Chapter 249: One’s Family & Even…

Hearing Jiang Lai's words, Zenin Naoya was stunned on the spot. He subconsciously replied: "Now?"

"Yes." Jiang Lai nodded and said affirmatively, "Now."

"Complete the family head succession ceremony" were the words that Zenin Naoya wanted to hear the most, but when he heard these words in this situation, he became strangely quiet.

"…Why do you suddenly want to hold a succession ceremony for the head of the family?" Stitch Naoya raised his eyelids, his green eyes full of suspicion. "Hey, I say, you are not trying to trick me into holding a sacrificial ceremony and betray me, are you?"

"Is this how you think of me?" Jiang Lai's eyebrows curved, and then he said lightly, "If I really wanted to do something to you, I wouldn't have to bother designing a trick to deceive you. Wouldn't it be better to just do it directly? It's simpler and easier."

"..." Stitch Naoya fell silent. Although he was unwilling, he had to admit that what the person in front of him said was the truth.

He couldn't beat the black-haired young man even when he was in full strength, let alone in his current state of cursed skeleton where he couldn't use any spells. If the other party really wanted to attack him, there was really no need to set a trap.

Zenin Naoya's tense body relaxed a little, and he asked, "Why are you suddenly doing this ceremony? I need to understand the situation before starting."

"In order to solve this problem in your family." Jiang Lai gestured and pointed at his feet, "To break this formation, we need the participation of the head of the Chanyuan family and the clan members."

Matsuda Jinpei added: "Now that you are the only one left in the Zenin family, it is natural for you to take on the role of the head of the family and the clan members to dismantle this entrenched formation."

"…Am I the only one left?" Naoya Stitch clenched and unclenched his drooping paws, and looked ahead at the Zenin family's weed-covered ground.

At this moment, he seemed to realize the current situation of the Zen temple and fell into a brief state of confusion.

Jiang Lai said: "All the members of the Zenin family are stationed in this area. Now it is overgrown with weeds and empty. As for the Zenin family members who are still alive... As far as I know, Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai have long severed their relationship with the family, and the family elders have also expelled them from the Zenin family. They do not belong to the Zenin family."

Similarly, the soul body of Fushiguro Jiner and Fushiguro Megumi who has been away from home since childhood are not considered members of the Zenin family.

"There is no body at the scene. You can't just say that the Zenin family has disappeared!" Stitch Naoya raised his head and raised his voice, more like he was convincing himself than answering. "I know that my father and mother have been prepared for a long time. They can't just let the family go to decline."

Zenin Naoya is certainly not a good person. His appearance is inversely proportional to his personality. He is selfish, arrogant, and mean, and is very indifferent to family affection.

But this does not mean that he can calmly accept the disappearance of the entire family.

Whether from a self-interest or family perspective, he found it difficult to accept immediately, so he instinctively refuted Jiang Lai.

"They were indeed well prepared and did what they could, such as reaching a cooperation with me and sending you out early." Jiang Lai's eyes were gentle, and he said calmly, "But some things cannot be avoided by being prepared."

He still remembered what he had talked about with Zenin family head Zenin Naohito before.

At that time, Zenin Naohito guessed the premise of the operation of the Tower of Nobleness, but as the head of the family, Naohito could not change the status quo.

Knowing a contradiction and resolving it are two different things.

The huge Zen temple family is like a giant rusty machine, running slowly and rigidly. The core of the machine has anticipated the day of collapse, but it cannot change the fate of being eliminated.

"Perhaps, you are right." Jiang Lai paused for a moment, followed Zenin Naoya, and said slowly, "There are only plants and trees at the scene, no corpses. They may still be alive, in a place we don't know."

"But no matter what, you are the only one staying here and within the rules of this formation area."

"Then whether the formation conditions are met or not depends on you."

"Perhaps after the formation is eliminated, they will appear again."

Jiang Lai stared at Zenin Naoya with his brown eyes, and rational words slowly came out of his mouth.

He did not rush to continue with more words of advice. After clearly explaining the current situation, he stopped.

Golden Stitch Naoya's big ears stood up pointedly, his green eyes were focused on the ground, and the corners of his lips were pursed, revealing some boiling emotions in his heart.

Jiang Lai considerately gave the other party time to calm down, and did not rush him or drop more explosive news.

Matsuda Jinpei also leaned aside quietly, put away his cigarette, and left only a pair of sunglasses on the electronic screen.

After a while, the voice of Zenoya Naoya came from the cursed corpse: "Is it enough to just inherit the position of head of the family?" He raised his face and looked at her with green eyes.

"First, we need to hold the succession ceremony for the head of the family, and then we can do things step by step." Jiang Lai repeated this point. He did not reveal more because he knew that everything had to be done step by step.

If we explain this to Zenin Naoya now and ask him to deny everything he once knew, then Caiyun Pig will definitely not agree.

However, if we wait until the succession ceremony of the head of the family is completed and give the other party more time to witness the current situation of the Zenin family, the result will be different.

After making the decision, they no longer hesitated. Zenin Naoya took out an ancient scroll from the library and unfolded it. It detailed the details of the succession ceremony for the head of the family.

"Is it really that troublesome?" Matsuda Jinpei looked a little dizzy. He would rather deal with explosive information files or police dispatch records than read these cumbersome things written in ancient Japanese.

"It looks like there are a lot of items, but most of the ritual contents can be skipped now - such as the third, fourth, seventh, eighth and tenth items." Jiang Lai pointed his finger at the void, "These all require the participation of the tribe members and the elders, and they are not here now."

Stitch Naoya raised his voice and muttered: "The good side of the current situation is that I don't have to see those old guys." Regardless of which family, the new generation does not like the elders.

Several people listed the items for the family head's succession ceremony, and after everything was prepared, the coronation officially began.

Zenin Naoya, who looks like Stitch, is small in stature. He stands alone on the podium in the center of the conference room, with the light from the chandelier above his head casting light at his feet.

Except for Jiang Lai standing in front and Matsuda Jinpei standing to the side, the spacious meeting room was empty.

Silence permeates this space, and the only thing that echoes in it is Jinpei Matsuda's magnetic voice.

At this moment, he was reading out a long list of procedural words for the succession of the head of the Zen Temple family according to the ritual process on the scroll.

"…At this point, power has been transferred, glory has been passed on, and a new head of the family has been born. May the glory continue and the honor return to the Zen temple forever."

The moment Matsuda Jinpei finished speaking, Jiang Lai stepped forward and handed over the jade handle that the master of the house had brought.

This jade handle symbolizes power and is now handed over to Zenin Naoya.

Zenin Naoya, who looked like Stitch, stood on the platform and took the jade handle that symbolized the status of the head of the family.

In the past, he would have been so excited that he could not control himself. But now, instead of being excited, he felt more confused and absurd.

He is the head of a household and a family.

The lonely jade handle was placed between his claws, and never before had he felt the emptiness of power.

"Congratulations, Naoya. Now I will call you the head of the Zenin family." Jiang Lai clapped his hands gently. He said with a smile, "The last step of the ceremony is for the new head of the family to read out the new family rules after taking over."

In the previous family head succession ceremony, the last step would usually only add or subtract one or two family rules.

For thousands of years, the Zen temple family has continued its original tradition, and the feudal vines have spread all the way to the present day.

Zenin Naoya knew the progress of the ceremony. He had no objection to the last item. As usual, he placed the jade handle on the small table in front of him, took the booklet from Jiang Lai, and prepared to read a few words according to the procedure.

However, his movements suddenly froze when he saw the contents of the booklet clearly.

"What are these?!" Zenoin Naoya couldn't help but raise his voice. He held the booklet tightly with his claws and scanned the items on it.

[…Equality between men and women, freedom of marriage, and abolition of arranged marriages.]

Abolish lynching and act in accordance with the law.

Deny the status theory of rituals and allow the tribesmen to have multiple choices.

Abolish domestic slaves, abolish the system of superiors and subordinates, and make everyone equal regardless of their status.

Abolish the feudal inheritance system, change the elders group that inherits by blood to a family representative group that is elected by voting, and freely compete for the leadership seat...】

All of these contents are contrary to the traditional system of the Zenin family. What Zenin Naoya can't accept the most are the last few. He looked at her with a sharp look in his eyes and said with his lips straightened: "Impossible! These new house rules are unrealistic!"

"Why?" Jiang Lai's attitude remained calm. He said, "These contents are not beyond the scope. They are just the most common rules of the modern world. It has always been like this outside. Why can't you accept it?"

"How can we be the same as ordinary people?" Zenin Naoya's eyes widened. He said, "The Zenin family is one of the three noble families of Zen. Our family has its own order. Regardless of the technique, regardless of blood relationship, regardless of the noble... This will simply disrupt the entire order! These contents are simply unbearable to look at."

He clenched the booklet in his hand and slammed it on the table.

"Really?" Jiang Lai smiled, and pointed out accurately, "Are you worried about family chaos, or are you worried about losing your noble status?"

At this point, he limped and said, "But it's actually meaningless to discuss this issue now. After all, you are the only one in the family now."

Zenin Naoya was silent for a moment. He scanned the land covered with weeds and vines and insisted, "They will come back sooner or later. No one will recognize such a system. It is impossible for a family without nobles and lowly people to exist."

He raised his head, his eyes were sharp: "I don't agree."

Jinpei Matsuda laughed, and the face on the electronic screen gave people a different feeling when he turned around: "Of course it's hard to recognize you. Vested interests rarely give up their privileges on their own initiative."

Zenin Naoya's expression was a little angry, but he quickly calmed down: "Whatever you say. In addition to protecting the interests of the family, I also have my own ideas. It's not your turn to interfere."

"Hey, I don't want to get involved in your business. I'm just going to say a few words because of this formation."

Matsuda Jinpei said casually, with one hand resting on the railing beside him. "Continue to insist on your selfishness until the formation devours you. Or admit your ignorance and proclaim the rules of the new life. It's up to you."

When talking about formations, Zenin Naoya's body stiffened a little.

He had long known that there was a certain formation in the family, and he had guessed that the current situation in the family was related to the formation.

As a member of the Zenin family, standing in the Zenin grounds, Zenin Naoya has always felt a certain uncomfortable force. He is not sure whether the formation will affect him.

He wanted to leave, but he didn't dare to leave alone. Moreover, even if he left, if he didn't solve the family formation issue, wouldn't he still be a "one-man family"?

Without the Zenin family behind him, what would it mean for him to walk outside? Zenin Naoya felt a little sweat on his back. He had never imagined that one day he would lose such a backer.

Indeed, he was very proud and believed in his own strength. But he was not stupid either, as he knew that there were many capable people in the world of magic, and many people's respect for him came from his family.

But now, the Zen temple is gone... maybe not disappeared, but he certainly can't find it.

What should he do if Zenin can't come back?

Zenin Naoya's fingertips felt cold, and his pointed ears drooped slightly. People who flatter will no longer move forward, and people who seek revenge will come to you.

Therefore, we still have to find a way to break the formation of the Zenin family and see if we can find our family members.

However, he just couldn't bring himself to admit the new system of "regardless of status" no matter what.

As the current head of the family, whatever Zenin Naoya says during the succession ceremony will be engraved by the cursed power in the meeting room and recorded in the family history book, with the force of family rules. This is why he cannot read it out at will.

Zenin Naoya held his breath in his heart. Although he had changed into a cursed corpse, he still felt that he was superior to others.

"You are the legitimate son, and you have always been treated better than others." Jiang Lai seemed to be able to see through what Zenin Naoya was thinking. He blinked and asked, "But from an objective perspective, do you think you are so special that you deserve others to respect you so much?"

"Need I say that? Although I didn't inherit the ten shadow techniques, I am the heir of the shadow projection technique, so I am certainly superior to others." Zenin Naoya frowned, and he raised his head arrogantly, "Strength is everything. What's wrong with me being stronger and more noble than others?"

"According to what you said," Jiang Lai smiled, "The Zen House should have given Shen Er a high position... but it didn't, right?"

When mentioning the idol Fushiguro Shinobu, Zenin Naoya was slightly stunned.

"...He, he is just a special case." Zenin Naoya said reluctantly, "You can't generalize. And...he left the Zenin family on his own."

"No, it's because he went beyond your rules and challenged the bottom line of privilege, so the family despises him. Through words and attitudes of contempt, they try to suppress his influence."

Jiang Lai saw it very clearly. "He has no magical power but is very powerful. He represents the possibilities of ordinary people. This threatens the noble order, so those people regard him as a monster, slander and exile him."

"There's no need to find nice excuses. You insist on the traditional order only because you can't let go of your vested interests. But now, you have nothing left. What else is there to insist on?"

Jiang Lai picked up the booklet that Zenin Naoya had slammed on the table and handed it to the other party again.

He acted as usual, but with a kind of irresistible firmness and strength, and his brown eyes were filled with steady power: "Now, read."

Zenin Naoya's arms felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. He couldn't refute Jiang Lai, but selfishly he still didn't want to admit it.

He insisted stubbornly, gritting his teeth: "...I, I..."

How could he recite these rules! How could he abandon the distinction between high and low! He was the legitimate son of the Zenin family, the most honorable heir to the family throne, and the biggest beneficiary.

But if he doesn't study, it seems that there is no other way to go.

The knots in his heart surged like waves, and the cursed energy in the entire space became agitated as the ritual of the head of the family changed.

The tower of "Nobility" that surrounds the Zenin family seems to be sensitive to Naoya, and its operation becomes unstable due to the changes in Naoya's inner thoughts.

Jiang Lai and Matsuda Jinpei could also feel the sluggishness and distortion of the tower's operation due to the bug. Facing the wave of cursed energy, they stood firmly in place and remained calm.

Zenin Naoya gripped the book tightly, his sharp claws digging into the paper. He still bit his lower lip, and the words piled up in his throat.

The scene seemed to be frozen at this moment.

The deadlock was broken by another lazy voice: "...I was woken up. What's going on now?"

Jiang Lai tilted his head slightly when he heard the voice.

The translucent black-haired man fell out from the locust wood sign at some point and floated beside him, his eyelids lazily raised and the corners of his scarred lips twitching slightly.

——It is the soul form of Fushiguro Shinobu!