Having come to Orient City, Julian naturally wouldn't return so soon. After all, his grandmother lived here, and if she found out he had returned without visiting her, she would definitely be upset.
So Julian went to the Cavendish family estate—his grandmother's family—and stayed there for three days.
During those three days, the Cavendish family practically treated him like a living deity.
And who could blame them? Julian wasn't just a Champion anymore—he was a Champion who could command a First-class Legendary.
With someone like that, how could the Cavendish family not treat him with utmost respect? In fact, they were more than happy to do so.
As Julian's strength continued to grow, the families most directly benefiting from it were naturally those connected to the Walker family—such as his grandmother's Cavendish family and the Turner family.
By the way, Adam's family was actually a subsidiary family under the Cavendish clan.
Rumor had it that when Adam returned home, his father broke both his legs, and he was estimated to be bedridden for half a year.
If Julian hadn't personally let them go—showing that he no longer intended to pursue the matter—those five would've likely been killed by their own elders to "appease" Julian's anger.
Meanwhile, information about Hannah quickly spread across the desks of nearly every major family in the country, serving as a warning to their male members: another woman had been added to the "must not provoke" list.
At the same time, Hannah's own family suddenly drew the attention of many powerful houses. Several extended a hand to "help" them, and before long, her family, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy, rose from the ashes.
Hannah's parents felt like they were living in a dream.
Just days ago, they had nearly been reduced to homelessness. Then, out of nowhere, their family not only recovered but became stronger than it had ever been in its peak.
And all of this had happened because—according to the rumors—their daughter had become Julian's mistress.
Julian: 'Since when do I have a mistress?!'
Hannah's father: 'That's what everyone's saying.'
---
After spending three days keeping his grandmother company, Julian finally prepared to leave.
"My dear grandson, when will you come visit Grandma again?"
At the door, Evelyn held Julian's hand, reluctant to let him go.
"Grandma, why don't you come live with me for a while?" Julian offered.
He honestly didn't know when he'd be back. Being a Champion gave him freedom, sure—but if something urgent came up, he'd have to leave at any moment.
"No, seeing your grandfather just makes me angry."
"Grandpa doesn't come around often," Julian said.
"Not coming often is still coming. And at my age, if I go to your place, I'll just be bossed around by Love."
Julian: 'So that's the real reason you don't want to go.'
Love, as the ever-dutiful household Pokémon, loved taking care of people the most, and would naturally pay extra attention to someone like Evelyn in her old age. This, however, made Evelyn uncomfortable.
"Grandma, I'll come visit whenever I have time," Julian promised.
Since she clearly didn't want to live at his place, Julian could only promise to visit when possible.
The Cavendish family head was also eager for Julian to visit more often and hoped Evelyn would stay with the Cavendish family permanently—otherwise, Julian might not come at all.
"Then it's settled. You mustn't lie to your grandma."
"Don't worry, Grandma. I'd never lie to you," Julian said, smiling at the sight of her pouting like a child.
After saying goodbye to her, Julian didn't go home. Instead, he headed straight for the Imperial Capital.
"Granduncle, what's the matter?" Julian asked as soon as he arrived at his office in the capital.
It was James—his granduncle—who had summoned him back.
"Sit down for now. I'll tell you after I finish this," James said, gesturing to the stack of documents in his hand.
So Julian sat on the couch, pulled out his phone, and started scrolling through TikTok—completely unbothered about disturbing James.
The secretary beside James didn't dare to say anything.
After all, in terms of status, Julian now outranked even the Grand Elder himself.
Drakoria could manage without a Grand Elder, but it absolutely could not do without Julian.
> "Today, our Pannari brothers are repairing a broken transmission shaft. Normally, this kind of thing should be replaced outright!"
> "But in resource-scarce Pannar, even a transmission shaft broken in two can be repaired. The repair cost is only 2,000 bucks, and it even comes with a two-and-a-half-year warranty!"
He stumbled upon what could be called a "man's speed bump."
It took Julian three minutes to watch the video. Just as he finished, James happened to set down the documents.
"The World Youth Trainer Championship is about to begin," James said.
The World Youth Trainer Championship—an international event held once every ten years, where each country sent its best trainers under the age of thirty to compete.
And this year happened to be the tenth one.
"So you're asking me to participate?" Julian asked immediately, half-joking.
His first thought was that Drakoria wanted him to enter the tournament and crush everyone—basically turning it into a one-sided slaughter.
Though it seemed like bullying, the idea felt oddly satisfying.
"You wish," James said, rolling his eyes. "The World Trainers Association has already banned you from competing."
If Julian joined, what would be the point for anyone else? They might as well hand him the trophy before the opening ceremony.
To ensure fairness, the World Trainers Association had explicitly prohibited Julian from participating.
"That's not fair!" Julian protested indignantly.
Although banning him made things fair for everyone else, it was still unfair to one specific person—namely, Julian himself.
"Stop making a fuss," James said bluntly. "Even if you weren't banned, we wouldn't have let you compete anyway."
As a superpower and currently the leading nation in the world, Drakoria naturally needed to uphold the demeanor of a major country. Sending Julian to crush the competition was something they simply wouldn't do.
"So why even bother telling me about it?"
Though he felt somewhat targeted, there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he was just that exceptional.
"You can't compete, but you can serve as the team's mentor. We want you to lead this year's delegation," James said. "The ten participants are Drakoria's most outstanding young trainers. You're their role model, so I imagine you'll get along well."
Julian immediately shook his head. "Not going."
Being a mentor basically meant babysitting—a job he found endlessly annoying.
James's face darkened. Although he had anticipated that Julian would likely refuse, he hadn't expected such a flat-out rejection.
"Every other country sends their Champion as the team leader. We can't be the only nation without one!"
"Then send grandpa, or Champion Duke is also an option. I even saw Champion William on my way here—he seems pretty free."
"Aren't you pretty free too?" James retorted, half-amused and half-exasperated.
"Exactly, that's why I don't want to go. Staying at home is much more comfortable," Julian replied matter-of-factly.
James took a deep breath, silently reminding himself not to lose his temper with this brat.
"Your grandfather's temper is too foul. If he goes, he'll definitely cause trouble. Duke is already in his seventies—are you really going to make him endure such hardship?"
"As for William, his youngest son's full moon celebration is in a few days. He can't go."
At that, Julian's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait—Champion William is already eighty, right? And his wife just gave him a son?!"
He whistled. "Compared to him, you and grandpa are both pretty disappointing, huh?"
The veins on James's forehead popped. He shot to his feet and roared, "You little brat! Just because you're a Champion, you think I won't dare hit you?!"
*****
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