"Everyone!" Wei Dai clanked an empty silver cup with a spoon.
All eyes in the dining hall gathered onto him.
This included Wei Sha, who sat three seats away from father. Most days Wei Sha would sit much, much farther back, yet due to the incident earlier, he got to eat at conversation distance.
"Today, I want to bring up a matter concerning my children," Wei Dai addressed the hall full of his spouses and children. "What I want to discuss is the issue of this year's Awakening ceremony in Hell's fourteenth layer."
Wei Sha's eyes flared. He couldn't wait to experience the Awakening ceremony that was taking place in a week or two, for there he would be able to bond with a creature dwelling inside Hell. Unimaginable powers awaited! Would he be able to fly? Would he grow brawny or taller? There were so many possibilities.
"But before we discuss that." Wei Dai's eyes turned to him. "I want to give prominence to my son, Wei Sha's achievement."
Wei Sha saw his father gesturing him , so, he got up from his chair, gave a slight inclination of his head, greeting every family member before his gaze turned towards Wei Dai.
"Wei Sha here. . ." His father told about the incident in great length.
A smile emerged on Wei Sha's lips as he listened. Why wouldn't he smile? In front of his siblings and extended family, Wei Dai was bragging about him, a person who's known for possessing lofty standards.
Even the rare ferocious glare could not faze him. 'Jealous,' he remarked , and let them be. Of course, there were those people who seemed to be happy for him too. Wei Sha ingrained everyone's expression into his mind, categorising them to groups. 'This'll be useful later.'
Wei Dai's testimony lasted for so long that Wei Sha got everyone sorted into neat categories. 'Mother, thrilled out of her heart.' Best ranking went to his beautiful mother, who sat near the back. 'Wei Bo and Wei Ba, they are so mad!' Those two always fought against him, no matter the situation. 'Shang Zhen, can't see through her. . .' Many of the facial expressions were impossible for him to judge.
"Partly he is the reason why we have Lava Worm meat on the table today," Wei Dai ended his speech with a high note.
Such a high note that Wei Sha had to make some re-adjustments in the groups. 'Gifts will always be effective if you want to curry favours in the family,' he noted. Also, being the talk of the family was good, though noise alone could not get anyone far, one's prestige needed substance to last.
As he sat down, a high-pitched voice caught his attention. "So you are Big Brother Sha."
Wei Sha turned towards his father's side. And at first, he saw nothing but a high bun.
"Down here." Soon came a more pouty voice.
"Ah." Wei Sha's face tilted downwards. "If it isn't Wei Xiaodan." The person talking to him was the real talk of the family. "Father's Princess", Wei Sha had nicknamed this petite cutie.
The two began to chat.
While speaking, Wei Sha kept on glancing at the person behind Wei Xiaodan. Shang Zhen, this petite girl's mother, would make his life hard if he didn't have a permission to speak . Legally, they are family; however, it wasn't so in reality.
Lucky for Wei Sha, Shang Zhen nodded after he had entertained Wei Xiaodan with answers about the Lava Worm incident.
"Wow." Wei Xiaodan's eyes sparkled. "Mom, can we—"
"No," Shang Zhen refused before she could complete her sentence.
"Wei Xiaodan." Recognising his opportunity to gain a big-time friend in the family fade away, Wei Sha tried to regain her attention. "When you come to the Primary Plain—"
"The Primary Plain?" Wei Xiaodan's head whirled around in a flash.
"Yes. When you come there, I'll show you interesting places, okay?"
Wei Xiaodan's jaw dislodged a bit. "Yes, yes, yes," she repeated.
'Nice.' In Wei Sha's mind, he had succeeded to capture the moment well. Or so he thought until he remembered the existence of Shang Zhen.
"Don't forget to thank your brother," Shang Zhen spoke to Wei Xiaodan, a smile radiating warmth on her face.
The sweat drops he had felt rolling on his neck disappeared. Shang Zhen appeared to be approving of the matter. 'Very nice. This day couldn't go any better anymore,'
"Thank you, Big Brother Sha, for promising to take care of me in the Primary Plain." Wei Xiaodan thanked him while playing with her small fingers.
"We're siblings. We should look after each other."
X
Rest of the dinner passed without incident. Wei Sha listened and discussed with people who were very much above his social standing in the Wei Family. While talking, he got to learn a bunch of facts that the "lesser" family members were unaware about.
The most important piece regarded the Awakening ceremony. Wei Dai must have slipped in his words when he spoke: "The further one dives in the Awakening Pool, the better the prize." Before Wei Dai told this by accident, Wei Sha had thought it didn't matter how deep one dived into the Awakening Pool.
Leaving the dining hall alone, Wei Sha had his mind full. 'I need to get more time on the Heat Tool. Every increase in my heat resistance will help me get a better creature to bond with during the Awakening. . .' Simple yet difficult to accomplish.
'I could ask from Wei Xiaodan. . . No, our friendship has no genuine bonds yet.' Wei Xiaodan must have a more efficient Lava Tool than him, but asking for her to loan or share it would come off as scummy at the best of times.
'Should I buy time to use one of the private Lava Tools in the Town of Suicide?' Going to the Town of Suicide would be the most straightforward method, yet it too had many complications, the crucial one being money.
Wei Sha's mind became so concentrated on this matter that he sat down on a bench by a random corridor.
Demons ranging from other family members to the overwhelming majority of slaves walked past him as he pondered and pondered.
An hour later, as his hand pushed against his forehead, he found a solution worth a shot. 'Father! I can ask for his help!' Wei Sha jumped off the bench and strode towards his father's study.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
After knocking on a double-door that had a carving of a reaper — wielding a scythe in one hand, a human's severed head on the other — Wei Sha waited for permission to enter.
"Enter," the reaper spoke with a monotonous voice.
Wei Sha opened both doors. "Father! I have come to ask for a favour." At the start, he had thought about being subtle with his true intent. However, having seen the stacks of paper on his father's desk, he imagined a straight to the business approach would bear more fruit.
"Well, tell me." Wei Dai put away the paper in his hand.
'At least he didn't reject.' Wei Sha thought as he approached.
At his father's desk, Wei Sha said what he had to say.
"A Lava Tool, I see."
"Yes. The one I use demands repairs, as you know. And they will not finish those repairs before my Awakening."
Wei Dai tapped his index finger against the desk crafted from Dust Oak. "Fine, I'll see it done on one condition." He raised the finger.
"What is it?" Wei Sha had been thinking about "free of charge", yet he wasn't in the position to bargain here.
Wei Dai grinned. "Heh." Even laughed as he sank into his chair, placing his massive legs on the desk with no care for the papers.
'Oh shit. . .' Wei Sha began to suspect that this "one thing" wasn't something easy.
Wei Dai still grinned as he articulated, "When you go to the Primal Plain. I need you to slay a certain person, no, a monster. An Ancient Dragon going by the name Dra'gain."
"A-a dragon?" Wei Sha felt his head lighten.
"An Ancient Dragon," Wei Dai corrected. "Glad to do business."
"Yeah. . . right." Wei Sha took the key Wei Dai offered him and began leaving the study. His father had played him, that's all. Time to retreat with what he could.
"If I were you, I would swim deep as I could during the Awakening." Wei Dai shouted just as the doors into his study closed behind Wei Sha.