Teasing the young lady had been fun but he needed to stop her from hitting him with a pillow for now. He grabbed the pillow before pulling her closer, whispering in her ear, "You don't have to make your decision now. You have until I leave the Barony for you to decide to leave with me or not,"
Hearing his words, she nodded. After all, it would be a major decision that would likely change her life so she shouldn't let her emotion rule her decision.
At that, the two separated. Which is done not too soon enough as the door opens and his group enters the room.
"Big brother!" Fenrir exclaimed, jumping on top of him. His action was followed by the others burying him under the bodies of children.
He laughed at their antic before feeling another smaller weight on top of him. A quick look confirmed his suspicion that Ariana had been on top of the pile, clapping happily at being on the very top.
Seeing them together, Shuri left the room, wanting to give them some time. Her actions were noticed by the girls, who nodded at each other.
-x-
The Great Families and Noble Family had decided to keep the accident under wrap. If the knowledge of the assault on the Hal Estate was made public, there could be a serious commotion.
However, they couldn't stop the spread of the rumor regarding the 4 first-rate families' fate, so they didn't even bother to. The baron quickly proclaimed they had been suspected and proven that they were traitors, sending intel of the Barony and passing it to their enemy, resulting in their entire families being destroyed with the one not involved being turned to slavery.
The news of 4 first-rate families being traitors had sent the entire capital in shock. The confirmation of an enemy base being found inside the Barony, the intel released so skeptics won't be badmouthing the Great Families, send the entire barony to almost in a panic mode.
Only the confirmation that the entire higher up will make preparations for the likely upcoming war in case negotiation had broken put the citizens at ease. There is still some worried murmur as even if the government had given their assurance, there would still be worried folks.
-x-
As the news of the likely war spread through the entire Barony, Ryker is currently heading to the ancestor's chamber. He was told earlier by Solail the ancestor wished to meet him.
The patriarch leads him to a big door before telling him to enter. He was a bit worried at first but with the door opening and a powerful 'Enter,' calling him, he had to do it.
As he reached the center of the chamber, he spotted an old man, currently meditating. No doubt this is the ancestor of the Hal Family, the person he found the family and one of the baron's first supporters.
From the little story he heard, the ancestor had followed the baron during his early years. They entered the military of the Birak Kingdom along with the ancestors of the Maza and Gurdon Family. When the baron were given a land to govern, he invited his three friends to follow him.
Since then, the Noble and Great Families have been working together to maintain the barony's prosperity. While there is some rivalry, overall, the atmosphere between the 4 local forces is peaceful.
He looked at the ancestor again. Despite looking somewhat around 50 to 60 years old, he knew the person in front of him was currently in his 150s. After all, cultivators would have their life span increase with the rise in the major realm and grand realm.
The life span of a Genesis Source expert is an astonishing 280 years or so. Which made him in the middle of his supposed lifespan. He wondered the reason the ancestor was looking for him.
He looked at the ancestor, though the old man continued his meditation. So, he waited patiently, hoping he would be done quickly.
-x-
After half an hour, the ancestor still didn't move or speak any word. Starting to get bored, he decided to cultivate in the room while waiting to be called by the most powerful person of the Hal Family.
As he meditated, he could feel the energy in the chamber was far greater than the one in the Hal Estate main mansion, nevertheless compared to his house. He absorbed the energy easily, the energy in the room enough to help him have his cultivation realm increased slowly.
Slowly, his cultivation reached the peak of the 6th Stage. Realizing he was about to undergo a breakthrough, he was about to stop when the ancestor's voice told him to continue, "This is my personal reward to you. I'll give you a chance to cultivate here for an entire day, use it wisely,"
After saying that, the ancestor vanished, likely heading somewhere else. Hearing the ancestor's words, Ryker accepted it, spending some time consolidating his cultivation before having his breakthrough.
He easily breakthrough the 7th Stage. He pondered for a moment before deciding to take the opportunity to push his cultivation realm higher. He quickly absorbed the energy inside the chamber.
Even with his near-limitless consumption, the energy in the chamber remained high, showing how miraculous the chamber was and how generous the ancestor was. With the energy inside the chamber, he pushed his cultivation realm to the peak of the 7th Stage before undergoing a breakthrough.
As he reached the 8th Stage, he pondered whether he should continue raising his cultivation before deciding against it. It was better for him to use the time to consolidate his cultivation. And maybe increase his mastery of Law of Water.
He started by consolidating his cultivation. When he felt his cultivation was stable enough, he took out the Deep Lake Lotus. He inhaled the water energy emitted by the miraculous object, absorbing it slightly.
He put the flower in front of him before taking a meditative pose. He circulates both the Boundless Water Mantra and the Celestial Energy Art. With the two arts working together, he could feel that his mastery of Law of Water, along with his comprehension of the Boundless Water Mantra slowly improving.
Before long, he felt that he reached the threshold of both his mastery of Law of Water and comprehension of Boundless Water Mantra. He stopped absorbing the water energy from the lotus, instead opting to eat the whole thing.
After he consumed the entire Deep Lake Lotus, he could feel the water energy inside him forming at an insane rate. He remained calm, circulating the Boundless Water Mantra and Celestial Energy Art.
As time passes by, his comprehension of both Law of Water and Boundless Water Mantra rises as he slowly absorbed the water energy of the Deep Lake Lotus. By the time he absorbed all of the energy, a small droplet of water formed inside his Inner Realm.