"What nonsense are you talking about?" Sophia glared at him. Given the old man's temper, he would mercilessly impose a harsh punishment on anyone who defied his orders. Was Justin asking for death?
Justin replied nonchalantly, 'I'm not lying, it was really me who let her go. Think about it – the password is so complicated that only the members of the Baldwin family would know it. Joanna is just an innocent girl. Even if she wanted to, she'd never be able to figure out the password!' Justin purposely looked at Joanna with a faint smile.
'Haha!" Joanna avoided their eyes and laughed awkwardly. She was very grateful to Justin for taking the blame, but he was so cheeky that she wanted to punch him!
Justin looked around at his family and explained, "I just think that since we've already snatched Ace Moran's wife, it would be overkill to lock his mother up too. We know the power of the Moran family, so we can't just provoke them because we have an army. The Moran family is very wealthy – if we drive them into a corner, they can easily hire assassins from Aiqan or Malazio to fight against us. Let's not overdo it and leave some space between us so that things won't be too difficult the next time we meet."
'Well said!" Joanna could not help but stand up and clap; it was like Justin had read her mind.
The entire Baldwin family was living so pridefully, except for Justin who had been out and about in the world. He was much more sensible.
Austin frowned and glared at Justin sternly. "You're simply lauding the other family's prestige at the expense of your own. If it truly is as you say, we'd be acting like our family is afraid of the Moran family!"
"The Baldwins and the Morans are bound to go to war. I had never started anything back then because Joan was in the Moran family, but now that she's not, there's nothing holding us back anymore."
Joanna wanted to hit her head on the table after hearing Austin's words. The old man was certainly a war hawk. From what she remembered, the three brothers parted ways years ago because of it. They held on to different principles, and it cost them severely when they went their separate ways and stopped contacting each other.
Compared to Austin, her grandfather and Grandpa Moran were a lot more objective. They would not fight unless it was absolutely necessary. That was why both of them left the military and entered the business industry instead!
Joanna knew he wasn't an evil person – he simply preferred to solve problems using force and thought that order was above all.
In other words, though Austin usually looked kind and friendly, he would be merciless if she got on his nerves! It was like serving a king who was as dangerous as a ticking time bomb.
Joanna knew that she was walking on eggshells, so she could not provoke him or she would get into trouble. She also could not let Ace meet this old man, or else everyone, even those who were not involved, would be affected.
Since both options were undesirable, Joanna made up her mind and went for Plan C instead.
'Let's fight! We must fight!" Joanna shouted passionately, raising her hand and changing her attitude suddenly.
Joanna's unusual reaction stunned everyone in the room, especially Justin. He did not expect that she would react that way at all.
'Are you sure about having the two families go to war?" He raised his eyebrows and asked mischievously.
'Of course!" Joanna continued enthusiastically. "My grandfather always hoped that one day I could follow in his footsteps and lead an army into battle myself. If the Baldwin and Moran families are bound to fight, whether it's in business or war, I want to be the one to lead! Anyway, I also have a deep grudge against the Moran family, and I hate Ace so much that I long for a life-and-death duel with him!'
"Fantastic! You really are something, young lady." Austin stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "You are indeed the granddaughter of General Pierce – so confident and strong-willed. You are much better than my unworthy grandson! Justin, you should learn from Joan. If you are always giving in, how can you protect her in the future? Maybe she'll have to protect you."
Sophia glared at her son, extremely dissatisfied with his cowardice.
Justin tugged on Joanna's coat and hissed in her ear, "What the hell are you doing? I had just fixed things! My grandfather and father were fooling around, but you actually agreed with their silly idea. Are you really thinking of starting a war?"
Joanna laughed. "Stop acting like a peacemaker – you were the one who shamelessly threatened to expose my identity as Cyber Queen to Ace if I did not join in the battle against the Moran family, but now, you're the one who's withdrawing?"
"I was just trying to find out about your relationship with Ace Moran and his family. From what I see, you really care about them, but with you behaving like this now, I feel like there's some kind of conspiracy going on!" Justin hugged Joanna's shoulders and rested his forehead against hers as he spoke so as to not raise suspicion.
Finally, he murmured, "Don't try to trick my grandfather or father to make the two families have a truce or collaborate from within. It'll be very troublesome if my grandfather discovers your schemes, and even I may not be able to save you then!"
"Hahaha!" Joanna did not say anything and smiled brightly, acting as if she and Justin were very lovey- dovey.
Austin smiled happily and said to Jack and Sophia, "I take back what I just said – this kid is very promising. He found an excellent wife who will bring fortune to the family. I'm sure the future of the Baldwin family will be bright with her around!"
Joanna suddenly said, "Grandpa Baldwin, as my grandfather's good friend and subordinate, you should know about his habit before he goes into battle, right?"
Austin frowned and shook his head. "What is it? I can't remember."
"Before he leads an army to war, he would worship the sky, the earth, and the God of War!"
'The God of War?" Austin was even more confused. "I've seen him worship the sky and the earth, but I've never heard him mentioning the God of War."
'That's only natural since it's his secret to victory." Joanna explained slowly after arousing everyone's interest. "There was a stone statue of the God of War at the far end of the South Sea. Grandpa grew up believing in the God of War, so whenever there were any important battles coming, he would personally go to the South Sea to worship the god and receive blessings so that he could defeat his enemies!"
'Is there really such a thing?" Austin thought hard but could not recall when William had ever worshiped the God of War.
'There is. Grandpa did not tell anyone, so nobody knows except for members of the Pierce family," Joanna sighed and said, "This time, I want to lead the army and fight against the Moran family in place of the Baldwin family. Thus, I hope that we can all follow this custom and go to the South Sea now to ask the mighty God of War for his blessings to win!"