My Descendants Are My Power

*Cough cough*, "I need to use the restroom."

Joseph couldn't bear the gaze of the elders anymore. He stood up, handed the baby in his arms to his mother, and realized explanations were futile; the elders seemed quite intrigued.

Goodbye, my family. Today, I, Joseph, am setting off on a journey...

"Where are you going?"

Suddenly, the entire dining room fell silent. Joseph, who was preparing to leave home, froze as a hand landed on his shoulder.

He slowly turned his head and caught sight of a hand shrouded in black mist on his shoulder.

Looking back at the elders, everyone had a moment of stunned silence, followed by increasingly wide eyes, until they couldn't contain their excitement and fervor.

"Forebearer!"

"Child greets the Forebearer!"

"The Forebearer shows his powers again, descending from the Ability Realm!"

...

[Forebearer Moment]

[Countdown...]

Back in the game world!

Ethan observed the looks in his family members' eyes, the jovial banter he had dreamed of for years!

Descendants of Blackwood gathered together.

He could finally share a meal with his kin, watching their laughter and joy, seeing them with his own eyes.

For this, he was willing to spend a great deal of Spiritual Tribute, much like a person working hard all year round, willing to spend all their savings to return home for the holidays.

No matter the distance or the cost, they wanted to see the changes in their family, return to their true safe haven, and feel the warmth of kinship absent of deceit.

Ethan felt it, even his eyes welled up with tears.

Nathan and his wife, Lucas, Julian, Amelia, Olivia... they were so real, excitedly watching him, mirroring the excitement in his heart.

And the simple-minded third generation of Blackwoods, the brothers Marcus and Daniel, weathered by the years.

Cared for bit by bit by him, they survived to this day, the prank-loving fourth generation.

And the six hard-working fifth-generation children.

And Joseph, the young fool who struggled to recognize and return to his roots.

He slowly let George and William go, pulling them back to their seats under their overwhelmed expressions.

Then he walked over to Nathan's table and found a seat.

As soon as he sat down, the children he watched grow up suddenly stood up.

Ethan glared and scolded with a laugh, "What are you all standing for? Sit down. After being out and about for so long, we're finally together. Let's not stand on ceremony."

"Come on, eat, drink, and chat."

"Your ancestor is happy today."

Upon hearing this.

The elders hadn't moved yet, but Joseph's eyes lit up as if he saw a lifeline, running to hug Ethan's leg, "Forebearer, you must have seen it, right? Dad and the others are blaming me unfairly, please stand up for me!"

Tears and snot flowed together.

Ethan rolled his eyes and kicked Joseph away, as if only a Blackwood child would behave like this with the younger generation, "Nathan, throw him into the Death Coffin tomorrow."

"Yes, Forebearer, he won't come out for a year!"

"I..."

Joseph stared in disbelief.

"Exactly, he's just making excuses!"

Edward quickly agreed, having just noticed the skeptical looks from the elders.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Ethan squinted, "Throw these few little rascals in there too."

"Ha ha ha!"

Under the moonlight, the Blackwood family laughed at the despair in the eyes of the youngest two generations.

They resumed their eating and drinking, chatting and laughing in front of the Forebearer.

Ethan looked into the night.

He smiled sincerely, hoping to always stay in this world, to occasionally hear the laughter of the children echoing around him...

On the screen.

His family, under the night sky, beneath the falling red leaves of the Primordial blood tree, gathered together, sitting scattered, whispering to each other, Ethan's black mist so out of place, yet blending into this beautiful painting.

Perhaps, this was the most beautiful scene in the world, the most beautiful landscape in Ethan's heart.

On this day, Blackwood was free from any battles, and everyone was laughing and enjoying a rare gathering at the feast.

Ethan only stayed for a few minutes before he left, under the regretful gazes of his descendants.

He sighed.

This time, he truly wiped the dirt off Amelia's face, served each child a helping of food, fiercely devoured a bowl of rice, took a big gulp of wine, and let out a joyful laugh, while playfully tapping on the foreheads of the third generation of Blackwood...

Before leaving, he also heard the old folks urging him to marry and have children.

"Quick, have kids for the Forebearer, so when I'm well-off, I can show up again!"

Ethan grimaced.

Even Nathan and his wife nodded in agreement, though it was unclear why the single men of Blackwood were nodding, shamelessly.

...

After the feast.

Cloudview County became unusually quiet. The druids had planned a blitzkrieg to take over Cloudview County.

According to Olivia, it was Stephen's self-sacrificial act that secured a lifeline for Cloudview County, turning the blitzkrieg into a prolonged war. For a long time to come, no one would dare trouble Blackwood.

That's what Ethan and his kin believed.

And now?

As dawn broke, Nathan led a few people to the ancestral hall.

"Forebearer, we're all back, and it's time for a new head of the family!"

Ethan glanced at his relatives. When other families chose their new leader, it was almost a fight to the death, but in Blackwood, everyone was stepping back as if the position was a hot potato.

"Huh? Where is everyone?"

In the end, Nicholas looked around in confusion. Just moments ago, he was worried about being thrown into the Death Coffin, and now he stood out so much that it was too late to step back.

The whole family looked at him with satisfaction.

"Nicholas has finally grown up, a man of responsibility."

Nathan gave him a thumbs up.

[Your family has established a new head, Nicholas!]

"I..."

Nicholas's facial muscles twitched as he looked at his elders. In other families, the head was strictly obeyed, but what use was there in him being the head when he couldn't command anyone in his family except for Joseph? He had heard that it was a family tradition: the fool becomes the head, more tiring than a plowing ox.

The moment he became the head, he was promoted to the strongest errand boy.

Half a day later.

Nicholas sat in the spacious leader's seat, bewildered, with the help of his wife Helen and Dennis, managing the affairs of Gratitude Village.

In front of him was the orderly line of people from Gratitude Village.

There were also people who had come to help Blackwood, requesting to join the Blackwood forces or become vassals.

He felt as if he had entered a strange new world.

...

Ethan enlarged the screen, looking at Blackwood.

This return home, the descendants of Blackwood had also gained a lot of experience over the century.

[Your descendants have coordinated their opinions and have drafted a Blackwood family plan for your review.]

The cover of a book appeared on the screen, with a mouse click able to turn the pages, approximately a thousand pages.

Ethan briefly looked through it.

His eyes brightened!

According to the plan, they had a vast amount of resources and intended to build the family into a very large clan, even expanding the territory to Pine Forest Town!

The area would be as large as a county.

They even planned to capture a druid priest and a group of druids who could transform plains into forests, to expand the once Silver Iron Forest and allow a million exotic beasts to reside there.

And forces like 'Dawn' would establish their main bases in the family's territory.

If truly completed.

Blackwood's defenses alone would make the invading druids of Azure Cloud helpless and dare not attack.

They, Blackwood, would truly stand at the pinnacle of Azure Cloud!

"Good!"

Ethan agreed without hesitation.