Chapter 93: The Family Invitation
Chapter 93: The Family Invitation
Sunlight streamed through the half-open curtains of the room.
Lian slowly opened his eyes. For a few seconds, he just stared at the ceiling.
His body still felt heavy. As if all his muscles, after weeks of fighting, running, and excessive mana consumption, had finally found a chance to protest.
He rubbed his face and slowly sat up on the bed.
The wall clock caught his attention. It was 9 AM. He glanced at his phone and was surprised by the date.
Thirty hours. He had slept for over thirty hours straight!
Even he hadn’t expected such a thing. But thinking about how tired he was, maybe it made sense? He was not only physically exhausted but also mentally and emotionally drained.
And his body had finally been able to get a comfortable rest after a long time.
As soon as he picked up his phone, the screen lit up with a flood of notifications.
His eyebrow went up. Several missed calls, dozens of messages, and among them all, an official notification with the Vorhelm family crest.
An invitation to his sister’s birthday ceremony. It seemed the Vorhelm family had even sent an invitation to his number.
He hadn’t expected this one. He looked at it and realized it was a personal invitation, unlike the previous one which was formal and sent to all those with the Vorhelm name.
"I guess they’ve figured some things out." Lian stared at it for a few seconds, because there was only one reason they would send him such an invitation.
Then he closed it indifferently and went to the rest of the messages. The first message was from Gareth.
When he opened it, a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Good news: the hundred million has been approved, and the government is willing to pay even a little more. The amount will be deposited into your account within three days."
Lian read the message again.
A hundred million. Finally, the value of all that trouble was showing itself.
At least part of it.
But the next message caught his attention more. It was from Professor Aldric.
He opened the message. The text was short, but its content was more interesting than he expected.
"Several guilds have requested meetings."
Below was a list of names. Phoenix Guild, Titan Guild, Nightfall Guild, and several other famous guilds.
Lian let out a quiet whistle. Guilds that even many professional Awakened dreamed of joining.
And now they had come to him.
And considering his family had sent a personal invitation... there was only one possibility. The news had probably spread about the fallen city.
He looked at the screen for a few seconds, then just nodded.
"Exactly what I didn’t want." After that, he opened the Federation news network to check it.
And at that moment, he understood why everyone was after him. The page was practically exploding. Satellite images, images of the battlefield.
Images of the fallen city and photos of streets covered in monster corpses.
And his name could be seen almost everywhere.
The first headline.
"Genius of the Capital Academy."
The second headline.
"The Hero of the Fallen City."
The third headline.
"The Youngest Hunter Who Massacred Hundreds of Monsters."
Even several analysts were guessing his real power level. Some called him a historical genius. Some called him the future of the Federation.
And some even started comparing him to the heroes of past generations.
Lian just frowned. This was exactly what he didn’t want. He had tried to stay in the shadows, but now he had practically become the country’s main subject.
Maybe he should have asked the government to censor the news about his achievements too... but now, it was too late.
Even though fame had both advantages and disadvantages, for him, the disadvantages currently outweighed the advantages. He preferred to stay in the shadows for a while longer.
"People will forget about this in a few days." He laughed, then looked at his call list.
Most of the calls were from one person. From his uncle!
He had called many times over the past few hours.
And while he was thinking about why his uncle would call him, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Incoming call.
"Uncle?" He answered.
One of the few people from the Vorhelm family who had always treated him well. It was thanks to him that Lian had been able to register as an Analyzer at the National Academy.
"Do you know how many times I called you? Where were you?"
"I was sleeping for thirty hours." Lian gave a short laugh.
"I’ve told you before, but laziness is not a good thing. How did you even manage to sleep for 30 hours?" His uncle shook his head.
"But I guess after all the hardship you went through in the Ruined Realm and then the fallen city, it’s logical that you slept that long."
Lian remained silent.
"I wanted to call you sooner... but you know the family situation yourself." He heard his uncle sigh, and then he went straight to the point, as if he didn’t want to continue this discussion.
"I called about your sister’s birthday."
"I thought that might be it." Lian had almost guessed.
The man was silent for a few seconds, then said in a more serious tone.
"I want you to definitely come."
Lian said nothing. He was undecided about going or not. But deep down, he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to return to a family that had exiled him.
His uncle continued.
"This ceremony is not like the previous ones. A few special slots will be distributed there."
"What kind of slots?" This time, Lian’s attention was caught.
"Entry to the family’s Celestial Treasury." The man smiled, as if he knew he had managed to catch his nephew’s attention.
For the first time, Lian was completely silent. The Celestial Treasury. A place where many of the family’s techniques, artifacts, and valuable resources were kept.
One of the few places in the world where S-rank and above armors and weapons could be found... even Ancient and Mythical ranks.
Ancient and Mythical rank items were the rarest ranks. Practically only the top guilds and powers of the world possessed them.
Although he knew that even with a slot, he couldn’t get those, still, there were S-rank weapons and armors.
But more importantly... entry to that treasury was only given to very special individuals.
His uncle continued.
"A few limited slots will be distributed among the younger generation. Its value is much more than you imagine. What do you think? Are you coming?"
Lian was silent and didn’t answer immediately. Agreeing to return just for a slot would be an insult to his pride.
"I don’t think I’ll come." His answer didn’t change.
"I see. But think about it more. There’s still five days left." His uncle sighed, then said goodbye. He had said what needed to be said.
This time, Lian really fell into thought. After the call ended, he sat on the chair. The invitation was still on the screen.
Five days remained until the ceremony. He began to consider his options.
If he didn’t go... the family would probably consider it disrespectful. But the truth was, that didn’t matter to him.
The family’s opinion of him hadn’t mattered for years.
But the treasury slot... that was different.
He tapped on the table slowly. If he went... he would have to face all the family members.
Everyone who had ignored him for years. Everyone who looked at him as a failure. And now that his name was spread across the country, their behavior would probably change completely.
Not that it would get better... their behavior would definitely get worse. Because now that he had become an Awakened, he practically had the right to compete for the succession.
And his brothers and sisters wouldn’t be happy about that.
On the other hand...
Another thought formed in his mind. Maybe it wasn’t just about the slot. The slot was important, but there was something more important.
The Vorhelm family was one of the most powerful families in the world.
Their wealth was unimaginable. Their influence reached governments, guilds, and even the Federation.
Controlling such power... was no small reward.
Lian closed his eyes. If one day he decided to claim the position of heir... the game would be completely different.
And with his current abilities... who could say he couldn’t do it?
His brothers and sisters were definitely geniuses and great rivals... but being able to compete with them... that was a different discussion.
But for now, he made no decision. He still had five days, and there was no rush to choose.
However, if asked, he was more inclined not to go.
Because he knew very well that the moment he entered that ceremony, a flood of trouble would surge toward him.
He stood up from the chair. He intended to take a shower and finally eat something. But at that moment, his phone vibrated again.
New message.
The sender was Selina.
Lian opened the message and smiled when he saw it.
"Liana, Marcus, and Claire are awake. They’ve all been discharged from the hospital."
"They want to see you."
A few seconds later, a second message arrived.
"Can you come to the Academy cafe?"
Lian looked at the screen for a few moments. Then without any hesitation, he sent a short reply.
"I’ll be there in ten minutes."