“Oh? Is that so?” Dyon said with a smile. He didn’t seem too perturbed by the grandstanding of these adorable little hamsters. He wasn’t the type of person so easily swayed by such things.
“Will you take our test?” The black furred Celestial Hamster spoke up.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not too interested in such things.” For the first time, Dyon’s eyes lost focus of the furry hamsters that were resting on his knees.
“You don’t want to rule the world?” The white furred hamster jumped in.
“No. There will come a day I rule the world. I’d just rather the credit for me doing so not go to some newborns.”
“How arrogant! Do you think you can rule the world alone?!” Clearly the black furred hamster was getting exasperated. The twin brother and sister hadn’t even noticed that if they wanted to, they could disappear right now and Dyon would never be able to find them.
“Wrong. I rely heavily on my comrades. My friends. My family. My women. And in the future, my children. But, who are you two to me that I should share my glory with you?
“You are testing me to see whether I have the right to gain your help? You’re too naïve!” Dyon’s sharp eyes turned back to the twin newborns. He didn’t release any Presence, he knew that attacks of aura were completely useless on them, especially at his level. But, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be affected by his unrestrained confidence. “It should be me testing you to see whether you’re worthy of being by my side!”
“You…” The twins were completely speechless. They were a Celestial Race, they had long since stopped counting how many Transcendents they had raised during their existence. Maybe they hadn’t done so personally, but the legacies that ran through their blood carried the knowledge of every Celestial Hamster before them. To call them the most knowledgeable existences in the current cosmos wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all. Not to mention the fact that they both came from the Royal line of their species.
The worst part was that maybe this response would be acceptable if Dyon was ignorant of who and what they were. But, they were far too intelligent to delude themselves in such a way. They could very clearly tell that Dyon simply didn’t care!
This wasn’t a confidence that was possible to fake, nor was this an aura another person had. In the end, no matter how many years their consciousness had been awake for, they were still newborns. They had knowledge exceeding anyone or anything in existence, but their hands-on experience was next to 0. Seeing such a valiant aura for the first time, they already knew that this would be a day burned into their hearts forever.
Dyon’s eyes softened, he knew he was too harsh. They were just a pair of babies, no matter how powerful their ancestry was.
“It’s not that I don’t see the value of you two. I do.” Dyon’s stroked their small heads. “But, what I need are friends, people who will stay by my side no matter what. I’m not a person who seeks benefits without consequence, nor am I blinded by my pursuit of power.
“Despite knowing how urgent my plans are, I don’t hesitate to set months aside to be with my wives. Despite knowing that any sect or clan in existence would accept me with arms simply by telling them my name, I don’t seek them out. Despite knowing that my road will be harder, crueler and far more struggle laden than any other, I will continue to follow the path laid out by my own heart.”
“But…” The voices of the celestial hamster’s softened considerably, as though they were feeling incredibly wronged.
“If a day comes when my principles dictate that I must kill one of your kind, would you stand by my side?”
“This…”
“I have a sworn brother. His name is Zabia. There was a time when I threatened the life of both his child and his woman. Today, we have a mutual understanding hard to find even if you search a thousand universes.
“I have a wife. Her name is Madeleine. Even if I saw it fit to eradicate her clan from existence, she wouldn’t bat an eyelash.
“I have a little brother. His name is Zaire. I am responsible for the death of not one, but two of his mother’s final soul strands, yet he still calls me big brother.
“I have another sworn brother. His name is Eli. I am responsible for his entire family being captured and tortured as pill slaves. Yet his still calls me brother.
“I have another wife. Her name is Clara. I am responsible for the eradication of our entire clan of people. Billions, gone, in the blink of an eye, yet she still calls me husband.
“If you cannot see me as a brother, as a part of your family, there is no value in my seeking your help. In addition, there is no value in your raising me up to become a ruler of the world either.
“With the knowledge of your people, do you really need to choose the most outstanding candidates for you to raise them up? With the legacies you possess, even someone of average talent can rise up and become a dragon amongst men.
“So why then do you choose based on such shallow credentials? Do you not care about the heart of a person? Do you raise up evil, just as easily as you raise up good? Do you foster hate, just as easily as you do love?
“If you want to choose me purely based on my intelligence, I do not want the two of you.”