Markham paused, as if he'd never considered the matter before.
"Without it, vegetation withers, leaving behind only desolation. We call it the Deadlands."
linda was still negotiating with the various family heads while Matriarch Whitmore sat with her eyes closed, appearing to rest.
Now, she opened them to answer Ethan's question.
"The Deadlands?" Ethan repeated.
"Yes, the Deadlands. A place utterly devoid of life. Those who enter it contract sothing… inexplicable. Indescribable."
"Anyone who sets foot there is dood. Even if they manage to return, they're soon t with an unnatural death."
Matriarch Whitmore assud Ethan was simply asking what the Deadlands were, so she gave him a brief explanation.
Ethan took in another strange piece of information. And then a thought struck him.
…
If Energy Cores were that powerful, what would happen if soone absorbed one directly—or even ate one?
Wouldn't that be like consuming a miraculous elixir? Wouldn't it make soone instantly exceptional in combat?
His eyes flicked around as he considered how to get his hands on a few to test the theory.
"By the way, Markham… Other families use Energy Cores to sustain their entire line. But the Whitmore Family has so few mbers. Isn't it wasteful to place them in the Hidden Territory?"
The question ca from genuine curiosity.
Markham grinned.
"Heh… That's not sothing I can talk about. But if you really beco my brother-in-law, I'll tell you the secret!"
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper at Ethan's ear.
"Look at my sister. She's grown up without ever even holding a boy's hand. You're one lucky guy!"
Ethan rolled his eyes, brushing it off as a joke.
But when he turned his head, he caught Maria watching him with wide, glistening eyes.
The mont their eyes t, she quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened. But her stiff posture betrayed her.
Seeing this, Ethan thought to himself: This could be trouble.
Could this young girl actually have feelings for him?
Markham had obviously noticed too, and he continued with a chuckle. "My sister's always said she'd marry the man who could defeat her!"
"Uh…?" Ethan was left speechless.
While they were chatting casually, on the other side, the distribution of Energy Cores had been finalized.
Each family began reporting the list of their candidates.
According to the rules, each of the Noble Eight families could send up to three participants. The final ranking would be based on the best result among their three.
One by one, the families announced their candidates. Ethan noticed that Bobby and Rook were both included.
When he'd spoken with them earlier, they'd ntioned they weren't listed for the Combat Trials. Their inclusion now probably ant their strong performance in the Academic Trials had earned them a direct qualification.
The House of Zanes nad only one competitor: Dominic Zane.
Naturally, the Quinn Family put forward the young girl, Kiara Quinn.
The remaining families almost all fielded three participants—such as the Silverwoods, whose three mbers were all nad sothing like "Elias Silverwood…"
Ethan didn't bother rembering the nas. Once all the families had reported, only the Whitmore Family remained silent.
linda frowned in concern, reluctantly preparing to announce that Markham would be their only participant.
Maria's Dragon Soul had entered a recovery period and couldn't be summoned. Markham still had so fighting capability, so he was the only viable choice.
Just then, Ethan spoke up.
"The Whitmore Family will have only one participant—."
Hearing this, linda's eyes lit up as she t his gaze.
He nodded, confirming his decision.
After all, the Whitmore Family's lack of competitors was due to him. Since Matriarch Whitmore had publicly declared him the family's son-in-law, he would use that status to repay them.
linda turned and announced quickly, "That's right. Our Whitmore Family will be represented by our son-in-law, Ethan."
At her words, the other family heads suddenly perked up, intrigued.
"linda, are you serious?" the Wynn Family head called out surprised.
But linda simply smiled at Ethan, ignoring the question.
Privately, though, she thought: If only this young man really beca part of our family…
Then another thought passed through her mind, and her expression dimd. She glanced at Maria, sighed silently, and shook her head.
The Wynn Family head got no answer, but the others didn't seem to care. Their interest in Ethan only grew.
They started whispering to their respective candidates, never taking their eyes off him.
"What the hell… what's that all about?" Ethan muttered.
Markham, naturally understanding, laughed. "Heh, they think you're an easy target!
Those guys have been getting thrashed by the Whitmore Family every tournant. If it weren't for the Academic Trials—since those scores count too—we'd be the number one family!"
…
Even with the formalities complete, the family heads lingered, chatting idly.
The Whitmore Family stood apart from the others. They kept to themselves, talking warmly among one another—genuinely like a family.
In contrast, candidates from the other families stood at attention like soldiers about to march into battle.
After a while, the little girl from the Quinn Family, Kiara, sohow made her way over and tapped Ethan on the back.
Startled, he turned to find her standing there, barely reaching his chest.
"Hello, big bro…" Kiara said sweetly, her smile charming.
"Uh… hello!" Ethan replied instinctively.
Up close, sothing about this little girl's face and build felt oddly familiar.
"Hehe…" Kiara giggled at his awkward expression.
She tilted her head, clenched her tiny fists against her cheeks, and stuck out her tongue playfully—putting on a deliberately adorable act.
Then she turned around and trotted off.
"Bye, big bro!"
"Huh?"
Ethan was puzzled. Had she really co over just to say hello?
Even the Whitmore Family mbers looked at him curiously. "Do you know her?"
He frowned and shook his head.
Just then, Lachlan Silverwood stood up and called out, "Well, it's about ti. Everyone, please follow to the Banquet Hall!"
As he finished speaking, Matriarch Whitmore suddenly rose to her feet, gave Ethan a glance, and said,
"Let's go. We're heading back."
"Going back? Aren't we staying for the banquet?" linda asked.
The old lady didn't respond. She just started walking toward the hall's entrance.
Apparently, everyone had been waiting for the Silverwood Family's banquet to begin.
But now, Matriarch Whitmore clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
Ethan had been looking forward to it all day.
"GrandAunt…" he called after her.
She turned back to glance at him and said firmly, "Co."
Her tone left no room for argunt.
Ethan blinked, taken aback. What was going on? Just monts ago, she'd been kind and approachable—now she'd turned cold in an instant.
He hesitated, then figured there must be a reason behind her sudden shift.
At the sa ti, Markham nudged him from behind, urging him to follow.
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