Chapter 247 - 163: Send-off (2)

This alone spoke volumes about the Mercer Family’s gratitude toward her.

As for the Lowell Family... Paige Summers’s mother was a given, but even Old Master Lowell had promised to come see her off personally.

Then there were the younger members of the Carter and Warren Families, among others. Claire Chapman knew some were here out of respect for Marcus Monroe, but most were clients of Summers Armaments. Many of the younger generation from these families held Paige Summers in high admiration.

These families all had their own sources of information. Could they really be unaware that Sheldon Reid and Paige Summers were at odds?

Unlikely.

Yet they still agreed to come see her off. What did that signify?

It was because Paige Summers was a one-of-a-kind Artifact Maker. It was because of her power—Seventh Rank of Superpower at only twenty-one, with outstanding combat abilities. And it was because of Marcus Monroe and Jovitas backing her!

Getting them to unite against Sheldon Reid was a tall order, but merely seeing her off and ensuring she left the city safely was something they could do with little pressure. Forging a good relationship with Paige Summers in the process was a very worthwhile investment for these families and their younger members!

So, Claire Chapman wasn’t at all surprised when, after the distant car drew near, a dozen more vehicles followed in succession. For a moment, the small plaza seemed almost crowded.

Nearly twenty people got out of the cars, most of them lively younger members from the various families. Paige Summers and Claire Chapman went forward to exchange a few pleasantries. Since the official reason for her leaving the city was to gain experience, everyone offered words of encouragement, and the two women smiled and responded to each one in thanks. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Until the Lowell Family’s car arrived...

Everyone knew about Paige Summers’s relationship with the Lowell Family. Wendy Lowell’s various attempts to acknowledge her daughter had been rather high-profile, but most people also knew that Paige wasn’t exactly warm toward the Lowells. Thus, the moment her biological mother arrived, everyone fell quiet in unspoken agreement.

However, what made the Lowell Family so conspicuous was that they had arrived in three cars.

Everyone was puzzled, and even Paige Summers found it strange. ’Have all the elite disciples of the Lowell Family come? No way. I don’t have any connection with them. Not only that, but some of them seem to really dislike me!’

’So what’s going on?’

Before she could dwell on it, the people from the Lowell Family had already gotten out of their cars.

Besides Old Master Lowell and Wendy Lowell, young men in combat suits emerged from two of the cars. They stood in neat formation behind the pair, their gazes fixed forward, ready to act on command.

Paige Summers understood at once.

’This must be the Lowell Family’s fighting force.’

Even she couldn’t help but feel a little moved. ’To show their support for my departure, the Lowell Family actually went this far...’

The moment Wendy Lowell saw Paige Summers, she forgot everything else and hurried over. With so many people around, she had to restrain herself from throwing her arms around her daughter, settling for gripping her hand tightly.

"Paige..."

She could barely speak.

Ever since she learned Paige Summers was her daughter, she had tried everything to improve their relationship. Just when Paige had finally started to soften toward her, even personally making her a weapon for self-defense, something like this had to happen!

Paige Summers hadn’t told her about the full extent of the dispute with Sheldon Reid. The news from Old Master Lowell was that Sheldon wanted to kill a friend of Paige’s. Known for her loyalty, Paige naturally refused to abandon her friend, and so the two of them had locked horns.

She suspected that this might not be the whole story, but since her father chose to tell her this version, there had to be a reason for it.

Over the past few days, Wendy Lowell had done a lot of thinking.

’Sheldon Reid clearly knew Paige is my daughter, yet he still acted this way. It’s obvious he has no respect for me at all.’

’That, I could actually tolerate.’

’After all, he’s just my stepson. Though I loved his father, the man is gone now. What affection could Sheldon possibly have for me? It was all just for appearances. But now he’s not even willing to keep up that pretense, which means Paige’s friend must have uncovered a significant secret—one that’s detrimental to him. And with Paige protecting this person so fiercely, it’s likely she’s in on it too.’

’This has become a no-win situation.’

’Firstly, on an emotional level, I can’t just stand by and watch Sheldon harm my own daughter. Secondly, if I, if the Lowell Family, did nothing, how would others see us? What would our own family members think? We tried everything to bring our own flesh and blood back, only to abandon her the moment she offended Sheldon Reid... The comparison would be not only disheartening but would also expose the Lowell Family as spineless! In the future, everyone in the family would feel insecure and hesitant to act. If that’s how it is internally, what outside Superpower User would dare to pledge their allegiance to us?’

’I’ve finally figured it out,’ she thought. ’For reasons both public and private, we cannot abandon Paige!’

’To this day, the Lowell Family’s position has been quite passive.’

’But there is a way to seize the initiative. We have to burn our bridges and stand firmly with Paige. Fortunately, Sheldon is deploying his forces to the north, which gives the Lowell Family time to prepare. Besides, we aren’t the only ones in the city who stand against him.’

If she could think of this, how could Old Master Lowell, who had weathered far more storms, not have realized the same?

That was why they had come today: to make their stance unequivocally clear.

For Wendy Lowell, considerations for the family were a factor, but a large part of her change in stance was simply because Paige Summers was her biological daughter. She looked at that young face, tears glistening in her eyes. "Paige, I’m so sorry." ’I couldn’t keep you with me twenty years ago, and twenty years later, I still don’t have the power to let you live in peace.’

Paige Summers understood the unspoken words in her eyes and felt a pang of sadness herself.

’I guess I really have no luck when it comes to family.’

But regardless, Wendy Lowell’s presence here today was enough for Paige to know that this mother she’d gained so late in life was genuinely good to her.

She comforted her in a soft voice, "I’m just going out to get some experience. Don’t worry too much. Take care of yourself, and we’ll have a meal together when I get back."

"Okay, I’ll be waiting for you!"

Wendy Lowell was both worried and happy. She turned her head, blinking back tears, before pointing behind her. "Take these men with you. If they become inconvenient once you’re outside the city, you can just send them back."

While Paige Summers was still taken aback, she quickly added, "And that car over there is loaded with supplies you’ll need out there. Take it all with you."

Paige Summers hadn’t expected any of this and didn’t immediately accept or refuse. But when she looked up and saw the intensely pleading look in Wendy Lowell’s eyes, she considered it for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay."

Wendy Lowell instantly breathed a sigh of relief. She forced a smile and patted Paige’s hand. "Go say hello to your grandfather, then you should get going soon."

Paige did as she was told and went to see Old Master Lowell. The old master only said one thing: "As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

Paige Summers smiled faintly.

Looking up, she saw that only the people from the Mercer Family and the Taoist Association had yet to arrive.