Chapter 117: Next Path To Glory
[2 AM.]
[Asher’s Villa.]
Asher sat comfortably on the open porch, staring at Grayson, who was standing respectfully before him under the soft glow of the estate’s magical lanterns.
"Grayson, about what happened today..."
"I was blind and foolish, my Lord!! It will never happen again!" Grayson blurted out instantly, lowering his head in shame.
Asher shook his head gently: "Not that... In your honest opinion, what do you think I am lacking as the Patriarch of an Ancient Family?" He asked, his tone contemplative.
Grayson went silent, thinking deeply for a long while before slowly nodding his head:
"In the past, I had the supreme honor to witness an Ancient Family from a distance. What my Lord seems to be lacking currently are powerful and fiercely loyal subordinates, and a dedicated standing army... Each of the established Ancient Families commands at least two hundred SSS-RANK Awakened below them, along with countless lower ranks, all ready at a single call... Of course, this number can sometimes be exaggerated by rumors, but my Lord should ideally have a formidable army to back up your authority..." He paused, then added:
"The easiest way to accomplish this is by conquering existing guilds, or perhaps founding new ones... You just need to assist these guilds from the shadows, silently growing your true force! Of course, myself and my one thousand elite men are already entirely at your order! I personally have ten SSS-RANK warriors under me, and hundreds of other lower ranks," he declared seriously.
Asher slowly nodded his head. High-ranking SSS-RANK Awakened were inherently arrogant, especially those forged in the brutal underworld; he couldn’t pin all his long-term hopes on them blindly. Although Grayson had submitted after experiencing his absolute power, the rest of the underworld wouldn’t bow down so easily.
As if sensing his lord’s subtle hesitation, Grayson spoke up eagerly:
"My Lord, there are a total of five underground lords ruling Silverspire. I am the strongest among them, which is why I earned the King title. If you require even more powerful fighters, you can take the other four under your absolute command."
"And how exactly can I do that?" Asher asked, looking up at the scarred man.
"In the underworld, we only respect the absolute strongest... Show them your overwhelming strength, and they will willingly bow and submit," Grayson said, flexing his muscular arms.
Asher slowly nodded his head. If he planned to eventually take over the entire nation of Vaeloria, he had to build his foundation somewhere. He was already recognized as the head of an Ancient Family, meaning the high-society Awakened community in Silverspire was effectively within his reach—a status solidified by tonight’s events. But the rampant underground desperately needed a unified ruler.
He looked back at Grayson: "In one week, I need all the Underground Lords gathered in one spot. You pick the location... The underworld needs a new ruler."
"I obey, my Lord," Grayson said with a deep, respectful bow.
"As for your ten SSS-RANK Awakened, call them over tomorrow morning... I want to personally evaluate them."
"Yes, my Lord." Grayson nodded again.
Asher rested his chin on his palm, lost in thought. He planned to spend a significant portion of his coming time grinding high-tier dungeons alongside Juliana to unlock her physique. Because of this, he needed capable, trustworthy Awakened to guard Sara and Kelly at the villa while he was away. His Shadow Knights were undeniably impressive, but he would ultimately need them summoned at his side during intense battles.
Asher stood up smoothly: "Alright Grayson, tomorrow, also bring all your men from SSS, SS, and S ranks over. I want to see every last one of them... As for guilds, do you know the proper procedures to conquer them?"
He could easily ask Sara about the formal legalities, but she was already asleep upstairs, and Grayson seemed to possess a far more practical understanding of such matters.
"There are two primary ways to legally take over an established guild. One: buy it out directly from the Guild Leader using massive capital, rare resources, or whatever specific items the Guild Leader desires. Two: use raw force. Take the Guild Leader out with your superior strength and crown yourself the new ruler... But there are many inherent dangers down this second route."
"Dangers? You mean the Guild Leader will rally the rest of the guild members to turn against you together?"
"Umm... Precisely, my Lord," Grayson nodded heavily.
"Then you have another task, Grayson... Look through all the registered Guilds ranked from Top 150 to Top 100. Compile a detailed list of those 50 guilds and bring it directly to me... Tomorrow, I will explain the rest of my plan." Asher stared at him as his shadow eyes subtly activated.
{Grayson’s Loyalty: 55%.}
Asher snapped his fingers, and in the next instant, a full set of gleaming, aura-infused Divine-Tier heavy armor materialized out of his inventory, hovering in the air between the two of them.
"This...?" Grayson was rendered completely stunned and speechless.
"When we fought, I completely destroyed your previous armor set with my final strike. These pieces here are all Divine-Tier, a complete matching set..." Asher said casually as the hovering armor drifted toward Grayson’s outstretched hands.
"My Lord... This is...?"
"Yeah. If you follow me faithfully, there will be far greater rewards to come. You might even gain access to Mythic-Tier equipment in the near future," Asher said with a faint, knowing smirk.
"Thank you, My Lord!! Thank you! I don’t even know what to say!" Grayson blurted out in overwhelming surprise and unbridled joy, his thick hands trembling slightly as he felt the dense energy humming within the Divine armor.
{Grayson’s Loyalty: 55% -> 65%.}
’Ten more loyalty points added... Tomorrow morning, I will increase his devotion even further. I also need to get his top lieutenants and men to recognize my absolute authority,’ Asher thought, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.
"Alright! You can get going. We will see each other when the sun rises," Asher said, turning to walk back into the mansion.
"Thank you again, My Lord!!"
Grayson offered a massive, formal bow as Asher walked inside the double doors.
The two guards stationed at the grand outer gates watched in quiet awe as Grayson stood upright, carefully stored the Divine armor set inside his spatial storage, and walked down the pathway toward the entrance.
"Goodnight, Lord Grayson," one guard bowed respectfully, opening the heavy wrought-iron gate for him as he exited the estate grounds.
"It seems we will have quite a few more people arriving tomorrow morning," one guard muttered in a low voice once Grayson was out of earshot.
"Just keep your eyes open and stay sharp... Tomorrow is going to be very interesting," the second guard replied with a small, expectant smile.