...
{3rd Pov}
As promised, Astreo returned to the Clear Sky Hunter Agency on the day after tomorrow.
When he arrived, he was greeted by Old Bao, who informed him that his elder granddaughter would be back in approximately two hours.
Since there wasn't much else to do, Astreo simply stayed at the agency. He leisurely drank tea with Old Bao, chatted about random topics, and even played several rounds of Mahjong while waiting for Leng Qing to return.
Roughly two hours later the door opened with a creak.
"Grandpa, I'm back..."
Leng Qing walked inside before noticing the unfamiliar young man sitting comfortably in the agency.
She looked at Old Bao with a puzzled expression.
"Also... is this the new recruit you found?"
Old Bao could only let out a helpless sigh.
"No."
"He's the young master I mentioned to you before."
"The one who insisted on meeting you."
Hearing that, Leng Qing finally shifted her attention toward Astreo.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Leng Qing," Astreo greeted with a smile. "Just as I mentioned before, I'd like to have a meeting with you... in private, of course."
A mischievous smirk gradually spread across his face.
Leng Qing immediately rolled her eyes.
From her perspective this kid, who was clearly younger than her, was acting far too zesty for his own good.
"Of course, Young Master. Let's get this meeting over with," Leng Qing said calmly. "I'm quite interested in seeing what kind of proposition you have for me."
After all, she had already read the reports regarding Astreo.
According to the available intelligence, the Star Clan had invested somewhere between two and three billion yuan into cultivating him alone.
That level of investment was enough to leave every major organization speechless.
Because of that, the leaders of various forces had already begun forming their own theories.
Some believed Astreo was secretly the biological child of one of the Star Clan's Monarchs.
Others believed he was a once-in-a-generation genius whom the Star Clan had deliberately forged into its sharpest sword, concentrating an unimaginable amount of resources onto a single individual instead of distributing them among everyone else.
Meanwhile, Old Bao wasn't worried in the slightest about this young master trying to woo his granddaughter.
After all he had also read the intelligence reports regarding Astreo.
According to the rumors circulating among various organizations, people had already arrived at two possible conclusions.
Either the kid was gay, considering he had repeatedly beaten beautiful women without displaying even the slightest trace of lust.
Or his ding-dong simply couldn't ming-mong.
Either way Old Bao felt his granddaughter was perfectly safe.
In any case, Astreo was the very last person Old Bao would worry about developing improper thoughts toward his granddaughter.
After exchanging a few more words, Leng Qing led Astreo toward one of the agency's specially constructed meeting rooms. The room was completely soundproof, designed specifically for confidential discussions that absolutely could not be leaked to outsiders.
Once inside, the two of them took their seats opposite each other.
Leng Qing rested her arms on the table and looked directly at Astreo.
“So,” she asked without wasting any time, “what does the Star Clan want?”
Astreo simply chuckled as he leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“Miss Leng Qing...” he began with a calm smile.
“What do you think about Totems?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Leng Qing's eyes narrowed sharply.
She immediately understood what he was implying.
“We know about the Snake Totem residing in Hangzhou City,” Astreo continued as he casually crossed one leg over the other. “And we've recently obtained some rather concerning information regarding it.”
Leng Qing quietly observed him for a few seconds before letting out a faint chuckle.
“Heh... information?”
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
“It seems the reach of your Star Clan truly extends farther than I originally imagined.”
Her expression remained calm.
However, inwardly she had already begun reevaluating just how deep the Star Clan's intelligence network actually was.
“You know just how many people want the Snake Totem gone, and that fact won't change regardless of whether you choose to believe me or not,” Astreo said calmly, tilting his head slightly. “The Star Clan is willing to provide political support against those people. In return, all we ask is to establish an alliance with the Snake Totem Tribe and with your friend, who is currently serving as the Totem Guardian.”
Leng Qing remained silent.
She carefully studied the young man sitting across from her, trying to determine whether he truly understood the weight of the words he had just spoken.
“Astreo, Young Master,” she finally said, “although I know your position within the Star Clan, seeing you speak with such confidence on behalf of the entire organization makes me wonder...”
She paused for a brief moment before continuing.
“Are you simply being arrogant...”
“...or are you genuinely that confident?”
Although her tone remained polite, the meaning behind her words was unmistakable.
She wasn't merely questioning Astreo's confidence, she had already answered to Astreo's question in her own roundabout way.
“Why not both?” Astreo replied with a smirk, sounding completely unconcerned regardless of whether the deal ultimately succeeded or fell apart.
Then his expression became a little more serious.
“Although I assume this is what you meant and expect this outcome, I'm still going to ask one final time as an official representative of the Star Clan.”
He looked directly into Leng Qing's eyes.
“So, to put it simply...”
“You have absolutely no intention of accepting this proposal?”
Leng Qing smiled faintly.
“You're smart...”
“And I happen to like smart boys.”
She leaned back comfortably in her chair before continuing.
“So, as a reward, I'll give you my answer directly instead of dancing around the subject.”
“My answer is no.”
“The reason is actually very simple.”
“The Totem Snake belongs to China.”
Her expression gradually became more serious.
“There are already enough people coveting it for one reason or another. Some seek power, some seek influence, and others simply want to eliminate it.”
She calmly folded her arms.
“And the Star Clan...”
“In the eyes of the outside world, it's still a foreign organization controlled by mysterious foreigners.”
“If I allowed the Totem Snake Tribe to openly form an alliance with your organization, the entire situation would only backfire.”
“The political pressure surrounding the Totem Snake would increase dramatically.”
She shook her head.
“And naturally...”
“I have no intention of allowing my friend to become a tool used by the Star Clan, regardless of your organization's true intentions.”
Although her words were polite her refusal was absolutely firm.
“Sentimentality is the enemy of good deals, but I understand your reasoning,” Astreo said calmly as he stood up from his chair. He casually patted the imaginary dust off his thighs before preparing to leave.
Just as he reached the door, however, he stopped and looked back at Leng Qing.
“Oh, and I'll tell you the same thing I once told Teacher Tang Yue.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“I am the Emperor.”
“The mysterious leader of the entire Star Clan.”
“There isn't a single person in this nation, or even in the entire Magic Plane who is stronger than me.”
Having finished speaking, Astreo looked at Leng Qing as though he had merely stated an ordinary fact.
Meanwhile Leng Qing's lips twitched uncontrollably.
She had already read numerous intelligence reports describing Astreo as having an eccentric personality and suffering from what people jokingly referred to as 'Eighth Grade Syndrome.'
At the time, she had assumed the reports were exaggerated.
Now she finally understood that they weren't exaggerating at all.
This guy was genuinely insane.
Not only was he shamelessly claiming to be the secret ruler of the entire Star Clan he was also declaring himself to be an Emperor.
And to make things even worse he had just confidently proclaimed that he was the strongest existence in the entire Magic Plane.
For a brief moment Leng Qing seriously considered asking whether the Star Clan had forgotten to assign this young master a doctor.
Although Leng Qing believed Astreo was probably the strongest mage of his generation in China, or perhaps even in the whole of Asia considering the absurd amount of money the Star Clan had invested into him, one fact still remained unchanged.
He was an Intermediate Mage, not some hidden final boss.
As an Advanced Mage herself, she could clearly determine his cultivation level without much difficulty.
Of course, remembering that this same Intermediate Mage possessed Novice Tier 6 Magic together with Intermediate Tier 4 spells still made the corners of her lips twitch uncontrollably.
If someone received that level of shameless pampering from childhood.
Forget Astreo.
Even an ordinary person would probably end up developing a severe case of chuunibyou.
“I get it, I get it!” Leng Qing said while waving her hand dismissively.
“Our great Emperor Astreo is the supreme leader of the Star Clan!”
“And naturally, he can slaughter Great Emperors as though they were nothing more than rats crawling across the ground!”
She then pointed toward the door with exaggerated politeness.
“Now, Your Great Majesty...”
“Would you kindly leave the humble residence of this poor little mage?”
Her sarcasm couldn't have been any more obvious.
Meanwhile, Astreo simply looked at her with an expression full of pity.
It was the kind of look one reserved for people who had no idea just how wrong they actually were.
‘I guess nobody ever wants to believe me. The world is just too stupid,’ Astreo thought with a disappointed sigh. ‘I've already told them the truth. What else are they expecting me to say? That I have a harem made up of half-yandere and half-goudere women?’
He silently mourned the injustice of the world.
‘Ma yeh duniya bohot zalim hai... cough cough.’
After Astreo left the room, Leng Qing remained seated in complete silence.
She genuinely didn't know what to say anymore.
What was with that expression he gave her at the end?
Why had he looked at her with such obvious pity, as though she were the foolish one in the conversation?
'Damnit, that crazy Greek!'
...
Astreo, meanwhile, didn't dwell on the failed negotiation for very long.
Whether or not he managed to bring the Totem Snake onto his side wasn't particularly important at the moment.
In fact, judging from everything that had already changed, he estimated that the Totem Snake's chances of dying during its molting period while being besieged by Super Tier Mages were probably even higher than they had been in the original timeline.
After all, by this point, he had already created more than enough butterfly effects to throw the future completely off course.
If he couldn't recruit the Snake Totem while it was alive, then he would simply settle for obtaining a dead one instead.
After leaving the agency and walking onto the streets, Astreo suddenly paused.
He realized he didn't really have anything important to do at the moment.
In fact, ever since his recent increase in strength, his need for sleep had become almost nonexistent. He usually spent the nights cultivating and used the daytime to take care of various matters or simply pass the time with his waifus.
‘Hmm... it's been a while since I actually spent some time by myself. Why not just relax for today?’ he thought.
If he returned home right now, all that would be waiting for him would be the heavenly pleasure of receiving a blowjob from either Lisa or Xyra. Besides, he had already made up his mind that he would claim Xyra sometime before the end of this month, so there was no particular need to rush things today.
But for now, he simply wanted to relax.
Instead of teleporting or flying around, Astreo decided to walk through the city on foot. Taking a deep breath, he leisurely strolled along the bustling streets before stopping at a roadside food stall.
“One plate of chicken momos,” he ordered.
Soon enough, a steaming plate of momos was placed in front of him.
As he casually stood by the stall, eating chicken momos while watching the crowds pass by, his attention suddenly shifted toward a man walking on the opposite side of the road.
‘A vampire?’
Astreo narrowed his eyes slightly.
‘Hmm...’
He already knew that vampires were active within Magic City. He simply hadn't paid much attention to them until now.
After all, he had been occupied with far more important matters recently, and compared to everything else on his schedule, the vampire clans weren't particularly significant.
However, the moment the thought of Liu Ru crossed his mind a certain idea suddenly popped into his head and judging by the faint grin slowly spreading across his face it was probably not going to be good news for someone.
‘How strong would a vampire become if it drank my blood?’ Astreo wondered.
After all, he was already a Mid-Emperor.
Although his physical body was technically his weakest aspect, his physique alone still stood firmly at the Low Emperor level. Of course, if he used his Astral Element to enhance his body, he could temporarily raise his physical prowess to the Mid-Emperor level and if he abandoned control over all of his other Elements and completely transformed into a pure Psychic Elemental, his combat power would even reach the High Emperor level.
In other words, compared to the current Mo Fan, any vampire created using his blood would almost certainly evolve into a far superior existence.
That thought alone made the experiment sound surprisingly tempting.
‘Should I test it?’
Astreo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
By the time he reached that conclusion, he had already finished the last of his chicken momos.
After casually wiping his hands clean, he quietly began following the vampire walking ahead of him, his curiosity growing with every step.
He even bought himself a bottle of cola to drink while following the vampire. As he leisurely sipped it, he casually enjoyed the scenery along the way.
There was absolutely no chance the vampire would realize he was being followed.
After all, Astreo was maintaining a distance of nearly half a kilometer.
Besides, his strongest Element was Psychic, followed closely by the Astral and Space Elements.
If there was one thing he truly excelled at then it was stalking people.
He had been doing that since he was very young.
So, while leisurely drinking his cola, he eventually watched the vampire enter an ordinary-looking building.
To his surprise, instead of remaining upstairs, the vampire descended into an underground area.
Astreo quietly turned into a nearby alleyway before casually using Space Magic to teleport directly into the underground pub.
His arrival was so smooth that nobody noticed him.
With his level of control over his magic, concealing his presence from a room full of ordinary vampires wasn't difficult in the slightest.
He calmly looked around.
Only then did he realize that every single person inside the establishment was a vampire.
Normally, the moment a human entered such a place, every vampire present would immediately smell the scent of fresh blood.
However, Astreo wasn't an ordinary human.
He was half Astral combined with his absurdly refined control over his own magical aura and physical presence, he could suppress nearly every trace of his existence whenever he wished.
As far as the vampires were concerned there wasn't even a human standing in the room.
Thus, no one was able to smell his presence.
Astreo casually turned his eyes blood red to better blend in with the surrounding vampires before calmly walking toward a quiet corner. He leaned against the wall and casually manifested a fruit drink, silently thanking his System for making life so convenient.
Taking a sip from the drink, he quietly observed the vampires around him.
Most of the vampires enjoying themselves inside the pub possessed Warrior-level strength, while the ones serving drinks and attending to the guests were only Servant-ranked.
As for the strongest presence Astreo sensed a Commander-ranked vampire somewhere on the floor above.
“Hey, handsome~ what'cha doing all by yourself?” a sultry voice suddenly called out.
Astreo turned his head and found a female vampire standing beside him.
She was dressed in very revealing clothes, wore thick red lipstick, and possessed a figure that would easily be considered seductive by ordinary standards.
Unfortunately for her Astreo's mood immediately worsened the moment she approached him.
He had never been interested in women like this.
More importantly, he wasn't foolish enough to mistake every woman dressed provocatively for someone easy.
After all, there were exceptions.
Someone like Tang Yue, for example, dressed in an incredibly seductive manner despite being so pure that, aside from her father, she hadn't even held another man's hand throughout her entire life.
This vampire, however, Astreo didn't believe she belonged to that category even for a single second.
She was probably the lock that can be unlocked pretty much by any key.
Not to mention, these vampires originated from Europe, so their culture was quite different from that of Asia.
As a result, the moment the woman tried to get closer to him, Astreo simply stepped aside and walked away without saying a word.
“Come on, handsome,” she called out with a playful smile. “I can tell you're new around here. Which vampire lineage do you belong to?”
She licked her lips as she walked in front of Astreo again before casually placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Take your hand off my shoulder,” Astreo said with obvious disgust. “You're dirtying my clothes.”
As he spoke, he casually brushed her hand away.
Rather than getting offended, the woman simply giggled.
“Oh? Are you some kind of clean freak?” she teased. “Fine, fine. My hands are off.”
She had absolutely no idea that she had just been mere moments away from Astreo deciding to smash her head open like a watermelon.
“Did you people bring any humans here?” Astreo asked calmly before adding, “Human females, I mean.”
His voice carried an unmistakable tone of authority as if he was ordering her to reply.
Bi Mei found it rather amusing.
If some average vampire had spoken to her in such a commanding manner, she would have already slapped them across the face for their disrespect.
However, Good-looking people naturally received better treatment.
That was simply how the world worked.
“Huh?” she said with a playful smile. “Want to have a taste?”
“There is one chained up inside the building.”
“I think the Viscount has her locked in one of the cages upstairs.”
“She was captured pretty recently, so she's still fresh.”
The moment she finished speaking, she blinked once.
Astreo was gone.
He had vanished from the spot without leaving behind even the slightest trace.
“Eh?!”
She let out a startled yelp, unintentionally disturbing several vampires who had been quietly drinking blood nearby.
“Lady Bi Mei, is something wrong?” one of the butlers immediately asked as he hurried over.
Bi Mei quickly looked at him.
“Where's the man who was standing here just a moment ago?”
The butler frowned in confusion.
“Man...?”
“I didn't see any man.”
The surrounding vampires also looked at each other before giving similar answers.
None of them had seen anyone.
A sudden chill slowly crept down Bi Mei's spine.
If nobody else had seen him...
Then who exactly had she been talking to just now?
To be continued...