Elliot''s small brow furrowed. "Punikon''s father was already an outcast in their family. Now that he''s dead, they''re pinning the me on Dad. They''re definitely nning to do something to him."


    "If you go now, they''ll just use you to stir up more trouble. Just ignore them for now."


    Evan frowned. "Is Dad in danger?"


    Elliot told him the truth. "Not for the time being. They''ve already issued a formal challenge to Dad, and the match is set for three months from now. Even if they want to hurt him, it will probably be after that."


    Though reluctant, Evan obediently listened to Elliot. "I get it, bro. I won''t go looking for Punikon today."


    "Good. Train with your master for a bit, thene back. We''re going to Silver City with Grandma and Grandpa today."


    "Okay."


    After hanging up with Evan, Elliot called Tarquin.


    Tarquin was still in the study. He had been up all night, nning his route to find the 8th generation virus. He answered when he saw his son''s name sh on the screen. "Hey, Elliot."


    Elliot got straight to the point. "Dad, did you know Punikon''s father is dead?"


    "...I know. Don''t worry, I''ve got it under control."


    Elliot''s lips twitched. "Dad, what exactly are you nning?"


    Tarquin paused. "Hmm?"


    Elliot frowned and said, "You had no history with the Punikon family. This all started because Evan and Punikon had a fight at preschool. If you didn''t have something bigger in mind, things wouldn''t have escted this far."


    Tarquin didn''t hide it from Elliot. "I wanted to use this opportunity to look into your Bernard''s matter. But I didn''t expect it to lead to someone''s death. The Punikon family is not to be trifled with."


    "Bernard''s matter is connected to the Punikon family?" Elliot asked immediately.


    "Yes. If I''m not mistaken, the Thyanian Martial Arts Association must know some inside details. But asking them directly would tip our hand. The tournament in three months is a perfect opportunity."


    "Avenging their master and his wife is Bernard''s dream. If we have a chance to help him achieve it, we should."


    Elliot nodded. "I understand. But with Punikon''s father dead, every fighter in Thyania will have a grudge against you. This puts you in a very difficult position. You need to be careful."


    Tarquin chuckled, his voice gentle. "Don''t worry about me. They aren''t skilled enough to hurt me. Besides, even if they make a move, it won''t be for another three months. Are you all awake?"


    "Just Evan. He went to train with his master. I''m still in bed."


    The moment he''d opened his eyes, he had seen Punikon''s provocative messages and the news of his father''s death. He was worried Evan wouldbush off to settle scores, S? he had called him immediately. He was, in fact, still lying in bed.


    "If you''re not up yet, you should sleep a little longer," Tarquin said. "It''s still early." "Okay. Bye, Dad."


    After hanging up, Elliot found he couldn''t fall back asleep. He got up, washed his face, and opened hisptop to continue his search for Gerald and Howard''s whereabouts.


    With his dad handling the Bernard situation, he didn''t need to worry about it. But the matter of Gerald and Howard was on his shoulders.


    When they had gone up the


    mountain, Gerald and Howard


    weren''t there. They had stayed for a


    month and still hadn''t seen them.


    After returning he had started


    searching for any news of them, but so far, he had found nothing.


    Elliot felt a growing sense of unease. He had a bad feeling that something had happened to them. His great-grandparents were not just their benefactors they were family He didn''t want anything to happen t? them...