Chapter 201 - Disownment (2/2)
Both in body and mind, the average person lacked the strength to act and to be.
To fight against a powerful foe, one required a honed body fit for battle and a sharp, focused mind. It did not have to be a physical enemy; it could be a spiritual enemy too, such as depression, addiction, or even one's fears and vices.
Unfortunately, the average person was woefully incompetent — they were untrained, undisciplined, and entirely indulgent in the very things that made them weak.
Every day, they prayed to him wanting more. They always wanted more. There seemed to be no limits when it came to their d.e.s.i.r.es, to Reed's dismay.
To Reed, what Mulia was like now would've been paradise to him as a child. He would have done anything to be allowed in a land full of endless opportunities like Mulia but to the inhabitants of this new paradise, it still had not been enough.
Every time Reed closed his eyes, he could hear all of them out there, praying for the happiness that he had promised them.
What do they WANT? What more can I GIVE THEM? Is what I have given them NOT ENOUGH?
Reed took a deep, tired breath as he wondered where everything had gone so wrong.
Nothing was as it should have been. He had expected them to be different. He had imagined they would have wanted to fight and struggle and aspire to rise up against the formidable odds that awaited them beyond the Heavenly Barrier.
”...Why won't they stand up for themselves, gramps? I wish I had been born earlier, back when the First Generation had been alive. The Otherworlders who fought in the Great Barrier War would not have been so spineless and indolent as the sheep-folk of today.”
The thought of an entire continent full of determined people like the Otherworlders would have allowed Reed to accomplish feats that not even Ancient Mulians could have matched in their prime.
Reed had enormous ambitions, far outstripping what anyone could imagine, but he lacked the manpower to do what he wanted. The Nuedo were promising, but even they were not enough for what Reed wanted to do.
If Reed had what he needed, he would have already made a legitimate effort to retake what laid outside the Heavenly Barrier.
Reed would have taken Mu back from the Infestation, one continent at a time until they had complete control of the planet. He would have covered the entire planet in a Heavenly Barrier given enough time, giving them an entire planet to own.
He would have gradually healed the wounds inflicted by the Infestation, purifying the blackened seas and lifeless continents of Mu until they burgeoned an abundance of life and joy for all to enjoy in peace.
And then, he would have f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y restored the island domain of Citlai back into the reborn Mu just to make them witness what he had accomplished while they had been rotting away in their little city.
And all of this would have only been the first step in his plan.
Reed's ambitions stretched outward into the stars, but even he could not make his dreams come true by himself. Though powerful in Mulia, his strength was still not enough to fight the Outsiders, not by a long shot.
He, too, wanted more but it certainly wasn't to spend his life idly sitting on his a.s.s.
When Velvund saw the fire in his eyes, he knew that there was still a chance.
Not everything was lost yet. All he needed was to be pushed in the right direction.
”If you want to light a fire in these people, then you're going to have to make them understand. You need to show them that there is more out for them to obtain by joining your cause compared to doing nothing. You need to inspire them into acting,” said Velvund with a crooked smile as his mind began putting a plan together.
Even without an Alma, the Silver Reaper was a terrifying mastermind who had lived and ruled an empire for more than five thousand years. To him, not even retirement was enough to stop him from causing trouble and now that an opportunity had arisen in front of his eyes, nothing was going to stop him now...
”Inspire them into acting? If I had someone with my abilities on my side back in my youth, I would have already tried to take over the world, goddamnit! How are they not inspired already?!”
Velvund cackled when he heard his grandson's outraged reply. The poor fool thought that his power alone was enough to compensate for his lack of charisma. Though he had all the power in the world and an incredible reputation, it still could not make up for his diplomatic abilities.
He looked around and thought to himself, this brat wants to inspire an entire continent and yet he lives in a tomb at the bottom of the goddamned sea like a monster from a myth!
The hilarity of it all was too much to handle as he held his gut in pain from the laughter.
As Velvund wiped the tears from his eyes, he said, ”And you wonder why she was your better half, you silly boy. Do you remember who did all the talking back then? Was it you or was it her, hm? It would not be a lie for me to say that she was even better than me when it came to the art of speechcraft, persuasion, and diplomacy.”
Reed grumbled and said, ”You make it sound like I have stage fright or something...”
”What I'm saying is that one of you had to practice making speeches for a week before he was allowed to take interviews and come to formal events. And the other one was the person writing your speeches, haha!” said Velvund as he chuckled gleefully at Reed's expense.
Velvund patted his overgrown grandchild's head and said, ”You've been operating at half-power and you know it. If you want to make your big dreams come true, then you're going to need the help of the best. But the truth is that I just want to see my granddaughter already... and my grandchildren, too.”
Reed snorted coldly and said, ”You already have half a dozen grandchildren, you old fart. Just how many more do you need?”
”Another one or... perhaps three more might make me satisfied. Are you taking notes?”
This old bastard's beyond help...
”In any case, the Goldentree Clan has no cowards in its bloodline. If you will not obey your grandpapa's request, then I will order you as your Clan Patriarch — you are to bring your fiance back home as soon as possible. This order must be carried out effective immediately. If you choose to disobey or fail in completing this order, I will strip you of your title and erase your name from the family tree, am I clear?”
”W-wait, slow down! That's not possible right now. I have important busi...” said Reed as slowly lost his confidence underneath Velvund's deathly serious expression.
He wasn't joking at all. If Reed didn't bring her back, he really would disown him.
Ah, f.u.c.k.
It was time to pay his other family a visit that was long overdue...