After letting Wellington's men go, Merlin began to consider what path he should take next.
After all, the Sacred Dragon Empire could no longer hold itself together. Many regions were in utter chaos, and rebel armies sprang up endlessly. The Sacred Dragon Royal House lacked the power to act despite its intentions. Outside Sacred Dragon City, it could no longer control anything.
Fortunately, chaotic as the Sacred Dragon Empire was, no rebel army had been foolish enough to attack Sacred Dragon City. In theory, then, the empire's Royal Family remained the strongest force. If it had time to rest and recover, it might truly reunify the entire Sacred Dragon Empire.
From that perspective, staying with the Sacred Dragon Royal House seemed a fairly good choice.
Thus, after careful consideration, Merlin made up his mind. He needed to retain his membership in Phantom and rise into its upper ranks. After all, Phantom, which the Royal Family had cultivated for so many years, possessed resources far beyond his imagination.
With his identity as a Phantom member, many things would be easier to accomplish in Sacred Dragon City.
However, Merlin would not readily give up Stone City either. What mattered most in troubled times? Military strength and a power base, of course. Merlin already had the strength, but his base could not be in Sacred Dragon City, because that was the Royal Family's base.
Therefore, Merlin could only establish his base in Stone City. Fortunately, it was also the Huiderieman Family's base. Although Black Bat had occupied it for a time, the family's influence remained. After Merlin replaced Black Bat as Stone City's new Controller, members of the Huiderieman Family began arriving to visit him.
"To make Stone City my base, I need to intimidate the surrounding rebel armies!"
In truth, Merlin had