Darian got into the car and was taken to the part of the city occupied by the nine lesser clans. As they moved forward, the urban landscape gradually shifted. The countless luxurious houses gave way to a meticulously organized area, where each clan occupied a well-defined territory.
Upon arriving at Rhea's clan area, Darian noticed two tall buildings that stood out from the rest of the surroundings. Around them, the constructions were notably lower.
"The bigger one is the main building," Rhea explained, pointing to the imposing structure. "That's where everyone gathers, organizes their divisions, and discusses strategies with their teams. The smaller one is our commercial center and the place where we store our most valuable assets."
Darian observed the area. Spread around the two central buildings, there were five larger houses, each three stories high. Their facades had multiple small divisions, giving the impression of hotels, with numerous small rooms on each floor.
"Those are our people's residences," Rhea continued in a casual tone. "We have 90 people living here, plus 30 who live and work in other parts of the Empire. I know they seem small and simple, but they're just individual resting spaces. No one spends much time there."
Further ahead, scattered throughout the clan's area, dozens of strange cylindrical constructions stood, low and with few windows. Unlike what one would imagine for housing, these structures looked more like factories or facilities with a specific purpose.
She then pointed at the cylindrical buildings. "Those are open inside. They contain special training areas, reinforced with artifacts and technology. Everyone here lives to train, day and night. That's why no one cares about having a comfortable or spacious house."
Darian listened to her words while scanning the surroundings. The organization and purpose of this place were evident: every space was designed to strengthen the clan members, with no unnecessary luxuries.
"Our clan is called Azure Haven. We're a Rank C-D clan and have only 120 members, making us the smallest in numbers among all the clans. But every member was carefully chosen."
She paused dramatically before continuing: "Our criteria aren't exactly power. We focus on teamwork and mutual trust. We prefer a moderately strong group that trusts each other with their lives over a collection of grand, arrogant individuals who fight only for themselves."
"Even though we're small, we manage to complete missions that clans five times our size can. Our individual teams are extremely competent. No one dares to underestimate us because of our numbers."
Darian nodded. To survive, they couldn't afford to relax. That's why 75% of the clan lived immersed in training.
They stopped in front of the main building. The duo exited the car and stepped inside, where two men were waiting for them.
The one on the left, Darian remembered seeing during the incident with his siblings. The one on the right looked slightly older. He was tall, had long, tied-back golden hair, and his blue-gray eyes were identical to Rhea's and the other man's.
"Mother."
"Mother."
The two greeted her, and Darian frowned. Mother? He had been so focused on his siblings at the time that he hadn't heard the younger one call her that before.
Rhea nodded. "Darian, the one on the right is Damon. He's my eldest son and the leader of the clan."
"The other one is my youngest son. He's the same age as you and will be part of your group in your mission. His name is Leander."
Darian was stunned. Then he remembered what Rhea had told him before about High Humans. Their youth and longevity were different from the norm. Rhea seemed only slightly older than him, but she had already lived long enough to have two grown sons.
Leander sighed. "I've already prepared everything, Mother. You can leave him alone now. The rest is up to me. You need to stop dedicating so much time to this... The elite group needs you for training. They're close to their mission deadline."
"Oh, don't be boring. Darian is the same age as you, and you two are quite similar... I couldn't just leave him without making sure he was okay." Rhea waved dismissively.
Darian and Leander narrowed their eyes. Similar? Well, both weren't overly muscular and were about the same height, but the similarities ended there.
"You're the leader of the group. Introduce him to everyone properly. He's a healing support... Even though he completely messed up his blessing, you also saw that he heals frighteningly fast and efficiently. It probably drains all his power, but still, he's an unparalleled strategic lifesaver."
Leander nodded and then shot a serious look at Darian. This support would be a powerful weapon for them—something no other clan possessed.
Damon, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and handed Darian a ring. "Inside are your mana crystals. You can freely use the clan's training centers with them. At the commercial building, you can buy some things at a discount. If you don't find what you need, we can look through other clans or go directly to the Empire's market, but without a discount."
Darian took the ring. It was similar to a spatial ring, like the ones he used in the other universe.
"It's hard to say exactly, but you likely have between twenty to forty days to prepare. When the mission for those with a ring becomes available, you'll be summoned. The people in our clan are demanding, but if you give your best, they won't treat you badly," Damon said kindly before turning to Leander.
"Let's go. Everyone's probably waiting already," Leander said, moving toward the building's interior.
Rhea nodded at Darian, smiling slightly. "Don't worry, I'll check in and help out in my free time."
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Rhea was a mature and beautiful woman, but she definitely treated him like a son, even saying things a mother would say. It was weird in his eyes, but it also showed how much she trusted him. He needed to return the favor somehow, by helping her son and her clan.
Leander led him out of the building, heading toward a structure not too far away.
The two entered through a glass door. Inside, everything was open—a large area spanning several meters, resembling a training hall.
The floor had markings and divisions. The walls displayed various weapons of all sizes and types. This was definitely a place dedicated to armed combat training.
Despite that, there was only one tall and strong man inside.
Leander got serious and asked, "Zeal, where the hell are those idiots from my group? We're already at training time."
"They were here an hour ago," Zeal replied. "But out of nowhere, they seemed to get all hyped about something and ran off together. They just told me to let you know if they were late."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "I think I heard the name Raon and 'challenge.'"
Leander immediately clenched his fists. "Fuck! They fell for their provocation again!"
He turned to Darian. "Stay here with Zeal, he'll explain how to use the place."
Then, without warning, Leander turned around and rushed out.
Darian stood in silence for a moment before scoffing and turning to Zeal.
But Zeal was already stepping quickly toward the exit. With a wide grin, he turned back to Darian, who looked confused. "What? Hurry up! You wanna miss something this fun?"