Neil O'Brien, his appearance elicited various responses from the guests. Some were surprised, and some were reasonable. The man simply introduced himself.
Robert continued his speech.
"The world is evolving every day. We must also evolve. So far, we have contributed to various industries. It is time for us to also participate in the humanitarian aspect."
The old man took a deep breath.
"Together with the Falcon Knight Guards, we will build the first awakener academy in the world. This will be our first step."
The sound of applause echoed in the hall. The guests welcomed him with joy. Everyone thought this was great news. But for Klaus, it was the opposite.
After the announcement, Robert Lee began the celebratory feast. Delicious aromas wafted as servers entered the hall, pushing trolleys with various dishes. While they served the food on the tables, the musicians played music at the side of the hall.
The atmosphere was harmonious in the hall. The melodious strains of the violin accompanied the guests who flocked to the tables for food. Several waiters went around with wine on trays, offering those drinks to each guest.
Klaus moved away from the crowd. He was alone at the side of the room, watching his grandfather gather with the elite.
"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be stealing your grandfather's attention?"
Steve walked over to Klaus and stood next to him. One of his hands held a glass of wine.
"I'm still waiting for the right time, Dad," Klaus replied.
"Want me to accompany you?"
Klaus shook his head. "I can do it myself."
When the people crowding around his grandfather left, Klaus gave his plate to Steve and fixed his bow tie. He walked over to his grandfather.
"Good luck," Steve muttered.
The original plan changed. The platitudes Klaus had prepared to brag about in front of Robert had been dropped. Neil O'Brien was the cause.
Klaus had no idea of that man's true motives. It was clear as water for LR Enterprise, that they wanted a powerful ally. But the Falcon Knight Guards had various reasons why they wanted to partner with LR Enterprise. One of them was to target Mors Industries.
Mors Industries' funding source came from the investment of shell companies from LR Electronic. It was just a subsidiary of LR Enterprise. Klaus was just worried about Neil O'Brien pulling the strings of his grandfather.
After all, it was just conjecture.
The old man smiled when Klaus approached him. "My grandson, Klaus. Where are your parents and Joanna? I haven't seen them."
"Dad went to the toilet. Mom dropped Joanna off. She drank the wrong alcoholic juice."
Robert shook his head. "That brat hasn't changed a bit. I heard she's an A-Class awakener. Is that true?"
"Yes, she is. She belongs to my guild."
Instead of being happy, Robert clicked his tongue. "I didn't expect much from her. With her behavior, she'll only be monster food."
Klaus pursed his lips. "Indeed, she is a brat and a bit stupid, but she is reliable."
Then, Klaus began to tell his grandfather about Joanna's skill during their raid of the yellow dungeon in SoHo. The grandfather seemed impressed when he heard Joanna saved many lives.
"Hmm, that girl has talent. Just needs to work on her character. If Steve were more assertive, she might become a decent awakener." Robert sighed.
Klaus smiled.
Just as he was about to tell his grandfather about the company, a dark-haired young man in a gray suit came.
Robert raised a eyebrow. "Noah? I haven't seen you in a while."
Noah smiled. "I've been busy lately. How are you?"
"As you can see. I'm old and will die soon."
Noah laughed loudly, thinking it was a joke, but he stopped it as soon as he saw his grandfather's flat face.
"What about your guild?" Robert asked.
"Ugh, we're fine. There's a bit of a problem, though."
"Problem? Do you mean when your whole team got slaughtered in the dungeon? I saw the news that night."
Looking away, Noah did not dare make eye contact with his grandfather. "Yeah."
Robert nodded his head. "That's okay. Sometimes we need to taste a few failures before we succeed. At least you survived. Lucky you were on the same raid as Klaus."
Clenching his fists, Noah tried to hide his frustration. To him, it was a disgrace. And who likes it when someone talks about failure on their face? But he had to keep it to himself.
Klaus could see the bitterness on his cousin.
Then, another cousin arrived. Robert's face lit up.
"Oh! My other grandson is here!"
Edward smiled. "Grandpa!"
His treatment of Edward was different. The old man hugged him in front of those two. Anyone would know who Robert favored out of his three grandchildren.
Klaus behaved naturally while the other cousin bit his lip. He knew this would happen.
Robert chatted with Edward, discussing all sorts of things until the old man forgot about the other two grandsons standing beside them. Klaus was a little annoyed. This should have been his time to shine in front of his grandfather.
In the middle of the family gathering, a bearded man approached them. Robert grinned.
"Ah, Neil! You happen to be here. Let me introduce you to my grandsons."
Naturally, Klaus frowned as the unexpected name was mentioned. At the same time, the curiosity in his chest tingled. Klaus wanted to know the real reason behind that man's motives.
The grandfather introduced his grandson one by one. When Robert introduced Edward, the old man exaggerated his pride, while Edward only smiled kindly. Then Robert introduced Noah; no particular impression could be heard from him. Nevertheless, Noah tried to look decent in front of the number one guild owner in the US.
Lastly, Robert introduced Klaus. The expression on Neil's face changed as he heard his name.
"Ah, you're that guy from the video." Neil referred to the video of Klaus presenting during the Golden Hammer Expo. The video spread and got millions of views on several video platforms.
Klaus nodded.
Then, they started chatting about small things. The white-bearded man complimented Klaus at every opportunity. Judging from his actions, Klaus could tell that Neil wanted something from him.
And his guess was correct.
"Mister Robert, may I borrow Klaus for a moment?" Neil asked politely.
Robert squinted. "Sure."
"All right. It looks like something important," Klaus said.
Then, Neil took Klaus somewhere else to talk.
Seeing Neil and Klaus leave, Robert grinned. The old man had hidden intentions.
Meanwhile, Klaus and Neil exited the hall and went to the lobby. They sat in the lounge adjacent to the hotel bar. There weren't many people there, so the atmosphere was quite calm.
Neil sat down. One leg was placed on the other.
"I've heard a lot about you, Klaus. Especially about artificial arcana. Before we start the discussion, I need to know, are you in charge of the company?" asked the man with a white beard.
Klaus guessed that Neil had already dug up information about him from the way he spoke. Klaus thought there was no reason to hide anything from the man. So, he would be frank.
"I hold the majority share, but I still own the CEO," Klaus replied. He deliberately gave a unsolid answer.
"Interesting. I take it you're in full control. All right, I'll be frank." Neil leaned into Klaus. "Right now, another Five Pillars guild is trying to contact you or your CEO. Or maybe you're already working with one of them. You know, we want the same thing. Artificial Arcana."
Klaus grinned. He liked a man who didn't like small talk. "So, what do you want?"
Neil pointed at Klaus. "You. I want you. Work for me. The Falcon Knight Guards will give you everything. Funds, resources, manpower, or whatever you ask. We're ready to grant it, Klaus."
"You mean I have to leave my company and become someone else's subordinate like that?" Klaus quipped.
Neil chuckled. "Of course not. We'll give you one if you want a company for your toys. Or maybe, you want something big again. Something really big that your cousins want."
Klaus raised one eyebrow.
"I can guarantee you will win that inheritance battle if you want. LR Enterprise can be all yours."
Klaus opened his eyes wide. The atmosphere became silent for a moment.
Smirking, Neil thought he had won Klaus over. But the white-bearded man didn't know that Klaus's ambitions were far greater than he had expected. Something he could never have imagined.
Klaus buried his face in his palms. He chuckled and then laughed loudly, breaking the silence. Naturally, Neil frowned.
Klaus looked at Neil with a silly face.
"If that's all you have to offer, you're too short-sighted."
Neil squinted. LR Enterprise was a conglomerate that controlled various aspects of a business. It was not something to be taken lightly.
"If LR Enterprise is meaningless to you, then what do you want?"
Klaus spread his hands. "The world. I want this world and everything in it."
