Michael just smiled, gratified. This was the reason why his smile returned after Clovis was born.
Clovis raised two fingers. "Still, Grandpa. Since the Melesviet family is coming at us, it’s fine if we retaliate, right?"
"That’s right. I will try to keep that old bastard in check. However, I can’t do much because there’s a chance of their action being a trap. It looks like that mysterious bastard is also on the move. So, I can’t do anything big to help you, I’m sorry."
"That’s fine, Grandpa. What I’m trying to say is that I need your permission to retaliate."
"Mhmm?" Michael couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows. If Clovis wanted to retaliate against the Melesviet family, it would be impossible. He was too weak to do anything.
However, if he understood his grandson correctly, Clovis wasn’t the type of person who came up with something purely from his feelings. In other words, he must have thought retaliation might be possible.
This question alone showed that Michael trusted him as a capable person. Clovis nodded and carefully explained, "Although my strength is not powerful enough to shake the Melesviet family. I still have a method that can harm them."
"That is..." Clovis grinned. "Competition."
"!!!" Michael almost forgot this was how the conflict restarted as well. In the competition, Clovis and Tesron could fight each other. By suppressing Tesron, they could harm the trust in the Melesviet family. They would think that the Melesviet family was lacking compared to the Hacfield family... at least their future generation.
Once Carrick passed away, the Melesviet family would definitely be destroyed by Clovis. Once that trust weakened, their family would start to weaken. Sponsors and other influences that wanted the benefits from the Melesviet family gradually backed away, thinking the second battle between the Hacfield family and the Melesviet family was about to begin.
And this time, it was clear that Clovis surpassed Tesron in every aspect.
"That’s indeed possible. So, you’re planning to enter a competition Tesron is participating in?"
"Yes. However, I’m still in the middle of the training, so I have to wait until that time. Besides, I always want to have a big family.
"I will be making our family even bigger. Just like the Beast Soul, I also have other secrets that can be used to develop our family.
"This is my second plan. By utilizing the relationships I have, I’m planning to popularize the Hacfield family again.
"I need your permission, Grandpa. All this time, you can’t do anything other than reducing the Hacfield family from a globally recognized family into a hidden family. If I want to develop the Hacfield family, I need to change our status back to the globally recognized family."
Michael sucked a cold breath. He couldn’t help but see Lily in Clovis. This was probably what Lily was going to do if she were right before him, having everything in Clovis’ possession.
"Still, won’t it be troublesome for you? This means you will have to reveal your secret."
"Not at all. I have been planning to do this in the future. Now that I know the story of our family, I can finally finalize the concept I have for the future."
Michael thought for a moment. "Well, it looks fine. However, there’s one thing you need to know. Once you do this, you might garner attention that you don’t need."
"For those who want to get me, they will have to face my fist."
"What about the people above?"
"!!!" Clovis raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying that even the strongest and second-strongest people in the world might get involved as well?"
"Yes. What you’re doing right now is about to revolutionize the entire system. This kind of disruption is something that those two will pay attention to."
Clovis looked down. "So, does that mean I have to cancel the plan?"
"No. You don’t have to cancel it. You just have to push back the schedule a little. Right now, you might be strong, but you are still nowhere compared to us."
"That’s right. In that case, what you should do right now is to get stronger, not just in your strength, but also in your connection."
If it were anyone else, Clovis would sneer, wondering if he had enough connections or not. After all, he had a Tier 9 grandfather, a Tier 9 grandfather-in-law, and a Tier 9 mentor. There was also a Tier 8 businessman as well as a country.
But if his grandfather deemed it to be insufficient, it might really not be enough.
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
Michael raised three fingers. "First, secure the information network. I know that you are working together with the Dark Moon Mercenary right now. Once you return, it might be good to forge a solid relationship with them. You know what this means, right?"
"Yes. I will make Vina the leader of that group."
Michael nodded. "The second is to secure an alliance. An alliance that stems from your future potential."
"An alliance?" Clovis looked down, contemplating. "I still don’t see the point of an alliance . I might want a big family, but not that kind of family. I want a family filled with elites."
"That’s not what I mean." Michael shook his head. "I should have worded it better. What I mean by alliance is connection. For example, an alliance that can process all kinds of administrative work for a certain country, or people working in the government, or something along those lines."
"Ah!" Clovis nodded in understanding. "But..."
"Right now, you are connected to Absalom through the current president. How about the next president? What if the president changes to a new one? How about the people under him? If you need something illegal, such as bending laws or a media cover-up, how do you need to proceed?"
"..." The answer was obvious. Hana was handling it. At the same time, his grandfather was basically telling him not to rely completely on a single person. He was supposed to be the pillar.