Chapter Three: The Land of Abandonment (Part One)

Stuffing his face with rage etched across it, Crazy Eater returned to his residence within the Imperial Academy, accompanied by Zixia, whose expression was a bitter smile of helplessness. The clash at the Night Banquet Garden with the Haide family had left Crazy Eater deeply frustrated. Later, when the Karaji family finally could no longer tolerate the wild destruction wrought by Crazy Eater and his companions and managed to quell the battle, Crazy Eater learned from his father that the five elders from the Haide family were actually the five senior elders of their clan. In contrast, the Crazy family had only three elders present, putting them at a clear disadvantage in strength. His father's cultivation, along with Zixia's, still lagged considerably behind those elders.

All in all, after the fight, the Crazy family gained nothing.

Zixia forcibly pulled Crazy Eater to sit down before speaking with evident displeasure, "Fatty, what’s gotten into you? Didn’t you see they had the numbers? And that was the Karaji family’s Night Banquet Garden—were you planning to tear the whole place down?"

Crazy Eater had already calmed down, and he knew he’d once again fallen into the Haide family’s trap. When Zixia scolded him, he simply turned his head away in silence.

The next day, Crazy Eater’s father arrived at his residence, accompanied by the three Crazy family elders.

Upon seeing Crazy Eater, Wild Rage sized him up for a moment before smiling, "Fatty, did you enjoy the fight yesterday?"

Crazy Eater was taken aback, unsure what his father meant, and after a pause he replied, "What is it? Is the Karaji family demanding compensation?"

Wild Rage chuckled, glanced at Zixia, and then said to Crazy Eater, "I have good news for you—the engagement between you and Phoebe has been cancelled."

Both Crazy Eater and Zixia were stunned by this. Regaining his composure, Crazy Eater hurriedly asked, "Is it true?"

Wild Rage smiled, "Of course it’s true. I negotiated with the Karaji family all night, and finally the engagement with Phoebe was annulled."

After a brief pause, Wild Rage continued with a grin, "But I’ve arranged a new engagement for you."

"Ah!" The expressions on Crazy Eater and Zixia’s faces were indescribably strange.

Wild Rage laughed heartily, "Fatty, aren’t you pleased? Now you can have two wives."

He shot a smile at Zixia as he spoke.

Crazy Eater was at a loss for words, finally protesting, "Dad, aren’t you being unreasonable? I worked so hard to get out of the Karaji engagement, and now you’ve found me another match. Didn’t you say I might be exiled? You can’t possibly want me to get into another brawl decades later?"

Wild Rage interrupted cheerfully, "Who said you’ve withdrawn from the Karaji engagement? I only said I cancelled the one with Phoebe."

Crazy Eater finally realized what was going on. Zixia interjected, "Uncle, please stop keeping us in suspense and tell us clearly what’s happening."

Wild Rage cleared his throat and smiled, "Here’s the situation. As for Phoebe and that young man from Haide, we won’t delve into it now. The Karaji patriarch and elders agree Phoebe is no longer suitable to be your wife. Our Crazy family is an ancient noble house with a history spanning tens of thousands of years—how could someone like Phoebe become the future matron of our clan after such an incident? But the alliance between our families cannot be broken, so the Karaji family has decided to select another candidate to marry you."

He smiled again, "Fatty, are you satisfied now?"

Zixia quickly asked, "Uncle, which young lady from the Karaji family have they chosen for Fatty?"

"Phoebe’s younger sister."

Zixia gasped, "That can’t be possible—I’ve met Phoebe’s sister, she’s not even ten years old!"

"Ah." Crazy Eater, who had been quietly watching Zixia, also cried out in surprise. To marry a girl not yet ten—his first thought was whether he was being utterly shameless.

Crazy Eater protested, "Dad, this isn’t right."

Wild Rage seemed a bit annoyed, snorting, "Why not? If you have a better solution, say so. But remember, the marriage alliance with the Karaji family is vital to our entire clan. As the heir to the Crazy family, you must make sacrifices when necessary. I won’t tolerate any tantrums over this."

Crazy Eater did not respond, but looked at Zixia. Wild Rage, of course, knew the key was Zixia’s opinion. If she disagreed, changing fiancées would be hard to resolve, and Crazy Eater would certainly make trouble over it.

Zixia glanced at Crazy Eater, then at his father and the three silent elders, before smiling, "I agree Phoebe’s temperament isn’t suited to Fatty. If we can choose another candidate while maintaining the alliance, it’s the best solution. But isn’t Miss Phil a bit too young?"

Wild Rage, seeing Zixia agree, quickly replied, "Young? Not at all. Fatty will be exiled soon, so better to marry her into the family early, lest unforeseen events arise and we elders find ourselves powerless."

He paused, then continued, "Phil may be a little young, but that’s no problem. Just look at her—when she grows up, she’ll be even more beautiful than her sister. Her personality is wonderful, too. I just asked her some questions, and she’s already much more sensible than Phoebe."

Zixia sighed inwardly. Her grandfather had told her a little about the insider dealings of the Crazy family, Sword Gate, and Karaji, and she knew the three-family alliance was inevitable and unstoppable. Using this method to resolve the conflict between Crazy Eater and Phoebe seemed the most appropriate.

Zixia nodded, smiling, "I’ve met Miss Phil, and I know what Uncle says is true. But I wonder if Fatty has any objections."

She turned to Crazy Eater.

Wild Rage didn’t wait for Crazy Eater to reply, interjecting, "Even if he objects, it must be done. Three months from now, after your marriage, you’ll stay on Imperial Star at most for another month. That’s the maximum time His Majesty the Emperor gave us to settle all matters concerning Fatty. Afterwards, the resolution of the Solon Fortress incident will be announced. Fatty will likely be sentenced to fifty years of exile."

"Fifty years?" Crazy Eater and Zixia both cried out in alarm.

Wild Rage’s expression grew somber. Turning to Zixia, he said, "Zixia, I’m truly sorry for you, but there’s no other way. We’ve done all we could. The disaster Fatty caused this time is simply too great—tens of thousands of elite troops and a fortress lost. If the Stow Fortress of the Gill Empire hadn’t also been destroyed, and if we three families hadn’t fought so hard for him, not even ten heads would have saved him."

Zixia pondered for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "Uncle, where might Fatty be exiled?"

Wild Rage sighed deeply and shook his head, "Don’t think about trying to find him in those fifty years. The Haide family will never agree to have him exiled nearby. We don’t know the exact location, but we suspect it will be the Abandoned Star Region."