Wesley after having closed his eyes for almost a second, a knock from the door brought him out of his slumber.

'This better be an emergency or someone might lose a head.'

"Who is it."

"Master, it is Lane. You’ve been asleep for half the day. We were worried."

'Half of the day, I just closed my eyes'

Wesley instantly glanced at the window to his let and seeing the sunlight was peering through the shades, he was convinced that what Lane said was true.

'Haha, it seems I was more tired than I thought.'

"Give me a second Lane."

Wesley immediately got up and changed from his dark, beggar like travel clothes, and donned on an easier to move in, but still dark, pants and shirt. He then took his dark sword and walked out of the room. Lane was waiting respectfully outside Wesley's room. Wesley was really impressed by this kid's sense of etiquette. He was everything nobles claimed to be.

"Lane, call your siblings and come see me in the study."

"Yes Master."

Wesley immediately headed down to the study. He was in no hurry per say, but he still had to take of a few things before school starts a day later. When Wesley reached the study, he took a book that interested him last night titled [Blackreach City] which outlined the city history, government, and outlay. Wesley sat down on one of the numerous seats around the study and started reading.

A few minutes later, Lane knocked on the door.

"Come in Lane"

Lane walked in instantly with the other four sleepily following him.

'It seems that they also slept through most of the day.'

Wesley was amused by the fact that Lane was the only one who woke up early enough. This kind of diligence even made himself feel somewhat embarrassed. However, before Wesley could dwell further on his embarrassment, Sala walked off to one side, climbed into one of the seats in the study, and went to sleep. The other four including Lane where flabbergasted but Wesley couldn’t hide his amusement. Lane was about to wake her up when Wesley spoke:

"Lane, let her sleep. I didn’t want her to hear what I want to say anyway."

"Yes Master" Lane's voice contained a hint of surprise. What could Wesley want to tell them.

"Lane, does anyone know about your family's death at the hands of the Shorn Family?"

"Yes Master. But no one did anything since the Black Family was simply a minor family without any influence or wealth."

"I see. And does anyone know that you five a survivors from the Black Family."

Lane immediately understood why Wesley was asking him these questions.

"No Master. We were nothing more than street urchins so no one bothered to look into our background. Also, only Stein and I were old enough to remember what happened two years ago, the other three were simply to young to remember things clearly, especially Sala who was only one at the time."

'Good. This means I can proceed without much worry of backlash on me.'

"Lane, Stein, Wannel, Lavar. Tonight I plan on getting you the justice you yearned for. I will wipe out the Shorn Family. However, there is one thing before I can proceed."

Wesley paused for a moment to observe the reactions of the four brothers to see if they understood his words. Lane and Stein as the oldest immediately nodded, but Wannel and Lavar simply stared at Wesley with a confused look. Wesley just continued speaking:

"If I kill off the entire Shorn Family, and people find out that there are descendants of the Black Family around then it wouldn’t be hard for them to connect the dots. So what should we do?"

Wesley again paused again to observe the four brothers. This time, both Wannel and Lavar also seemed to have understood what Wesley was talking about. Wesley just nodded in satisfaction and continued speaking;

"There is only one thing we can do. There will no longer be a Black Family. For all intents and purposes they have all died that night. You siblings are now the Grey Family."

The four brothers knew what Wesley was saying was in fact true, but they still felt some reservation in the depths of their hearts. Giving up one's family name was no simple matter for nobles. Wesley seeing their hesitation, spoke again:

"Don’t be so worried. I checked your Black Family's family tree last night. Your Black Family were originally descended from the Grey family."

Hearing Wesley's words, the four siblings all relaxed slightly, and Lane stepped forward and spoke:

"We understand Master. We are now the Grey Family."

"Good. Now for less important matters."

Wesley tossed a coin purse towards Lane and spoke:

"There is a thousand gold in that purse. I want you to hire some guards and maids. Only make sure you hire them from the Seventh District. Also see if you can find some people to renovate the Manor."

Wesley told him to hire from the Seventh District, because the people of the Seventh were the ones who most needed work. He also felt that it would be easier to gain the loyalty of those who believe they are delivered from dire straits than those who believe they are simply getting compensation for their skill.

"Understood Master. We lived on these streets for years now, it shouldn’t be too hard to find loyal and capable people."

"Good. Also remember to inform the people you hire that the basement and study are off limits. Only you five siblings can come inside the study, while the basement is still off limits for you guys. Now go, you have a lot of work to do."

"Yes Master" They all spoke at the same time, and promptly left the study.

Wesley immediately used his Dark Warp to appear at the center of the basement, then he immediately released his Dark Globe and started refining. Refining often didn’t require this much effort from regular mages, however, according to the [Refining Darkness] book, if one released their Dark Globe and refined at the same time, then their mastery of Dark Globe would increase while at the same time increasing their mana capacity because of the constant expenditure and collection of mana. Making this kind of open expansive space perfect for practice.

..............................................................................................................................................................

Wesley continued refining for eight or so hours. Most mages only refine for an hour or two, just enough to replenish their spent mana. Wesley on the other hand, refined for more four times that amount. Wesley's mana capacity didn’t increase at an astonishing speed, in fact his mana capacity was not that much bigger than his peers, however, the quality of his mana was astonishing, he could do twice as much as other mages, with half the mana expenditure, while his understanding of Dark Globe increased. Of course Wesley didn’t know this, since he didn’t have any dark mages his age to compare with, and old man Rale was simply too monstrous.

'This should be enough. I am sure the sun has already set.'

Wesley immediately warped out of the basement and reappeared inside the study. After looking around the study for sometime, he decided to go out and see how Lane's work was progressing.

The moment Wesley set foot outside the study, he was startled by the scene in front of his eyes. The desolate Manor was now bustling with activity. There were around four women ceaning the main hall, and two more in the kitchen. There were men all over the hallways, some painting the walls, others fixing the lambs and chandeliers. There were screaming everywhere, men shouting at other men to do something, others grunting under the heavy loads they were carrying. Wesley was pleasantly surprised.

'haha, it seems Lane went all out.'

He walked through projects going on all over the house and made his way to Lane, who was talking to a tall burly man who was twice his size. Lane was holding some sheets in his hand and was pointing towards the sheets while the tall man also looked at the sheets while nodding his head.

"The foundation of the outer walls seemed to need some reinforcement. Send some men to do that as well."

"Understood. But the top section of the walls will need to be rebuilt. Adding up all the expenses, I would need around a total of hundred gold." The burly man spoke in a low, almost whispering, voice.

As soon as Wesley approached Lane and the burly man, they immediately looked up from what they were doing. The burly man only had a questioning look on his face as if asking Wesley who the hell he was, but Lane immediately bowed respectfully, and said:

"Master, I didn’t know you came out."

The burly hearing Lane's words was startled. He thought that Lane was the master of the Manor, which was plenty surprising, but it seems that this child who seemed to be not much older than Lane himself was the true master. Wesley didn’t pay any attention to the burly man and spoke to Lane:

"How are things proceeding. There seems to be a lot of activity."

"Yes Master. We have started renovating the Manor. I have also hired a few maids to handle the cleaning and cooking, I left the hiring of the guards to a later date after the renovations are done."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Wesley was impressed at how competent Lane was. He simply nodded his head in satisfaction as he listened to Lane's report, then he asked:

"Where are Stein and the others."

"Stein, Wannel and Lavar are overlooking other projects around the Manor, while little Sala is playing in the backyard."

"Good. Keep up the good work. I will be going out for a short bit to take care of some business. Is there anything you need of me before I leave."

"There is nothing Master. Please don’t worry, I have everything under control."

"Good, I'll be going then."

As Wesley was walking out of the Manor, he saw that there were at least a hundred people working all over the Manor, but the amazing thing was that despite doing tedious physical labor for god knows how long, each of them had an incomparable look of satisfaction on their faces.

'The satisfaction one gets from gaining their living from their own sweat is tremendous. If only nobles understood this simple fact then this world wouldn’t be in it's current state."

The looks of dejection and hopelessness he saw in the faces of people in the Seventh District was nowhere to be seen on the faces of these people. These people don't want wealth or gold, all they want is to be able to feed themselves and their families and the dignity of doing with their own hands. Take away people's ability to provide for their families, you take away their dignity and toss them into the depression.

Wesley had millions of thoughts running through his mind, but he cast them aside and started focusing at the task in hand. It was going to take care of the Shorn Family, but he still lacked information about them.

'First, I'll need to collect as much information about this Shorn Family as possible. And the best place for information is...'

Wesley knew that if you wanted to collect information, then the best place to go was the local pub.

'Since the Shorn Family are from the Seventh District then I'll first go to the biggest pub in the Seventh. Afterwards, I'll make my way to a pub in the Sixth District where Lane said they lived."

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The pub In the Seventh District was almost a shanty. The only way Wesley found out this was his destination was because of the small sign that hung outside with the words 'Tavern' on it.

'It seems this District really is rundown to the core.'

Wesley was surprised to find a pub in such a condition, after all, one of the most resilient business were taverns.

'In a place like this district that is full of misery, there should be a lot of people drinking themselves to forget their worries. But that won't happen if there is no money to be spent.'

Wesley was starting to hate the unfairness in this world more as time went by. Walking into the pub, Wesley noticed that it was completely empty except for the bartender who was behind the counter.

The moment Wesley walked in, the bartender's eyes lit up as if he has just seen diamond. He immediately walked towards Wesley, and bowed while speaking respectfully:

"Welcome Sir. Please have a seat."

Wesley was not too surprised, it seemed that this pub didn’t get that many customers. Wesley just sat down one, then looked up at the bartender who was standing by his side:

"Two of your house special please."

The bartender was delighted beyond words, and his face lit up as he heard Wesley's words. He immediately spoke:

"Coming right up."

The bartender almost ran towards the kitchen. Wesley chuckled inwardly, but still felt some pain at the misfortune that surrounds this entire District. He kept thinking of ways to help these people. While engrossed in his thoughts, the bartender returned and set to roasted quail in front of Wesley.

Wesley looked at the dishes in front of him and then looked up and spoke to the bartender:

"I don't think I can eat this all by myself. How about you join me. On me of course"

The bartender was delighted. He wasn’t starving, but who would say no to a free meal, in fact, he was actually getting paid to eat, so of course he accepted.

"Thank you."

Wesley and the bartender started eating their food. After finishing their respective dishes, they looked at each other with satisfied looks on their face and both burst out laughing. Wesley spoke first:

"Thank you for this meal. This was truly delicious."

"No thank you. To grace me with your patronage and still invite me to a meal. Truly, thank you."

"Don't mention it."

'Good. Now should be a good time to get some information'

"You see, my family just moved to the area. We were really surprised at the state of the district. What happened here."

The bartender's laughing face immediately turned ugly, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He then looked straight at Wesley and spoke:

"It is all thanks to those vultures from the Shorn Family. They bleed us dry."

'Good, good. Direct to the point.'

"The Shorn Family? I never heard of them."

"They are the nobles in charge of the Seventh District. They are nothing more than leeches that suck the life out of this place. Did you know that this place did not use to be like this. Life was never easy, but we had enough, but then those bastards killed off the Black Family and took sole ownership of the District. Since then, they tripled taxes, and closed down any businesses that were unable to comply. This place became what you see within a year."

The bartender was truly angry. He told Wesley about how the Shorn Family would send their guards to terrorize businesses. And after most businesses closed because of the high taxes, they started taxing the houses, which led to many people becoming destitute and homeless. He also found out the most of the transgressions of the Shorn Family were conducted by their two sons.

After listening to the bartender for a while, Wesley decided to leave. He stood up and looked at the bartender who was still sitting with a sad look on his face. He patted at the bartender's shoulder and spoke:

"I'll be leaving old man. I will visit again soon."

The bartender looked up, and then realizing that Wesley was trying to console him, he squeezed out a smile and said:

"Yes, yes. Please do."

Wesley immediately left the pub and headed to the Sixth District. The Sixth District was mainly a middle class residential area, with one story houses with small courtyards lining the streets. There were also a few minor noble families with houses similar to the Black Manor, but they weren't as often.

Wesley headed to the Inn he stayed in when he first arrived at Blackreach City. This Inn compared to the one at the Seventh District, was like a palace with its two stories and giant, well lit, sign.

Wesley simply walked in and found that the Inn was half filled with people drinking and chatting. Wesley walked towards the counter where the bartender was currently standing, and sat down. The bartender looked up at Wesley with a disinterested look, then his eyes suddenly lit up and he said:

"Little Wesley. Why didn’t you come back last night. How did the examination go."

"Haha, Michael. I did get accepted into the academy. I also found a new place to live, so I came to tell you and have some of that famous tea you made me yesterday morning."

"Haha, Wesley. Congratulations. Let me get you some of that tea, On the house. Tell me where are you now living."

"Oh yes, I found this little house in the Seventh District."

Hearing the Seventh District, Michael's face changed and he asked Wesley with a concerned voice:

"The Seventh. Why would you live in such a place, i thought i told you how that place was."

'Good, this talk is heading in the right direction'

"I was short on money, and the houses in that District are rather cheap. Only I didn’t expect the condition of the area to be so bad. I should have listened to your words from before."

"I guess it couldn’t be helped. The Seventh.....Sigh......I used to live there a few years ago, but after the Shorn Family took control, those who could afford it moved out of there and opened business in other districts. Unfortunately, only very few could afford such a move, the rest were bled dry."

'It seems that the actions of the Shorn Family are known by most people. That means that there would be less outrage after their death. Good.'

"But why isn't anyone doing anything. What the Shorn Family are doing can't be right."

"of course no one would bother to do anything. The people who live in the Seventh are simply too poor to be worth the efforts of the city's higher ups. Also, the Shorn Family are extremely rich, so people are reluctant to offend them."

"But how rich could they be, they are only a minor noble family."

"It is true that they are minor nobles. However, before becoming nobility, they were a successful merchant family with huge wealth, and after becoming nobles, they taxed the people in the Seventh to death. If it weren't for the fact that they only became nobles a short time ago, they would have already been one of the ruling families of the City."

"I see. Such a shame." Wesley's voice was filed with genuine concern.

"Don't worry little Wesley, that is simply how the world is, the nobles do what they want, and the rest of us do what we must. Let's celebrate your acceptance."

Wesley and Michael talked until midnight. During their conversation Wesley managed to learn about the location of the Shorn Manor from Michael as well as learning that most of the guards of the Shorn Family are privately hired so while they are not numerous in number most of them remain within the Manor. Wesley finished his chat with Michael, and decided it was about time he began.

"I will be leaving now Michael, I'll come visit often."

"Haha, little Wesley, make sure you do. And be careful on your way home, the Seventh is not known for its safety."

"Will do. Goodnight Michael."

'haha, time to pay this infamous Shorn Family a visit. I wonder if I should kill them in their sleep, or wake them up so that they can beg for their lives.'

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