CHAPTER 848: THE CHAOS

The rumor about Patriarch Barevisk’s past spread, and it made many people angry. It was a rumor that many found unacceptable, and although they still waited for confirmation, merely hearing it was enough to boil their blood.

The rumor claimed that Patriarch Barevisk had actually killed the previous patriarch, and that was the first thing that enraged many. The former patriarch was seen as a good leader with a noble character. Many believed he was the one who had kept the Barevisk family standing tall, even compared to the Valroy family.

That was why his death in the past had truly saddened many people. They had lost a leader with integrity. His successor, the current patriarch, was not as capable as him and had even made the Barevisk family seem more like the Valroy family’s vassal.

This was something many pitied about what the current patriarch had turned the family into. But since the late patriarch had already chosen him as his successor, they could do nothing about it. They could only respect the former patriarch’s decision.

That was why, once the rumor about what happened to the previous patriarch spread, many became angry because they felt they had been deceived. The thought that the late patriarch had not intended to give the successor position to the current patriarch made many fume with rage toward Munez.

Many also did not immediately believe the rumor because they did not know what had truly happened. But the thing was, that rumor seemed to fit the strangeness many had felt about the succession and about the current patriarch himself, how he led and how he had brought the family to this state.

There was no way the former patriarch would have chosen him if he had known the family would end up like this. Even though, at that time, Ferix Barevisk had already fallen from his status, the late patriarch would still never have given the successor position to Munez Barevisk.

All of this made far more sense, just as the rumor said. It fit perfectly into the puzzle, the current patriarch had killed his father and decided to make himself the successor.

Once the seed of doubt and conspiracy took root in their hearts, it became difficult to remove.

Then came another piece of the rumor—the current patriarch had connections with devils. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and what was worse, out of nowhere, a recording spread, showing what had happened inside a devil’s hideout.

The recording showed the current patriarch trapping his younger brother and his guardian on some kind of ritual platform.

The recording also showed the patriarch being interrogated by an unknown figure. Although many wondered who that person was, it did not matter. The patriarch’s answers alone were enough to make him the most hated person in the family.

Patriarch Barevisk might have been attacked by that unknown person, which could be the reason he was left unconscious. This caused some confusion, since the earlier report had said that the patriarch was attacked by assassins from the Silent Reaper, but that no longer seemed to be the case.

Still, despite the confusion and inconsistency in the reports, the rumors and the appearance of the proof had already engulfed the people in fury, leaving them unable to think of anything else.

That was why, on the next day, chaos spread near the floating land. Many people tried to enter the floating land to demand that the patriarch be held accountable. Those who came were not only from the city but also from across the Barevisk family’s territory.

The situation turned for the worse, as the Barevisk family had lost many elders and was still trying to recover from the Silent Reaper’s surprise attack two days earlier. The patriarch still had not awakened, leaving many family members unsure of what to do.

With no clear order or direction, they could only try to calm the angry crowd.

But appeasing the furious people was not easy, especially after what they had seen in the recording. Even the grand elder had to step in to take control of the situation. Grand Elder Ricardo, the other grand elder besides Grand Elder Javier, was the one who tried to face the angry mob, but even he could do little.

The grand elder knew that the current Patriarch Barevisk was already finished. He would have to step down to appease the people and prevent the situation from worsening into a civil war they were certain to lose.

They had already lost many elders, all of whom were loyalists of the current patriarch, and with what little power remained, it was not enough to stand against the people’s resistance. This did not even include the other powers that would undoubtedly meddle in the matter, making things worse.

He doubted that the Valroy family, who had stood behind the patriarch, would help him now. There was no way a family that valued its reputation would come to Munez’s aid. Despite the patriarch having acted like their dog, the Valroy family would cast him aside without hesitation. The Barevisk family had been discarded once deemed useless.

They had lost their reputation, credibility, power, and now, all their dark secrets had been exposed.

Grand Elder Ricardo gritted his teeth as he stood beside the patriarch’s bed in a newly prepared room inside the main manor. Munez still had not awakened, and the situation outside had already descended into chaos, with people still trying to enter the floating land.

They could still hold out for now, but he knew it would not last. As time passed, the situation only grew worse, and even a small spark would be enough to make many attack the Barevisk family without hesitation.

Grand Elder Ricardo was fuming as he placed the blame on Ferix and Grand Elder Javier. He believed all of this was part of their plan to destroy Munez. There was no way the situation could have escalated this severely and this quickly in just two days without Grand Elder Javier’s influence. He was the only one with the connections to make such things happen.

Still, the person Ricardo hated most was Ferix himself.

How could he do this? He had been under the patriarch’s surveillance the entire time, yet he had still managed to make all of this happen. How had the patriarch fallen into his trap and allowed this situation to unfold in the first place? And who was that unknown person in the recording?

There were many questions swirling in his mind, but when he confronted Javier, the man said nothing. Ricardo could not fight him, as that would only make the situation worsen even faster. Not only were their strengths roughly equal, but their faction was at its weakest after losing so many elders.

Their reputation was also at an all-time low. If he fought Grand Elder Javier now, he would gain nothing but the people’s ire.

At this moment, there was nothing they could do except choose between two options—wait for their judgment or escape from this place. He believed that Ferix would most likely replace the patriarch. Even though Ferix did not have enough cultivation, this was a special circumstance, and he would likely be chosen.

With him becoming the patriarch, the only thing waiting for them was death. Because of that, Ricardo had already made his decision as his eyes glistened.

While Grand Elder Ricardo was deep in thought about his fate beside the unconscious Munez, in another part of the manor, Sir Ferix sat inside his pavilion with the avatar. In contrast to the chaos outside and the panic within Munez’s faction, he was calmly enjoying tea beneath the pavilion in the middle of the pond.

The avatar sat across the table, also drinking tea.

After a few moments of silence as they enjoyed their tea in peace, Sir Ferix finally opened his lips.

"What a nice atmosphere. I feel so refreshed right now. How long has it been since I last felt this way?" he said with a smile as he looked at the beautiful pond surrounding them.

The avatar smiled at his words. "To think Sir Ferix would say something like that when the situation outside is truly chaotic and might even lead to civil war."

Hearing the avatar, Sir Ferix’s smile widened. "Well, I can’t help it. For so long, I’ve wanted to take revenge on Munez for everything I’ve gone through. Seeing everything he built crumble truly makes me feel refreshed. The burden in my heart fades with every passing second."

The avatar nodded before sipping his tea again. He could imagine it well. It was natural for Sir Ferix to feel satisfaction seeing his target suffer, even if it came at the cost of his own family’s stability.

However, they had already prepared a plan to make sure the Barevisk family would not reach the point of collapse. There might be chaos, but they would not allow the family to fall.

Just as Grand Elder Ricardo had guessed, all of this could happen because of Grand Elder Javier’s help. Thanks to his influence and connections, they were able to spread the rumor widely and quickly without detection.

There were also still many Sir Ferix loyalists whom they had already asked for help, and they too assisted in spreading the rumor.

As for the recording from the hideout, Aldrian had already altered some of the content to fit their plan’s narrative. He blurred his figure in the recording so people would not know it was him, and he removed certain parts that implicated the Valroy family.

This made it seem as if the Valroy family’s involvement was minimal and everything had been Munez’s own decision. Although Valroy still suffered effects, the damage would not be nearly as great as it would have been if Aldrian had released the recording unchanged.

Now the only thing they could do was take advantage of the people’s rage and make sure they controlled the flow of events from here on according to their planned course.