10x Rewards: Becoming Invincible With My Sign-in System

Aegon had to admit that Micheal was a good conversation partner. He kept his calm and spoke quietly while still maintaining a casual tone. Not to mention, he knew things about many topics, so they had plenty to talk about.

The more Aegon spoke with him, the more he felt that he liked him as a person. Of course, he also noticed the way Micheal looked at Xiu. He might not be the best at studying human emotions, but then again, Micheal wasn’t very good at masking his emotions either.

Aegon enjoyed talking with him. He smiled and said, "Grandpa Sam trusts you a lot. Perhaps the most in your family."

"The latter is probably true," Micheal shrugged. "And I always found it funny how a capable man like him produced the most worthless descendants. A true irony."

"So you lied when you said you didn’t want to become like him?" Aegon asked.

"Not quite. I admire him the most in this world. For me, he’s the best. The closest thing to a perfect human being this world has ever seen," Micheal smiled, his gaze reverent as it turned toward Samuel. "That’s why I can never become like him."

"Can and want are two different things, Mike," Aegon said.

"Yes. I don’t want to become another him either," Micheal sighed. "I don’t think I can handle the burden of responsibilities like him. The burden of humanity. I can’t take it."

He remained silent for a while, then chuckled and picked up another cup. "Why am I even bringing up such a depressing topic? It’s just ruining the mood."

"I’m the same," Aegon said, turning to look at Arthur. "I also have a blood father whom I admire but never want to be in his position. I actually dread becoming like him. Never ever do I want that."

"Really? A Valerian is actually scared?" Micheal raised an eyebrow.

"I’m pretty sure even my grandmother wouldn’t want that," Aegon hummed and said. "That’s why we’re the same in that regard. We both have fathers whom we admire because we could never make the decisions they did. We can’t live their lives."

Micheal stared down at his wine, smiling to himself. "Never thought I would one day relate to you of all people."

He raised his glass. "A toast for an odd relatable experience."

Aegon laughed and clinked his glass with his. "I’m still curious though. How did someone like you get acquainted with Xiu? You’re polar opposites."

Micheal turned his gaze toward Xiu, who was talking with Arthur. Her excited smile was like that of a child, as if she had just found a new toy. She even jumped around Arthur, who continued to nod at her words with a doting look in his eyes.

"And the brocon is back," Micheal sighed in exasperation.

"Brocon?" Aegon asked.

"Oh, you don’t know?" Micheal looked genuinely surprised. "Marshal Arthur was known for his extreme doting on his sister. No matter what she did, he always forgave her and even took punishments for her."

"Which were quite a lot, I presume," Aegon guessed.

"Oh, let’s not talk about numbers," Micheal smiled in amusement. "She was a headache for the whole barracks, and no one could touch her. I mean, even if we ignore Marshal, Elder Arnold also spoiled her rotten."

He seemed to be reminiscing about those memories as he continued, "Her backing was too much for them to handle, so they complained to us. As in Father. And he didn’t want to deal with her, so he used to send me. That’s how we met."

Aegon put his arm around Micheal’s shoulder, which made the older man glance at him in amusement but say nothing. He actually liked that Aegon was becoming casual with him.

"I’m really curious about your first meeting," Aegon whispered. "I really want to hear everything from you, so would you be kind enough to tell me the full story?"

"I can, but I’m pretty sure you’ll see my dead body afterward," Micheal chuckled. "She’s been giving me death glares ever since I walked up to you. I can even tell that she’ll come to me later demanding to know what we talked about."

"And will you tell her?" Aegon asked.

"No. It’s a private matter between us."

"She’s very good at getting what she wants," Aegon warned him.

"Young man, I know her well," he replied with a smile. "I know she’ll try everything to extract the information. And the more she insists, the more I’ll keep it to myself. I’ll handle her."

"Speaking from experience, huh," Aegon leaned against the table and said. "Deal. I also won’t say anything to her, so give me a good show. I want to see how you deal with it. Hmm. I might even exaggerate things a bit."

"You know, I really should have expected this side from you," Micheal clicked his tongue. "Xiu raising a normal gentleman? Impossible. I could never believe it."

Aegon simply laughed at that. He couldn’t deny it since everyone who grew up under Xiu had that mischievous side that craved chaos. It was a trait they were quite proud of.

He didn’t continue on the topic, since he wanted things to develop naturally so he could confirm his thoughts about the two of them. For now, he had initiated the first step.

’No, it’s two. She will also work with him on the Mana Batteries, after all.’

"Ah! Before I leave, I wanted to assure you of something," Micheal said, as if just remembering. His voice turned serious. "I’ll make sure they pay for everything."

"They?"

"House Songsword!" he emphasized. "I didn’t expect them to grow bold enough to do this. They’ll pay for it and I’ll personally oversee it. Though I’m still surprised you let them go. Especially with Xiu present there."

"Meh, you’re thinking too much. I know they’ll be dealt with," Aegon shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn’t pursue the matter because of Grandpa Sam. Us ending the whole Songsword Family here would surely put him in trouble."

"The Emperor in trouble?"

Aegon rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant. It would create a troublesome aftermath to clean up, so I decided to throw the matter into his hands. He can deal with it however he wants."