Chapter 689: I Treat You as a Brother, but You Want to Be My Son-in-Law

Noah Grant looked at Javier Sinclair with a smile. “How about it, brother? Did you learn it?”

Javier gave a slight nod. “Yes, I’ve got it. Thank you.”

Hearing this, Noah laughed. “Haha, as long as you’ve learned it! There’s no need to be polite; we’re all on the same side here. You can mull it over and study it on your own later, and you’ll master it in no time. Alright, enough about that for now. I promised to treat you to barbecue. Just sit back and get ready to eat, brother! I’m quite the chef.”

Javier said softly, “I’ll gladly take you up on that, then.”

“No, no…” Noah waved his hand, his face full of smiles. “It’s no trouble at all. You saved us this time. My wife and I are the ones who should be thanking you.”

The Eastwood Clan did not have a large population—there were only about three hundred of them in total. This place looked like a small village, but The Eastwood Clan was indeed a clan of The Divines.

Among them, not only were the adults formidable, but even the children in the clan possessed powerful bloodlines. Any random child could easily lift a thousand pounds and fight against Demonic Beasts.

Furthermore, every patriarch of the Eastwood Clan had mastered the Power of Space-Time Law, and this Divine Power was inherited through their bloodline. Only direct descendants could possess such power.

The patriarch’s lineage was highly revered by the clan members, who followed all of the patriarch’s arrangements. As for their patriarch, they took it upon themselves to protect the clan.

That evening.

Bonfires were lit in the village, and a continuous banquet was laid out.

The girls of the village, dressed in uniform attire, danced around the bonfires while singing ancient sacrificial chants. Though the words were unintelligible, they evoked a profound sense of sacredness. As the sound of string and bamboo instruments drifted through the air, smiles graced everyone’s faces.

Once the opening chants concluded, the evening’s bonfire banquet officially began.

Javier sat by the bonfire, watching the scene unfold. On his other side, Noah was transferring hot coals from the fire into a custom-made grill. “These are some good coals; they give off a faint fragrance. Meat grilled over these will definitely taste amazing.”

Noah’s voice rang out again. “Honey, honey! The coals are ready. Hurry and bring the skewers over.”

As soon as he spoke, the noble-looking woman brought over a basin of prepared meat skewers and set it on a side table. “Grill these first. The rest of the clan members are still skewering more.”

Noah gave a slight nod. “Alright, let’s get grilling!” As he spoke, he looked at his wife. “Honey, go sit over there for a bit. It’s smoky here, and I don’t want you getting choked up.”

Elara Eastwood smiled gently. “It’s fine. I’ll help you.”

“Alright, thanks, honey. Love you, mwah!”

Sitting by the bonfire, Javier took in the scene.

His father-in-law and mother-in-law were so deeply in love. He wondered what on earth could have happened later that forced them to leave such a young child behind and vanish.

Looking at the two of them, Javier couldn’t help but think of Celeste Grant. His wife had never seen her biological parents since she was born. Just thinking about it made his heart ache for her. Even though she had adopted parents later on who treated her very well—loving her as if she were their own—they ultimately still had their own biological daughter.

He could tell from the way Celeste constantly emphasized that her biological parents were merely missing. Deep down, she desperately wanted them to be alive, not dead. Now, looking at his very much alive in-laws, an idea began to form in Javier’s mind.

He wondered if he should bring these two back with him. But as soon as the thought emerged, he quickly dismissed it. No, that wouldn’t work.

If he did that, he would be altering the timeline of the past. That would change far too many things; a single decision could turn oceans into mulberry fields, fundamentally altering the course of history. If that happened, there was no guarantee his wife would even be born in the future. He absolutely could not let that happen.

He had crossed the river of time to come here, and his main objective had already been achieved. Therefore, he could not interfere with what was meant to happen in this timeline. More importantly, he couldn’t take his in-laws back with him.

However… Javier’s eyes suddenly lit up with a plan. He couldn’t take them back, but he could leave them with something to save their lives. Or better yet, he could directly place a Protective Talisman on them. That way, even if his in-laws encountered a formidable enemy, they would definitely survive.

As long as they lived, they would cross paths again in the future. His wife would finally be able to reunite with her biological parents.

Speaking of which, in that era far in the future, the Eastwood Clan would only exist in the fragmented records found within Ancient Scrolls.

The reason the Eastwood Divine Clan vanished without a trace was likely due to their small population. As time passed, the Eastwood Clan simply ceased to exist. No… he couldn’t say they ceased to exist entirely. In the future generations, his wife was a member of the Eastwood Divine Clan.

Javier’s gaze fell upon Noah and his wife.

Regardless of whether his in-laws were already gone in the original future, from this moment on, there was only one option: they would live. In the future, he would make sure his wife got to see her biological parents. Having made his decision, Javier’s mind felt at ease.

Meanwhile, over at the grill, after Noah finished cooking the meat, he wrapped it in some Ancient Tree Leaves and spread it out on the low table beside Javier. Instantly, a mouthwatering aroma wafted through the air, mingled with the faint, fresh scent of the leaves.

“Quick, brother, try it! Let me know how my grilling skills are.”

Javier nodded slightly. “Mhm.” His gaze fell upon the low table beside him. “Thank you.”

His feelings were a bit complicated. He was actually eating barbecue personally grilled by his father-in-law. Rounding things up, this essentially meant his father-in-law had already acknowledged him as his son-in-law.

With that thought in mind, he picked up a skewer and took a bite.

Javier gave his verdict, “Not bad. The flavor is just right.”

Seeing that he liked it, Noah laughed. “Haha, pretty good, right? Here, try some of the wine I brewed a while ago. It’s called Peach Blossom Drunk. It tastes even better when paired with barbecue.”

As he spoke, he took a bottle of wine from his Storage Ring and placed it in front of Javier.

Javier glanced at him and said, “I’ll join you for a drink, then.”

Noah was momentarily stunned. He drank on a regular basis, but somehow, drinking with this brother in front of him felt a bit odd—though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Unable to figure it out, he simply decided not to dwell on it.

He had always been someone who went with the flow. “Haha… Alright! Let’s have a drink. Tonight, we won’t rest until we’re drunk! But when it comes to drinking, brother, you definitely won’t be able to outdrink me. I can hold a thousand cups without getting tipsy.”

“I’ll drink with you until you’re satisfied,” Javier replied.

“Great! Now that’s refreshing.” Noah grabbed the wine and immediately poured a cup for both of them. “You truly live up to being the man my fellow hometown girl chose. I really like your personality.”

Javier raised his cup, and Noah did the same.

Noah clinked his cup against Javier’s. “Cheers!”

Javier nodded slightly. “A toast to you.”

The two of them downed their drinks in one gulp.

After that, Javier continued to drink with his father-in-law. They exchanged cup after cup. They barely ate any skewers, but they cracked open several jugs of wine. Even late into the night, long after everyone else had dispersed, the two of them were still sitting by the bonfire, drinking.