There was a stunned silence in the room—No one had expected him to say this, not even Max, let alone his uncles or the cousins who had just found out that Mana, the mystical energy they had only read or heard about in fictional works, had indeed existed in their world.
A few moments passed as everyone digested the news.
Several thoughts flashed in Max’s mind during these few moments. In the end, he asked, "Why do you think so, Grandfather?"
"Because when I was a kid, I had read a half-destroyed family record which talked about what could be the possible reasons behind the sudden disappearance of the Mana." Robert said.
Then, he added, "While whoever had written that wasn’t sure about his hypotheses, and I don’t know if any of them is true, he mentioned something that stuck with me."
Here, Robert took a pause and leaned back into the sofa before slowly saying, "He wrote that ’Perhaps one day, just like it had suddenly disappeared, it would reappear too.’"
"On the day the nukes were launched, I had suddenly recalled it and the more I thought about it, the more I felt that this might indeed be true. Otherwise, like I said before, why would those people do something so drastic?"
"I see." Max nodded, not making any comment on the topic because he lacked information.
"Grandpa, what will happen when Mana reappears, will we be really able to use those magical techniques and do all that impossible stuff?" Alex, the youngest among the five sons of Max’s uncles, asked, excitement clear on his face.
"We’ll talk about that later." Peter said before looking at Robert and saying, "Please continue, Father."
Robert nodded and said, "So, if my guess is correct. When Mana reappears, people will undergo an awakening.
Then, they will be able to sense the existence of Mana and will be able to harness it. At that time, these Awakened ones wouldn’t need to worry about dying to the radiation. This was why I said that not everyone will die."
"But father, it is a speculation after all is said and done, so the chances are that it might be wrong and there won’t be a reappearance of mana." Robert’s youngest son, Evans, said with a frown on his face.
He then asked, "But let’s say it did. Will all of us be able to undergo the awakening?"
Immediately, everyone tensed once more because his words made sense. They focused their nervous and hopeful gazes on Robert, hoping for him to say yes.
However...
Robert shook his head, and in a neutral voice, he said, "No. It will not be everyone. Only those who are naturally attuned to Mana or are really lucky will awaken."
After saying this, he looked at his sons and grandsons. With the exception of Max, everyone looked as if they had heard a death sentence and were losing their composure.
Inwardly sighing, he looked at his sons and coldly snorted, "Why the long faces? Have you forgotten which family’s blood flows through your veins?"
While Sunny and others were at a loss, Mark, Peter and Evans’ eyes lit up.
"Father, you mean..."
Robert nodded, "Even though our bloodline has thinned out over the course of 10,000 years, our Foster Family’s descendants should still fall into the first category since our ancestors were very powerful beings. So, more likely than not, all of you will awaken."
The trio exhaled in relief while their sons’ faces showed excitement.
But before they could enjoy the moment, Evans suddenly frowned and asked, "Father, if it is as you said, I understand that we stand a pretty good chance at awakening, but what about their mothers...? They are not of the Foster Family..."
Mark and Peter’s expressions hardened at his words. This was right. While they and their kids could probably awaken and survive, their wives might not.
Sunny and others’ excitement also vanished and they became anxious. Like all the sons, they loved their mothers and didn’t want them to die.
In response to this question, Robert sighed which immediately made their expressions ugly.
But right then...
"Though I understand that you guys have felt a rollercoaster of emotions since I began speaking and it may have affected your judgement a little, but... have you really lost your minds completely? Don’t you remember what I said in the beginning?"
Robert coldly swept his gaze across his sons. While he always knew they weren’t too bright, with Max sitting here to compare them with, he was finding them even more disappointing.
"Huh?" Mark and his brothers raised their brows in incomprehension, but then they remembered that this conversation had begun with Max being the key factor.
Feeling embarrassed, they lowered their heads, not daring to meet their father’s gaze.
Robert didn’t speak and as the silence stretched the trio felt even more embarrassed. In fact, their sons were feeling the same. Thankfully, though, the old man wasn’t blaming them.
After a while, Max could no longer bear to watch this drama continue, so he broke the silence, "Grandfather, why don’t you continue and tell me how I can help you?"
He was really curious about it.
Why did the old man believe that he could resolve the situation?
Well, he could do it and it won’t be too difficult as he only had to give them the anti-radiation potions, but Robert didn’t know about it. So, what was the basis of his confidence?
"Alright." Robert nodded, stood up and walked over to one of the walls of the room.
Then under everyone’s curious and surprised gazes, he tapped several places on the wall.
Click!
Soon, a crisp click sounded and a section of the wall was pushed out.
Robert slid this section to the side, revealing a password protected metal safe.
After he keyed in the password, he turned the knob and opened it, but they couldn’t see what was inside which only served to make them more curious.
A few moments later, after locking the safe and pushing the wall section back into place, Robert walked back, sat down and...
Tap!
Placed an ancient-looking, small pentagon-shaped, golden plaque on the table.