Chương 19: "A Monster Nobody Dares Take In"
"What!?" Oji took a step back from the outraged and utterly confused Clan Leader. The outburst was proof Clan Leader Aoi wasn't thinking clearly. "What do you mean you aren't taking him with you!? Did you see what he just did!?"
Oji nodded. "Something that makes him a monster with so much potential that the Crimson Sect can't hold onto him for the years until he outgrows us. Even if I did convince the Elders that it would be worth the effort to raise him and that he would be sure to repay in full when he was grown."
The Clan Leader leaned against the wall. He rubbed his forehead. "What are you trying to say?"
"That if my Crimson Sect were to learn of his existence right now they would kill him themselves. The meaning of his Potential is heavy enough to wipe out the Crimson Sect itself." Oji skipped the posturing that others would have gone through, laying the facts bare with trademark brutal bluntness.
This made the Clan Leader even more lost. "How on earth would his Potential end in the destruction of the Crimson Sect?"
Oji closed his eyes. "The King of your nation is what? Beginner Low Skeleton Foundation? What would happen if another Clan within Zhou had someone who would grow to Perfect Low Skeleton Foundation within his lifetime?" He laughed and opened his eyes. "The King would have him killed before he reached the Skeleton Foundation Realm and might even wipe out the whole Clan as traitors."
The Clan Leader nodded. He was well aware of the consequences of a Clan apart from the Royals growing strong enough to fight them. It would lead to a civil war with nearly absolute certainty. To prevent that, at all costs, the King would not allow the other Clans to match the Royals. Both by raising the strength of his Royals and by suppressing the strength of the Clans. "But that is why I greatly wish that your Crimson Sect would take him in! If he belonged to you than the King wouldn't dare to touch him or to harm us. Please, my Clan is at stake here."
Oji shook his head at the Clan Leader's failure to understand the analogy. "Above the Crimson Sect, there is a power that Cifer has the ability to eventually overtake. If we flaunted him than our rivals and the forces that vastly outstrip us in power would eventually take notice and crush the entire matter like we were ants. That's how much Potential he has." Oji had no intention of telling the Clan Leader all the details of Emor, but what he had already said should be enough to make the point.
It took time for the statement to sink in. The Clan Leader's face was ghostly pale as he wavered and went to take a seat. "In that case... doesn't it mean that my Clan is damned no matter what we do?"
Oji shook his head. "In the smaller playing board, where a Clan merely has someone who might someday match the King, what are the options available to the Clan to ensure the life of their genius?"
The Clan Leader stared vacantly at Oji. "Send him to the Crimson Sect. Put him above the heavens that are too low to contain him."
"That's one option, and it is the classic, easy option." Oji answers. "Let's assume that he just barely fails to pass the standards of my Sect though. Still a man who will eventually rival or surpass the King if he tried hard and long enough. Are there other options available?"
A frown appeared on the Clan Leader's face. "If you already have the answer than do not play games with me. I am prepared to listen to your 'other options' as you put it." Aoi looked low on patience.
"There are three other options that I know of. The first is to simply send him to the King as a young genius. Letting the King instill loyalty to the Royals into him and absorb him into Zhou's rulership. Eventually the King would send him up to us, and would have made use of his strength and potential to improve Zhou several times, possibly absorbing one of the other nearby Nations."
Oji smiles. "After all, we are talking about a genius who could set of a civil war. If all the forces of a civil war that could shake Zhou and threaten to change the hands of the crown were to instead come crashing down on the neighboring kingdoms it would easily expand the borders by a considerable amount. Which would benefit the Royals more than enough for them to foot the bill of training that genius for years. And for the Royals to ensure his original Clan received several benefits as well."
Clan Leader Aoi slowly nods. "It's not impossible, but that makes the most sense and has the best chance if the King were young enough to still have plenty of Potential left, but old enough to have become entrenched on the throne. 50 years ago it would have worked, but now the King is already starting to leave his prime and is a suspicious man. I suppose if it were in another 50 years and the King had entered his twilight years it might be possible to grow together with some Prince, but again I doubt it would work right now."
"The next choice is slightly worse, but still a very workable option. You could send him to the Clan closest in strength, but lowest in loyalty, to the King. If he were to display a normal or only a genius degree of talent for long enough than he could become a figure that couldn't be removed quietly. And one too strong to be removed directly without the King mobilizing the core forces of Zhou itself. Which would lead to a civil war where your Clan is banking on the victory of the traitors."
This was met with a shaking head. Clan Leader Aoi explains his rejection. "The next strongest entity in Zhou, Skull Sect, has half the Skeleton Foundation experts that the Royals do and are watched with great scrutiny. In the past my Kani Clan was the 3rd greatest in Zhou and our staunch loyalty made it impossible for a rebellion to succeed without enormous support from the other Clans as well. Back then it might have been doable since there was seemingly no need for concern. As it is now the Royals still hold an absolute advantage, but are eyeing the Skull Sect for any opening to cut them down to size."
"That leaves my final option, which is by far the hardest to pull off. Raise him yourselves without letting others know that he is remotely close to as good as he is for as long as possible." Oji answers simply.
"We'd be found out by the time he was Low Origination! The Aoi Kani Clan can't support the growth of a mere disciple at the speed he would have. By Low Origination at best it would be obvious to everyone that he is far more powerful than any of the others in 5 years! He might even make Low Origination before people who are 5 years older than him!"
"And now you understand in a nutshell why my Crimson Sect doesn't want him even if I would take him in a heartbeat." Oji told Clan Leader Aoi. "It's because he's a monster that nobody dares to take in."
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