Elias' expression darkened as he clenched his tiny fists tightly upon hearing his brother's fate. "No, there must be a way to save him. We cannot let him die!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with determination.
"There is a way. We can save him," Liandor said, his expression turning grim.
Elias raised an eyebrow, his mind racing. 'A way to save an unranked potential? It's certainly not impossible. But the resources and energy needed would be tremendous.'
He knew that selling the entire White River town, including its people, would not be enough to buy a single material needed. So, how does Liandor, a rank 3 cultivator, plan to save his unranked grandson? He wanted to know what this old man was thinking.
"What are you suggesting, Grandpa Liandor?" he asked, his voice steady.
"I will take Raymond somewhere and heal his broken aperture ... So I need you to play along and say that he is doing well at home," Liandor said, his voice low and grave.
Hearing this, Elias did not know what to think. 'Treating an unranked potential… If he means increasing talent, then I am certain that Liandor can't save Raymond. Even with the right manifestation and materials, I doubt he can afford the aether expenditure. But something else is not right.'
Elias knew that expelling a clan member with a weak talent was extremely common and, surprisingly, not looked down upon at all. After all, a weak talent would only bring shame to the clan.
Nobody in the clan would bat an eye if Liandor wanted to disown Raymond. So, what was Liandor planning to do? He did not seem to want to give up on trying to fix Raymond's talent, but he did not have the means to save him either.
Instead, Liandor wanted to fake Raymond's presence, which puzzled Elias a bit. 'What is he trying to accomplish by doing this? What is his end goal?'
"I understand. I will do as you say. But how long will it take you to heal him, Grandpa?"
"I don't know. He will stay there for a long moment. So I need you to tell everyone that Raymond is at home, recovering."
"But won't people get suspicious if he doesn't show up?"
Hearing this, Liandor's expression darkened. "You don't need to worry about that... Nobody will care about an unranked potential."
"That is true," Elias agreed, nodding slightly. "But what about the servants? Won't they find it strange if he doesn't show up for days or weeks?" asked Elias despite knowing the answer.
"Stop asking useless questions. I will take care of all of this. Your job is only to play along. Do not reveal anything," Liandor said, his tone stern and commanding.
With a sigh, Elias replied, "...Of course. I will play along and say that Raymond often plays with me in his room..."
"Good. Now you can leave-" However, Elias interrupted him before he could finish his words.
"But I want five rank 1 manifestations," said Elias with his soft voice.
Everyone in the room came to a sudden halt, their eyes growing wide with surprise upon hearing the words. Liandor's gaze turned sharp as he questioned, "What did you say?"
"I want five rank 1 manifestations for my silence. Otherwise, I will tell everyone," repeated Elias, his tone calm and steady.
Liandor's expression immediately turned dark as his eyes narrowed into thin slits, and he stood silent.
"Elias, it is not the moment to joke around. Raymond is dying! Be more understanding!" his mother scolded him, looking disappointed.
Turning his attention to his mother, Elias answered with a cold tone that took Yui aback. "Mother, should I remind you about your promise from a year ago? About never leaving me alone? But when you left today, did you once notice that there was nobody else?"
Yui's eyes widened as she scrambled to clarify her mistake, "Ah... Really? I didn't see... Are you sure... ? I mean, you're so grown-up for your age. And besides, it happened a year ago..." she stuttered, desperately attempting to justify her actions to Elias.
"You thought I was mature and could handle myself. Is that it?" Elias asked.
"Yes, I thought you could handle yourself-"
"I see. So breaking a promise is fine if you think it is okay?" Elias frowned as if genuinely confused.
"Elias, stop it. Don't be like this. I am sorry, okay? I will make it up to you. But now is not the moment..." His mother apologized, her voice filled with guilt and remorse.
Ignoring the last part of her sentence, Elias added, "How about giving me the toys you promised me when Raymond said he did not want me to come then? Ah, you also forgot those, right? Perhaps you knew that I don't like toys, so you did not bother either? You are only a … Liar." said Elias with a smile.
Hearing this, Yui's eyes widened, her breath started accelerating, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried to say something, but only incoherent words came out of her mouth. "I- I am not a liar!"
Elias did not feel any emotions when he looked at his mother crying. 'Somehow, Yui seemed extremely sensitive about being called a liar. Perhaps some dark past or something. But it doesn't matter. More importantly, from being disappointed, she is sad and guilty. I hope I can use her guilt against her and get something.' Elias thought, satisfied with the result.
Ray's expression was dark, and his eyes burned with fury. "How can you be so selfish? Raymond is dying, and you are only thinking about yourself! You are a disgrace to this family! You cannot even use them, so why do you even need manifestations?!" Ray shouted, his voice filled with anger and disgust.
Ignoring Ray as if he did not even exist, Elias looked at Liandor with a calm expression.
Seeing this, Ray was furious, and his face turned red from rage. "I will not let you get away with this! I will tell everyone that you are a selfish, evil, and disgusting brat! They will all hate you!"
"..."
"..."
'This guy is truly stupid.' Elias had deliberately ignored Ray because he knew he had little power and authority in this house. His talent was average, and he wasn't particularly smart either, so what would be the point of entertaining him?
Moreover, Elias's reputation is now more than ever linked to the Xiawen family as the only "descendant" of the house, so Liandor will obviously prevent such actions.
Truth be told, Elias had also learned a few months ago that Ray had brothers... Unfortunately, all of them died fighting a beast. This forced Liandor to focus his hopes on his least favorite son.
Liandor's expression was dark and grim, his eyes burning with fury, yet he was somehow calm. "...Fine. You will have your manifestations. Now, leave," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hearing this, Ray's face darkened and was shocked. "Father, you can't be serious! How can you let this selfish brat blackmail you? He's just a kid!"
It was now Liandor's turn to ignore his son. "I will give you the manifestations later. Now, leave," Liandor said, his voice strained.
"Thank you, Grandpa. I will wait for them," Elias said, his voice filled with gratitude.
Elias then turned around and walked away, leaving the three adults behind him.
The moment he was out of sight, he heard something breaking, followed by a loud thud. However, it was not Elias' concern, so he did not bother to check. He was too busy planning his next steps.
'It is time to harvest my first crop. I should continue milking them.'
Elias did not share his valuable candies with Raymond out of spite or pettiness but rather as a strategic move that eventually proved beneficial.
Family ties were of utmost importance for clans, and having numerous offspring was considered essential in case some children were talentless. In fact, being childless by the age of 30 was viewed as a shameful failure within the community.
Now, Raymond's talent is revealed to be worse than trash because of his little plot, so he is as good as dead. With Raymond no longer in the picture due to his lack of talent, Elias was the sole heir of "his" family's legacy, so obviously, he could act like an entitled brat, and even Liandor had to bear this for the sake of his own family's reputation and future.
'Now, what should I ask next?'