The Shining Star Above The Heaven

"At ease. So, what is it that you want to discuss with me, since we had to meet with each other?" Aldrian asked as he picked up the cup of tea already prepared on the table in front of him. He sipped it while looking at Vars, who seemed nervous and restless.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Vars suddenly kowtowed to Aldrian.

"Master, please let me join your empire!" he shouted, which made Aldrian raise his eyebrows in surprise. He then smiled, finding this amusing, and placed the cup of tea back on the table.

"What makes you suddenly want to join me? Does that mean you have finally chosen to betray your family entirely? Is it because of the group from the Barevisk family that came to this continent?" he asked.

When he spread his domain's sense earlier and scanned the entire city, he also found a group of cultivators from the Barevisk family. He knew it because, from what he had read in the system, they used the same cultivation technique, and one of the group members had the surname Barevisk in their name.

Vars was stunned that his master already knew about his family's envoy arriving on the continent. But then he was not truly surprised, as his master's ability was beyond his comprehension, and it seemed he might really know everything that happened and everyone within the continent.

Vars took a deep breath and nodded before taking a seat again.

"Yes, master, or well, mostly because of that. No offense, master, but to be honest, my men and I truly have no other choice. For the last few days, we have been trying to avoid the Barevisk family's envoy, which is actually led by the patriarch's niece. As you know, master, if we meet with them, then sooner or later they will find out that something is wrong with us—no, even at this moment, I believe they might already know something is amiss."

"With them realizing that we are no longer truly loyal to them, we have basically made the entire family our enemy. Their power is immense, and they will surely pursue us if they consider us to have betrayed them."

"So, after much consideration and discussion with my men, we decided the most logical choice was to take your side, master." Vars nervously looked at Aldrian's calm expression.

"So please, master, I beseech you to take me and my men into your empire. We will work hard for your cause, for we still hold value that you could make use of. I know you lack manpower in the Mortal Transition Realm, and we will gladly become your support. So I hope you could grant my plea." He implored, suddenly kowtowing to Aldrian beside the table.

Aldrian continued to look at him without saying anything, but he understood the full picture of why Vars had finally made this decision.

The slave seal, the Everlasting Demonic Follower, was the reason their choice was truly limited to this path.

With the Everlasting Demonic Follower still embedded in their souls, Vars and the others could not give anything to the Barevisk family that might harm him and his empire. If they provided false information or anything that gave advantage to Aldrian, it would be no different from betraying the family, and sooner or later they would realize it and brand them as traitors.

The fate of traitors in such a family would never be good, and without protection or backing, they would spend their entire lives being pursued. Aldrian could imagine the Barevisk family, one of the strongest families in the Akares Star, would never allow traitors to go unpunished, even if they escaped to another part of the first heaven.

Vars and his men also could not commit suicide or kill each other because the slave seal prevented them. Aldrian had set that rule so they could not end their own lives, forcing them to remain bound to him, which in the end left them with only one choice—to fully join his empire.

By joining his empire, they would gain protection, and his reputation alone was enough to make the Barevisk family cautious about recklessly attempting to take them back. Vars, in his desperation, also tried to prove his worth, something Aldrian understood. Vars worried that Aldrian might not truly need him and would simply let the Barevisk family capture him.

But what if Vars and his men chose another path? What if they sought out other powers to serve, or secluded themselves to escape both Aldrian and the Barevisk family's reach?

That would be a foolish move, as there was no way anyone would accept them, especially since they came from the Barevisk family. No one would willingly invite unnecessary trouble by making an enemy of them. The benefit would be far less than what those powers would lose just by taking them in.

And once again, even if someone did take them in, there would be no way to sever Aldrian's influence over them because of the Everlasting Demonic Follower.

Aldrian could not help but smile slightly, for what Vars said was true. He had already been considering taking in more manpower to strengthen the weak points of his empire. At this moment, the empire lacked cultivators in the Mortal Transition Realm.

With the influx of outsiders, this shortage was limiting their standard procedures in case an issue arose that involved cultivators of that realm. The cultivators from the Barisan Continent were not strong enough to handle such problems on their own without Aldrian's presence.

With someone like Vars and his men, the Barisan Continent would gain the strength needed to deal with these matters if any arose during a time when he was absent from the empire.

'I may as well use this chance to shape my own imperial force,' Aldrian thought. He remembered Sylphia's suggestion and knew this might be the right time.

Vars was still kowtowing, not moving an inch as he waited for Aldrian's answer.

After a few seconds—

"Alright, I'll take you in."

Hearing Aldrian's words, Vars raised his head to see Aldrian looking at him with a slight smile. He instantly slammed his head to the floor.

"Thank you, master, for your generosity. I will surely not let you down," he shouted.

"Rise," Aldrian said, and Vars obeyed.

"Although I am taking you in, I will not release my seal on you or any of your men until I believe all of you have earned the trust of me or my family," Aldrian added.

"That is to be expected, master. I have no problem with it. I will work hard to gain the trust of you and your family," Vars answered.

Aldrian nodded. "So, while we are here discussing the matter of your fate and your family, I want to ask about the envoy sent by the Barevisk family."

Vars then took his seat and said to Aldrian, "Please ask, master. I will gladly answer."

"The woman named Ilona Barevisk, is she the one you called the patriarch's niece?"

Vars nodded. "Yes, master, she is the one."

He thought that since Aldrian already knew about the Barevisk family's presence on the continent, it was natural for him to investigate their identity, so he was not surprised. What confused him, however, was why his master asked if she was truly the patriarch's niece, because that was something he believed Aldrian would already know from his investigation.

Still, he did not dwell on it.

Aldrian nodded again. "If I were to do something to her, would the patriarch of the Barevisk family feel rage, or be affected in any way?"

Vars was stunned, then his eyes widened. With Aldrian asking such a question, it was clear he would likely begin making his move against the Barevisk family based on his answer. Vars's heart trembled as the family he had served for most of his life was about to face the most dangerous tribulation they had ever known.

Aldrian smiled as he looked at Vars.

"Do you still hold lingering feelings for the family you have served for so long?" he asked, which made Vars's heart turn cold. He instantly lowered his head.

"No, master. It is only that I can lament their fate for offending you. I would not dare to harbor any lingering feelings toward your enemy," he said.

Aldrian kept smiling as he picked up the cup of tea from the table.

"You don't have to be so tense. I understand that letting go of lingering feelings for the family you served most of your life is not easy. I am not angry or anything like that. Even though the Barevisk family holds ill intent toward me, my actions will only be directed at those who target me or my interests," he said before sipping his tea.

Vars raised his head and wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead. He was truly relieved that his master understood and was not the type of man with a volatile temperament. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, if master wishes to do something to Miss Ilona, I don't think the patriarch would feel much about it, other than using it as a reason for the Barevisk family to establish hostility toward you or this empire. From the beginning, the patriarch and Miss Ilona's relationship has not been good."

Aldrian suddenly found this interesting and set the cup of tea back down.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"That is because the relationship between Miss Ilona's father, who is the patriarch's younger brother, and the patriarch himself has never been good. It has something to do with their past," Vars answered.