Transcendent Gene-Chapter 276: First Clue [4]

The man led Gio’s party into Astarune. He was working as a member of the border guard, but the call he received seemed unrelated to his post. He made small talk and told them about the ways of the city while they took a car to a large skyscraper in the city center.

When they arrived, he led them to an elevator within the building and hit the button to take them to the fifteenth floor.

They were left in the elevator alone and wondering how the electricity in the city was working.

"Any idea what’s happening?" Shiro asked.

"Don’t ask me," Serene responded.

"He looked at Gio first. I was an afterthought."

"True. Well then, Team Leader, wanna explain?"

Three pairs of eyes moved in his direction.

Gio also had no idea why he was singled out, so he could only face them wryly with a shrug.

"I don’t know. You guys also must know that my family used to be involved in the military. My best guess is that it’s related to that."

The Atmos Clan’s military history was rarely discussed outside Kyrian Atmos’ individual achievements, however, the clan used to be a huge military power.

There were people in high positions in the military even to this day who were loyal to Gio’s father.

The elevator door opened to an office space and a woman dressed like a secretary. She gave them a slight nod and led them the rest of the way to their final destination.

It was an office space designed for a very important person. The view was a beautiful angle of the city below and the office itself was bigger than any other individual space in the building thus far.

The secretary opened the door for them, allowing Gio and his team into the room where they could finally see the face of the person who’d summoned them.

He was about as old as they expected with a clean-shaven face and a neatly put-together appearance. His eyes were a deep green color and his figure was built like a wrestler. He wore a suit that looked like it would burst off of his body at any minute.

"Aha..."

When his eyes landed on them, he made a joyful sound and spread his hands.

"I wasn’t sure if it was true, but that name can’t just be thrown around. You aren’t one of those two, but you definitely bear his genes. That can only mean one thing."

His eyes were on Gio and Gio alone.

"I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I was there when you were born. It’s good to see you alive and well, Gio."

The man smiled as he walked up to them.

"My name is Aren Musfell. We aren’t related by blood, but I’m someone you can consider your uncle. I’m elated to finally see you in person again."

Gio’s eyes were wide. He didn’t know what to think, but the man named Aren wasn’t lying. He knew about the fact that Gio had been sent away and brought back.

He said he was glad to see Gio alive and well. Why would he say such a thing if he wasn’t aware of the circumstances surrounding his birth?

’I can’t remember it.’

In most cases, Gio was the one person who would always remember an event that happened in his vicinity. Aren existed in the small portion of his memory that didn’t conform to the standard.

Gio felt too awkward to respond properly. This uncle was someone he never met in the past. His father also never mentioned someone named Aren.

’Did he die here, or is it something deeper?’

He was stuck wondering about it as Aren sensed his awkwardness and turned to Serene.

"And you must be Serene," he said.

"I’m good friends with your uncle, Frazier. I’m sure you’ve heard my name at least a few times, right?"

"I have," Serene said, bowing with some grace.

"It’s nice to finally meet you, sir."

Serene’s background was complicated. She was both of common origins and of a noble family. There were some who viewed her as one and some who viewed her as the other, but she never truly fit into either world.

Nevertheless, she learned how to conduct herself in both environments. She knew how to thrive regardless of her circumstances.

Networking was one of the most important skills she developed, and she used it to perfectly cover for Gio’s lack of reaction until he recovered.

He soon gave his own greeting, leaving aside his thoughts temporarily.

Aren brought them into the office and sat them down on the couches in front of his desk.

"Tea, anyone?" He asked politely.

As they declined, he shrugged and returned to his desk.

"You four look incredibly suspicious. There’s no need for you to worry. I truly only called you to see if you truly were my nephew and friend’s niece," he said, trying to ease their tense nerves.

"Though, that doesn’t mean I’m not curious about how you ended up here. I’m aware that you received permission from the Headmaster, but he wouldn’t have known about this scenario at that time. How did you truly end up here?"

He calmly sat down and faced them.

"I’m not asking you to answer the question. Since you’re here, there are more important things to talk about. You mentioned you have something to discuss with our leaders...?"

Gio glanced at Serene, who nodded to verify Aren’s identity. He was a member of the military, but his position was more administrative. There was a reason why he was situated in a building in the middle of the city, the safest possible position he could inhabit.

He wasn’t one of the leaders Gio wanted to see, but he was close enough to tell them about anything he said. If his words caught their interest, he would get what he wanted.

Trusting Serene’s guarantee, he took a chance on Aren.

When Gio learned about the different groups in the scenario, he had to change his plans a bit.

Working alone wasn’t enough. They didn’t have the manpower to match the speed at which their opposition was gaining information.

So, he decided to use their opposition to his advantage.

"I found a way into the Old Duke’s camp."

It was a lie. He knew nothing about the Old Duke at all, but he knew enough about djinns and the scenario to lie for his own benefit.

"The four of us can get inside his camp. We’ve established some connections, but I realized that it’s impossible for us to move past this point without some support."

He had to establish value in his party’s existence. It had to be a type of value that could be used as a bargaining chip.

The story was easy to follow.

The method in question was only available to the four of them because of the connections they made. If they brought new people along or handed the task off, they would lose the other side’s trust and their gateway as well.

"I need to meet someone who has the power to help."

Because if the "connection" they established was telling the truth...

"...then we’ll be able to steal at least one of the clues that the other side has."

Aren finally leaned forward in interest.

"Steal the clues? What does that mean?"

"I don’t know, but we were told that there was something tangible that we could steal. It’s not taking the clue away from the other side, but replicating it for ourselves instead."

"Hmm..."

Aren hummed as he processed the concept.

"I haven’t heard about anything of the sort...I’m assuming that’s why you wanted to meet our leaders?"

Gio nodded. He wanted to speak to the council that led this allied force so he could convince them to show him the "tangible proof" he was seeking.

"If they can show me what to aim for, I’m sure I can find it when we infiltrate the other side."

He didn’t need to doubt his own words. What Gio said sounded far-fetched, but it came from a place of truth.

There was a tangible representation of the six clues that mattered to the scenario.

He had such a proof on his own body at the moment. It appeared after the holographic window disappeared in the shape of something like a nametag.

For Gio’s party, finding five more clues on their own by traveling from place to place and exploring countless mysteries was impractical.

’If there are two here and two in the other camp, I just need to find a way to see those cards.’

Those cards contained the clues in their exact wording. Just reading those sentences was enough for the scenario to accept them as discovered.

If he could see them, he’d have three.

If he could find them on the other side, he’d have five.

And when he reached five, the sixth was no more than a single step away.

With the path forward defined so perfectly, there was nothing that could separate Gio from the end of this scenario.