"That's it?"
When Ray heard those words, he was bewildered, wondering what was inside Theo's mind. However, this was also the result of his action.
Due to the hardship he endured since his childhood, Theo was required to grow up a bit faster than many others to survive. Instead of a conversation between a father and a child, this talk had turned into a conversation between two equals.
Ray closed his eyes and tried to calm his heart down a bit more. He should have expected this when he met Theo again, so it only took him a few seconds to return to normal.
Ultimately, Ray nodded, "Yes. That's all I can tell you regarding the tradition. Anything else will be for you to explore after coming to the Griffith Family."
"Okay. Continue." Theo nodded with a calm expression. "You said something about the rules? What are the rules?"
"There are five major rules in the family. First, you must put the Griffith Family above everything… Above your family, your religion, your needs, whatever. The Family will always be the first in your heart.
"Second, you're not allowed to kill other family members. Everything will be decided by the elder council. You can only send proof about the deeds and the person will be put on trial.
"Third rule is… After joining the family, you are free to pick up your spouse from a specific country chosen by the Griffith Family.
"Fourth, all family members shall be supported by the Griffith Family to the best of their abilities. Those who are strong and talented enough shall have their place in the family.
"Five, no information about the Griffith Family shall be spread to other people unless they're a part of the Griffith Family."
Theo already furrowed his eyebrows the moment he heard the first rule. He muttered inwardly, 'Put the family above everything? The second rule is understandable, but the third rule… that must be why my… father left the Griffith Family in the first place.
'The fourth rule is a need or this entire rule section will look bad. At that time, nothing will convince them to come to the family. However, in the end, they will get daily doctrines with the first rule, making them an asset for the family. So, either way, the Griffith Family takes it all. It's not like they can join another influence after becoming the Griffith Family member.
'Last but not least, the fifth one… The selection process of becoming the main family member is already this harsh, so it's hard for a spy to join.
'If I take the fact that most of the successor candidates are chosen from the direct bloodline… With the support of the Griffith Family, all those people will surely become Mythical Rank Experts. In that case, the number of Mythical Rank Experts in the family far exceeds that of a normal big influence.
'Those cannon fodders will come from the three vassal families. In other words, the Griffith Family is the place for elites with their members reaching Mythical Rank or close to it at the end of their journey.
'There's no wonder the three vassals agree with the family. If they can join the main family, they can become powerful experts, especially talented ones.
'Still, no matter the benefits, everything will result in the first rule.' Theo suddenly came to a realization. 'Is this the reason why they are forbidden to mention anything about the Griffith Family?
'No matter what everyone says, the successor candidates need to choose something like this on their eighteenth birthday. Even if they have a brain and they are still barely an adult. Their greed will be limitless.
'I don't take myself as an example because of my bad childhood, but others surely have a better life than me. Their image of the Griffith Family won't be that bad. At the same time, those people choose a big country because most of their big influences know the presence of the Griffith Family.
'This will make the candidates too proud of their status. If you have been fed something like that since childhood, of course, you will join the Griffith Family.
'Meanwhile, my childhood was a mess. There's no way I can say the Griffith Family is good, unlike those ignorant people who will end up getting tricked into joining the family and fed those doctrines, ultimately becoming the people of the Griffith Family.
'Is this the reason for everything? Is this the reason for my bad childhood? I can understand their aim, but I can't understand why they proceeded to this extent. If they want to pain the Griffith Family in a bad light, there are many ways to do it.
'So, why?' Theo gritted his teeth. His heart started getting restless, affected by his own thoughts. Even if he managed to stay calm this whole time, when the disappointment returned to his heart, he couldn't help but have a heart movement.
The disappointment woke up the rage he tried to bury for this conversation.
Still, after growing this far, Theo managed to calm his heart down while only clenching his hands to suppress his feelings.
He still needed to know everything that could be told before he decided everything.
Taking a few deep breaths, Theo finally asked the last question. "And their strength?"
"There is this thing called World Ranking. This is to rank all Mythical Rank Experts around the world based on their abilities. Our families have forty people among one thousand in that list."
Ray indirectly implied that they were among the top influences. If he took into account the number of Mythical Rank Experts in the world and other big influences that could rival the Griffith Family, having forty people on that list alone already showed their strength.
With only one statement, Theo understood why the Griffith Family was terrifying. If Theo were an ignorant boy, he would join the Griffith Family because the family would help him become one of those one thousand people.
After all, it meant they were one of the strongest people on Earth. There was no way they would let go of this opportunity.
However, there wasn't a single smile on Theo's face. He simply glared at Ray with so much hatred as if he was thinking about something.