"This ship is one of the best fast-aid movement technologies of our devilish Vampiro family," Duke Thalion said with a prideful expression.
"Right now, it's traveling at half its full movement capacity—a total speed of Mach 3! Incredible, isn't it, Ryuk?" His voice boomed through the luxurious piloting room, which looked nothing like a traditional pilot's room.
It was more of a sitting room, with a few blinking holographs hanging in the air behind two curved seats separated by a mini-table.
On one of the seats sat Ryuk, and on the other was Duke Thalion, seated grandly, his crimson pupils gleaming with pride.
On the table rested a mug of red wine, and Duke Thalion held a cup of the same red liquid in his hand, sipping with a satisfied expression.
If there was one thing Ryuk could tell about the man before him, it was the fact that he was incredibly prideful of his family.
Everything he did always involved the words "The Vampiro Family," instead of using his own personal name.
"How long will it take to reach Grade B if we keep up this speed, Duke Thalion?" Ryuk asked.
The man smiled before replying, "Are you in a hurry to get off this ship, Ryuk?"
Ryuk shook his head.
"No, I'm not. I'm just interested in how big Grade E is compared to Grade B. I think I can judge that by learning how long it will take to arrive at Grade B if we're moving at a speed of Mach 3. Like this, I might be able to guess just how big Grades D and C are."
Duke Thalion gazed at him for a long moment, his crimson pupils fixed on Ryuk, who returned the stare with a poker face.
Slowly, the duke's lips widened, revealing sharp, elongated fangs as he chuckled.
"You know, Ryuk, many humans do not feel comfortable sitting down with those from the Vampiro Family. Normally, I would sense their blood flowing faster and their hearts slamming hard against their rib cages in fear.
"But you... you seem to be an interesting individual."
"Not a morsel of fear do I sense from you, and your confident expression does not seem forged."
"I wonder why you feel no fear sitting before someone whose race is known to survive by feasting on the blood of your kind," he asked curiously.
Ryuk shrugged. "I guess it's because I'm not very familiar with the outside world. While I've heard rumors from old hunters, there's too much trash-talking for me to believe anything. Even right now, the only difference I can sense between us is your red hair and crimson eyes—something a simple hair dye could mimic."
Duke Thalon chuckled again. "Even though I ought to be offended, I am only amused. To answer your question, it will take approximately 12 hours from now to reach Grade B.
"And to move from Grade E to Grade B, one doesn't cross over the airspace of Grades D and C. While you may not know, each city is as large as an entire continent of the old Earth, and many places have their airspace restricted. Attempting to cross over would be too much of a headache."
"Instead, there are specialized routes that connect each city much faster than crossing through others. That's the path we're taking. If we had to cross over Grades D and C to reach Grade B, it would take a minimum of a week."
Ryuk hummed thoughtfully. Now he had an idea of how vast the cities were.
"I have a question for you, Ryuk," Duke Thalion said, placing his cup on the table and turning to look directly at Ryuk, who sat upright.
"What is it?" Ryuk asked.
"What do you know about the world beyond Grade E, and what do you know of the Apex Power?" he asked seriously.
Ryuk thought for a moment before replying. "Well, I know that the cities closer to the start of the alphabet—like A—are better, safer, and more secure. As for Apex Power... I'm afraid I don't know much about it at all."
Duke Thalion closed his eyes briefly before sighing loudly. "I am afraid you might feel out of place for the first few months in Grade B, regardless of your choices.
"Most humans your age are already at the 2nd Cultivation Plane of Apex, and some exceptional geniuses are at the 2nd minor stage and 3rd minor stages. And yet, you have no idea of the power at all. Most of your peers are vastly stronger than you are now."
Ryuk nodded with a helpless shrug. "True. I sensed it during the little skirmish I had with your mistress."
Duke Thalion chuckled, recalling the scene. Ryuk had seen how easily the girl had lifted him off his feet and rendered him immobile.
It didn't take much intellect to realize that he was missing something—something important that made her so much more powerful than he was.
"I apologize again for the mistress's behaviour toward you," Duke Thalion said. "But I must agree that it was an eye-opener to how strong others your age are. Though the mistress is undoubtedly an otherworldly genius beyond normal standards, the strength she used was less than 5% of her true power—something normal human cultivator could possess.
"If I can help you now, there are two things I can offer: to make you understand more about the grades of the world and to teach you everything you need to know about Apex Energy so you can successfully start on this path of cultivation.
"I'm afraid you must at least become a cultivator within the next 12 hours, as the Fallen Family may not be willing to give much attention to someone who has yet to embark on the Apex path," Duke Thalion explained.
Ryuk's heart raced at the man's words.