<h4>Chapter 178 178 - Family Affairs</h4>


    When Ryan''s eyes opened in the morning, the first sight he saw of the day was the smug smile of a girl with short silver hair. Rin was looking at him as he sipped a cup of tea, slowly getting up and sitting on the bed.


    "Do you need any help?" he said as he looked at the girl.


    Getting up from the chair she was sitting in, Rin ced the te and cup of tea on the bedside table. The girl walked over to Ryan, and cing her knee on the bed, she climbed onto hisp as she moved in for a kiss. Pulling him by the neck, she pushed him back against the mattress as their mouths connected.


    The quick exchange of saliva was enough to connect the girl''s memories. Within seconds, Ryan was already inside the visions she had conceived.


    "So we''re here again?" he said, and looking from side to side, he recognized that he was in the corridors of the moon pce. There were footsteps walking back and forth, worried voices whispering, and a girl in a white dress and umbre walking quietly through the ce.


    It seemed to be a day of celebration in the Silvermoons'' supreme fortress, at least, the ce was much busier than the day Ryan had his private party in the castle. Most of the people walking through the corridors had the same hair color as Rin and Kyouko, and as Ryan walked, it became clear that this was a mark of the n.


    After passing through that long corridor illuminated with firemps, Ryan was led by the girl to a meeting room. Rin''s mother wasn''t there, which made him a little confused as he searched for her.


    "My mother isn''t here," said the girl, who was now standing next to him.


    "But doesn''t she have the position of matriarch?" he replied.


    Rin nodded, "This castle was made to protect my mother, they can''t ess the rooms and blocks where she lives. Besides, her presence is established by a mana hologram."


    Looking from side to side, Ryan searched for the mana orb that would make the hologram, but themotion of voices alerted him that the show was just beginning. The matriarch appeared alongside petals that materialized into a bluish, transparent form. It was a crystal-clear vision of that wonderful woman, possessing the same shape and elegance, but a little transparent and bluish.


    "Let''s start Silvermoon''s biannual strategy meeting," said Kyouko''s hologram.


    All the voices that had been speaking quietened down, and an air of tension arose between those four eastern walls. People exchanged nces as they waited for her position, and the worried looks of the elders had turned into attentive, concerned looks


    The first person to speak was the leader of one of the three factions. He had a ck bandana over his face, and his eyes shone through the fabric. A bluish glow, which created two blue marks that conveyed a threatening countenance.


    "I''m Hayato Windrunner Lightstone and I''vee to start this meeting," said the man. He looked young, being a little in his thirties. His long silver hair was tied back, he had a short beard and the hands of a swordsman. At his waist was a ck katana, the same color as his kimono.


    The start of the meeting was simr to the Lightstones'' event, they began by exining portal-clearing issues and selling materials and talismans. The Silvermoons had a greater emphasis on selling healing processes, such as medicines and mana healing scrolls. But it was in the middle of the presentation that Ryan''s eyes narrowed at the news.


    "Our intelligence center has confirmed that the Khzhan talisman factory has been taken down by travelers from the Lightstone family," said Hayato, his voice carrying a clear anger towards Ryan''s wife''s family.


    Holding Ryan''s hand, Rin''s voice sounded worried "Do you understand now why I brought you here?".


    Nodding his head, Ryan looked at the girl, "Politics is a lot moreplicated than I thought."


    That meeting went on for a few hours, part exining ns to deal with the Lightstones'' threat and part reviewing the half-yearly profits. Ryan listened attentively until Kyouko suddenly stood up.


    The movement of the mana hologram caught everyone''s attention and, holding out her hands, she asked for silence.


    "I have news for all of you, I will be stepping down as matriarch in theing months and passing it on to my daughter. My little Rin has already been formally married into the Silvermoons, and with that, she and her husband will take control of the n."


    Conversations erupted at the same moment, some disbelieving, others excited. But the general position of the three factions was supportive of Rin, the n coalition depended on it, as she could easily bring down any group that shed with her interests.


    Even with the support among the n members, there was one question that began to cross everyone''s mind: who is the new patriarch of the Silvermoon family? Some theorized that it could be a Lightstone, while others imagined that it could be a member of another faction who had managed to trick Rin into increasing her influence within the family.


    Afraid that these discussions might weaken the group, Kyouko intervened by raising her voice.


    "His name is Ryan Whitemane Silvermoon, he is not part of a family with arge n. His achievements as a traveler are diverse and his intellect is on a par with the elders of our family. His position has already been established and the ascension ritual will take ce soon."


    Holding out her hands, Kyouko opened all four doors in the room. Disappearing gracefully, she extended her hand to the heavens, "With that, I close today''s meeting."


    Everyone was silent as they left through the different doors of the rooms. Some took portals, while others met outside to discuss. But Rin remained motionless in the room, as she received stares from everywhere.


    "A Whitemane, I''ve never heard the name of that family"