Chapter 90: The Banquet (Part 1)

Afterward, Merlin was met with a series of formal procedures.

The Black Moon Kingdom was very different from the Kingdom of Light. Black Moon was composed of thousands of autonomous city-states, each led by a commander with complete control over their territory, including the power to grant titles.

In Pugas, Count Selin held the authority of a king. Granting a new baron title, especially to a mysterious spellcaster, was a matter of significance.

Therefore, the necessary formalities could not be ignored.

Merlin didn't resist and cooperated fully. When everything was finalized, perhaps to strengthen ties with Merlin or to display his generosity to others, Count Selin decided to host a banquet in three days in Merlin's honor, inviting nobles from all over Pugas.

A banquet hosted by Count Selin would carry significant influence and raise Merlin's status. Though not accustomed to such social engagements, Merlin understood it would help the Wilson family establish itself in Pugas, so he accepted the Count's goodwill and returned to the castle.

Old Wilson, nostalgic for Blackwater Castle, named their new castle "Wilson Castle." As Merlin entered, he saw the butler directing servants to clean the grounds.

"Master Merlin—no, I should say, Lord Baron! Master Wilson and Baron Barman await you in the hall!" The butler greeted Merlin, his voice filled with excitement.

Merlin found the butler's new form of address strange, but then it dawned on him: he was now a noble, holding a baron's title.

Old Wilson and Barman's titles from the Kingdom of Light held no weight in the Black Moon Kingdom, making Merlin the sole noble in the Wilson family.

Noticing the numerous servants around, Merlin frowned slightly and asked, "What's all this, butler?"

The butler answered respectfully, "Lord Baron, Master Wilson instructed us to clean the castle thoroughly to celebrate the new noble in the family."

Knowing Old Wilson's intentions, Merlin said nothing further. To him, a baron's title was insignificant compared to the new spell model he had obtained from the elder.

Entering the hall, Merlin found it full of people: Old Wilson, Baron Barman, Lady Big Bust, Mei Xue, Avril—essentially all the key members of the Wilson and Barman families.

"Merlin, what did Count Selin say?"

Old Wilson, barely able to contain his excitement, quickly asked.

Baron Barman also stood and addressed Merlin, "Baron Merlin, I heard from Commander Cook that Count Selin had you select an estate. Where did you choose?"

Hearing even Baron Barman call him "Baron," Merlin felt a bit resigned. A simple title had caused such a change in attitude; Old Wilson and Baron Barman were no longer as casual as before.

Even when Merlin had revealed himself as a spellcaster in Blackwater City, they hadn't changed this much. It seemed that the notions of "rank" and "title" were deeply ingrained, difficult to shake.

Merlin shook his head and sighed. "Uncle Barman, please, call me Merlin. Count Selin had me choose a territory, and I selected Constein Town. I plan to visit it tomorrow."

"Constein Town?"

Old Wilson stood up, visibly excited. "Constein Town was under direct management by Count Selin himself! Merlin, he must really trust you to grant it as your estate."

After spending time in Pugas City, Old Wilson and the others had learned about the local territories and knew Constein Town's value.

Old Wilson and Baron Barman continued discussing family plans with enthusiasm, though Merlin had little interest in such matters. Even with an estate, he intended to leave its management entirely to Old Wilson.

As he rose to retire to his room, his gaze fell on Avril, sitting quietly in a corner. Smiling gently, he said, "In a few days, Count Selin is holding a banquet for me. Avril, prepare yourself to attend with me."

Avril looked stunned. Since Blackwater City, this was practically the first time Merlin had spoken directly to her, so she seemed caught off guard.

Old Wilson and Baron Barman exchanged a satisfied smile.

Merlin took a last glance at Avril's surprised expression before heading upstairs, not inclined to decipher her thoughts.

※※※

Back in his room, Merlin took out the spell model for "Earth's Guard." It was an earth-based defensive spell, perfectly suited to his needs.

Currently, Merlin only had two spells: Fireball for offense and Ice for restraint, but none for defense.

For a spellcaster, lacking defensive spells was risky. If Merlin faced a situation like his recent battle with Merilon, crossbow bolts would pose a lethal threat.

While Merilon could withstand such attacks, Merlin had no guarantee of the same, so obtaining a defensive spell was now more urgent than gaining a speed spell.

"Matrix, store the 'Earth's Guard' spell model."

"Task created… Success!"

After storing the spell model in the "Matrix," Merlin held the model's pages to a candle and burned them to ashes.

Although he had stored the model in the "Matrix," Merlin refrained from having it analyzed. His mental strength was still too weak to handle a third spell model.

The elder Etta's mental meditation technique was basic and slow in increasing mental strength. To improve quickly, he needed a more advanced meditation technique.

Joining a spellcaster organization remained the best way to access advanced techniques. However, without an organization's token or exceptional talent, Merlin knew it would be difficult to join one in the near future.

"If only the 'Matrix' could create rather than just analyze. With its help, it could have adapted Etta's mental meditation into a stronger technique."

Merlin shook his head, dispelling such unrealistic ideas. After all, the "Matrix" was merely a computational tool. No matter how fast or intelligent, it could only process existing data and could not create something new.

While it could improve spell models by refining a given prototype, it couldn't spontaneously invent a model from nothing.

Similarly, it couldn't create a new meditation technique, as that would require an entirely new theoretical foundation.

Perhaps if Merlin could gather tens of thousands of spell models, the "Matrix" could generate new models by analyzing vast data. However, with only a few models in his possession, such data integration was impossible.

Furthermore, gathering thousands of spell models was unlikely for Merlin anytime soon.

"It seems I still need to find a way to join a spellcaster organization. It's the only path to gaining strength quickly."

Many wandering mages dreamed of joining such organizations, though most lacked the opportunity. Fortunately, Merlin was still young, having only become a spellcaster a few months ago. He had ample time to figure out a way forward.