The patriarch had his eyes closed. He was thinking of something and using his divine sense to perceive the world around him.
Now that Arthur's test was over, he had no mood to watch any other child's performance. Instead, he wanted to see what would happen when the proud children of the family knew exactly who it was they had mocked as soon as they met him.
Despite being in a sealed room within the ship, he could see and hear everything happening on the ship. And while he understands that it is unlikely for a true child of the family to apologize to a bastard, he is still hoping that one of those children will be smart enough to know that their identity will soon mean nothing if they get into a sect with Arthur.
He shook his head and said, "It is not even wisdom at this point. It is common sense. They should be able to realize that I had saved them from Arthur when I froze him, not the other way around. If they don't have that common sense, then they are in for a rude awakening."
As Patriarch Calcetti closed his eyes, he saw some of the people he had just dismissed go up to the true children of the family that were on the ship and tell them who Arthur Red Mane was.
Not every child of the family that was participating in this year's regional sect examination was on the ship. Some of them were still in the test hall, and others were outside standing in line for their turn.
So it would take a long time for every child of the family to know Arthur Red Mane's identity. But he didn't have anything else to do. So he was ready to wait and see.
As he watched, he saw the growing realization of what they had done written on the faces of the children. Next was disbelief.
They couldn't believe that a bastard could achieve that much. Some of them even said so. They asked if they were being teased.
After disbelief came anger, panic, or shame. There was a myriad of reactions. It was interesting to watch.
He chuckled when he saw this. But his laughter died down when he saw a kid look at Arthur with bitterness and flames of anger burning in his heart.
He sighed and said, "I knew this would be difficult, but I still hope this won't go too far."
No one apologized to Arthur. They had their ego and pride to cater to. No matter their feelings, they were not going to bow their heads to a bastard.
That was disappointing, but it was still acceptable. What won't be acceptable is the observed intention of some of those kids to continue to offend Arthur in an attempt to overcome their wounded pride or their panic.
He hoped that it wouldn't happen, but he saw it happen as soon as Arthur returned to the ship. Someone called out to Arthur and made fun of him when he stepped onto the ship.
The young man said, "Look who it is. It is Mister Country Bumpkin who has never seen a ship before."
There were five kids who had come to watch Arthur arrive. One of them made fun of him. Two of them laughed at the joke. Two others abstained from making fun of Arthur, but they didn't apologize either. They just watched on.
Arthur glanced at them briefly and continued on his way without a word. This made Calcetti disappointed. He was hoping that Arthur would get mad and beat them up. He was willing to let it happen and won't interfere as long as the lives of the children are not threatened.
He shook his head in pity and said, "This is not going to end well. But whatever happens, it will be their fault."
Arthur didn't flare up, but his heart was beating wildly. Their taunts had triggered his flight or fight response, and he wanted to fight. Unfortunately, he didn't want to offend the patriarch, so he didn't make a move on them.
He said to himself, "They are just ignorant fools. If they knew who I was and what I could do, they would be pissing themselves whenever they saw me."
He was partly wrong about that. They knew who he was, but they were only partially afraid of him.
They were different from him in that they hadn't recognized the importance of individual power yet. All their lives, they had relied on the prestige of their family. Because of their family, people much stronger than them have to respect them and not hurt them.
But that is not the case with him. From a young age, Lady Vena had instilled in him the need for individual power. She had taught him how might makes right. So he respects power.
Unlike him, they have never had a cultivator of the second mortal coil come to their house in the middle of the night to beat them. They are the ones who visit people in the middle of the night to rape or beat others up.
They are used to seeing cultivators of the second mortal coil fawn at them. So even though they knew he was stronger than them, they didn't think he would harm them.
Besides, they are still unreconciled with the fact that he is stronger than them. It is because they didn't see how he earned so many performance points, so they don't know exactly what he is capable of.
Maybe if they knew what he was capable of, maybe they would fear him more. Maybe they wouldn't make fun of him anymore. But they certainly wouldn't piss themselves when they see him.
Not that he minds if they piss themselves or not. He will only be satisfied when he beats them or when they come over to him bringing expensive gifts to apologize for their transgressions. Only then will his need for dominance be satiated.