Chaos' Heir

Chapter 837  Gallons

Everyone feasted, enjoying the plentiful food and drinks on the various tables. Waiters stood by the hall's walls, ready to provide more refreshments. Countless conversations happened, and guests often stood up to deliver birthday gifts to the main table.

Each guest had a short one-liner for Khan. Most phrases were pleasantries, hinting at the desire to hold future meetings. Others were simple congratulations, and some acted as invitations to various locations.

Khan didn't formally accept anything. He occasionally only replied with nods, which the guests didn't mind. His cold and stoic behavior had become famous in the last period, and many of those who had joined the celebration had already interacted with him multiple times.

The situation allowed many guests to expand their social and political array. Most less-important visitors were closer to Khan on various levels, forcing those wielding higher relevance to respect them.

Monica's parents, relatives, and cousins were also at the celebrations, which they didn't hesitate to exploit. The noble families had sent representatives to honor the event, and those lower figures couldn't miss the chance to meet them.

The same went for Luke, George, and the other descendants' parents. All those who had established the secret alliance with Khan during Monica's birthday were at the celebrations, including pieces of their families, and none refrained from trying to develop relationships with the nobles.

Many of those attempts were even successful. The descendants in Khan's alliance had various businesses and structures on Baoway, which the nobles desired. The latter didn't care much about the activities, but establishing footholds closer to Khan was worth dealing with lower families.

As for Khan, he merely ate and drank, exchanging random lines with Lord Exr. The Thilku often questioned him about certain human customs, and the two always ended up joking about them. Still, only Lord Exr laughed. Khan remained as impassible as ever.

Nevertheless, the time for more private talks eventually arrived. Once everyone was full, the guests split into multiple groups. Many wanted to be with Khan but stepped aside since they knew their place, allowing an orderly division.

Princess Edna was on Baoway, so she kidnapped Monica, Anita, and most of the young women at the party. Princess Felicia and other Princesses joined that group, planning to explore the building and the city outside.

Khan's remaining Cousins handled the male part of the descendants, stealing a few Princes of their own. Many parents and other business associates joined them, creating a giant group.

Gordon seized anyone interested in the Scalqa and other specific structures of the city. The network was famished for news about Baoway, and the noble guard knew what to feed it. He only had to show the right things to the guests.

The last group featured Khan, Prince Thomas, Princess Felicia, Abraham, Lieutenant Dyester, Lord Exr, and the noble representatives. The latter demanded priority over every discovery, equipment, or item, and the imminent meeting was exactly about that.

Khan's group moved to a different area, entering a state-of-the-art training hall. The place had black surfaces, hinting at chaos-resistant alloys. Still, its dim blue lights created a cozy atmosphere, albeit slightly cold.

"Is this what I believe it is, Prince Khan?" Prince Duter asked.

Khan ignored the question and nodded at his Uncle. Prince Thomas drew his phone to send a message, and soldiers promptly arrived to push a metal cart toward the group. Khan quickly seized it, sending away the troops, before playing with the hall's menus.

One of the hall's walls opened once Khan completed his order. A metal puppet walked past the cavity, which closed behind its back. The dummy had the number "2" carved into its head, describing its general power level.

Khan inputted another order, and a new metal puppet emerged, this one bearing the number "4" on its head. The two dummies took a few steps forward before stopping on the empty side of the hall, remaining motionless and waiting for additional directives.

"Master Carl," Khan called. "Melt them."

Lieutenant Dyester sighed, drawing a cigarette from his pocket and putting it in his mouth. He lifted his hand and stretched his forefinger, which took fire and lit up the smoke.

Lieutenant Dyester breathed deeply and blew smoke before lifting his fiery forefinger above his head. The flames left his skin and rose above him, quickly stopping and expanding to create a crackling sphere.

The sphere split, multiplying into two unstable masses of flames that shot forward as soon as Lieutenant Dyester flexed his finger. The spells flew at high speed toward the puppets, hitting them in the chest.

Two explosions unfolded as flames spread everywhere. Nothing reached the group, but the heat generated by the spells was palpable. Both attacks were proper of a fourth-level mage, confirming once and for all that the Butcher of Istrone had surpassed his former glory.

The lingering flames quickly dispersed, revealing what was left of the puppets. The first had fallen apart, leaving only its legs behind. The upper parts of those two limbs had also melted, and their metal had turned bright red.

Meanwhile, the other puppet had retained its humanoid form, but its chest had melted open, showing the wires and gears inside. Its head, shoulders, and waist had also suffered from a similar fate, highlighting how the spell would have been deadly for a fourth-level warrior.

"I'm sure Master Carl's skills don't need additional demonstrations," Khan announced. "Now."

Khan inputted more orders into the menus before approaching the cart. The hall's robots cleared the maimed puppets before sending two new ones. The newcomers also had the numbers "2" and "4" on their heads, but a figure suddenly materialized between them.

Khan placed a flask on both puppets' heads before sprinting back to the group. The guests barely caught his movements, but their interest was in the mysterious items. Luckily for them, Khan intended to keep their curiosity short-lived.

"Master Carl," Khan called, and Lieutenant Dyester set his forefinger on fire again, smoothly sending two more spells at the metal puppets.

Two explosions unfolded again, but a completely different scenery appeared once the flames dispersed. Both puppets still had humanoid shapes, but something had covered their surfaces. A net-like shield had protected their fronts, limiting the damage to the metal behind.

The net was thick, only leaving small areas exposed. Still, it soon flowed down, revealing the metal puppets in their entirety. The "2" dummy had clear melted spots on its chest and head, but nothing reached its insides. Meanwhile, the "4" dummy was almost completely intact, with mere darkened burns to vouch for the spell's power.

"As you can see," Khan said, "The item can withstand the spell of a fourth-level mage. It also activates on its own. It's a lifesaving disposable item."

"Impressive," Prince Duter commented, receiving general approval.

Khan glanced at Lord Exr, but the Thilku also looked pleased. It seemed Khan didn't need to translate what had just happened.

"I have questions, Prince Khan," Prince Rassec exclaimed. Khan's relationship with that family remained complicated, so it made sense for the Prince to make things hard for him.

"What are the conditions for activation?" Prince Rassec questioned. "Its uses would be limited if the simplest attack could trigger it."

The guests couldn't help but agree. The item's sensitivity could make it useless as a lifesaving measure. Assassins could simply trigger it with a weak attack and deliver a deadly blow afterward.

Even with those issues, the item would still have uses, albeit limited ones. However, employing it on messy battlefields and similar environments would be impossible.

Khan didn't waste time with words. He approached the cart and seized two more flasks before throwing them into the air. A needle and a spear then materialized in his hands, and he flung them at the spinning items.

Two explosions unfolded, with one far bigger than the other. The needle created a limited, spherical detonation, while the spear gave birth to a tall, scorching pillar. Even the dullest soldier would know which one was stronger.

The guests were surprised by the outcome of the explosions. The spherical detonation was the first to disperse, and black drops fell from it, landing on the floor. The spell had destroyed the flask, but no net had arrived.

Instead, the pillar's dispersion revealed a square net-like structure. The item had activated even without someone to protect. It had simply reacted to the spear's power, showing its power.

"Excellent!" Prince Duter exclaimed, even clapping his hand in respect for what Khan had achieved.

The guests shared Prince Duter's opinion. Even Prince Rassec put aside the complicated relationship between his family and Khan to clap his hands a few times. That demonstration truly was worthy of praise, but another issue had to follow.

"How many flasks are available?" Prince Rassec questioned. "Also, I hope we won't have to auction for them."

Khan had been the only one to open the cart, so no one had seen its insides. It even stood to reason that such a powerful item would have limited availability, but Khan worked in the field of miracles now.

"The flask isn't the item," Khan explained, lifting the cart's lid and lowering its side surface to expose its insides. "The liquid is."

A series of flasks unfolded in the guests' vision, but something far more appealing stood at their side. A big, transparent container stood inside the cart, carrying the same black liquid that had fallen to the floor.

"I won't sell in flasks," Khan said, facing the guests. "I'll sell in gallons."

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