Morning slowly arrived.
Lian opened his eyes and lay still on the bed for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling for a while, it had been two years since the last time he had seen this ceiling.
He got up and walked toward the window, the moment he pulled the curtain aside, the view outside made him stare at it for a few more seconds.
Yesterday, this place had been fairly quiet.
Today? It was completely different, the main roads of the family territory were filled with luxury cars.
Different convoys were arriving one after another, the flags of families, guilds, and even different governments could be seen on the vehicles.
In the sky, several flying vehicles belonging to noble families were also landing.
Even from far away, he could see guards rushing to prepare different parts of the territory, there was only one day left before the birthday ceremony began.
Most of the guests had arrived during yesterday and today, and those who were coming from farther places were also arriving one by one, almost all of the preparations for the ceremony had been completed.
A few minutes later, the servants brought breakfast, the food fully matched the noble standards of the family.
Fresh bread, high-level monster meat, rare fruits, and even expensive drinks.
Lian ate his breakfast without any hurry, during all this time, the same old steward stood beside the door, he had come here from the moment Lian woke up, and had remained standing there the entire time.
When Lian stood up, the old man also looked at him.
"Are you planning to take a walk, Mr. Lian?"
"I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look around a little."
"In that case, I will accompany you." The old man answered immediately.
Lian gave a faint smile, of course he would accompany him, the Vorhelm family would never allow someone like him to walk around freely here.
Especially now.
They walked out of the mansion, the morning sunlight shined on the white buildings of the territory, the farther they walked, the more memories came back.
The large gardens, the old stone paths, the training grounds, the mana pools, and the buildings that had once been an important part of his daily life.
He walked past one of the training grounds, and without thinking, his steps became slower, years ago he had spent countless hours here.
Back in the days when he still believed that working harder could close the gap between him and everyone else, before he understood that talent was not something that could simply be replaced with training.
Or at least, that was what he believed back then.
"This place hasn’t changed."
"The Council of Elders believed there was no need to change it." The old man gave the training ground a short look.
Lian only nodded, a few minutes later, they reached an area that caught his attention.
Dozens of workers, huge platforms, magic barriers, and a group of mana engineers who were installing protective crystals.
He looked at the place for a few seconds.
"The competition arena?"
"Yes."
"It’s much bigger than I remember."
"Because this time, there will be many more guests."
Lian did not take his eyes off the arena, this place could easily hold several thousand people, this was no longer just a family competition.
The fact that they were rebuilding and expanding this place clearly showed that this competition was truly important, Aaron’s words came back to his mind.
If he judged only based on those words, then he had to say that the duels would definitely play a very important role in deciding the heir, or at least in deciding the main inheritance candidates.
But for them to go this far and hold such a competition during a birthday ceremony, and in front of all these people, that was the strange part.
Even the fact that they were holding a birthday ceremony and inviting thousands of guests was strange, especially because the Patriarch had seven children, if he wanted to hold such a large celebration for every one of them...wouldn’t that be foolish?
In this family, not every child received a birthday ceremony, only the child who could obtain a Five-Star Class during their Awakening at the age of sixteen would receive one.
If he remembered correctly, his sister Diana should now be sixteen years old, so she had probably succeeded in obtaining a Five-Star Class.
"Haha, look who’s back."
As they were leaving that area, two people appeared from the opposite direction.
Lian recognized them immediately.
Adrian Vorhelm and his sister, Eliza, the children of the Patriarch’s second wife.
The same branch that had caused him the most trouble over the past years.
Adrian was almost the same age as him, tall, with black hair and a face that always looked too proud.
He stopped a few meters away from Lian and looked at him for several full seconds, as if he was still not sure that what he was seeing was real.
"So you really came back."
"It looks that way." Lian shrugged.
Adrian smiled, but that smile was fake, very fake.
"I heard you made quite a name for yourself outside the family."
"You clearly have good ears, but don’t your eyes work well enough to read the news?"
"Funny, but this is still the territory of the Vorhelm family." Adrian’s smile became a little stiffer. He added.
"Some people think the whole world has changed just because a few people learned their name."
This time Eliza quietly laughed.
Lian looked at both of them for a few seconds, then calmly said.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"Even after two years, that’s still the best insult you could come up with."
Eliza’s face became a little darker.
"I expected at least some improvement." But Lian continued.
"Watch your words." Adrian frowned.
"Why?"
"Because your position here still isn’t clear."
Lian laughed.
"That’s true."
Then Lian took a few steps forward and added with a mocking smile.
"But your position doesn’t seem very secure either, at least Diana’s birthday shows that."
Silence filled the air for a few seconds, Adrian completely understood what he meant, if his position had really been secure, he would not have acted this carefully.
At that moment, Adrian’s phone lit up, he read the message, and his frown became even deeper.
"We have to go, you got lucky today, I’d like to see if you’re still this arrogant in the competition arena."
Eliza gave Lian one last cold look, and both of them left without saying another word.
Lian watched them until they disappeared from sight.
"They’re still the same people."
He quietly said.
After that meeting, they continued walking, those two were not people who could bother him or disturb his thoughts, he knew their personalities, and he knew they had most likely been sent by their mother to test him.
During the walk, Lian started asking the steward different questions, at first the old man was careful, but little by little, he gave more information.
"Only family members are joining the competition?"
"No, several special guests will also participate."
"Guests?"
"Some allied families, and a few representatives from major organizations."
"This competition is more important than I thought."
This caught Lian’s attention.
"Yes, many of the participants have been preparing for it for years."
"Oh? And is the reward the same for everyone? Both family members and outsiders?"
"Yes, a Heavenly Treasury quota."
The old man paused for a moment.
That single sentence was enough to make Lian think again, the Heavenly Treasury, he had already heard from his uncle that a quota would be given away.
But what he had imagined was completely different.
He thought the quota was only for the equipment or weapon section of the treasury, the section that family members could sometimes access.
But now...the more he looked around, the more he felt that the matter was much bigger.
Could the quota actually be for the entire treasury?
That was almost impossible to believe.
Even the direct children of the Patriarch usually received only limited access, and only after achieving great accomplishments on the world stage.
But if that was really the reward...then the current madness inside the family made perfect sense.
Some time later, Lian’s phone vibrated, it was a new message from his uncle, when he read it, a small smile appeared on his face.
"I’m happy to hear that you’ve arrived. I have some free time. How about coming to see your uncle?"
"Where are you?" Lian replied.
The answer came almost immediately.
"Eastern Palace."
The Eastern Palace, the moment he heard that name, old memories immediately came back.
The administrative center of the family, the main office of the Council of Elders, and the workplace of many of the strongest people in the Vorhelm family, and one of the most sensitive places in the entire Vorhelm territory.
"We’re going to the Eastern Palace."
The old man only nodded.
The closer they got to the Eastern Palace, the higher the level of security became.
Stronger guards, more complex magic barriers, and buildings that looked more like government offices than part of a family.
After they arrived, halfway there, Lian’s eyes suddenly landed on a middle-aged woman, she was walking out of the Eastern Palace.
Tall, with shining golden hair, noble clothes with silver details, and a beautiful but cold face, very cold.
For a moment, their eyes met.
The Patriarch’s second wife, one of the same women who had spent years trying to make his life more difficult.
But unlike what Lian expected, the woman did not say a single word, she showed no reaction, she only gave him a short look, a look that clearly said she was not happy about his return.
Then, without the smallest pause, she continued walking and disappeared, as if the work she had come here for was already finished.
He had not expected to see this woman here, this was their first meeting after a long time, but she ignored him as if he did not even exist.
"At least she still pretends I don’t exist."
Lian looked at the direction where she had left for a few seconds, then shrugged.
A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the Eastern Palace.
A huge and magnificent building made from white stone and mana crystals, after seeing the steward, the guards allowed them to enter.
They walked inside, long hallways, many offices, and employees constantly moving around.
And a heavy feeling of power.
Without stopping, the old man guided him through the hallways, until they finally stopped in front of a large door.
"From here on, I can’t accompany you."
Lian nodded.
The old man stepped back.
And he was left standing alone in front of the door.
A few seconds later, he raised his hand.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
From behind the door, a calm and familiar voice could be heard.
"Come in."