Chapter 475: Welcoming Banquet
Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Welcoming Banquet
Silas Crowley gleefully followed Nina Jacobs out.
He hadn’t expected her to lead him into a secure conference room.
Closing the doors and windows wasn’t enough. Nina even conjured a Diamond Sand Cover inside the room.
"Wha-what’s wrong?"
Silas Crowley couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
’This is the first time I’ve ever seen Nina this serious.’
"I didn’t realize you were part of the Crowley Group,"
Nina said, motioning for Silas to sit anywhere he liked before handing him a can of coffee.
’So that’s what this is about.’
Silas Crowley said a little sheepishly, "The Crowley Group is nothing special, and it’s so far from here..."
"I’m quite fond of the Crowley Group,
and your sister and the others. They’re all good-hearted people."
Silas finally relaxed upon hearing Nina’s words.
"This time, I went with General Hughes to a place called Whittaker Town. It was the first time I’d ever heard of the White Family.
"Their Puppetry Technique is dark and sinister. Arcadia White used it to control Evander Langdon."
Back at Lornwood Base, although Silas, Cordelia, and the others were among the last to leave, they knew nothing about the White Family.
Much less the Puppetry Technique.
It took Silas a long time to process the shocking story Nina had just laid out.
"You just mentioned the Whites of the Snowlands,"
Nina said.
"What I want to ask you is, is the Crowley Group the same as the Mornfell Crowley Family?
And... does the Crowley Family have any connection to the Mystic Sect?"
Nina’s question took Silas completely by surprise.
"You know about the Mystic Sect?"
He thought only people from Ancient Martial Clans like his knew about things ordinary people didn’t.
"I’m asking you directly because we’re friends, right?"
Nina asked.
’According to the system, his favorability rating for me is 90.’
’That’s a considerably high score.’
’That’s why I felt I could ask him so directly.’
’Based on my observations, Silas doesn’t have a manipulative bone in his body.’
"Our Crowley Group is indeed the Mornfell Crowley Family,
but we have nothing to do with the Mystic Sect. To be more precise, we’re enemies."
Silas replied after a moment of thought.
"Then do you know about the Mystic Sect’s size and strength? And what is it they’re after?"
Nina asked.
Silas thought for a moment before shaking his head in regret.
"I’m afraid only my grandfather would know. He never let us get involved with any of that, saying they followed a corrupt path."
Even my sister, Audrey, mostly just handles the family’s business affairs.
"Our Crowley Group specializes in shipbuilding, drones, aerial equipment, and helicopter assembly. Unlike the families in the Mystic Sect, the Crowley Family integrated into modern society long ago and established our own corporation.
The younger generations of the Crowley Family are free to pursue their own ambitions in any field. Take me, for example—I entered a completely unrelated industry, and no one in the family stood in my way.
All I know is that most of the families in the Mystic Sect are stubborn and antiquated. Before the apocalypse, some of them were still just living off their ancestors’ legacy. It’s ridiculous, really."
Silas explained to Nina, recalling what little he knew.
"But how did you find out about the Mystic Sect’s existence?"
Silas asked, curious.
’Could Nina be from an Ancient Martial Clan too?’
Nina shook her head. "I ran into them back in Veridia. All I know is that they seemed to be looking for someone. That, combined with the White Family’s bizarre techniques, just made me curious."
’No one knows I was involved in what happened at Mornfell,’ she thought. ’It’s better to keep it a secret for now.’
"My older sister also told me that after the apocalypse, the Mystic Sect repeatedly demanded that we rejoin them. My grandfather refused, and they threatened to treat us as traitors to the Sect.
Luckily, we joined forces with the Lucas Family, so they haven’t dared to make any major moves."
Silas added.
’The Mornfell Crowley Family and the Mornfell Lucas Family?’
Nina remembered reading in that book that the two families had been allies for generations and were based in the same area.
’Gemma Lucas must be from the Lucas Family, then.’
"Actually... the real reason they keep wanting us to rejoin the Mystic Sect is probably just for our family’s ancestral treasure,
and there’s no way the Crowley Family would ever hand that over to outsiders."
Nina could see the slight hesitation in Silas’s eyes as he spoke, and she guessed his words had something to do with that heirloom.
She understood.
"I see. It’s about that time,"
Nina said, glancing at the time and getting to her feet.
It was already dinnertime.
Cordelia had prepared a welcome banquet for her and Wayne Warner. Nina had tried to refuse, but Felix Finch had already arranged for the venue to be set up.
Only their inner circle was invited—mostly the same people who had been there when the base was first founded.
At the banquet, Cordelia raised her glass of red wine and asked with a hint of reluctance,
"Silas, I heard your sister came looking for you. Does this mean you’ll be leaving?"
After a round of lively conversation, Silas was already a little tipsy.
But his mind was still clear. "Not necessarily. I want to try and convince them one more time."
"Convince them of what?"
Cordelia asked, confused.
"I think the potential for growth is better here.
Stenmore is constantly being harassed by survivors from the neighboring country, and it’s impossible to guard against them all.
If they were willing to relocate and develop here, wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?"
It wasn’t just that Silas was reluctant to leave.
Lyra Thorne had also told him a few things. Things weren’t peaceful over in Stenmore. Although the Crowley Clan had joined forces with the Lucas Family to train some capable people, they were constantly harassed by the Mystic Sect on one side, and on the other, there was constant conflict with the neighboring country of Veridia, whose people came to steal their supplies. People were even dying every day...
In the long run, Stenmore wasn’t safe.
Silas raised his glass in a toast to Nina. "What do you think of my idea?"
He wanted to get her opinion.
’The Crowley Group, moving to Tomorrow Base?’
Nina smiled. "You’d be welcome."
’In her past life, the Crowley Group had been strong enough to fend off an invasion from an entire country while based in Stenmore. That alone was a testament to their power.’
’If Silas could actually make this happen, she certainly wouldn’t object.’
Hearing Nina’s words, a look of immense relief washed over Silas’s handsome face.
As long as Nina agreed, he wouldn’t shrink from any challenge, no matter how difficult.
Felix Finch raised his glass. "I want to thank everyone for their cooperation. The fact that Tomorrow Base has been able to grow so quickly is thanks to all of our combined efforts.
With Nina taking over from now on, I can finally breathe a little easier."
"Felix, your duties will remain the same," Nina stated.
Her words seemed to catch everyone by surprise.
Mirelle Keller asked, "What’s wrong? Don’t tell me our Miss Jacobs lacks the confidence to take the lead? You can rest easy with us here to back you up."
"That’s right, Nina. If you’re facing any difficulties, you can tell us. You saved all of our lives,"
Juliette Ainsworth added.
He was over fifty-five years old; Nina had rescued both him and his daughter, Kelly, from the slums.
Now, he was the head electrician of Tomorrow Base, and his daughter used her Gold Element Superpower to help him build and modify the circuits. The father-daughter duo worked perfectly together, and everyone in the base treated them with the utmost respect.
Nina smiled. "Don’t worry, everyone. I’m not in any trouble. Once things are settled here, I’ll be leaving again for a while. I have complete faith in all of you to manage Tomorrow Base."
’Leaving again?’
Felix and the others had thought that this time, Nina had come back to stay.