Seeing Atticus’s overwhelming talent had honestly been refreshing for the crew. Many felt envy deep inside but made sure not to show it. However, they were all feeling worked up currently.
Atticus possessed a talent that defied description. It was so immense that no words could do it justice.
Despite this, he was working incredibly hard. In the span of four months, he had battled an apex of another race, attended the elemental sanctums and graduated, and spent two months in the Abyssal Chasm. Yet, they had never seen him rest willingly for more than a few hours. It was unnerving. Why was he trying so hard?
“Form up!” Amara’s voice boomed, prompting the crew members to quickly form a horizontal line.
“Partner up and begin sparring! We’re not stopping until we drop!”
“Yes!”
The sounds of the crew members’ loud shouts reverberated through the room. They instantly followed Amara’s lead and began training.
Dario watched each of them, especially Amara, with narrowed eyes. ‘They all got pumped up watching the young master,’ he realized. He was also well aware of the nature of the crew members of the Aegis ship.
Dario turned his gaze back toward the door before sighing. ‘It would seem I’ve got a training maniac for a master,’ he thought. He had retreated to his room yesterday, but Yotad, who stood beside him, remained in front of the door without leaving or resting. ‘I wonder if he ever needs to take a piss or anything,’
Dario shook his head and faced the door. ‘It’s going to be a long couple of months,’ he mused.
He could only imagine Atticus training throughout his entire stay. When he thought about it, it was a good thing. The more talented and powerful his young master became, the more beneficial it would be for him.
…
“A war is coming, but we’re not sure when,” a firm voice spoke, prompting the men and women listening inside the room to break into chatter.
The one who had just spoken was Avalon, and he was inside a circular room alongside Sirius, Lyanna of the Silent Nexus, Nathan of the Raven Consortium, and the holograms of many other elders of the Ravenstein family. They were all seated around a circular table.
Every single person present inside the room, whether physically or not, held the highest influence within the Ravenstein family. They were all individuals of great influence, even outside the family and in the human domain.
Avalon had just brought up the topic of war.
However, there was not the slightest ripple of panic as they each conversed. They all talked calmly, and many even made jokes and laughed.
This was the Ravenstein family.
A few seconds passed before Avalon interrupted the chatter.
“What do you propose, Lyanna?” Avalon turned toward a woman seated not far from him. Like everyone present, she had snow-white hair draped over her shoulders.
Her beauty was utterly enchanting, contrasting with her piercing gaze. There was no one in this room who wasn’t aware of the cruelty that Lyanna embodied. Her next words only reminded them of that.
An innocent expression appeared on Lyanna’s face.
“I propose we stop wasting time and just initiate the war. It’s awfully boring watching those fools scramble to plan their attack on us,” she said with a tone as if discussing the weather, her cold demeanor sending a chill through the room.
Many of the others present couldn’t help but clear their throats awkwardly. Usually, a word of reason would have come immediately, but no one wanted to be targeted by Lyanna.
Compared to the others in the room, the four stars of the Ravenstein family—Avalon, Sirius, Lyanna, and Nathan—were younger.
However, this didn’t mean they were weaker; quite the contrary, the four stars were likely stronger, or at the very least, on equal footing with the elders.
Many turned to the other three who could actually speak freely to Lyanna.
“You sound just like Avalon,” remarked Sirius, a man dressed impeccably in a white tailored suit, with a chuckle.
Lyanna’s calm demeanor faltered. “That musclehead? Never!” she retorted, but it only made Sirius laugh louder.
Avalon’s mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly cleared his throat, interrupting the banter before it could escalate.
“Sirius is right—not about the part where you sound like me,” Avalon threw Sirius a pointed look before continuing, “We have no idea just how many families are participating. We should play it safe.”
“But what if they all attacked?”
It wasn’t a secret that they had managed to anger almost all the tier-one families. Everyone in the room knew that the root cause was Avalon’s only child, Atticus, but not a single one of them uttered a word of blame.
It wasn’t just because Avalon was hot-tempered and might lash out if they did; the truth was that none of them saw anything wrong with what Atticus had done.
If they had been in his shoes, they would have done the same. If anything, they were even subtly proud that one of their family members had overwhelmed the other tier-one families.
Avalon turned toward the old man who had just spoken, his aura cold. “We’re Ravensteins; we never run away from a fight. We retaliate and annihilate.”
Lyanna’s lips curled into a wide smile, her excitement palpable. She just couldn’t wait!
Sirius shook his head as he noticed Lyanna’s reaction, but even he couldn’t hide his own excitement.
However, not all four stars felt the same way.
“What do you think, Nathan?” Avalon asked.
Nathan, who was essentially in charge of the economy of sector 3, was crucial to the discussion. His perspective was needed.
Over the years, Nathan had lost considerable weight since the reward ceremony held for Atticus, especially after everything calmed down.
However, due to the current tension, his stress-eating habits had reemerged, and he had gained back the weight he lost and more. He was now a mass of fat, and it was clear that Nathan wasn’t in a good mood.
“Can’t we search for a peaceful resolution?” Nathan asked, his tone weary.
No one was surprised by his words; they knew him well, after all.
Avalon shook his head. “It’s too late for that. I understand your sentiments, but we’ll rely on you to keep us afloat.”
Nathan sighed deeply. ‘I truly doubt you do,’ he thought.
During war or any situation involving battle, the Ravensteins were the last people anyone would want to sponsor.
They were known for their craziness and their tendency to rampage, and during such times, the last thing they would care about were the damages and money going down the drain.
