As soon as Neal left the study, Wesley immediately got back to his reading. Although the issue with the four families was not minor, Wesley was not too worried about it since all he could do is play his hand and hope that everything goes as planned. On the other hand, Wesley's incursions into the mystery of mana is far more pleasing that worrying, so Wesley went back to his reading.

The last book was simply titled [Mana]. Looking at its worn out brown cover, or its more than modest lettering, Wesley's hopes for finding some answers for his many queries. Wesley immediately opened the book to the first page which read:

[I have spent the last forty years of my life researching Mana. It was, at first, something I did as a hobby, by as I delved into the mystery that is mana, all I found were questions and inconsistencies. I have come up with more than dozen theories, but each of them proved short of explaining the entirety of mana. If you are looking for answers in this book of mine, you won't find any. I recommend that you stop looking into this subject lest you waste your life like I did mine, but if your are adamant in your search, this book contains all my failures, make sure you don’t repeat them.

Oliver Reme]

Wesley's heart clenched as he read the first page of the book. He was counting on this book to give some explanation regarding even the basics of mana, but it turns out that the writer faced the same wall Wesley is currently facing and even spent forty years of his life stuck in that same spot.  

Next when Wesley read the name of the author of the book, he almost spit a mouthful of blood. If there was a mage in the four kingdoms who haven't heard of the name Oliver Reme, then it was more likely than not that they were an imposter. A Grand elder water mage who lived six hundred years ago, he was one who truly stood at the top of the mage community. It is said that his magic was so strong that he could drown entire cities without even being near a body of water.  

Wesley was truly starting to become discouraged. To have caused someone like Oliver Reme to waste forty years of his life without even finding any answers, how deep and unfathomable is mana. Wesley truly liked to challenge himself, and to explore the unknown, but he was not so dumb as to face the impossible. Wesley was suspecting that mana is one of those existences that can never be understood or explained.  

If this was true of mana, then Wesley was also doomed to waste his life without finding anything. This was the dilemma of those who search for the unknown. What lies in the hidden by the shadows of ignorance? And if they are to delve into these shadows searching for the unknown, then what are the chance that they will find absolutely nothing. What is the difference between the unknown and the non-existent. Are things we don’t know nonexistent, or do the nonexistent things exist only are unknown.

Wesley suddenly faced an ultimatum. Continue on the path of discovery and search for something that most likely does not exist, or find something else to spend the remainder of his life doing. If this was any other occasion, Wesley would've abandoned his curiosity for practicality since wasting his life searching for something that might not exist is simply unacceptable, however, this book he held in his hand added another variable.

This book contains forty years of work by the continents greatest figures, it can be considered a forty year head start. For all Wesley knows, the key to the mystery of mana could take forty one years or five hundred years to find. If Wesley decides to continue his search from where Oliver stopped, his chances of finding the answers would increase, but there is also the possibility that he might not find anything.

Wesley thought of the repercussions of the continuing his search and a hint of fear touched his heart. There are many fears that linger in the depth of people's hearts, the fear of death, or the fear of old age, but the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. Wesley stood at the border between the known and the unknown. One side is secure and bright, the other is unknown and filled with uncertainty.  

Thinking of his dilemma in this way, Wesley couldn’t help but laugh loudly. His laughter reverberated throughout the manner causing everyone who heard it to stop whatever they were doing and stare.

Wesley was so amused by his minds analogy that he couldn’t help but laugh. Wesley is a dark mage, he lives and thrives in darkness. If asked to choose between a well lit existence or a dark one, Wesley's choice would always be the dark one.  

Thinking of this extremely comical coincidence, Wesley turned the book that was In his hand to the next page. He has chosen to face the unknown. With this decision, Wesley still felt some lingering doubts and reservations, but as a dark mage, it is only natural that he seeks the darkness rather than the light.

This train of thought might seem ridiculous to most people, but when faced with a choice, even the smallest of equivocations are enough to tip the balance to one side or the other.

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

The next morning in a rectangular office at the top floor of the Office of Management, two men were facing each other. One of them was a white robed old man with a graying beard and hair and an emotionless face, while the other man seemed barely past his forties with a scruff dark beard covering most of his face and sharp dark eyes.

If Wesley had seen this dark bearded man, he wouldve opened his mouth in amazement. This man was Neal, only this Neal wasn’t wearing his usual dark attire, and his clean shaven face was somehow bearded.  

Neal stared daggers at the old man, while the old man only sat there neither avoiding his gaze nor confronting him.  

"Lord Silus. Are you saying that my entire family was wiped out under your noses, and you don't know the culprits."

The anger in Neal's voice was evident, but this so called Silus' face was unwavering, he simply looked at Neal without a hint of emotion evident on his face.

"Mister Neal. I never said we didn’t know the culprits, everyone in the city knows that the Shorn Family was behind the attacks on your family, only we don't have enough evidence to take any actions. Also, the Shorn Family were killed a year ago."

"Is that so. Have you questioned the Shorn Family in the least?"

"No."

"Have your investigators found anything of worth?"

"No."

"Then tell me, Lord SILUS. What have you been doing in the last three years."

"Mister Neal. Our policy isn't guilty until proven innocent, we couldn’t have questioned the Shorn without amble evidence. Also, When the Shorn Family were destroyed, we assumed that it was done by the Black Family, so we halted our investigations."

"Done by the Black Family? By my dead relatives, or by my four starving and homeless nephews, or by me who was thousand miles away. By who exactly."

Hearing the words 'four nephews', Silus' eyebrows quivered slightly. Not only did the Black Family have this Neal left, but they also have four young children around. Considering the amount of resources and effort the four families expended to arrange the demise of the Black family, five remaining members was simply unacceptable. Before he could even finish cursing the graves of the Shorn Family, Neal's words once more reached his ears.

"Enough of this incompetence. I want the investigation resumed, and all the culprits found and accounted for."

"Understood. Anything else?"

Neal was quiet for a moment and then he spoke again:

"Yes. I want all the assets of the Shorn Family given to my family as recompense. As well as the rulership over their Seventh District."

Silus's eyes sharpened as Neal finished his list of demands.  

"The matter with the assets of the Shorn Family is doable. But are you sure you want the rulership of the seventh district, your Black Family never showed interest in such things before."

"Hmph. I have no interest in such things like politics, but it seems that if we are not involved then we'll be treated like the common rabble and trampled upon to the point that even our deaths are not worth your time."

Neal's words were like daggers striking at Silus' heart. The four families have expanded a lot of effort to eradicate the Black Family, yet they not only failed to do that, they even brought this Neal, who is not a pacifist unlike his elder brother, to power. This can only be seen falling in the holes they dug for their enemies.

"Master Neal. No need to be abrasive. I will contact the higher ups about your request."

"NONESENSE. My Black Family is High Nobility of Blackreach City, Unlike those Lowly Families that buy their nobility like the Shorn Families. We are claiming the Seventh to govern regardless if your higher ups like it or not."

Neal's words were indeed true. The Black Family were high nobility the four families, so they do have the right to govern a district of the city, just like how the four families govern their districts. However, Neal's words also meant that he was equating himself with the four families. This was exactly what the four families feared, and their actions were the direct cause of it.

"I Understand. Is there anything else."

"Hmph. Have it arranged."

With a simple disdainful snort and a command, Neal immediately stood up and exited the room, leaving a frowning Silus behind. As soon as Neal left the room, a young attendant walked in. Silus immediately barked at the young attendant:

"Contact the heads of the three families. Tell them to come see me immediately."

The attendant was frightened and spoke In a shaky, trembling voice:

"Y..Yes Lord."

The Black Family once ruled over these four families, causing them to harbors enmity and be wary of them over the years. The four families remember their years of serfdom, and although they prospered, they always felt inferior to their old master, and feared that they might stake their claim once again.  

the Black Family was extremely low-key for the last thousand years, and each head of the four families always opted to simply watch over them without making a move. However, this generation's heads of the four families decided to take action, and now the Black Family are starting to become active as well. This was exactly what the four families wanted to avoid at all costs.

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

Almost five months passed since the revival of the Black Family. The emergence of another High Noble family was tremendous news causing no small amount of talk because everyone knew that the four families were the only high nobility In Blackreach city.

The Black Family's governorship of the seventh district also caused another sensation. Not because of the governorship; it was only natural for a noble family, especially high nobility to receive their own  district, rather it was what they did after receiving the govership that caused the sensations.

Blackreach City has a total of seven districts. Four Residential districts governed by the four families, a Central District, a market district, and a seventh district. Out of all these districts, the seventh district was the poorest and most desolate. In fact, most of the residents of Blackreach city actively avoid it because it is known for its crime and filth.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

However, as soon as the Black Family took control of the district, sweeping actions were taken by them. First they accounted for every resident of the district which came up close to twenty thousand. Then they hired every capable man and women and started working on the district.

Thousands upon thousands of houses were built, then stores, schools, orphanages and parks were built. After all the construction was complete, the houses that were built were given to the residents of the district who were recorded when the initial accounting was done.  

Then the Black Family started investing in various businesses in their district and almost every adult in the district had a job. Everyone who lived in the seventh district was either directly or indirectly working for the Black Family, be it the guards who kept the peace, the people who taught at the schools, those who worked in stores and businesses, or the bureaucrats who ran everything.

In short five months, the seventh district that was like a dead spot in Blackreach City experienced a tremendous rejuvenation at the hands of the Black Family. They not only invested and reconstructed a torn down and forsaken place with their own personal wealth, they also maintained a minimum tax and always seemed to be putting their subjects first.

The popularity of the Black Family skyrocketed all over Blackreach City, and they were even seen as something close to deities in the seventh district. Their fame was so high, that the Seventh District became known as the Black District, and a single in favorable word towards them would earn you a sound beating in most places.

Although their actions in rebuilding and reviving the seventh district earned them no small amount of praise from many people, what caused them to be even more popular amongst the people was that very few people ever saw them.

Aside from a few high ranking members of the bureaucracy and some business owners, no one else knew who the members of the Black Family are. Their Manor is very heavily guarded since it also serves as the management center of the district. Since people enjoy gossip and empty speculations, many discussion arose regarding the identity of the mysterious Black Family, unfortunately, that is all they are, speculations.

At the top floor of the building the contained the office of Management of Blackreach City, three men and a woman sat around a table with forlorn looks on their faces. The woman who was wearing a blue dress with embroidered patterns spoke with a soft voice towards a white robed elder:

"Silus. Did you hear anything from that Neal. Do you think he suspects us being behind his family's demise."

Silus furrowed his brows at the question. He couldn’t help but think back at how enraged Neal was five months ago when he spoke with him in this same exact office. If Neal knew that the four families were behind the events of his families death, he couldn’t have possibly been so calm in front of him.  

"He hasn’t contacted me, and I don't think he knows anything."

"Why do you think so?" The woman asked again.

"Last time I spoke to him, he seemed upset the Shorn Family. He is a hot headed person so couldn’t have been so collected in front of me if he knew."

'Bang'

A fist striking the round table the four sat around moved everyone's attention to a red robed man with similar red hair and a square face who was sitting across from Silus. He Looked straight at Silus and Spoke:

"Why are there even surviving members of the Black Family, and not only one but five. Also, why did you agree to give them all the assets of those Shorn morons. I can't help but think this entire thing was caused by your negligence."

Silus' eyes sharpened as he listened to the red haired man's words. He couldn’t help but frown at how the blame was being shamelessly directed towards him.

"Watch how you speak to me Napar. The failure of the Shorn had nothing to do with me. As for the assets, we four decided it was best to give it to him, in order to avoid Neal suspecting us. Are you saying that I made your decision for you."

Napar's eyes redened at Silus' words and was about to speak when a firm, authoritative voice reverberated throughout the room:

"Enough."

This was the fourth man speaking. He was quietly listening to the other three discuss what was going on. The moment the other three were quiet and looking at him, he leaned slightly forward and continued speaking:

"We can't afford to have discord amongst us anymore. Our actions have directly led to this problem, so we are all equally responsible. Now the Black Family is almost as popular as our families, and although their wealth is far from comparing to ours, it is only a matter of time before they catch up, so we must think of a solution."

The other three stared at the man with focused eyes as if waiting for him to give them the answers they so yearn for. The blue robed women suddenly spoke with a melodious voice:

"Arthur. What do you think we should do?"

This Arthur stared directly at the eyes of the blue robed women, then shifted his gaze towards each of the other two.

"As I see it, we have two options. First, We attack the Black Family now while they are still relatively weak and wipe them out. Or, We avoid the Black Family altogether, and simply watch them like our predecessors."

Hearing Arthur's words, the blue robed women and Silus both nodded their heads, only the red haired Napar was staring directly at him without moving. He remained quiet for a moment and then spoke:

"I say we go with the first option. It is better to get rid of them once and for all."

Arthur looked at Napar with no discernable emotion on his face and then spoke:

"You are correct Napar, it is quicker to just kill them now. However, there are repercussions. Those Blacks are very popular in their district, If we kill them then it is possible we'll have an uprising on our hands. Also, this Neal is extremely meticulous, there are very few people who actually come into contact with him and his district is like a fortress, so if we attack and he escapes, he will most certainly connect us to the deed."

"Hmph"

Silus looked at Napar with a slight hint of amusement on his face, then he spoke towards Arthur:

"I believe the second method is better. It was our rush to action in the first place that led to this problem."

The blue robed woman also chimed in:

"I agree with Silus. We can bide our time and wait for an opportunity."

Arthur simply nodded his head and spoke again:

"The second method is the sound options. We'll distance ourselves from the Black Family but still keep an eye on them. Silus, make sure that no one outside the four of us knows of our connection to the death of the Black Family."

"Understood."

"And Napar. Don't do anything rash, If we notice even a hint that they know of our connection to their incident, then we'll wipe them out with prejudice."

"Hmph."

"Good. Then we all agree. Hopefully we don’t come to regret this decision, like we did our initial one."

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

In Wesley's Manor, in his study. Wesley was sitting across from a dark robed, broad shouldered man with a noble aura emanating from him. Wesley has been very pleased in the last few months because the seventh district which caused his heart no small amount of agony was improving, and all of this was due to this man in front of him.

"Well Neal. How are things progressing."

"Regarding the District or the four families."

"Regarding the district."

"Well, things are going smoothly. We have spent around five million gold over the last five months which accounts to almost three fourths of the assets of the Shorn Family we received. We also established a nice base in the district so it should give you some room to move around."

"Haha, who would've thought that the four families would actually give you gold to destroy them.Tell me about the four families."

"Yes. The four families have not made any major movements aside from a few meeting between the four family heads. I don't know if they will decide to attack us now while we're weak, or simply decide to wait and see. Based on how often they’ve been meeting, I think they'll choose to attack."

Wesley listened quietly to Neal's words while thinking and then he spoke:

"I think they will decide to wait and see."

"Why do you think so."

Neal was surprised at Wesley's words. The more prudent choice was to attack your enemy while they are weak. Waiting is simply giving them time at the expense of your life.

"Haha. Considering you popularity in the District, with twenty thousand supporters, I would never risk a direct confrontation, lest a rebellion occurs. Also, they are probably counting on you not knowing what they did, so the safer bet is to avoid you and hope you never find out."

"Hmm. That does make sense. But I am still going to make plans incase they do attack. I would very much rather not count on them being considerate of the repercussions of their actions."

"Haha. True. It will be great if they were rash and attacked. It is far easier to kill an enemy amidst a giant rebellion than a quiet afternoon."

"Either way we'll be prepared."

"Give it a few more months. If nothing happens, then we'll proceed with the second part of the plan."

"Understood."

Neal immediately stood up and emerged with the floor and disappeared from the study only to reappear in the Lord's Mansion almost half a mile away. After reaching his Mansion, Neal couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of foresight and knack for strategy Wesley shows.

Over the last almost half year, Neal has started to see Wesley as the not naive child he looks like, but rather an extremely smart and ruthless person. His nephew Lane could be considered a genius amongst his peers, but compared to this two or three years older youth, he is simply ordinary.

He didn’t know the circumstances behind Wesley, or his identity, or his desire to help the Black Family. In fact, he knew very little about Wesley, which would normally cause him to be wary of a person. But he felt that Wesley had no malice towards his family, rather he thought of him as one of his nephews, only far more mysterious and far more deadly.

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Hey old chaps.

The story is finally progressing.  Enjoy.

Also Shout out to [ SkullCrusher ] who read from chapter one to last chapter in like two days and commented thank you on each of them.

It is great to see that there are still new readers following the story, brings tears to my eyes.