Early the next morning, after finishing the breakfast brought to him by a servant, Aron formally said goodbye to old Mr.
Howlett.
The old man, who had always been shrewd and capable, now could barely keep his back straight, while his once sharp eyes were lifeless and dull.
Only after the old butler reminded him several times did he slowly react.
“Mr. Blackwood, thank you for what happened last night!”
“However, please keep that matter secret. I will add another five thousand acres of land. I beg you!”
Old Mr.
Howlett gestured with his hand, and the butler took a property transfer agreement from the bookshelf.
Aron’s gaze swept over the long text of the agreement.
In short, the Howlett family was voluntarily transferring fifteen thousand acres of land without compensation.
In the place for the transferor’s signature, in the lower left corner, there was already old Mr.
Howlett’s signature and his seal.
The place for the recipient’s signature, in the lower right corner, was blank.
As soon as Aron signed it, the transfer agreement would immediately take effect.
Taking the pen from the butler, Aron seriously wrote his name in the place intended for the recipient’s signature.
“Mr. Howlett, there really was no need for you to do this. I am always happy to help my friends!”
Old Mr.
Howlett’s wrinkled face twitched several times, as though it still pained him to give up so much land.
“There is no need to be polite. Actually, there is something else I would like to entrust to you!”
“After what happened last night, John developed an aversion toward Victor and James. If possible, please take both boys with you and help discipline them!”
Aron did not refuse.
After all, when you accept someone’s payment, it is only natural to help them solve their troubles.
Far more importantly, James was the future Wolverine.
His extraordinary self-healing ability made him almost impossible to kill.
If such a powerful mutant was raised by him from childhood, James would definitely become one of his most reliable people in the future.
Victor was not bad either.
Wolverine’s half-brother also possessed an extraordinary self-healing ability, and in physical strength he even surpassed Wolverine.
In the future, he would become the famous Sabretooth.
With one wolf and one tiger in his hands, the Blackwood family had taken its first step toward building its own supernatural forces.
Although old Mr.
Howlett knew that James was not his son’s child, he did not force him to change his surname.
Instead, he reluctantly saw him off and prepared an entire carriage of daily necessities, toys, and clothes.
John did not appear to see him off, and Aron understood his feelings very well.
No man, no matter what country he came from, could love his wife’s bastard child.
The fact that he had managed to restrain himself from killing James and Elizabeth was already the greatest mercy he could show.
“Hey, boy, do you know how to drive a carriage?”
Patting Victor on his broad shoulder, Aron pointed toward the fully loaded carriage.
Victor shrugged, indifferently climbed onto the carriage, pulled the reins, and lightly flicked them.
“Let’s go!”
The poor horse pulling the carriage obeyed the command.
However, before it had gone far, Victor shouted again, and the carriage stopped dead in its tracks.
Obviously, Victor was very skilled at such work and handled the carriage extremely well.
Aron lifted James into his arms and seated him with himself on the horse, then waved to old Mr.
Howlett and said:
“Goodbye, Mr. Howlett. I will take good care of James.”
“If you miss him, send someone to the Blackwood estate and I will send him to visit you.”
Old Mr.
Howlett nodded, but said nothing.
His eyes became red and moist.
“It really is strange watching such an old man pretend that he doesn’t care, isn’t it, James?”
Quietly teasing the boy in his arms, Aron did not wait for his answer.
He lightly flicked the whip, and the large white horse beneath him began moving at a gentle trot.
James tightly pressed his lips together, while his small face frowned with sadness.
He did not cry, but the sorrow and despair on him could clearly be felt.
Although he was so young and had just experienced the complete collapse of his family, he was still trying with all his strength to remain strong.
His little maid Rose O’Hara sadly tried to break free from her mother and run after her departing friend, but her mother restrained her again after only a few steps.
After returning to the Blackwood estate, Aron took James by the small hand and led him on a tour of the estate.
Victor, under the guidance of the guards, unloaded the trunks from the carriage and then took the horse to the stable.
In the great hall of the Blackwood estate, numerous servants and guards who had already received the news stood in silence.
More than three hundred musketeers radiated such a powerful killing aura that the servants did not dare make even a sound.
Aron placed his hands on James’s shoulders and swept his gaze over the people before him.
Every face at the head of the musketeer detachments was very familiar to him.
These people, who had followed him across the ocean and helped him establish his foundations in Canada, were completely loyal to him.
They were friends from life-and-death battles, people to whom he could entrust his own life.
“Today I want to announce some good news to you. From now on, James will live on the estate as my adopted son. You must love him and care for him just as much as you respect me!”
“Marko, step forward!”
A burly man with a scar-covered face stepped forward two paces and loudly replied:
“Here! Awaiting the family head’s orders!”
Aron nodded and continued:
“From today onward, you are James’s personal bodyguard. You will be responsible for his safety and will teach him the martial arts of the Blackwood family!”
Marko struck his chest hard with his right fist, producing a dull sound.
“I will carry out the order!”
After finishing arranging James’s affairs, Aron took out the land transfer agreement he had signed with Mr.
Howlett and unfolded the boundary map attached to the contract.
“This is the fifteen thousand acres of land we received from Mr. Howlett. From today onward, it will belong to our Blackwood family!”
When everyone heard that the family estate had increased by another fifteen thousand acres, they could not restrain themselves and began cheering loudly.
“God, the family head truly is incredible if he managed to obtain so much land from Bloodman!”
“Exactly! Until now, I had only heard about the Howlett family taking other people’s land. Since when do they voluntarily give it away to others?”
“The family is becoming stronger and stronger, and the family head treats us generously and kindly. I truly want my family to serve the Blackwoods from generation to generation. It is only a pity that the family head has not yet married or had children.”
“Yes, although he now has an adopted son, he still does not carry the family head’s blood. I don’t want my children one day to be loyal to someone who is not a Blackwood!”
…
What they discussed at first was completely normal.
In this era, land represented the most important form of wealth.
They had practically obtained all fifteen thousand acres for nothing, so everyone was beside themselves with happiness.
However, the topic gradually shifted, and in the end everything once again came down to the question of Aron’s heirs.
The discussion became increasingly lively, and hundreds of pairs of eyes turned toward Aron, who stood opposite them.
“Ahem! It really is said that everyone else worries more than the person actually concerned. I’m the one getting married, not you!”
After scolding them with a laugh, they still continued watching him with eager anticipation.
Aron no longer concealed his intentions and openly announced the final piece of good news.
“Marriage is out of the question, but I can take a concubine!”
When they heard the first half of the sentence, more than twenty musketeer captains nearly rebelled.
Only when the second half reached their ears did they smile again.
Those warriors did not care whether Aron officially married.
As long as he found a woman who would bear him children, their descendants would be able to continue following and serving his bloodline.
Many wealthy merchants and impoverished nobles had brought their daughters to last night’s banquet.
If this news spread, people might trample down the threshold of the Blackwood estate.
If they managed to act as intermediaries and match Aron with one of those women, the master would surely reward them generously, and neither the wealthy merchants nor the impoverished nobles would forget them.
Aron watched his subordinates wink at one another and immediately understood that they were plotting something.
However, that was exactly what he had wanted to achieve when he publicly announced the news.
In an environment where almost all the inhabitants of Canada were Christians, the head of the distinguished Blackwood family could easily attract the attention of the Church if he openly sought a mistress.
But if his subordinates spread the news and the wealthy merchants and impoverished nobles voluntarily took the bait, the Church would have no choice but to turn a blind eye.