Chapter 1185: A parting shot

"Melgor's steward?" The Berkeley family's patriarch frowned.

"Yes, Patriarch." The paladin answered, "But they departed Winston City after the memorial service this morning. We let them through to head to the House of Norman in the north per your instructions."

"To think we allowed him to get away." The Berkeley family's patriarch's expression darkened. It was almost dark, so it was probably too late to chase after them.

The Berkeley family's patriarch knew that Melgor had recently recruited a steward who was a young man around the age of 18 or 19.

However, he had no interest in that steward previously, so he did not pay much attention to him.

When Wang Wenyan heard that Ren Xiaosu had already left Winston City, he heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that he's gone. Let him go to the House of Norman."

If Ren Xiaosu were still in Winston City, Wang Wenyan would really not dare to step in.

"Earlier, you said it'd be best to have the Houses of Norman and Tudor go after him instead? What did you mean by that?" The Berkeley family's patriarch said, "If our House of Berkeley wants revenge, we don't have to do it under the guise of others. He's only a young man."

"Lord Michel." Wang Wenyan said with a smile, "As long as you can find a way to have the Houses of Norman and Tudor go after him, it could help you solve more than half your problems. A large number of the House of Norman's sorcerers might end up dying before you even clash with their knights."

In Wang Wenyan's opinion, none of the forces that had gone after Ren Xiaosu ended up OK.

Someone had also suggested to Wang Shengzhi to kill Ren Xiaosu because everyone felt that young man would become a potential threat in the future.

But at the time, Wang Shengzhi rejected the suggestion. On one hand, they were still on friendly terms, so there was no need to sour the relationship and become enemies directly. On the other hand, Wang Shengzhi had asked Zero if there was a reliable way to kill Ren Xiaosu. In the end, Zero's answer was no.

Since even Zero, who was unparalleled in computing, answered in such a way, everyone temporarily put this thought aside.

Many people and organizations were interested in studying Ren Xiaosu. As the current field intelligence director of the Wang Consortium, Wang Wenyan was probably the one who understood Ren Xiaosu the best.

The Wang Consortium had been paying close attention to Ren Xiaosu ever since he joined the Northwest's Razor Sharp Company and destroyed the Zong Consortium. To be honest, Wang Shengzhi could not have expected at that time to have saved someone who would turn out to be such a pivotal being to the entire Alliance of Strongholds.

Wang Wenyan was also there at that time. If he knew Ren Xiaosu would be so difficult to deal with in the future, he would definitely have suggested they throw him back into the river.

As it turned out, the plot to seize the satellites in Luoyang City, as well as the one to bring down the superhumans in the Pyro Company's Sacred Mountains, were both disrupted by Ren Xiaosu. Fortunately, the Luoyang City plan succeeded in the end. Otherwise, things would not have turned out so well for the Wang Consortium.

The Berkeley family's patriarch could not understand why Wang Wenyan was so afraid of Ren Xiaosu. In the Kingdom of Sorcerers, even people like the Tudor and the Norman families' patriarchs might not be feared by everyone.

Therefore, the Berkeley family's patriarch subconsciously thought that Wang Wenyan was making a fuss because he had not seen powers that truly transcended the ordinary.

After all, in the Kingdom of Sorcerers, there was still no clear understanding of superhumans from the Central Plains.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was a publicly acknowledged genius sorcerer. He started practicing sorcery at the age of three and became a well-known archmage by the age of 17, mastering the exclusively inherited spell Song of Flames.

Even if he had to face the Houses of Tudor and Norman now, he might not be afraid of them.

An egocentric like him would not think that the so-called future commander of Fortress 178 could be stronger than him. The Berkeley family's patriarch felt that while the other party had a superpower that transcended the mundane, he was still young and could not have trained for more than a few years.

What he did not know was that Ren Xiaosu did not need to train at all. The superhumans in the Central Plains were completely different from the Magi.

But even though the Berkeley family's patriarch was an egocentric person, he was not rash. A rash person could not come up with such a meticulous plan for a northern expedition. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll think of a way to create an opportunity for him to feud with the Houses of Norman and Tudor. Since Mr. Wang says he can save me a whole lot of trouble, I'll be looking forward to it."

Wang Wenyan said with a smile, "It's best that you think this way, Patriarch. Now that he's set off for the north, it should be the Houses of Norman and Tudor who are troubled. We should celebrate."

"Haha." The Berkeley family's patriarch tugged Wang Wenyan by his arm and stepped into the city. "Then, my friend from afar, we must drink to our hearts' content tonight!"

...

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu was leading the way at the front of the trade caravan. Mel and Little Qian, or the "mulchy duo," followed close behind him like they were his right- and left-hand men.

Chen Jingshu, An'an, and Chen Cheng had also come along, together with the two sheeple.

After Qian Weining left with Ren Xiaosu, he made it clear to his subordinates that the House of Berkeley had wanted to send them all to their deaths, but that he had proactively joined Ren Xiaosu, a member of the Norman family, for protection. He proposed to his men to follow Ren Xiaosu with him and seek their own survival.

If any of them did not want to join the Norman family, they could leave on their own after a day of travel. Hopefully, no one would go and snitch on him since they used to be comrades.

To Qian Weining's gratification, all 191 of his comrades were willing to follow him and join the Norman family.

At this moment, Qian Weining was still under the impression that Ren Xiaosu was sent by the Norman family.

However, the two sheeple were a little dumbfounded. Didn't Lord Melgor abduct Ren Xiaosu from the Central Plains? How did he end up becoming a member of the House of Norman?

Ren Xiaosu asked casually while riding on his horse, "Since you used to be a high-ranking officer in the Knights of the Inferno, you should know about a lot of things, right?"

Qian Weining said respectfully, "Sir, if there's anything you wish to know, just ask. I'll tell you everything."

"I'm really curious why the Berkeley family's patriarch dares to take on two of the top sorcerer clans. What's his backing?" Ren Xiaosu said, "Even if he can spark the Norman family into taking revenge, my guess is that they won't fully go along with his wishes. If I were the Norman family's patriarch, I would just team up with the Tudors first to destroy the Berkeleys before making my move on the Tudors."

Qian Weining thought for a moment and said, "Actually, the Berkeley family's northern expedition still had another ten years of planning to go before it was ready. Because a few clans north of Ghent City still have hesitations about starting a war. The Berkeley family's patriarch isn't fully confident he can take on the Tudors and the Normans either. In his own words, if he were to fight either of their patriarchs, he might only stand a 60% chance of winning."

Ren Xiaosu was a little surprised. A 60% chance of winning? That was already quite high.

Qian Weining continued, "But a year ago, a guest from the Central Plains visited the Berkeley family and promised to bring weapons that Fortress 178 used 17 years ago. As such, the Berkeley family's patriarch made changes to his plans at the last minute."

"A guest from the Central Plains?" Ren Xiaosu was stunned. Why were there more and more people from the Central Plains coming here? He did not have to guess to know the so-called guest had to be from the Wang Consortium. Otherwise, who would have the free time to interfere with the matters of the Kingdom of Sorcerers?

Ren Xiaosu asked, "So did the plan get pushed up to now? Why do I get the feeling that the Berkeley family is in a hurry?"

"It truly is quite rushed." Qian Weining explained, "Actually, the plan was still several months away, but Archmage Kayle of the House of Tudor suddenly planned the attack on Winston City and the conflict between the two sides suddenly erupted. So the plan was pushed forward again...."

Although Qian Weining had defected, there was no need for Ren Xiaosu to tell the guy everything.

Therefore, in Qian Weining's opinion, the only reason he joined Ren Xiaosu was because of his House of Norman background. He did not really think Ren Xiaosu was that powerful.

Currently, only Mel, Chen Jingshu, Chen Cheng, and An'an knew about Ren Xiaosu's strength.

Ren Xiaosu chuckled and said, "It's good that they brought it forward. Everything is just in time."

Qian Weining suddenly asked suspiciously, "Sir, you didn't have anything to do with the attack in Winston City, did you?"

"No," Ren Xiaosu flatly denied it. "How can it have anything to do with me?! Do I look like such a fearsome person to you?"

Qian Weining immediately felt relieved. It was not that he looked down on Ren Xiaosu, but that the incident in Winston City was too terrifying, so no one would really link it to a young man like him.

He only asked because he felt it was a little too much of a coincidence that something like this had happened so soon after Ren Xiaosu arrived in Winston City.

Melgor, who was deeply aware of the truth, looked at Qian Weining with a sympathetic gaze.

Only 20% of the things Ren Xiaosu had said along the way were true. Melgor had to hold back his laughter the entire time as he listened to Ren Xiaosu play Qian Weining for a fool.

However, Mel could not laugh anymore when he realized Ren Xiaosu had done the same to him before.

At some point, Mel even felt a sense of sympathy for Qian Weining when he looked at him. Thinking about it, he realized he was not much better than Qian Weining.

When night fell, Qian Weining called for everyone to set up camp.

Ever since Qian Weining could no longer turn back to his former life, he became really enthusiastic about his work. He was afraid he would lose Ren Xiaosu's backing now that his future with the House of Berkeley was cut off.

While seated at the campfire, Ren Xiaosu felt that something was off the more he thought about it. He asked Qian Weining, "Have you not met that person from the Central Plains before?"

Calculating the time, the period when the Central Plains guest first came to the Kingdom of Sorcerers coincided with Wang Shengzhi's trip to the Northwest. In other words, Wang Shengzhi was already planning how to keep the Northwest in check back then.

This worried Ren Xiaosu a little. Wang Shengzhi and Qing Zhen were the same. If either of them became your opponent, you would have to be on full alert.

Otherwise, you would end up like the Pyro Company, the Kong Consortium, and the Zhou Consortium.

Qian Weining answered, "Sir, that guest from the Central Plains is very mysterious. Very few people have seen his true appearance, but I do know something. He should have just arrived in Winston City in the past two days."

"Why do you know that?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

"Because all the Knights of the Inferno that were transferred away from me were posted to the armory. The higher-ups said they were to tidy up all the warehouses within two days." Qian Weining said, "Earlier, the Berkeley family's patriarch said the Central Plains guest would be bringing gifts with them. I think the warehouses that were tidied up might be used to store those 'gifts.'"

Ren Xiaosu's eyes lit up. "Little Qian, I've always felt that you were too scheming previously, so I didn't want to recruit you. But from the look of things, our cause really does need smart people like you!"

Qian Weining blushed. "Sir, you flatter me."

Mel glanced at Ren Xiaosu. 'You say that he's scheming when he's the enemy. Now that he's become your subordinate, you call him smart. How two-faced! What's with your double standards!' Of course, he did not dare to say that out loud.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, "Y'all can set up camp here first. I'm going to make a trip back to Winston City."

Mel was taken aback. "What are you going back to Winston City for?"

"I want to go back and see who that person from the Central Plains is and what they've brought here." Ren Xiaosu said in seriousness, "This will be very important for our later plans."

Qian Weining asked, "Are you worried the House of Berkeley will try and get the better of the House of Norman with those 'gifts'?"

Ren Xiaosu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mhm, you've guessed it! Alright, y'all sleep tight tonight. I should be back before dawn." After that, Ren Xiaosu got up and walked off into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Wang Wenyan, who was drinking happily with the Berkeley family's patriarch, suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

Ever cautious, Wang Wenyan instinctively looked around but did not find anything unusual. He spotted an open window in the banquet hall and thought it might have been the wind blowing in, so he did not think further about it.

...

The crescent moon in the sky shone brightly. In a place without industrial pollution, the stars above resembled a seascape. The sight of the night sky was wondrous and spectacular.

However, this scenery was nothing shocking to those who lived in the era of the wastelands, because the starry sky above their heads had always looked like this since they were born.

Ren Xiaosu had read something in the library in Stronghold 88. Rumor had it that humans before The Cataclysm could rarely see the sight of a starry sky. Some people even had to make trips to the highlands or polar regions just so they could catch a glimpse of the starry sky.

The people living in the era of the wastelands were not that obsessed with the starry sky. Perhaps the more common something was, the less it would be cherished.

Under the starry sky, a Knight of the Inferno was riding furiously on his horse. He exited from the north gate of Winston City and rushed north towards Ghent City.

The knight was not wearing any armor. Instead, he was dressed in a cotton-padded civilian outfit that resembled that of a ranger's.

He was carrying a long leather tube on his back, which was commonly used to store documents and letters in the Kingdom of Sorcerers. The leather tube was waterproof, so even if it rained, it could ensure that its contents would not get wet.

Within a week of Archmage Kayle's death, the Houses of Winston and Berkeley had already withdrawn their military forces from the north of their territory down to the south.

The terrain in the north was unfavorable, and many of the cities did not even have walls. Therefore, it seemed that the Berkeley family's patriarch intended to use Winston City as the opening battlefield, with Vaduz City behind it as the defensive line.

In this way, the House of Berkeley's supply line could be shortened greatly, while the Houses of Tudor and Norman would have to travel a long way to get to the battlefield.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was planning to bide his time, which was a wise decision to take.

Under the cover of night, the Knight of the Inferno had a determined look on his face. However, he vaguely saw something approaching in front of him in the moonlight.

A moment later, the knight suddenly halted his horse. Then he turned it straight around and galloped back towards Winston City.

Within five minutes, a steam locomotive gradually caught up and drove alongside him.

Ren Xiaosu was leaning against the window at the front of the train and wondering, "Why did you run away when you saw me?"

The knight was left speechless. He thought to himself, 'I would be a fucking idiot not to run away!'

He did not say a word as he clamped his legs tightly around his horse's abdomen and whipped the horse's rump ruthlessly.

But no matter how hard the warhorse ran, it could not shake off the steel monster by its side.

Ren Xiaosu asked from the front of the train, "Why do I get the feeling that you know me.... What's that on your back?"

The knight still did not say anything.

Ren Xiaosu sighed and said, "Why don't I take it and have a look for myself?"

After that, Ren Xiaosu suddenly dispelled the steam locomotive and lunged at the knight. He landed a knifehand strike on the other party's neck in midair and knocked him unconscious.

He removed the leather tube from the back of the knight and opened it. Ren Xiaosu was surprised to find a portrait of himself rolled up inside!

The portrait did not include Mel, Little Qian, Chen Jingshu, or An'an. It was just him alone.

Ren Xiaosu frowned. "Seems like that guest from the Central Plains is an old acquaintance!"

Before this, even though a lot of things had happened in Winston City, it was at most Mel who came under suspicion for being the person responsible for the chaos. No one had suspected Ren Xiaosu.

And now, although he did not know where the Knight of the Inferno was heading with the wanted portrait on his back, its existence alone was enough to prove that someone was aware he was the instigator.

Who could have deduced that so quickly? It had to be someone who knew about the steam locomotive and the Shadow Door, or in other words, that guest from the Central Plains.

In that case, who could sketch his appearance based on memory? It would have to be someone who had personally seen him before and paid a lot of attention to him.

Although Ren Xiaosu had caused a lot of trouble in the Central Plains, he did not leave behind much pictorial evidence of his operations.

"All the more reason to go back to Winston City now." Ren Xiaosu chuckled. He wanted to see who had the balls to not leave immediately after finding out he was in the Kingdom of Sorcerers.

And that person even fucking sketched a portrait of him for someone from the Kingdom of Sorcerers!

But where was this portrait going to be sent to? Ren Xiaosu looked north. "Is that where the Tudor family is? How horrible. You want the Tudor family to come and find trouble with me so I can help you deal with them?"

Ren Xiaosu did not know much about military strategy, but when it came to figuring out an enemy's conspiracies, his guesses were almost always correct.

He put the portrait away into the palace. "The artist is quite good. Maybe I'll find someone to color it and give it to Xiaojin as a present. I wonder if she'll like it."

...

The banquet in Winston City was still going. The Berkeley family's sorcerers were currently toasting each other at another one of the Winston family's manors. To welcome Wang Wenyan, the House of Berkeley even invited many socialites from across the city to liven up the event.

The Berkeley family's patriarch raised his champagne flute and said to Wang Wenyan, "Our scout has already set off with the intel. When it's time, I'll use our double agent who's been lying low for many years to relay the information so the House of Tudor will remember Ren Xiaosu's name and face."

Wang Wenyan replied with a laugh, "Patriarch, the preparatory work for this war has gone much better than expected. I'll be waiting for your good news then. The next batch of weapons will arrive in ten days. Patriarch, as you know, it's very difficult for us to send the weapons over. We still have to carefully avoid Fortress 178's detection."

"To friendship." The Berkeley family's patriarch smiled and took a sip of the golden champagne. It was bubbling in the glass, making it look exceptionally delightful.

Wang Wenyan downed the champagne in one gulp and suddenly asked, "What are our chances of winning against the Houses of Norman and Tudor?"

"We only had a 60% chance of winning previously. With our new friend, we stand an 80% chance of winning." The Berkeley family's patriarch was dressed in a tuxedo. He was already in middle age, so his face was a little wrinkled. However, the lines on his face made him even more charming and mature as a man.

It was even more true when a confident smile appeared on his face.

Wang Wenyan asked, "Your Excellency, the Houses of Norman and Tudor are not easy to deal with. From what I know, those two patriarchs wield the black Eyes of True Sight and also possess the most powerful spells."

The Berkeley family's patriarch did not seem to have any intention of discussing this with Wang Wenyan. It was better to keep some matters that could affect the outcome of the war to himself.

A new song started playing in the banquet hall. The Berkeley family's patriarch smiled and beckoned for a few socialites to come over in a bid to change the topic. "Let me introduce someone to all of you. This young man is our House of Berkeley's new friend. Aren't any of you going to request a dance with him? You mustn't miss out on such a good song like 'One Step Away.'"

After that, the Berkeley family's patriarch turned to Wang Wenyan and said with a smile, "These are all the nicest girls from Winston City. My dear friend from afar, you must cherish these beautiful times."

But just as he finished speaking, the Berkeley family's patriarch saw Wang Wenyan looking behind him with a stiff expression.

In that instant, the Berkeley family's patriarch instinctively knew something was not right. His combat awareness was extremely good, so he dodged to the side almost instantly. At the same time, he reached for his belt to retrieve his Eye of True Sight.

But it was too late to do anything now.

"Fuck!" The Berkeley family's patriarch felt a huge force hitting his waist. Then he got kicked three meters away.

The ballroom was paved with smooth marble tiles. After the Berkeley family's patriarch hit the ground, he couldn't stop himself from sliding across the floor.

The Berkeley family's patriarch did not even have a chance to take out his Eye of True Sight.

No matter how hard he usually trained, he had no resistance against the absolute strength facing him.

This was how pathetic it was if a sorcerer allowed anyone to get close to them. Even a once-in-a-lifetime genius like Russell was not spared, let alone a mere patriarch of the House of Berkeley.

Speaking of strength, the patriarchs of the House of Tudor, the House of Norman, and the House of Berkeley were actually quite lackluster compared to Russell.

While he slid across the floor, the Berkeley family's patriarch suddenly saw a young man in a suit swinging his saber at Wang Wenyan!

The unparalleled aura made it seem like the saber could split the world apart. The Berkeley family's patriarch swore he had never seen such a terrifying saber attack in his life before.

It was not about how fast or powerful the slash was.

It was how Ren Xiaosu, who had sneaked in wearing the suit Yang Xiaojin had tailored for him, had slashed the saber with such a big motion that his suit burst apart.

The motion created such a visually stunning sight!

But unfortunately, Wang Wenyan was much more agile than the Berkeley family's patriarch. Before the blade could reach him, he had already turned into black mist and flown backwards, landing a dozen meters away.

The screams of the socialites erupted in the banquet hall. Some people hurriedly went over to help the Berkeley family's patriarch up while the others immediately took out their Eyes of True Sight from their waist belts and prepared to attack Ren Xiaosu.

Usually, most sorcerers would not even bring their Eyes of True Sight to an event like this. After all, their formal wear was close-fitting, so there was nowhere for them to keep their Eyes of True Sight. As such, they would leave it with their stewards outside the banquet hall for safekeeping. There was no worry their stewards could steal their stones.

However, the House of Berkeley was slightly different. They advocated martial arts and also insisted that all sorcerers must carry their Eyes of True Sight with them like how a knight kept their sword by their side at all times.

But before they could recite their incantations, a figure wearing a white mask jumped down from the chandelier on the ceiling and decisively knocked out all the sorcerers one by one.

This hasty battle flared up in an instant. Old Xu was so fast no one could finish reciting an incantation in the face of its quick attacks!

No one knew when these two people had sneaked in, nor did anyone know what they wanted.

Only Wang Wenyan was extremely shocked. He had drunk about seven or eight glasses of champagne and probably two glasses of wine, so he was a little tipsy.

But when he saw Ren Xiaosu appear, he broke out into a cold sweat and immediately sobered up! This face had the effect of sobering him up!

Didn't they say that Ren Xiaosu had already left Winston City? Why did he suddenly turn back?

"Why have you come back?" Wang Wenyan gulped.

"Are you surprised?" Ren Xiaosu asked with a smile, "I heard that an old friend had come to the Kingdom of Sorcerers, so of course I needed to come and see him. Why are you here alone? Where's Wang Run? Didn't he come?"

Wang Wenyan replied, "It's only me."

"What are you doing here?" Ren Xiaosu asked with a smile, "What new plans does the Wang Consortium have? Why didn't you drop by Fortress 178 when you passed by? Isn't that a little rude?"

Old Xu had already ended its battle on its side. Other than the Berkeley family's patriarch, there were no other sorcerers left standing in the banquet hall. All of them were lying on the ground.

Actually, Ren Xiaosu quite liked the Kingdom of Sorcerers. Ever since he came here, all his opponents needed an extra step of taking out their Eye of True Sight before they could attack. It was just like how the Central Plains soldiers had to draw their pistols, only that it happened at a slower speed here.

Therefore, many of the sorcerers were knocked unconscious by Old Xu before they could even take out their Eyes of True Sight.

In the Central Plains, most of the soldiers were trained to draw their guns quickly. Ren Xiaosu reckoned that after today's commotion, the Kingdom of Sorcerers would have to start making its sorcerers practice arming themselves with the stones quickly after they completed their stress training.

In the ballroom, the socialites were cautiously hiding in a corner. The Berkeley family's patriarch had already taken out his Eye of True Sight and was about to recite an incantation. But midway through it, Old Xu punched him in the chest and interrupted his casting.

The Berkeley family's patriarch gritted his teeth and tried to recite another incantation as he retreated. However, Old Xu caught up and thumped him in the chest again.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was close to vomiting blood. He was both anxious and angry, but no matter how hard he tried, he kept getting interrupted by Old Xu each time he wanted to recite an incantation.

At this moment, a sorcerer lying on the ground slowly opened his eyes and quietly assessed his surroundings.

The sorcerer had been knocked unconscious just now, but it seemed that Old Xu's hit was not precise enough, so he regained consciousness very quickly.

The sorcerer was not in a hurry to get up. Having undergone combat training before, he reached for his waist belt and quietly held his Eye of True Sight in his hand.

He looked in the direction of his patriarch and White Mask. He was waiting for an opportunity when both of them were standing still so he could quickly recite the Earth Bind spell. He wanted to use this opportunity to save his patriarch.

The Berkeley family's patriarch had noticed this from the corner of his eye. He was gratified. The clan members he had nurtured over the years had truly lived up to his expectations. They were truly much better than the members of other sorcerer clans.

If it were the members of other sorcerer clans, they would probably start shouting and running around in a panic the moment they regained consciousness. How could they be as calm as this young man from his own clan?

The Berkeley family's patriarch even thought of promoting the young man in the future. By the way, who was he again?

The Berkeley family's patriarch was a little unsure if this was his son or someone else's son. After all, he had too many children. That young man was also a fringe figure in the family and did not look familiar to him.

He didn't care that much. Once the Earth Bind spell took effect, the Berkeley family's patriarch would launch a counterattack.

As he was thinking about it, the Earth Bind spell was dispelled as soon as it wrapped around Old Xu.

Meanwhile, Ren Xiaosu was stunned. What was that just now? Why did it disappear before he even exerted any strength? Whatever! And he continued beating up the Berkeley family's patriarch.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was really quite dumbfounded. He could not understand what kind of monster was facing him. How could he be so fast?! How could he be so strong?

He finally understood why Wang Wenyan said the future commander of Fortress 178 was going to be his eventual opponent.

He also realized why Wang Wenyan said that as long as the Houses of Norman and Tudor went after this person, they would surely be in deep trouble.

If someone like that were to get in close proximity, it would be a disaster for any sorcerer.

No matter how many times you had practiced your spells or meditated, as long as you could not recite a full incantation, you were no better than the average foot soldier. There was practically no difference at all.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was filled with hatred. Only 10% of their sorcerers attended the banquet tonight. If more of them had come, they would not have been so easily overpowered.

However, since the other party was capable of taking his life easily, he wondered why he didn't just kill him?

Although it was a little humiliating to say that, the Berkeley family's patriarch was very sure the other party was indeed capable of killing him. It was just that he did not want to do so.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was also a brave person. Knowing that reciting a full incantation was no longer possible, he threw his gold Eye of True Sight straight to Ren Xiaosu and roared, "If you want to kill me, do as you please! Why do you have to humiliate me?!"

As expected, only after discarding his Eye of True Sight did Ren Xiaosu give him a chance to finish his sentences.

In the end, the Eye of True Sight he threw to Ren Xiaosu parabolically was thrown back at him by Ren Xiaosu who then said, "Obediently stand aside. You just focus on fighting the war well with the Normans and Tudors!"

The Berkeley family's patriarch was stunned. After being in charge of a top sorcerer clan for many years, this was the first time he was being treated as a tool.

So the enemy did not kill him because he wanted to keep the House of Berkeley alive to deal with the Houses of Norman and Tudor?!

The Berkeley family's patriarch intended to say something, but Ren Xiaosu no longer cared about him and turned his attention to Wang Wenyan instead. He said, "The Wang Consortium is planning to attack the Northwest soon, right? That's why they're so eager to unify the Kingdom of Sorcerers so that they'll have the strength to pin us down."

Wang Wenyan did not say anything. It was as though he did not want to answer this question.

Ren Xiaosu sighed and said, "Why do y'all have to start a war no matter what? Can't we get along peacefully?"

Wang Wenyan said, "I only came to travel and see the world."

"You're traveling with your Wang Consortium's firearms and explosives in tow? How can there be such logic in the world?" Ren Xiaosu emotionally said, "I know you're a diplomat of the Wang Consortium, so you definitely won't admit to your intentions. But I want to remind you that the fate of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people depends on the decisions that y'all make now."

Wang Wenyan shook his head. "The people of the Alliance of Strongholds have suffered for too long. Only unification can change that."

"I don't deny your point of view." Ren Xiaosu said, "But what if the Wang Consortium's current approach is way too radical?"

"How can there be no sacrifices and bloodshed for a revolutionary cause?" Wang Wenyan said coldly.

"It's other people's sacrifices and blood you're talking about." Ren Xiaosu's voice also turned cold. "I've always thought that it would be right to unite the Alliance of Strongholds, but you shouldn't have betrayed your compatriots while the expeditionary army was coming south! It's true that the Pyro Company is your enemy, but they've stuck to their cause and bled for the Alliance of Strongholds. They should've died on the battlefield, not in a mire of conspiracy."

"Is there a difference?" Wang Wenyan said, "If the outcome is good, what importance is the process?"

Off to the side, the Berkeley family's patriarch said with a livid expression, "What are you two rambling on about?!"

Ren Xiaosu glanced at him before Old Xu dragged the Berkeley family's patriarch aside.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was speechless.

At first, he thought the other party was here to assassinate him. But later, he realized it was not the case. Then he thought the other party wanted to plunder the Berkeley family's Eyes of True Sight, but that was not the case either.

In the end, he thought he could at least interject a little, but he realized the other party did not even intend to give him a chance to speak.

There was no negotiation, no criticism, nothing at all. By dragging him aside, it was basically telling him to stay quiet and mind his own business.

But his House of Berkeley was supposed to be the protagonist of this city!

Ren Xiaosu smiled at Wang Wenyan and said, "Are you trying to stall for time? The Knights of the Inferno must have already surrounded us with their troops. The other sorcerers of the Berkeley family are also on their way over. But are you confident that you can stop me?"

"You can't make me stay either," Wang Wenyan said coldly.

Before those words trailed off, Ren Xiaosu launched his feet off the ground. The Winston socialites, who were hiding in the corner, only saw a blur before the young man, who used to be standing in the middle of the ballroom floor, arrived in front of Wang Wenyan.

The faster Ren Xiaosu moved, the slower they felt they were. It was as though they were at the bottom of a pool several meters deep. Everyone's movements were slowed down due to the resistance of the pool water, and only Ren Xiaosu was moving at normal speed.

It was as though they were creatures living in two different dimensions.

The Berkeley family's patriarch did not say anything more. He only had one question on his mind: Were all the people from the Central Plains so powerful, or was it only this young man in front of him?

He looked at Old Xu standing not far away from him and rubbed the ruby ring on his right thumb with his fingers while in deep thought.

But in the end, the Berkeley family's patriarch seemingly gave up on one of his plans. He got some new ideas instead.

Just as Ren Xiaosu was about to reach Wang Wenyan, Wang Wenyan's figure dissipated like smoke.

Ren Xiaosu slashed at him with the black saber. But even though the black saber was the sharpest weapon in the world, it could not cut through anything without form.

"Your power is really great for escaping." Ren Xiaosu sighed. He had to admit he didn't have a good way to deal with Wang Wenyan.

Unless Wang Yun also came to the Kingdom of Sorcerers, Wang Wenyan would not be captured.

Wang Yun, who could control the air, was Wang Wenyan's natural nemesis.

The black mist did not linger in the banquet hall. It flew out through a gap in the windows like a thin veil and blended into the night.

Without saying any harsh words, the battle ended just like that.

"How boring." Ren Xiaosu sighed. He looked at the Berkeley family's patriarch and reminded him patiently, "Fight well, or I'll twist your head off."

The Berkeley family's patriarch was speechless.

Ren Xiaosu swaggered out of the manor with Old Xu in tow. At first, his pace was calm and composed. But two steps after reaching the outside, he started making a mad dash for fear the people behind would come after him.

Everything happened quite conveniently for Ren Xiaosu tonight. He had taken advantage of the other party's banquet to launch a surprise attack on them. If they had been prepared, Ren Xiaosu would have been in a very difficult situation if one or two archmages managed to recite a fatal incantation on him.

This was especially true when the Berkeley family's sorcerers were all gung ho warriors.

On the same night, a grand pursuit began in Winston City. However, the Berkeley family's patriarch knew full well the Knights of the Inferno could not capture Ren Xiaosu.

After Ren Xiaosu left, the patriarch stood in the banquet hall for a long time before suddenly giving an order. "All sorcerers who were present tonight must keep this matter a secret. While the honor of our clan is secondary, we have to keep things under wraps so the Houses of Norman and Tudor won't find out about Ren Xiaosu's strength!"

Wang Wenyan's whereabouts were no longer known, but the Berkeley family's patriarch deeply agreed with what he said. They needed the Houses of Norman and Tudor to feud with Ren Xiaosu. Only then would the scales of victory tilt towards the House of Berkeley.

For this reason, he even had the Knights of the Inferno lock down the entire manor. Other than the sorcerers of his own clan, everyone who witnessed the attack tonight would have to be placed under house arrest here until the war was over.

The Berkeley family's patriarch was a self-proclaimed ambitious man of his generation. If he easily flew into a rage when faced with such a situation, he would not be qualified to start this upcoming civil war.

As the head of a top sorcerer clan, he had long learned to ignore personal success and failures and only think on the side of interests.

In this war, the involvement of the Central Plains forces would undoubtedly increase the variables. But if they could leverage it well, the House of Berkeley would stand to benefit from it.

When the Berkeley family's patriarch thought of this, he made a decision.

But at this moment, a loud rumble came from the distant walls. As the sound of explosions and chaos mixed together, the Knights of the Inferno outside the manor began to stir.

All of this sounded like... the walls of Winston City had collapsed again!

The Berkeley family's patriarch said, "What the fuck..."