In the blink of an eye, the once lively atmosphere had become heavy and awkward.
"Elder Xiawen... You told us that this child is Yui's brother? Was this the real reason for the gathering? To recognize him as your grandson? Was this perhaps a surprise? If so, should we celebrate his arrival?" asked one of the female elders, her tone both awkward and confused.
"This..." Liandor was at a loss for words. This was absolutely the worst possible scenario.
He hadn't introduced the child earlier because he wanted everyone to forget about him, not because he planned a grand revelation.
He had tried to convince Yui to come alone, but she had categorically refused after the previous lost child incident. With no time left, he decided to just let it slide and even purposely tried to create some distance between Elias and Yui by placing a seat on the other side of the table.
'How did it turn out like this? I told this brat to say that Yui was his sister!' Liandor cursed internally, his gaze dagger-like as it landed on Elias, who continued to stuff food in his mouth.
Sensing his anger, Elias turned his head and stared directly into his eyes. As if wanting to add salt to the wound, he said with the most innocent and childish expression, "What's wrong, Grandpa Liandor?"
Once again, the whole room fell silent.
"Grandpa... Liandor?" the female elder asked, her eyes widening in shock.
'Damn it! Why did this little brat have to say something now? Is he doing it on purpose?!' Liandor thought, his expression darkening. He almost wanted to use his manifestations toward Elias in a fit of rage but abstained with great difficulty. After a long moment of silence, he finally managed to calm down and put on a forced smile.
"...Yes, he is my grandson. I was going to announce it later, but since he already said it, I will not hide it."
Hearing this, both Yui and Ray were absolutely astonished. Ray was at a loss for words, not knowing what to do or think. He did not expect to be suddenly accused of being the father of a child with a woman he had just met. 'How could this be? I've only just met Yui!' he thought, panic rising within him.
Elias stood there, carefreely putting another piece of fruit in his mouth. 'Wise choice,' he thought. With this much "proof" suggesting he was a hidden child, it would be difficult for Liandor to deny. Even if it was not true. Liandor's family of cultivators was actually being framed by a defenseless four-year-old.
Even if he were to deny that Elias was his grandchild and somehow everyone believed him, his family's reputation would take a huge hit. It would still imply, "My son can't even keep a woman in check, and his partner even got pregnant by another man." This would ruin not only his son but also his future wife's reputation. It was absolutely not worth the risk.
Moreover, that would only be if everyone believed him, which was likely impossible. If rumors spread that he tried to suppress his own "grandchild" by denying his existence, the clan would frown heavily upon it since, for clans, bloodline takes precedence above everything else.
He could also reveal the truth about them being ex-slaves. But then again, his family would be tagged as liars, and this event could easily be used by rival factions. He used a lot of money and connections to hide their past from them, and revealing this now wouldn't do any good anyway.
In the worst case, even if the clan learned the truth, it wouldn't matter much anyway. A rank 4 red potential was worth some bad rumors. After all, a diamond covered in mud is still a diamond. No matter how the others laugh at you, they will still feel envious in their hearts.
In short, there was no way out. He was stuck in his own lies.
'That damn brat! I will definitely kill you one day!' Liandor thought, his body trembling as he suppressed the urge to beat the child to death. However, to others, he only seemed excited.
"I see. Congratulations on being the grandfather of two little angels, Elder Xiawen!" one of the elders said, sensing the tension and trying to lighten the mood.
Following his lead, the other elders started to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Elder Xiawen. What a joyous occasion. You must be very happy!"
"Congratulations, Elder Xiawen! I will be sending you some gifts later. Please accept them."
Seeing the elders' reactions, Liandor's expression became even darker, tinged with shame. In his mind, everything that had happened was just a bunch of coincidences, and he was the victim.
Even with his sharp mind, he never once doubted that everything so far had been orchestrated by a four-year-old child. In less than a day, he had been played like a fiddle.
'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How did it end up like this? I am the victim here! Why do I have to suffer like this?!' Liandor thought, his mind filled with self-pity. Yet, despite being angry, he did not dare to say anything.
"Thank you, thank you... I am very happy." Liandor said, forcing a smile onto his face. He took a deep breath, his mind racing with potential plans. 'But all hope is not lost. As long as this child's potential is low, the clan won't really care about him. All I have to do is to destroy his talent!' he thought, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Come, come, let's celebrate this occasion. Let's drink!" he shouted, his mood brightening considerably.
"Yes, let's drink!" the elders replied, and soon, the atmosphere became lively again.
And so, the party went on. The elders began to talk and drink while the servants brought out more food and wine. The whole atmosphere had become a lot more relaxed and festive. As the night went on, the elders began to drink more and more. However, unlike the elders, who enjoyed themselves, Liandor drank to forget his worries.
Surprisingly, amidst all the festivities, Elias had also stolen some alcohol from his mother's cup and drank it. He was not guided by curiosity about the taste of the alcohol nor was he really interested in alcohol in general. Rather, he wanted to test the limits of his rune. Since his rune would suppress all emotions, would it also suppress the effects of the alcohol?
In the game, the character the player incarnates is absolutely not affected by mental status ailments. Whether it was aphrodisiacs, alcohol, or any other form of mind control, they would simply not work. The player would still have absolute mastery over the character's mind and actions. However, that doesn't mean that those statuses wouldn't give other debuffs.
Therefore, Elias wanted to test if the same was true for him.
After a few drinks, Elias felt strange. His body felt warm and fuzzy, and his vision was slightly blurry, yet his mind was still crystal clear. 'So my rune do protect my mind and mind only. Good to know.'
"...Elias, what do you think you are doing?" Yui suddenly said, pulling the cup away from him with a stern voice. Without much choice, Elias could only stop his little experiment.
"... I am sorry. I wanted to try this too." answered Elias.
Noticing how late it was, Yui decided that it was time to leave. She stood up and bowed clumsily to the elders, "I am sorry, everyone, but Elias must go to bed. It's late, and he is still a child. We will take our leave now."
Liandor, who was now drunk, also did not want to see Elias anymore, so he nodded and waved his hand, "Sure, sure, you can go. Take this child with you."
The elders also nodded and smiled. They were not stupid enough not to notice some hole in Liandor's story and even Liandor knew this. However, they all unanimously decided to ignore it because they all belong to the same faction. Nothing good would come from tarnishing the reputation of a fellow comrade, so ultimately, nobody here tried to pry on this.
And so, Yui and Elias left the room.
Ray, who was sitting in a corner, was not even aware of his surroundings. He was too shocked by the events and did not know what to think.