Rokan did not mind showing off some of his strength as it would make his enemies treat him with a bit more caution.
An awkward mood was now set as no one had the courage to speak up and continue the discussion on the distribution of finances.
"Can we resume the discussion with some more civility?" a calm voice interrupted the tense silence.
An elderly man dressed in robes made of the finest silk walked slowly into the room with a slew of servants following closely behind.
He seemed to be gliding over the jade floor of the conference room as his feet hovered slightly above the ground.
"That old monster is actually here," someone hissed in surprise.
Allen Bartelot was one of the pillars of the Federation and a man who was highly respected and feared among the upper nobility.
No one could trace his origins or family clan as he had been alive for thousands of years. He had been a loyal guard for several generations of emperors and had served the royal family dutifully.
Ascension cultivators could live for absurd lengths of time, so it was hardly surprisingly that he managed to outlive his various masters.
All information regarding his personal history had been wiped clean from the Federation's databases.
Rokan shot the elderly man a wary glance as the spiritual qi hidden deep within that ancient body seemed to be bottomless.
Why was he here?
Ascension cultivators would not simply attend budget meetings…. even the death of an emperor would not gather their attention.
"Young man you must not be so harsh when speaking to your peers," Allen smiled genially and gave Rokan's shoulder a light pat.
Crack!
The bones in Rokan's shoulder instantly cracked under the pressure exerted by this simple movement but the duke showed no reaction.
It was a straightforward matter for a god stage cultivator to circulate his qi and regenerate any physical damage suffered.
But what complicated things was that this was a clear warning that Allen would not tolerate his behaviour.
"I come under the direct orders of the majesty himself as the great emperor has declared a royal proclamation," Allen moved away from Rokan and pulled out a thin slip of paper hidden in his pocket.
"The king is displeased at the current state of the war with both the Insectoids and the Unova Syndicate."
"Therefore, this degree states that to obtain great military merits, all upper nobility houses are required to increase their contributions to the Federation by sending every single one of their direct heirs to the battlefield."
"You will either give these conquests your full support or your children will die."
Silence. Shock. Horror.
Various expressions could be seen on the faces of the nobility as this unexpected degree caused several nobles to turn pale.
Military service had always been optional for members of the high nobility and the only children sent to the battlefield were either those with strong potentials or offsprings who were considered wastes.
However, it would be an entirely different situation if all direct heirs were conscripted forcefully
There was not a single house that wanted to take the risk of losing the immediate successors to their legacy.
The late emperor would have never risked offending the noble houses with an order like this but it was clear that the current emperor had no such concerns.
"That will be all for now," Allen quietly whispered in a soft tone.
Quite a few nobles had twisted expressions on their faces, but no one was brave enough to complain to an Ascension stage cultivator.
Allen's eyes swept the conference room and lingered for just a moment on the blood purity faction.
He clasped his hands together almost as if he were offering a prayer and the qi concentration in the room rapidly increased.
Clang! Clang!
Ancient runes quickly formed beneath his feet and lit up the conference room with a golden glow.
Dense spiritual energy poured into these strange markings as the air slowly begun to distort and twist.
"What a show-off," Rokan grumbled under his breath as he saw the elderly figure as well as his servants shimmer and then disappear.
No one was in the mood to continue the meeting so after a few more minutes of fruitlessly arguing once more, the matter of the budget was postponed to another session tomorrow.
Rokan spent the next thirty minutes socialising with the young nobles in his faction and trying to avoid the flirtations being sent his way by certain amorous noblewomen.
It was not that he was not appreciative of their beauty, but he was now a father.
Sophie would always be his number one priority.
But if the duke was truly being honest with himself, he still missed that strange Insectoid woman who had entered his life like a whirlwind.
Rokan was interrupted from his musing by a voice transmission that sounded directly in his right ear.
(I will be expecting your presence at the Aurora restaurant)
(We need to discuss certain matters privately)
Rokan's face showed no change in expression as though the voice transmission had never occurred.
There was only one man bold enough to send him a secret message without worrying about the risk of eavesdropping….
(Several hours later)
(Private Booth 091- Aurora Restaurant)
"I never expected that I would be greeted by so many old acquaintances," Rokan smirked as several masked men surrounded him.
His old friend who had sent him the voice transmission was nowhere to be found and instead what welcomed the duke were the cold hard edges of adamantium blades.
"Do you think that I would not recognise your aura under those pathetic disguises?"
Several of these would be assassins flinched unconsciously and Rokan could not help but laugh even harder.
He casually reached for the sword at his hip and slowly pulled out his loyal weapon from its sheath.
Thunder Arts
Bellowing Gale storm!
A thin red line was drawn across the necks of every cloaked figure in the room and they collapsed to the ground.
Their heads were now fully severed from their bodies.
Too weak.
Rokan frowned as whoever sent these men clearly had either underestimated his strength or was planning something else.
Ring! Ring!
Suddenly Rokan's communicator buzzed with great urgency.
He clicked the accept command and soon the holographic image of Katarina covered in bloodstains appeared before him.
"My lord! Our lunar colony is being attacked by..."
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