Chapter 146: The next Founding Successor

"How do I trust you if I can’t even tell the person I’m trying to save about the easier method you claimed?" Kaelen asked suspiciously.

"I also made it clear that it’s all up to you to come with me or not. My only rule is that your mother can’t know about me or anything I’m going to be telling you. So make up your mind. Whatever choice you make now, there’ll be no room for regrets later," Emir said flatly.

She didn’t give him a chance to think about it and kept moving down the hallway till the two women suddenly disappeared from the spot.

Kaelen gritted his teeth. As much as Emir had just proven to be untrustworthy, he didn’t have much of a choice now. After all, she was yet to mention what she wanted in return.

He no longer hesitated and moved down the hallway where they had come and left from. The moment he stepped into the area, his vision warped and the scene surrounding him changed.

Kaelen had always thought his mother’s residence was the true lifestyle of nobility, until a vast room sprawled across his vision.

It looked like the common room or a large mansion, with the height of its roof making Kaelen look small. The designs were minimalistic, but everything in the room screamed luxury and made his mother’s suite look like a common dorm room compared to that place.

There were several knights in bright and shining armor positioned at every entrance and exit, which made Kaelen wonder if Emir was truly from some kind of ancient noble family.

"Are you a princess or something?" Kaelen asked flatly.

Emir only smiled and turned to her guardian. "I’ll take it from here, Valerie."

The tall woman bowed curtly, but stole a glance at Kaelen before she walked out.

Kaelen could tell she didn’t like him, which made him feel better. If their plan was to kill or silence him here, there was no reason to openly dislike him like that.

"Kaelen, could you help me push the wheelchair to the elevator?" Emir called out.

"Elevator?" Kaelen hadn’t noticed, but there was indeed an elevator between two curved staircases.

He didn’t refute, but couldn’t help but ask, "Can’t you fly or something?" He grabbed the wheelchair handles and began pushing towards the elevator.

It was completely weightless, like he was pushing an empty chair.

"It must be nice to be able to fly," Emir replied softly.

His brows furrowed softly. He could tell this woman was overpowered; how then was it possible she couldn’t even fly?

"So what’s this all about?" He decided to go straight to the point as soon as they stepped into the elevator.

She inhaled deeply before she began. "I’d like to introduce myself once again. My name’s Emir, and I’m the Lord of this kingdom."

Kaelen’s brows shot up in surprise, but he didn’t question it. That was not what he was here for.

"When I said we have so much in common, I meant it. I started off as strong as you are now. I made the universal headlines quite a few times, which exposed me to the larger world as factions and figureheads began moving to recruit me."

"I’m guessing you’re a player then. Is that why you’re here? To recruit me?" Kaelen asked cautiously.

"Mm..." Emir hummed subtly. "Not quite. You see, we’re not the same, Kaelen." As she said that, the elevator opened to reveal a study that could easily be mistaken for a library.

It was well lit, but the sight before him made his frown slightly. Kaelen had used his [Sharp Senses] first thing as soon as he found himself in the luxurious manor, only to realize his perception simply bounced off the walls of the building. He couldn’t tell what was on the other side of the walls or doors, but according to his observations of the building layout, they should be stepping into a hallway instead of the study they were in now.

He didn’t ask because he already had an answer.

Space magic.

The elevator made use of space magic to take the user to any room they probably wanted to go in the manor, possibly depending on their authority.

"How so?" He asked subconsciously as he pushed the wheelchair forward.

"We come from two different worlds. Mine put me at an advantage, meanwhile yours put you at a great disadvantage. No matter how strong you become, I doubt anyone would be willing to associate with you for your origin. Your race made a bad name for themselves and has accumulated one too many enemies during their prime that your growth will only be seen as a threat to peace. Rather than ally with you, they’ll do everything in their power to bring an end to your existence. You should know that much after your world was shortlisted for the Global Descent. They didn’t do that in due process or protocols. They skipped all that just to make sure you won’t be breathing in the days to come. I can assure you the planetary alliance that put an end to your world’s reign centuries ago are preparing their army for the invasion. If they were able to silence your race back then, what makes you think you’ll make a difference now? You aren’t that special, Kaelen. Earth was once a home to monsters who walked the lands in human flesh. Your strength now can’t be compared to that of humanity’s strongest warriors back then—"

"What’s your point?" Kaelen interrupted her. To him, she wasn’t making a point but simply going in circles, trying to glaze him and imbue fear in him.

Emir paused. "I’m sorry I got carried away. It’s been long since I had any real conversation with anyone." She said with her signature smile and turned around on her wheelchair to face him.

"Kaelen, do you know why humanity was the strongest back then?" She asked.

It was thanks to the Atreus family, of course, but Kaelen didn’t know if she was aware of that and didn’t want to expose any information to her. He had learned his lesson from Yelena, so he chose to remain silent.

"It’s not hidden knowledge, Kaelen. Everyone knows it’s the Atreus family and their bloodline, which was why they made it their priority to see to the end of the family witches, which is also why they sent someone after your mother. They won’t stop with that one person, Kaelen. Until they ensure there isn’t one last surviving member of the Atreus family with the founding bloodline flowing through their veins... but you’re different."

Kaelen was already frowning, and that only deepened further.

"What about me? You still haven’t told me how I might save my mother."

"It’s not that complicated, really. I know of a place where you might find the immortality pill and more. I can get you there, and I’ll willingly guide you throughout."

Kaelen didn’t like where this was going. That was too much assistance if the immortality pill could truly be found there. "What about my world? What’s the catch?"

"I can save your world, Kaelen. But I wouldn’t do that. That’ll be up to you. The best I can do is give you time; time to get the immortality, time to get stronger before the Global Descent. Where I’ll take you is where you can achieve both if you’re cut out for it, but I must warn you... you won’t be going alone. You’ll be treading in the midst of your enemies, and your competitors will be on a whole new level compared to what you think you know about the universe."

"Where is this place?" Kaelen asked after a moment’s deliberation.

"First, let’s talk about what I want in return."

"You scared that I’ll ditch you and go there anyway?"

"Even if I told you, not only can you not find this place because it isn’t a land for mortals, but even if you do, not only would they not allow you, but you’ll be killed on sight. I’m your only visa."

"Go on then, what is it you want in return?"

Emir smiled as she looked Kaelen straight in the eyes. "I want that which is inside you."

Kaelen frowned deeply and subconsciously took a step back.

"I can’t, and will not be giving you my system," Kaelen said loud and clear.

"Oh, don’t be silly. If that were possible, the Atreus family candidates would’ve been stripped of their powers long ago."

"Then what do you want?" Kaelen asked, when his eyes widened in surprise. "If what you’re asking is that I craft you a system, then I’m not sorry to disappoint you because I don’t have that power."

Emir’s smile didn’t falter, making Kaelen feel uneasy. "Is that what your mother told you?"

Kaelen’s eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

What is she trying to say? Did Jessica lie to him again?

"I can’t really blame her because even she doesn’t know it’s truly impossible. You’re the first male child of the bloodline, after all, not because the Atreus family only ever gave birth to women, but because they always removed any child that wasn’t female."

Kaelen’s eyes spread further in bewilderment.

As much as he hated to admit it, Emir was making sense.

"Perhaps male children truly lack the ability. Or perhaps the elders simply wanted to control who inherited it. Men could always impregnate women outside the family, after all."

Kaelen was silent for a long moment. He couldn’t refute a single word that came out of Emir’s mouth, and the more she spoke, the more it sounded like the bitter truth.

"Of course, that’s only my hypothesis, and I don’t really know if that’s truly the case." She suddenly disrupted his train of thought.

"What exactly is your point? You want me to create you a system, yet you aren’t sure if that’s entirely possible?"

"I never said that."

"What?" Kaelen was taken aback.

"You’re the one who came to that conclusion."

Kaelen frowned. "Are you messing with me? If you don’t want a system, then what could you possibly want from the dormant Atreus bloodline inside me?"

"Dormant? I don’t think so. I don’t know if you’re capable of creating a system like the women in your maternal family, but the one thing I’m certain of is that even though you might not have the bloodline ability, you surely have the ability to pass it on to your female offspring, possibly creating more than one successor with the founding ability."

At this point, Kaelen’s head was running in circles, when it suddenly clicked, and he stared at Emir with wide eyes.

"What I’m trying to say is that I’ll willingly take you to the place where you can not only save your mother, but extend the death sentence passed onto your world and give you the opportunity to become much stronger than you ever imagined."

"In return, Kaelen... you will give me the next founding successor of the Atreus bloodline. A daughter."