Chapter 803 Toast
"We removed anything we found," George explained. "His body is as clean as ever, but his psychological state still needs work."
"How long will it take?" Khan asked.
"Hard to say," George sighed. "He is improving by the day, but it"s hard to leave habits and education behind. You should know it."
Khan fell silent and focused on his drink. The conversation with George had moved to Wayne, who was still in his care. Apparently, Wayne had greatly improved, but George advised against reintroducing it into society.
"His element?" Khan questioned.
"Troublesome as always," George cursed. "Stuff breaks around him. People slip and fall. Once, he even broke his mattress. How do you break a mattress?"
"I have a few ideas," Khan commented.
"Honestly," George continued, ignoring Khan"s comment. "I don"t know if he"ll ever learn to control his element. I"m not sure bad luck is something that can be controlled, let alone funneled into spells and techniques."
Khan fell silent again. He had accepted his status as a Shaman, and his understanding of mana reached depths humans couldn"t even imagine. Yet, he was as lost as George in the topic. Wayne"s element was too surreal and ethereal even to attempt to wield it.
"This is beyond me," Khan thought. "Zalpa or Caja would know more!
Khan was knowledgeable and skilled, but those two figures wielded proper wisdom. They would know what to do with Wayne, but reaching them sounded impossible now.
"You are thinking something stupid," George called, "Aren"t you?"
"If things were more stable," Khan announced, "I would have brought the Nele here. They would know what to do with Wayne."
"Things look stable enough," George pointed out, "And you"ll have more room soon.
"My uncle is onto me," Khan shook his head. "Many also want my head, and things will get worse once Abraham"s lab develops something."
"The Thilku are on your side," George stated. "People will think twice before trying anything here."
"On me," Khan specified, "But I can"t be everywhere, and the more allies I accept, the more weaknesses I have. I don"t know what I"d be capable of doing if something happened."
That line held real meaning after the recent events, and George could even imagine how harsher it would be. Khan didn"t care about his suffering. He was so used to it he barely minded it. His b.l.o.o.d.y retribution had mostly been a show of force to prevent reiterations.
However, involving Khan"s loved ones would escalate the retributions. Khan could become vengeful, which was scary due to the power he wielded. George wasn"t sure whether the Global Army would be able to stop him at all in that instance.
"Khan," George called. "You know I"d be at your side if you asked."
"I won"t," Khan responded. "I won"t pull you back into this world."
George sighed again. He appreciated Khan"s worries but still wanted to help him. Thinking about the issue brought back the old topic, and George"s tone almost grew timid as he asked a question.
"How do you even marry someone?" George asked.
Khan wanted to explode into a laugh, but something else required his attention. He couldn"t even reply to George properly since they were about to be disturbed.
"Only a few seconds," Khan said, "And I would have had a good story to tell Monica."
The statement confused George, but his senses eventually piqued something, and the sound of steps reached his ears. It didn"t take long before a figure peeked into the crevice, showing her beaming smile to the two sitting men.
"That"s where you were," Anita exclaimed. "You have both been requested for a toast."
George and Khan exchanged a knowing look. The former
felt beyond lucky Anita didn"t hear his previous statement, and Khan hid a snicker behind his cold face. George seemed able to see that invisible reaction, but Anita"s presence prevented him from glaring at Khan.
"What is it?" Anita asked while her gaze fell on the empty bottles on the ground. "Really. I don"t know who the bad influence is anymore."
"He is," George declared, standing up and seizing Anita"s waist. "He corrupts anything he touches."
Anita giggled before pointing her scolding glare at George. That look differed from what Khan had become used to seeing in the Harbor. Evident traces of complicity had joined it. The couple"s relationship had deepened in ways Khan couldn"t imagine, but noticing that made him happy. "Come on, Khan," Anita called. "Let"s go to the others."
Time slowed down in Khan"s eyes. He looked past Anita"s smile as more details popped into his vision. George"s arm was still around Anita"s waist, but she appeared completely comfortable with the gesture. She didn"t only accept it. She considered it normal
"We"ve all gone a long way since the Harbor," Khan thought, standing up and voicing polite words. "After you."
Anita didn"t need Khan to speak twice. Her smile brightened as she turned, and George promptly stepped out of the crevice to keep up with her. Khan followed the couple, and watching their closeness almost broke his cold face.
The three quickly returned to the terrace, where the situation had barely changed. The guests were immersed in multiple conversations, often involving business opportunities and similar matters. Obviously, many of them were directed at Monica since she was the most approachable link to the Solodrey and Nognes family.
Khan"s return didn"t go unnoticed, but no guest could stop him as he crossed the terrace. He went directly for Monica, and she seized his elbow to keep him by her side.
"You took your time," Monica whispered to Khan"s ear, and he took that chance to tease her.
"We started talking about marriage," Khan whispered back.
No one could hear the conversation, and Khan"s face was as impenetrable as always. Monica also retained her elegant façade, but her mind thanked her dark skin for hiding the slight blush rising to her cheeks.
"Cousin," Prince William approached the couple. "Should we have a toast to honor your beautiful fiancée?"
"Fill everyone"s gla.s.ses," Khan ordered, slightly raising his voice. The waiters immediately got to work, attending to every guest who didn"t have a drink ready.
Khan waited for everyone to look back at him before lifting his gla.s.s and uttering a simple toast. "To Monica Solodrey."
The guests echoed the toast, and Khan fell prey to countless conversations. He wasn"t exactly good company but supported Monica during the endless pleasantries that targeted her.
Of course, more requests for business cooperation flew toward Khan, especially from the older generations, but his answers remained vague. He didn"t even set dates for meetings or political dinners, and his status prevented the guests from insisting.
That was a planned move. Khan didn"t want to use Monica"s birthday to explore political ventures, but another reason made him ignore the many offers. The recent conversations had put a strange idea in his mind, and the opportunity to explore it arrived once the night reached its late hour.
The guests" political education could keep them talking for hours, but the Solodrey family had planned events to entertain them all. Those arrangements also considered the crowd"s age and status, splitting it into a few groups and locations.
Khan and most of the younger generation ended up on the lower floor, inside the dance hall he had used for his conversation with Rebecca. Monica, Anita, and a few other descendants focused on enjoying the music, doing their best to celebrate the birthday and blow off some steam. However, many were near a wall, gathered around Khan.
Jokes and harmless chit-chats flew while Khan limited himself to nods and silence. He appeared unapproachable, and the guests didn"t insist. They took his occasional short comments as wins, but far more awaited them.
"I have an offer," Khan eventually announced, silencing the whole group. Everyone looked at him, and the few dancing guests who heard him approached him.
"I will launch a ma.s.s expansion soon," Khan revealed. "Each new quadrant will benefit from my authority and connection to the Thilku Empire."
"Are you asking us to fill them?" Lucian asked, his words revealing what everyone else was thinking.
"You know I have favorable conditions here," Khan said. "You know dealing with me will be cheaper and more advantageous than any future negotiation with the Global Army."
"Count me in," John exclaimed.
"John, wait," Mark scolded. "Prince, the request is
financially valuable, but I have the impression you aren"t thinking about Credits."
"He is talking about alliances," Monica shouted from the dance floor as she slowly approached the group. The remaining guests around her followed her, gathering everyone at Khan"s location.
"What"s this?" Lucy asked. "A cooperation among the younger generation?"
"And around me," Khan added.
Those descendants were cunning and knowledgeable. They instantly understood what Khan aimed to create. The plan was bold and had great potential, but one variable remained. Khan was a walking red flag with a terrible reputation. Mere acquaintances would think twice before binding themselves to him.
"What about ownership?" Luke wondered.
"Any advantage comes from my name," Khan explained. "Every piece of land you"ll occupy will belong to me."
"Authority?" Bruce pressed on.
"Mine at the top," Khan said, "But the level of freedom can be negotiated, depending on your intentions."
The offer had its drawbacks, but its potential was undeniable. The almost entirety of Baoway was ready for the taking. Those descendants only had to plan their resources to turn it into a money-printing machine.
"Though," Khan continued, "I must say this at least once. The second you break my rules or plot something, I"ll destroy you."