Chapter 216. Agree
Arica was not taken aback when she heard that Excellency Armstrong Lee wanted to connect a video call into the room.
She was not close to the man. However, thanks to the dean, she had encountered him a few times through their interactions via video call.
What shocked her was the fact that Excellency Armstrong Lee, a legendary rank 4 warrior, wanted to have a video call with Aiden Vhorn.
"Do I have to excuse myself?" she asked.
"Not necessarily, stay," Wembley said with a warm smile.
Arica nodded.
"Looks like she’s someone he really trusts," Aiden thought.
Wembley tapped on a button on his desk twice.
The sound of the other side ringing resounded in the room.
Suddenly, someone picked up.
A hologram of a man appeared.
He had an extremely calm expression in his eyes.
Even though it was just his hologram everyone was looking at, his mere presence commanded serious authority.
"Brat, is he around?" Armstrong said as he looked at Wembley.
"Old man, don’t disgrace me in front of my juniors. I really tried my best to project the demeanor of a veteran," Wembley snorted. "Now that you are calling me brat, how will they respect me?"
"Hmph," Armstrong’s hologram snorted. "The old fogey and Vandeport have joined the International Union. You are my only pupil who is yet to break through. If you don’t stop lazying around, I will denounce you as my disciple."
"Heh... you keep saying that, but the moment I tell you to cut me off if you want, you shrink into your shell," Wembley smiled.
Armstrong shook his head and smiled.
"Let me talk to the young man."
Aiden walked forward. He stood before the hologram so that Grand Marshall Armstrong Lee, the strongest man in the Eldorath Empire, and one of the strongest men on Endra, could see him.
"Junior greets senior," Aiden said politely.
A glint of recognition flashed through Armstrong’s calm eyes.
He nodded. "No need to be so polite, young man. It’s only a matter of time before you join the International Union and become a legendary rank 4 warrior."
When he spoke, Arica and Wembley were surprised.
It seemed they had underestimated Aiden Vhorn’s potential. This kind of assessment from a legendary rank 4 warrior meant that the young man had more potential than he had been attributed.
But on second thought, he had not been a warrior for even two years, and was now a beginner rank 3 warrior. This kind of cultivation speed, they had never seen before. So, the old man had every right to say that.
"Thank you, sir," Aiden replied politely.
"It’s good to finally meet you in person," Armstrong said. "Ever since you broke my record in the gravity tower of Derulo City University, I’ve been observing you. I have to admit, I’ve never encountered someone like you before, since I began my cultivation journey. I have seen my fair share of geniuses. However, you are the first to actually catch my attention."
He looked at Wembley. "No offense to you, your senior sister and the old man"
"None taken," Wembley chuckled.
Arica remained quiet, listening.
Armstrong turned to Aiden again.
"You have already been briefed about the state of your loved ones by now so I won’t get into that. And I’m sure you have figured out by now that I’m the one who told Ashbourne to warn you about the Order before you went to the military. I honestly don’t have any information on them or any of their members," Armstrong said. "It was pure deduction. Considering your personality, it’s only natural your ideals and theirs won’t match and they would want to get rid of you. What I am fully certain of, is that with how they are able to influence society, they have infiltrated every sphere of power."
"They may even have members in the International Union. Though we don’t know who could be working with them. But I have a feeling you can help us get rid of them... and you may know more than you let on."
Everyone in the room looked at calm Aiden...
What??
This guy knew more about the Order than the International Union?
How?
"This man is sharp," Aiden thought.
"I have a few leads. But without proof, I would be signing my death warrant if I said anything," Aiden replied calmly.
Under the shocked gazes of Wembley and Arica, Armstrong nodded.
"I figured as much. That’s the right thing to do. When you have enough proof, we will act. Everyone has their secrets, so I am in no place to ask you how you know what you know," Armstrong said.
"Alright senior," Aiden replied.
"Good. That brings us to our next discussion. I want to invest in you. First of all, because you are someone who has the potential to become the most powerful person on Endra. Also, because my instincts tell me you have leads on the Order we don’t have," Armstrong said. "Being connected to you will help me in the long run. I can ride on your coattails. Also, we can get rid of the Order. After all, I have a family, and the world is not safe knowing that my kids and grandkids can die due to some suicidal bigots at anytime."
"Straightforward. So I was on point. He wants to invest in me. It looks like I don’t have to worry about rejecting his offer to be his disciple. It’s strictly political," Aiden thought.
"So, how about you become my disciple?" Armstrong said. "I won’t impose on you. You are free to do whatever you want. You won’t have to put your life on the line for me. Also..."
Armstrong looked at Aiden.
"There’s honestly nothing I can teach you. You have the combat experience of a veteran and the scheming ability of someone who has survived imperial politics for decades. You are a natural."
"I agree to the offer sir," Aiden said.
He had already weighed his options. This was the wise choice to make.
"Junior brother..." Wembley smiled. "I have a junior brother now."
Arica rolled her eyes.
Armstrong almost facepalmed.
As for Aiden, he honestly found Wembley’s reaction intriguing.
What was wrong with this man?
He was not technically a disciple. It was a simple political arrangement.
Unlike Armstrong’s traditional disciples who were actually nurtured by him, Aiden was different. He would enjoy the political immunity of Armstrong, in exchange for Armstrong benefiting from Aiden’s eventual growth.
"Alright," Armstrong nodded. "No one will openly target you. The Order, the industries in the Eldorath Empire that want you dead, and the Cyrenthia Empire military will resort to covert ambushes and assassination methods.
The threats will lessen considerably, but they won’t vanish.
So, you will still have to protect yourself.
I would have loved it for some rank 3 covert ops to protect you from the shadows, but they have all been assigned to other tasks. So, you still need to be careful out there."
"Yes sir," Aiden nodded.
He had already anticipated this.
"Alright. I will post an update about it online in a few minutes," Armstrong said. He looked at Wembley. "Your senior brother and sister will call your original line sometimes, since you are about to drop your Alex Turner persona. They would want to familiarize themselves with you. As for Wembley, you have already met him. Take care."
"Take care sir. Thank you," Aiden replied.
"Call me Lee from now on, or old man. And, pleasure is mine," Armstrong nodded. The hologram cut to black, leaving Aiden, Arica, and Wembley in the room.