Canan, Hotel Loan — 12:05 PM
Everyone looked at Jay, who was smiling innocently. Jay was terrified inside, but he couldn't show it.
Then he said:
— For such a small clan, AHIA has great principles. I admire that. I like intelligent people.
Inside, all he wished was to leave unscathed and never set foot in Cabon again. Better yet, never step into Arfon again and cut all ties with Steve.
Dry finished drinking his milk, and one guard collected the empty pack while another wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, removing the little trace of milk.
— My father wanted to exterminate you all to send a message to the others, but before that, he asked for my opinion on the matter — said Dry, staring at the four.
— I didn't even do anything, I swear! I was already preparing to leave Arfon and stay away from this mess — said Jay in panic, almost crying.
When he arrived, two years ago, it was just days before the AHIA clan prince's test. His master had returned to Orion after leaving him with just a few servants. He wasn't even allowed to bring a single guard for protection.
According to his master, with his evolution level of 5.10, the only thing to worry about in Canan was the local royalty. And since he was smart, he wouldn't be dumb enough to provoke a local power.
After all, everyone knows that in the mountains, it's the bandit who rules, not the government. Not because the government lacks power, but because it's too far away.
As days passed, he began to thoroughly investigate Canan. The more information he uncovered about the AHIA clan, the more frightened he became.
According to records on Cosmicnet and oral accounts, this AHIA clan was a small family whose history traced back to the time of the Battle of the Gods.
Because of their contribution to the war against celestial outsiders, they were granted the territory of Cabon — a small, not-so-prosperous land with pitifully low cosmic energy density. That was normal; many families back then were rewarded with territories.
The strange thing was that no other family from that era, aside from the 12 Ancient Clans of Orion, remained to this day. The rest had been killed by enemies, toppled by coups, or wiped out for other reasons. It's common knowledge that only 12 Ancient Clans remain on the planet — and they are the ones who decide everything of importance.
These 12 clans are the most powerful in Orion, which explains why only they have endured.
But… what about the AHIA clan?
If you look only at public records, they are weak. The strongest member on record is only level 3.9. Even I am stronger than that.
By the laws established by the 12 clans, the whole planet falls under their jurisdiction — understandable, since they are the guardians and sovereigns of Orion.
But digging into Cabon's legal archives, I noticed something off. In every city and continent of the planet, without exception, the laws of the 12 clans are absolute.
Well… almost everywhere.
Except in Cabon. Because in Cabon, AHIA is sky and earth. That means only AHIA law is recognized here — not that of the 12 clans, nor the Orion government.
If that law had been self-imposed, it wouldn't terrify me. But it was decreed by the Ancestral himself and acknowledged by the 12 clans.
Anyone can read it in the government's Magna Carta. But usually, no one pays attention. Who would even think about such absurdity? That a small clan could have total autonomy in the present age!
What kind of contribution could possibly justify this?
So, I stayed away from any direct member of the AHIA clan. But I still needed some kind of indirect connection. I thought befriending their staff might be safe.
I had some friends whose families were subordinate to AHIA. Among them was Steve McQueen.
That bastard was considered talented in Arfon. At 32 years old, he had already reached level 3.4 of evolution. He worked with utmost seriousness, never took a single bribe. I thought: someone like him would be good to befriend.
I became friends with him about a year and a half ago. He was respectful. Until a few days ago, when he invited me to join a coup.
When I heard that, my heart nearly stopped. I said I would think about it and immediately began preparing to leave this place as fast as possible. Too bad I wasn't fast enough.
I just hope my master received the message I sent before I came to the hotel… and that he'll save me from this mess.
— I know that! My father only mentioned these three, but I peeked into the clan files about you and included you in the meeting. After all, I couldn't be the only child in the room. That would've been awkward — said Dry with a subtle smile, watching Jay panic.
Jay was stunned. But since there was nothing he could do, he just sat down quietly.
— I have two options for you. The first is that you work for me. Honestly, I advise you to choose this one — said Dry calmly, his voice unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world.
"Everyone in this room has more influence and power than me. They're practically the most important people I know. If I still don't get what's going on, then I really am an idiot. AHIA is far more than it appears."
Steve analyzed the bizarre situation. He couldn't understand why people with such high evolutionary levels seemed to fear that boy.
If he came from a powerful clan, it would make sense. But AHIA was small. Even some rich Cabon families had more influence.
AHIA was an isolated clan. It never interacted with any city or continent outside Cabon. It only remained in power because the 12 clans' laws prevented any takeover without the proper documents signed by a level 6 individual and someone from Orion's capital.
But what Steve saw in front of him shattered any illusion of ever taking AHIA's throne.
— I'm not only very patient, but I also have things to do. Later, I want to sleep a little. Don't you know kids need good sleep to grow well, you bastards? — said Dry, annoyed by the silence as everyone exchanged nervous glances.
— Forgive me, prince! My clan and I accept to work under you. We'll be at your service 24 hours a day — said João hastily, afraid the little prince might change his mind.
As an intelligent man, he knew this meant AHIA didn't care for his or his clan's opinion. Fortunately, they still seemed useful to the little prince.
— I don't like working for anyone. But since you're so cute, I'll make an exception — said Georgina.
— I accept as well — said Steve, secretly relieved. This meant he wouldn't have to fear AHIA's retaliation.
His plan was simple: to discover why these figures feared such a small clan more than the mighty forces they were affiliated with.
Especially Jay. As far as he knew, Jay was the favored disciple of the Supreme Guardian, the second most powerful person in Orion — surpassed only by the Cultivation Ancestral himself.
— Since everything's settled… can I go now? — asked Jay, nervously and timidly.
— You're included too!!! — answered Dry with a sly grin, like a cat toying with a mouse.
— Well then, don't leave Canan and keep your phones close — said Dry, walking out of the room with his guards behind him.
Dry's father had told him he could decide what to do with the three, but the condition was that he had to be present during the execution of the families behind the conspiracy.
Dry arrived at Yorde, a street in Canan a bit far from the Hotel Loan. The street belonged to the Yung family, a powerful family according to the files. They were the ringleaders of the plot.
Dry didn't understand why his father forced him to be present for the executions. As far as he knew, it was just killing some people. It wasn't like he hadn't done that in another life.
— Prince, good to see you! How did things go at the hotel? — asked DRAHIA Feng, genuinely happy to see Dry.
It was his task to execute the families responsible for the coup. While Dry was at the hotel, Feng had already gathered every member of the families in Yorde, without missing a single one — from servants to heads of family, from the oldest to the newborns.
After isolating the street and expelling the irrelevant, Feng only waited for Dry's arrival to begin.
— It went far better than I expected. I was counting on some resistance, but they were all very cooperative — replied Dry calmly, without much expression, like someone who just wanted to sleep.
— Good for the prince… Normally the clan handles things in a simpler and cleaner way, but the patriarch ordered me to put on a show. I hope you'll enjoy the spectacle — said Feng, smiling.
He lifted Dry, placed him on his right shoulder, and began floating upward.
Dry was astonished. Until that moment, he had only known about levels through words, books, or numbers in his head. But to feel it firsthand… a human calmly flying… was something else entirely.
Feng floated until the entire street of Yorde was visible. It wasn't very large, maybe about 100.000 meters in radius.
Dry saw that people, though unbound, were begging as if facing a gun. They stared in horror at Feng in the sky, as if they already knew what was coming.
Feng raised his left arm horizontally, shoulder height. His right hand held Dry to keep him from falling.
— Enjoy the show, my prince. And remember well: the clan's precepts are inviolable. It doesn't matter what or who you are. When AHIA acts, the world can only wait for it to go quiet again. Because there's nothing in this world that can stop it — said Feng with a smile.
From his palm emerged a small spherical light. Dry could swear it would fit in his little hand with room to spare.
But the moment the people in Yorde saw that light, they panicked. They scrambled desperately, trampling each other, crawling on the ground.
Yet Yorde seemed surrounded by an invisible barrier that kept everyone trapped inside.
Slowly, the little light descended until it touched the ground.
The instant it touched, a massive explosion engulfed the entire street. But curiously, it did not spread beyond Yorde's limits.
It was as if even that energy feared to cross the borders.
When Dry saw this, he was shocked and thought:
"So this… is the true meaning of evolution?"