It was already evening by the time the meeting reached its end. Michael got to know the potential candidates who would likely become his subordinates, and they learned a lot about Michael, his territory, and his situation in the Origin Expanse.
The news was quite shocking since Michael's territory was in an unknown region with only a handful of Lords in his vicinity, yet his territory and people were in constant danger.
Only 30ish Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, in addition to two Descendants with non-combat Soultraits, were left in the hall. The remaining candidates decided against joining Michael's mission. Their minds and thought process didn't align. Therefore, it was better to go their separate ways.
Michael's eyes lingered on the two Descendants, who stayed behind. He didn't expect any Descendant to be willing to join his territory after showing them the Soul Pact and forcing everyone to undergo a thorough interrogation. Most Descendants left at that point, leaving only those two behind. They were older than Michael, but also at Tier-3, the Lowest rank. The two Descendants possessed non-combat Soultraits and they lost their territories a while ago, therefore, losing the attention of their families.
"I don't know how the other Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs see this, but I would love to see you fight. My friends told me to leave because you're dependant on your Soultraits and that your actual combat prowess is rather low," One of the Descendants, a young woman, said, "I know that you don't possess an Inheritance Technique, but I don't believe that you're weak without your Soultraits. My Soultrait tells me that my friends are wrong…but they…"
"They don't believe you," Michael completed her sentence, offering her a small smile, "You're Rebecca Zauber, right? We met in the Flag War."
Rebecca Zauber nodded faintly, not daring to look into Michael's eyes.
"If I remember correctly, your Soultrait is called Greater Analysis which is an inheritable Soultrait. However, your version of Greater Analysis has mutated, which is why your family's Inheritance Technique, Perfect Appraisal, works a little bit differently on you. Is that correct?"
Rebecca nodded her head once again.
Michael retrieved the questionnaire Rebecca had filled out beforehand and read through it once again. He searched for the question [Why do you want to become my subordinate?], and read her answer once again.
'Her family disregarded her after she lost her territory. However, Rebecca ignored that because her territory was not important to her. All she desired was to pursue her research. Rebecca wants to continue researching in my territory…That could be interesting.'
Michael had requested a basic information sheet from every participant of the meeting. Therefore, Michael knew that Rebecca had been researching Soul Techniques and the Tekur for quite a while. Her main goal had been to collect information about the Tekur to find out why they were so strong and if there were ways to replicate their path to acquire strength. She wanted to help the Tritan Alliance grow stronger through her research.
That was a praiseworthy goal, and something Michael adored quite a lot.
"I'm happy that you're still here with me. Since you're not an Adventurer with combat abilities, we will have to find out what you can do to help me and my territory prosper, but I don't think that will be an issue. Research is very important, and I hope we can exchange our knowledge to create miracles," Michael said to Rebecca. The words sounded a bit cringe-worthy, but he ignored the embarrassment he felt and turned to the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs.
"I planned to hold a small sparring session after the meeting, either way. It's important to get to know each other properly, don't you guys think so?" Michael asked, his eyes glowing vibrantly.
The easiest way to get to know a Berserker and Warlock Centaur was not through communication or through their stomachs. No. It was by fighting them. A Berserker's and Warlock Centaur's true personality was exposed through their fighting style, their attitude in battle, and the way they treated victories and losses.
There were other factors as well, but Michael understood the importance of getting to know everyone before he would allow them into his territory. It was important to ensure that all parties involved would be satisfied and that no further problems would occur in the future.
"FIGHT!" The Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs bellowed, raising their arms high in the air. Their cheers resounded through the entire ancient hall, resulting in faint smiles blossoming on the Chieftain and War Priestess' faces.
"We will act as your referees. Go all out. We will not interfere as long as no lives are in danger," The Chieftain announced, resulting in another eruption of cheers.
The official discussions of the meeting ended just like that. From the initial pool of 130ish candidates who were interested in becoming Michael's subordinates, only 33 were left. That was still more than Michael expected from the first batch of applicants, but he believed the number would decrease further in the next few hours.
Small groups formed as the small crowd of Awakened followed the Chieftain and the War Priestess to one of the smaller Colosseums in the ancient city. Thaor, Lokai, and Mekhaz arrived next to Michael, and they occupied him until they arrived at the Colosseum. Rebecca Zauber wanted to talk to Michael about Soul Techniques, but she could only stare at the towering Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur with quivering eyes.
Michael gave her an apologetic look but he decided to talk to his friends instead of giving them any excuses. He could have a long chat with Rebecca later. It was not as if they were in a rush, either way.
Zeron Polik joined his conversation with Thaor, Lokai, and Mekhaz as well. He was thankful to Michael for giving him an opportunity to show that he was worthy of becoming a Warrior in Michael's territory. Zeron Polik was very excited to work closely with his Lord. Michael didn't expect that if he was to be honest. However, he didn't expect his friends to be eager to join his territory either. Thaor, Lokai, and Mekhaz had applied to become his subordinates.
It felt a little bit weird seeing them seated among the other applicants, but Michael was also quite happy. They decided to join him and his mission. That was great!
The only downside was that Mekhaz lost his territory, therefore also temporarily losing his Champion status. Michael had been quite confused while wondering how Mekhaz must have lost his territory. After all, he was still a Lord when they entered the Interdimensional Flag War.
"I know that look in your eyes. It's pretty simple," Mekhaz explained, "I was pulled out of the Flag War when the Talatan attacked my territory. They were stronger and much higher in number, resulting in a devastating loss. In my opinion, I did a great job decimating the vast majority of the enemy's army, but they had too many advantages, including the element of surprise.
My people, and I, didn't even know that a race such as the Talatan had claimed a territory nearby. We were bulldozed and we barely survived. It was a shame, though I'm glad that all Awakened under me returned home safely. No Awakened working for me died, though that resulted in a loss of honor and the merits we'd accumulated for years…"
On the outside, Mekhaz didn't seem too shaken by the loss of his territory. He was quite open about his disability to act as a Lord. He was more used to fighting at the front lines without the need to bother about providing commands to his subordinates. Nonetheless, the loss of his territory created various issues.
Mekhaz lost majority of the honor he'd acquired throughout his time as a Lord, and the Awakened working for him were blamed for returning without having sustained any major injuries. It looked like they had fled from the battlefield like cowards.
Mekhaz and his subordinates wanted to regain their honor, and Michael provided the best opportunity to make this happen.
"How many applicants are your former subordinates?" Michael asked, not further drilling into Mekhaz's wounds. He was curious about the Talatan, their powers and such, but he could tell that Mekhaz was trying hard to not show how much the devastating defeat he and his individuals had suffered affected him.
"More than a dozen of the remaining applicants are my former Awakened. I vouch for their loyalty, though I believe that you will test that on your own," Mekhaz answered, not trying to push his former subordinates upon him. He understood that Michael will have to get to know his future subordinates on his own. "Using the Interrogation with your mind reading Soultrait was a good decision. However, that also means you have to return the favor by providing your all in the spar. You obtained to know our secrets by reading our minds, so you will have to reveal your true self in the battle against us!"
Michael raised an eyebrow, and glanced at the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs behind him. They were listening to the chat he had with his friends.
"Actually, I wanted to show you how strong I am without the use of a single Soultrait. I cannot remove the passive boosts of Spirit Eyes, or Superior Constitution, but I think it's necessary to demonstrate to everyone that I'm not a pushover without my Soultraits," Michael responded.
None of the applicants was at the Peak of Tier-3. Lokai, at the Mid rank of Tier-3, was actually among the highest-ranked applicants in the first batch, followed by Mekhaz and two former subordinates. The Descendants were too rather talented, but they were not combatants.
"You want a Soultraitless fight? That sounds even so better!" Thaor exclaimed, his eyes brimming with energy, and the Crimson Aura of his unique constitution oozing out of the pores all over his body.
