Sincerity

"Yes, Lord Aier!"

Eric was overjoyed. After taking his leave of Aier, he left the courtyard, gathered the merchants in the caravan, and began discussing how they could earn the most Inkstones in the shortest time.

Once they had a plan, Eric and the others began communicating more closely with the groups traveling alongside them, exchanging information and trading for supplies.

Seeing this, Aier smiled faintly.

No matter how many Inkstones Eric and the others ultimately managed to bring him, at least they had shown a good attitude.

Even if they failed to gather enough Inkstones for him, Aier would not mistreat them once he truly became the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture.

"Lord Aier."

"Is something the matter, Eric?"

"The patriarch of the Boy Family, Hector Boy, has asked to meet with you. What do you think?"

"The Boy Family?"

Hearing the somewhat familiar name, Aier closed his eyes and began searching through his memories.

Soon, he understood.

By the time the protagonist, Linley, entered Hell, the Boy Family had already been wiped out. Only Salomon Boyd and Nisse Boyd remained.

Salomon Boyd's Space Ring contained a drop of Sovereign's Might and a token representing Aiken.

Nisse Boyd would eventually become Bebe's wife.

"Have him come over."

After spending so long in this world, Aier could finally meet someone who might help him pin down the timeline. He was rather interested.

"Yes."

A few minutes later, Eric brought a brown-haired, middle-aged man to the pavilion. They bowed outside it.

"Lord Aier, Patriarch Boy is here."

"Hector Boy pays his respects to Lord Aier!"

"Mm. Eric said you wanted to meet me?"

Aier looked Hector Boy over. From the murderous aura around him, he could tell that Hector was a powerful man who had seen plenty of killing.

"That's right. I happened to hear about Lord Aier's ambitions from Mr. Eric, and wanted to meet with you."

Before meeting Aier, Hector Boy had already been persuaded by Eric to consider investing in him.

But unlike Eric and the others, who were merchants, Hector Boy was the patriarch of the Boy Family and had to take responsibility for his clan.

Even after hearing Eric say that Aier could punch a hole a meter across in space, Hector still had some doubts.

Hector Boy was a Six-Star Fiend who had fused three Laws and Profound Mysteries. He could tear apart the space of Hell when fighting at full strength.

He knew just how terrifying a powerhouse capable of creating a spatial void could be.

Why would a powerhouse like that need followers?

Was this really an opportunity, or was it a trap? Hector Boy needed to meet Aier in person before making his final decision.

"And now?"

"Now that you've met me, what do you have to say?"

"Lord Aier, I'd like to know how confident you are about challenging the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture."

"Are you questioning my strength?"

Aier chuckled. "Hector, you're certainly bold."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you on the spot if I get angry?"

"Please forgive me, Lord Aier."

Hector Boy's expression didn't change. He bowed to Aier and said, "This concerns the future of the Boy Family. As its patriarch, I have to take responsibility for the clan."

"If Lord Aier is willing to answer my question, I'll offer you ninety percent of the Boy Family's assets as a token of my sincerity!"

"Ninety percent?"

Aier leaned forward slightly.

To be honest, Hector Boy's mettle exceeded Aier's expectations.

When Eric had pledged his loyalty to Aier, he had offered up his entire merchant company to serve him.

But how could Eric's little enterprise compare with the Boy Family?

A Six-Star Fiend was powerful enough to contend for the position of City Lord in a medium-sized city.

The wealth accumulated over countless years by a family led by such a powerhouse was beyond most people's imagination.

The Boy Family was especially good at keeping its wealth hidden.

In the future, after the Boy Family was wiped out, who would have guessed that a mere clan whose strongest member was only a Six-Star Fiend possessed a drop of Sovereign's Might?

The Boy Family must have invested everything in Aiken. Once he grew powerful, they received one of his tokens in return.

The drop of Sovereign's Might had probably also been given to the Boy Family by Aiken, refined from Inkstones.

Of course, it was precisely their secrecy that brought disaster upon the Boy Family.

If Hector had spread the word that the Boy Family possessed Aiken's token and a drop of Sovereign's Might, then who in Hell besides Dunnington would dare target them?

A Six-Star Fiend wielding Sovereign's Might could rival a powerhouse of the Asura Prefect's level for a short time.

And which powerhouse of the Asura Prefect's level would risk antagonizing Aiken over a single drop of Sovereign's Might?

Aier didn't know how much the Boy Family was worth right now, but even at the low end, its assets had to be worth at least half a drop of Sovereign's Might.

That was a figure measured in the trillions.

Hector Boy was actually willing to offer up ninety percent of the family's assets. That showed just how sincere he was.

"Very good, Hector. I see your sincerity."

"Then I'll show you mine, too!"

With that, Aier stood up and walked out of the pavilion. He said to Hector Boy, "Attack me with all your strength!"

"I'll pardon you."

Hector Boy's expression turned solemn. Divine power erupted from him, and a High-God Artifact Zhanmadao appeared in his hand.

"Void Slash—"

Hector swept his blade forward. A black spatial rift opened along its path and spread toward Aier, as though it would cleave both Aier and the space around him in two.

To Hector Boy's shock, Aier didn't even defend himself against the devastating attack. He simply reached out with his right hand and caught the descending Zhanmadao.

"Clang—"

In that instant, Hector Boy felt as though someone had pressed a pause button.

The spatial rift created by his attack and all its power vanished beneath Aier's grasp.

Even the Blue Bird flying beneath Aier's feet wasn't affected in the slightest.

Then Aier pulled back his right hand, dragging Hector Boy and his blade right in front of him. He lightly swung his left hand—

"Pa—"

Aier's slap sent Hector Boy flying. The Defensive Divine Artifact armor on his body shattered beneath the blow.

A red handprint appeared on Hector Boy's face, which quickly began to swell.

But Hector Boy didn't feel any pain in his face. Instead, he stared dumbfounded at the fragments of divine artifacts scattered across the ground.

This was a High-God Defensive Artifact he had nurtured for countless years. Had it really been smashed to pieces with a single slap?