System's POV

Chapter 783 All Good Things Must Belong To The Family

Chapter 783  All Good Things Must Belong To The Family

After bidding everyone goodbye, Thirteen walked out of the stage and accompanied his brother to exit the Colosseum.

Knowing that there might be hidden eyes and ears observing the two of them, they didn't say anything and simply walked until they rejoined with the members of the Leventis Family.

"Zion, let's talk," Arthur called his no-good grandson after he noticed that Mikhail didn't seem to look upset after losing his match. "Okay," Thirteen replied.

He then got inside Arthur's limousine, which his Grandfather and Uncle, Michael, used to return to the hotel.

When the Leventis entourage started moving, Arthur clipped a cigar and asked Michael to light it.

After taking a huff, he glanced at his grandson, who was leaning on the couch in a very relaxed manner.

"I smell something fishy, Zion," Arthur said. "Care to tell me what it is?"

"If it smells fishy, then it must be fish, no?" Thirteen replied innocently.

A sigh escaped Arthur's lips because he knew that if he kept on talking in circles, his no-good grandson would be more than happy to talk in circles as well.

"Did Mikhail lose on purpose?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Thirteen replied, which made Michael, who was seated a meter away from his father, frown. "Why?" Arthur asked. "Did the Ashford Clan threaten you?"

"No."

"Then why did you make Mikhail throw the match?"

Arthur wanted either Mikhail or Shasha to become the Champion of the tournament to bring glory to their name.

However, both of them were now eliminated from the tournament, and there was no longer an opportunity for his wish to be fulfilled.

If not for the fact that the Patriarch of the Leventis Family trusted that Zion always did things for a reason, he might have already spanked him to oblivion for asking Mikhail to lose on purpose.

"I wish to bring down Aaron Ashford," Thirteen declared. "He and I cannot exist under the same sky. In order to achieve my goal, I need Clark and his father to stay in a position of power within the Ashford Clan."

Thirteen then explained the situation to his Grandfather and Uncle, who were the decision-makers of the Leventis Family.

After Arthur heard Clark's and Claude's circumstances, he finally understood why Thirteen decided to go through with this plan.

However, it still irked him that the Leventis Family had to sacrifice their prestige for the sake of other families.

"Zion…"

"Grandpa, Pops will be making a new Legendary Gear after the tournament. You should focus on that more than these silly little tournaments."

After getting cut off by his grandson, Arthur got angry, but that immediately dissipated after he heard about the Legendary Gear Gerald would craft after the tournament. His frown disappeared, replaced by a wide grin.

"Hahaha! Now you're talking!" Arthur finally stopped caring about the results of the tournament and focused on the more important matter.

In the past, Gerald had successfully crafted a Mythical Equipment. However, after Zion used his Rune Magic on it, its grade jumped up from Mythical to the first Stages of the Legendary Rank.

This Legendary Equipment was now in Camazotz's hands, making the Death Bat a more powerful, and dependable ally.

Arthur, who had already met the Majin Prince in the past, was disappointed because the Legendary Equipment didn't become part of the Leventis Family's collection.

However, Thirteen promised the old man that the next Legendary Equipment he and Gerald would craft would be given to Arthur, so the latter would be able to protect their family better against outside threats.

"You're right. We shouldn't focus on these silly little tournaments." Hearing Arthur make a 180-degree turn in attitude, Michael, who was seated a short distance from him, sighed internally.

However, he, too, agreed that compared to the things that could be won in the tournament, their family was in a much better position since Zion and Gerald were on their side.

Although Gerald still refused to return to the Main Branch of the Family, Arthur knew that his son was just playing hard to get.

Or so he thought.

"Then let's talk about more important matters," Arthur stated. "We need to make a proper engagement ceremony for you and Erica."

Arthur had no doubt in his mind that Erica had an extremely high chance of winning the tournament.

Even if Mikhail and Shasha were already eliminated, if Erica won, it would still be considered a win for the Leventis Family. After all, she was now Zion's fiance.

With this in mind, he planned to hold a proper engagement ceremony after the tournament ended.

"Okay," Thirteen replied. Arthur arched an eyebrow. "You agreed right away. I thought you were going to downplay things a bit."

"Why would I do that?" Thirteen asked back. "Since Erica has already decided, then we should just go ahead with it."

Arthur smirked before puffing the cigar in his hand. A few seconds later, he once again thought of something.

"How about that girl, Sherry?" Arthur asked. "Are you going to make her your mistress or something? She's not half bad. Her family also has a good reputation as mercenaries."

Arthur had long done a background check on the two ladies who had a close relationship with his grandson.

Since Zion played an important role in the Leventis Family, anyone who became part of his circle of friends was immediately put under strict investigation by the Leventis Family's intelligence officers.

"It won't be too late to do that after a few years," Thirteen replied. "But you can already consider Sherry as one of my people."

"One of your people, huh?" Arthur smirked. "Fine. We can arrange Sherry's engagement ceremony to you in the future. Let's focus on Erica first since she will probably be in the spotlight after this tournament."

"We need to act swiftly. If we delay it, the other Families might think that they still have an opportunity to give her a better offer," Michael stated. Arthur nodded. "All good things must be kept in the family. We need to make your engagement official before those old foxes make their move."

"I'll leave the preparations to you, Grandpa," Thirteen replied. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"Relax. I got this."

"Mmm."

The three then talked about more important matters, including the part where Arthur should refuse any form of alliance with the Ashford Clan.

Entering an alliance with them would put Thirteen in a bind, so he didn't want such restrictions put in place.

However, Thirteen firmly told Arthur and Michael that they should strengthen their relationship with the Central Government.

Arthur didn't have any objections to this plan. As long as the Central Government had their back, the other Families would think twice before targeting them.

Although the Monarch Clans and the Ten Prestigious Families looked amicable on the surface, they really didn't get along very much.

But they also knew that they couldn't escalate any conflicts between their families and that it would be best to keep things in moderation.

An all-out war was something they would like to avoid unless it was a last resort.

However, Thirteen and Arthur believed that after the Cygni Invasion was over, the delicate peace and unity the powerful factions in the world of Pangea shared could disappear overnight.

Because of this, personal strength was important. That was the only way they could guarantee their survival.

As such, Thirteen had long planned for Arthur to have a Legendary Equipment, which would allow him to contend against a Monarch if ever a civil war started between the Leventis Family and their enemies.