Born in Blood

Chapter 445 Loner

The owl heaved a tense breath he didn't know he was holding.

With the atmosphere finally mellowed a little, he managed another smile and adjusted his monocle.

"The Mayor has always been fond of new personalities and renowned celebrities," the messenger owl said, gesticulating with his wings.

"He considers himself a graceful host for the ages. A people-knower, a middleman, the 'connector'."

"He brings people together through parties and feasts, but in exchange, they have to give him a demonstration of their powers without hiding a single thing."

A hint of annoyance and disgust appeared on Liam's face.

What kind of deranged person would agree to such a thing?

Not Liam.

Slightly panicked, the owl quickly continued before Liam got the wrong idea.

"Of course, the Mayor's reputation would be rendered null if he were to ever let another soul know what you show him."

"In fact, he'll tell you everything about his own powers and more, under a Binding Oath."

"Subsequently, the sole reason he has become a powerhouse was due to his trustability."

"I'll have you informed, Esteemed Gentleman, that the Mayor has lived for roughly two millenia!"

"His connections are insurmountable."

Liam rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger.

The owl was speaking in a posh, gentlemanly accent, and Liam was inclined to believe the cute little thing.

At first glance, the Mayor of Mount Mayhem seemed like an honest person.

The guy who knew a guy, who knew another guy, who also knew another guy.

Having a person like that on one's Jade was not a bad thing.

And quite frankly, Liam's issue at the moment was exactly this.

A lack of connections!

Who did Liam know other than the Temple and the alliance members?

…Nobody, really.

They were all his enemies…

What a loner.

Connections were necessary when wanting to grow one's clan, sector or organization.

Be it natural resources, artifacts, lands to seize, wealth to reap, enemies to kill, places to conquer.

For someone that was 2,000 years old, the Mayor must have made a mountain's worth of connections!

To be fair, it was a little eerie how this came to Liam at the perfect time.

Liam was a little lost on what to do, but he supposed this was the next step.

Not so fast, though.

What did the Mayor gain from this?

It was foolish to think he wanted to be the middleman because it was fun.

What good was a cultivator's powers if all it did was depend on others to get stronger?

That was very strange to Liam, and quite frankly, a bit weird and foolish.

'He wants to be a fixer of some kind,' Liam thought. 'Ask people for a 'favor' of some kind now and again, is it?'

That made the most sense, and so Liam went with that.

…Important People Convention.

'Did he not have a better name available?' Liam thought. 'Can't judge, though.'

Liam glossed over the details of this little get-together.

Events like parties, feasts and celebrations were hardly enjoyable for Liam.

They almost always consisted of people who needed their egos stroked, or required validation for their achievements.

Disgusting!

One had to look at what happened to the last party Liam went to.

A war was waged!

A vow of bloodshed was sworn!

But parties of the cultivation world weren't the same as any other.

They were either to discuss newfound knowledge about the countless fields — inscriptions, formations, or alchemy — or to trade cultivation techniques and advice.

Or, like the Important People Convention, to share connections.

Liam pursed his lips.

He had to confirm a few things first.

"Who's coming to this… convention?" Liam asked the patient owl.

The owl smiled. Proudly, too.

Liam felt a boast incoming.

"Starting with the most popular, the General, the Queen of Echoria, the two new powerhouses of Rurunia and Xoltrah, Eyes of Knowledge, and the Sage."

Silence.

"Oh, and Pashah will be coming, too."

Liam actually had his breath taken away for a second.

All those people really agreed to show the Mayor all their powers?!

That was unheard of, quite frankly.

Eyes of Knowledge was Neren's leader and powerhouse.

The Sage was the moniker that belonged to the so-called 'father of alchemy', and was also the head of Aiho.

Not to mention, Alucard was coming to this too?!

Liam didn't expect that at all.

'Maybe that postcard was from him after all.'

'This Mayor guy… he might not be that bad,' Liam thought. 'Not if so many important people wanted to come.'

Just then, Liam understood the Important People Convention.

'Genius…'

There was a short second of silence.

"Please keep in mind that these people are owners of countries," the owl commented firmly. "They have their own privileged spaces."

Liam hummed to himself.

As he thought. The strong were favored. Unavoidable.

"If they feel like you've annoyed them, they have the power to request an Eviction, which the Mayor could choose to accept or deny depending on the circumstance."

Silence.

"I see," Liam said. "I see…"

Another pause.

"What stops the powerhouses from killing me?" Liam said suddenly.

"What stops them from understanding my powers?"

"What stops me from understanding theirs?"

The messenger owl smiled once more.

Liam felt another boast incoming.

"That's the thing with the Mayor, Sir," the owl said proudly. "All those who live on Mount Mayhem are more or less equal in strength."

"It is a Pacifying Zone."

"All their special abilities are already taken into account, and are promptly taken away."

"Once we're there, even me and Alucard could be on the same level of strength!"

The owl laughed heartily, but once he saw that Liam wasn't laughing, it turned into an awkward chuckle, followed by silence.

The owl coughed into his wing.

"Apologies, sir."

Though, in reality, Liam wasn't actually trying to mock or make the owl uncomfortable.

This was just part of conversing with him now.

Liam made several considerations of whether or not to go.

'I guess I really do need to go out more,' Liam thought. 'Won't get any stronger living like a hermit.'

Liam tilted his head at the owl.

"When's this taking place?"