Caius entered the mansion. Inside a room, he stood before a middle-aged man with a few elderly figures surrounding him.
From their positioning and appearance, he could guess they were the family head and the elders of the Brojik family.
"Welcome, Eldest Prince Caius," the middle-aged man said, as the other elders greeted him with smiles.
Caius felt creeped out by the way they were looking at him, it was as if he were some kind of precious gem.
"Greetings to the head of the Brojik family, and my respects to the elders as well," Caius said with a smile as he nodded.
"I assume the Eldest Prince is aware of the reason behind our invitation?" the head of the Brojik family asked with a slight smile.
"Ah... is it not just to visit my mother's family? Or is there something else?" Caius asked, his smile slightly provoking.
"He's smart…" the head of the Brojik family thought.
If Caius had said he knew, it would've given them the upper hand in negotiation.
Now, by claiming ignorance, Caius had given himself room to maneuver and was already taking the offensive while they remained passive.
The discussion and negotiation continued until it was dark, with most of it spent between the elders and the Eldest Prince Caius negotiating the benefits of their cooperation.
In one of the rooms in the massive mansion, a woman stood looking out the window at the sky.
The moon was surprisingly out tonight, magnificent and beautiful. It stirred a longing for something beyond.
Mai's door opened as she smiled slightly.
"You're back, Eldest Prince Caius," Mai said lightly, her smile calm.
"Yes, I am. And well, your elders sure fight till they drop," Caius said with a chuckle.
"Probably," Mai said as she finally turned, and Caius saw her fully.
She was dressed beautifully this evening not in her usual bodyguard attire. She wore a graceful, thin dress.
"Also, why are you in my room? I assume you want to tell me something important?" Caius asked, taking his eyes off her alluring figure.
He sat on the bed, ready to hear whatever she had to say as he began removing his clothes.
Just as he was about to take off his shirt, a soft hand touched him and he paused, looking up.
Mai's face was just a few inches from his.
"Is this important enough?" Mai asked as her lips met his.
"Hahaha... a beauty trap... those damn elders... but whatever, I'll accept the gift," Caius thought with a grin as his left hand wrapped around Mai's waist.
Aboard a spaceship racing toward the Federation, a frustrated sigh echoed through the cabin.
"Damn it… those two are gods among monsters," Darius muttered as he collapsed onto the ground.
After Void left, he kept trying to battle both the ancestor of the Hollowind hologram and Void's hologram but he couldn't last past 30 seconds with the Hollowind ancestor, and not even a second with Void.
"Shit… am I really that weak? No matter what I try or how strong I become, I just can't beat either of them at the same realm…" Darius thought, frustrated.
He collapsed onto the bed, turning his head to the side.
There, the parcel Void had left still remained...
"Again," he muttered as he looked at the machine.
"News that Caius has arrived at the Brojik family has been confirmed..."
A male voice spoke as a figure seated on a high throne listened with a grin.
This was Theron, in the royal mansion, listening to the latest spy report.
"As expected, they'll rush to curry favor with him... with the way my brother is moving and revealing his hand... soon, even the neutral camps will be tempted to join him. Caius is still that man," Theron muttered as he put down his wine cup.
"You may leave," he said, and the spy nodded and vanished.
"What are you doing here... Vaelen?" Theron asked, resting his chin on his fist.
"Can't I visit you, brother?" Vaelen asked with a smile.
"You can… but not in the middle of the night. Do you want to assassinate me with your own hands?" Theron replied with a grin.
"Can I? You're a Galaxy Realm expert,you won't go down that easily. To kill you, a Universe-level being would be required, and even then... they wouldn't get into the royal mansion alive. I'm also just at the Galaxy Realm," Vaelen said as he took a seat beside Theron.
"Alright, believable enough, little brother. So why are you really here?" Theron asked, furrowing his brows.
"Brother... what will you do? Darius is coming," Vaelen said, looking at him.
"And what should I do?" Theron replied, relaxing in his chair.
"You know what I mean... although you have the support of the aristocrats, and I have the merchants and traders... our two sisters are the prize we're both after. But even if one of us gets both... we still won't stand a chance against Darius," Vaelen said.
"Am I afraid? Oh no… you are, Vaelen. I can stand toe to toe with him. But you? He'd swallow you whole," Theron said with a grin.
Vaelen was silent as Theron stared at him calmly.
"Theron..." Vaelen said, frowning.
"Yes, little brother. It's time you stop this pointless race. The throne is already out of your reach and you know it. Only three of us are truly competing for it," Theron said with a chuckle.
"Brother… is that what you really think?" Vaelen asked.
"Oh yes. And you're not among the three, Vaelen. Do you still want to continue this pointless battle? You already lost before the war began," Theron said as Vaelen stood up.
"I'll take my leave," Vaelen said as he walked to the door.
"You only have a few days to think this through. Darius will be merciless and he won't take you seriously. You'll gain nothing. But with me… at least I can reserve a post for you," Theron said as Vaelen exited the room.
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