Chapter 25: Talking business

Man, Lucas and Karen tying the knot really got the whole Blackwood buzzing with joy.

Even the folks over at Gratitude Village were throwing down, happy as heck for the Blackwoods' big day.

But the Blackwoods weren't about to hit pause on moving forward!

"Blackwood Year 21, Nathan spots a Psychic from Tailin Town lurking around Gratitude Village daily, and he knows Tailin Town hasn't forgotten what went down before. Feeling the heat, he hits up Forebearer, asking for some wisdom on what to do next."

"Don't stop the hustle."

Ethan took a deep breath. After the whole Blackwood crew bailed in the real world, he's taking this game way more seriously now, "Right now, Blackwood's pretty much getting the cold shoulder from Tailin Town. Step one foot towards them, and Heath will probably rally the Tailin folks to come at us."

"I'm not even sure we'd stand a chance in a throwdown."

Finally, Ethan clicks on the Purple Thunder Solar Python icon and types in a message.

"Hiss—Sss—"

The temple guardian beast hisses.

Luna kneels before Nathan, instantly getting the beast's message, "Forebearer says, tough times push us to level up. As Blackwood folks, we gotta keep pushing forward, always looking for that breakthrough. Heath may block one path, but we've got more than one way to roll!"

Hearing this, Nathan's eyes light up.

He bows repeatedly, "Thanks for the enlightenment, Forebearer, I got it!"

"Babe, round up our crew. We can't trade with Tailin Town or buy their elixirs, but we've got a whole Silver Iron Forest behind us! Plus, with the temple guardian beast on our side, we can go deeper than ever and have more folks joining our fight!"

Soon enough.

Ethan watches as Nathan rallies all of Blackwood's current combat power!

By now, the folks at Blackwood have come a long way.

Nathan's been chugging beast blood fruit, hitting Level 8 Foundational Energy. Lucas, even post-wedding, is still grinding hard, reaching Level 5 Foundational Energy.

Everyone's been leveling up.

Especially Julian, the most talented, at thirteen years old and Level 3 Foundational Energy, built like a bull, even bulkier than Nathan, wielding a giant iron hammer, shirtless.

Amelia's flying around on a giant eagle, also at Level 3 Foundational Energy.

Only Olivia, now 6, seems to have a decent Psychic Constitution but hasn't turned Psychic yet. The family girl, supposed to be cultivating psychic powers, is as weak as ever. Her only plus? She's getting prettier and smarter by the day.

She's got a trait, but it's a negative one.

"Weak Constitution"

Olivia stays out of all the fights, as always, chilling at home with her books, reading poetry, and being the cheer squad.

Besides the Blackwood folks and their mystical beasts, Gratitude Village also rallied a squad of eighteen!

Over the past two years, Gratitude Village has seen four Psychics emerge, with the rest being hunters trained for two and a half years. These folks have been key players in building up the village and have been rewarded by Blackwood with beast blood fruit.

Though Nathan never asked anything of them, they've been loyal to Blackwood on the down-low.

"Hiss—Sss—"

With the Purple Thunder Solar Python slithering out from the Blackwood estate, Nathan, holding the Forebearer cards, leaps onto the beast's head and raises his right hand high.

"Let's roll out!"

...

Watching the Blackwood crew head towards the Silver Iron Forest, Ethan lets out a long sigh.

Even though Blackwood has been booming lately, even scoring a village and a few hundred villagers working for them, and their buildings getting fancier, Ethan can tell it's just a facade!

Gratitude Village wouldn't stand a chance in a real scrap, even the Psychics, untested in battle, are just for show.

This trek into the Silver Iron Forest is also a drill, a test to see what they've got.

And to snag a bunch of resources, beef up Blackwood, and break through Tailin Town's blockade!

Soon enough.

Ethan watches as the Blackwood folks clash in the Silver Iron Forest. Nathan, already a seasoned hunter, is super cautious, even with a big group. He spends a whole week guiding the villagers in hunting mystical beasts.

Everything's going smoothly, with the Purple Thunder Solar Python providing protection, there's no danger on the outskirts of the Silver Iron Forest.

Ethan feels a bit more at ease.

Just then.

There's a knock on the door.

"Commander, Andrew's here."

Lisa's voice comes from outside the door.

Ethan takes another look at the screen, squints his eyes, "With all the descendants in the game working this hard, I, as Forebearer, can't let Blackwood down!"

"Lisa, invite Andrew in for a sit-down, get some milk tea ready."

...

"Glug—"

In a cozy living room, Ethan is sitting across from a middle-aged dude who's a bit on the hefty side. The guy's thinning 'do barely covers his lumpy scalp, shining a bit too much under the light.

Right now, this well-known businessman from the villa district, Andrew, is sipping on some milk tea.

Then he frowns, something about the taste seems off... takes another sip.

"Mr. Ethan, I hear you're here to talk business," Andrew says, his focus more on the milk tea than on Ethan.

Look at him go.

Ethan raises an eyebrow. Back in the day, this guy wouldn't dare speak to him like this, probably got wind of the whole Blackwood crew skipping town.

"You could say we're talking business."

Ethan's calm demeanor suddenly grabs Andrew's full attention.