"What do you mean that I might get angry today?" Ben asked, confused.

"I'm not happy, either. Some asshole chose to strain our relationship only to get a meeting with you." Emma Goldspear commented.

"You are The Chief Business Officer of the < Dragons >. How can you be bullied into having Ben come to respond to such a meaningless exchange?" Dinna scowled.

"I didn't expect David to push us this much. We've been working together for more than a century. We considered him as one of us."

"So, you kind of sold me off? I don't get it. What do they gain by seeing my face?"

"I can't get it, either, to be fair. David's clan is losing so much with this. But he has been acting irrational since his grandmother is dying." Emma replied.

"Didn't Ginn visit her? Despite her unresponsive attitude when we needed them back then?" Dinna asked.

"He did! And it took them so long to repair such a relationship, and they're just throwing it all in the trash."

"I'm not a doctor. Shouldn't they consult with Manu instead?"

"If it was that easy. Well, we arrived. I hope you don't mind it, Ben. Only do your thing and shut him down. I'm sorry to have you deal with it even this much. I'll make sure our contracts can't be distorted like this again, ever."

Emma thoroughly apologized, while Ben didn't even know how to react.

They didn't demand anything from him, so the drama felt pointless.

And they all were still here, with Ginn around and inside the heart of their faction. There wasn't a safer place than this.

"I don't get it. My face isn't that expensive. But if this person wants to waste such goodwill from the strongest in the world, it's their loss."

Opening a door, they arrived at a fancy waiting room, this spotless place reserved to receive visitors.

"Oh, I see," Ben whispered.

His unusual cold voice sent shivers down Dinna's pine, so she ate the few words she had prepared. She avoided joking.

In this room, there wasn't even one stranger to Ben. Yet, the room filled with < Dragons > personnel still had one outsider.

"A ghost from the past. I'm quite disappointed, Ginn." Ben talks while looking directly at his friend.

Yet, Ginn didn't respond. He just stayed sober and attentive. His figure was clearly of a cultivator from the apex.

< "If you don't want to be pushed around, hack their heads." >

"Sir, it's so nice to finally meet you in person!"

"Oh, don't you dare."

David tried to introduce himself, but Ben had no patience.

"You know quite well who I am. And you can still put up such a fake face?"

Ben's eyes became slightly dark.

"We can always restart again. Animosity gets us nowhere."

"How selective. How opportunistic. The Asshole Ghost must be truly dying this time if your clan was putting up with a newcomer like this."

"Our friendship is built upon mutual interests. And you misunderstood everything."

"Sure, sure. The sky is green, and your grandmother will live forever." Ben said in a mocking tone.

"How rude. I would expect more from Ginn's friends."

"Like what? That I would lick your ass and suck your dick? Like you are oh so special."

"Nope, but at least basic manners."

"Your old hag didn't have manners last time. I was just some prey an old ghost wanted to dissect."

"You don't know us. You were the one who attacked us first. If grandma wasn't there, I would've died young."

Ben laughed hysterically. And the room grew even more silent and worried due to Ben's weird emotional turmoil.

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Small dark spots began appearing on Ben's face and arms as his emotion spiked.

"You're so funny. Do you think you can gaslight me into acting in goodwill?" Ben said after catching his breath.

His snarkiness was over the top.

"No, I just hoped we could talk like civilized people."

"Talk? About me saving your old hag? You're insane."

"She doesn't need saving. Marie Ghost can save herself if she Breakthrough. And we're close to achieving that with the help of every major organization. We all know her importance to world stability and her play in the last battle. As you had disappeared, you might not know it, but the apex knows it. And we're willing to come together and pay any price for the small part you must take on it."

Ben's expression clearly showed how he thought those words sounded so inconceivable.

He had so much to say that he tripped in his words for a while before going off.

But first, Ben took a deep breath as his tattoo-like marks solidified.

"I think you misunderstood one very crucial thing. Do you think my actions were of someone selfless who cared about the world and the continuation of the system? You might not think I fear them, but you might think that burning those bridges would intimidate me. And you couldn't be more wrong."

Ben's demeanor was as if of someone different. Brute and uncaring.

Ben's animosity filled the room. And fearing violence breaking, Ginn pressured David Ghost into just listening.

"If you can't put your lives in the line to save your shitty society, who will? I don't care if you all die. It might be a pity, but do you think..."

Ben signed.

"Do any of you here think I held any feeling of responsibility toward this fucking world? Do you all think I don't suck it dry because I hold too much love for it or life? I don't care. I don't do it because I don't want to dirty myself. I don't do it because it's idiotic and shortsighted. And indeed, life may be beautiful, but between it all and me, I'll put myself first every single time. I'm a selfish asshole."

"So, if there is a next time and some people throw a tantrum and don't act? I'll only laugh at how idiotic they all are. Will I save them? No way. I'll only do whatever I want and believe would increase my odds of seeing something meaningful. I won't be a sacrifice for either side."

"And let's be clear. Marie Ghost's existence is to the detriment of this world power level. She hadn't helped anyone else but a couple of greedy assholes. Why do you think you all were so blind to what's happening around you? Do you think I fear the death of those old bags of bones that have been figuratively sucking onto some ghost tits?"

"Their existence is literately crippling their factions and this world's capacity to protect itself. Because they may act like their survival is safety and hope, yet their survival is merely an expensive and selfish endeavor. No one would say it to their face, but every genius born after this tit-sucking system hates the ghost clan's guts. And we even have an exemplar figure here."

"Eloise! Do you think the Volcano Clan would easily let her go if they didn't have a couple of bags of bones sticking around? Despite her talent, they did the bare minimum while speaking like they were doing everything. She could reach the apex easily by eating on their ground, but if she had stayed, she would never achieve that. And that isn't due to a lack of talent. Everywhere, they're starving the new branches in exchange for keeping some rotting root."

"Let's do an exercise. Let's count every apex cultivator younger than one thousand years. It's not that difficult, so follow me!"

Ben raised his hand and slowly counted with his fingers until three.

As every finger pointed upward, every face in this room became gloomier.

"The < Dragons > soon will have 80% of the apex new generation. And I wish I was joking. The last one thousand years weren't unique, either. If you want to go further, why don't you look when the low numbers of newcomers began."

"So, yeah, they survived, but at what cost? Respect? Hope? If they all die tomorrow, we should make that a holiday."

"And must? Must? MUST? I? Eat you shitty verb." Ben smiled brightly.

"AND HER BREAKTHROUGH? ARE YOU INSANE? SHE IS AS DEAD AS IT CAN BE! IF YOU WANT HER TO LIVE, THEN SACRIFICE A WHOLE EMPIRE FOR IT!" He yelled.

"But you can't! You're too miserably weak. And while you put up airs, you are nothing."

"Here you were, dealing with a kid still wet behind his ears. Why? Because your whole clan is falling apart! It's not because you believe in them."

"And you have the insanity of talking about a half-dead old hag breakthrough? Someone who overused every ounce of anything possible to stay alive already, which includes the death of too many. And more, you still ask for it like you're asking for some bread? What next? Do you want one too? Miracles left and right! You get to live forever, and you get to live forever. Everyone here gets to live forever!" Ben pointed around.

"Not impossible at all! Right? Wrong. Why do you think some try to refine the whole world? Are you blind or an idiot? Or do you think I am an idiot?"

"And you know what. Ghost would've refined the whole world if she could! She wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice whatever. You all might have cleaned history, but I remember your clan infamy! The only reason she didn't spiral into madness was that every other monster had its eyes on her! For tit-sucking! Do you think I didn't notice? She might still act like she is at the top, but she isn't. And even when she was supposed to, she wasn't either! She could only bow her head when confronted by this wall."

"And if she didn't abide? They would've refined your whole clan into a tasty breakfast. One, because you all crossed too many lines. And two, if they can't suck, they'll roast it and eat it."

"She was strong enough to make choices. She chose the path she went through and now is crying about unity and fighting together for the world. Why? WANTING TO LIVE. BUT WHO FUCKING DOESN'T?"

"Do you know why you aren't dead right now? Because the guy at your side wouldn't allow me to. Some democratic bullshit is likely going through his head. Those thoughts about being fair and protecting both sides. Otherwise?"

< Misfortune > appeared on Ben's hand. And he threw an attack at David Ghost, activating a complex array imprinted on it.

However, Ginn caught the dagger bare-handed.

"See? I don't know what you did to get him to act like that, but I ain't playing your game."

Ben pointed his hand towards the dagger and his arm uglily contorted before < Misfortune > teleported back to it.

"So don't dare to act like we can be friends when the first instinct she had was to try to dissect me. And she wouldn't hesitate later, either. That's the kind of person she is. So to be very clear. Oh, is she dying? THEN, DRY BITCH. DRY AS LIFE SEEP OUT YOUR BODY! DRY WITH ALL YOUR BULLSHIT! DRY!"