"Uncle, who else did you invite?"
Inside the restaurant, Julian and Henry sat together, but there were two extra chairs beside them, and the table was set for four.
It was obvious that tonight's dinner wasn't just for the two of them.
Julian had already guessed that his uncle must have something to discuss if he'd invited him to dinner.
"You'll find out soon enough," Henry replied, acting all mysterious.
Seeing this, Julian didn't press further and instead glanced around the restaurant. The ambiance was decent, and aside from them, there were no other customers.
Clearly, the whole place had been booked out.
"Uncle, how much did it cost to reserve the whole restaurant?" Julian asked curiously.
Judging by the decor, this was a high-end establishment. Of course, money wasn't an issue for them—Julian was just curious.
"It didn't cost anything," Henry replied with a slightly odd expression.
"This is our family's restaurant. Don't tell me you didn't know?"
Julian felt a little embarrassed—he really hadn't known.
The Walker family owned far too many businesses, and he rarely paid attention to such matters.
Among the Walker family's ventures, the one Julian was most familiar with was the Gardevoir Hotel. Whenever he traveled, if there was one in the area, he always stayed there.
"Well, now I know," Julian nodded seriously.
This restaurant was right here in Lake City, but this was actually his first time visiting—he almost felt a little guilty, given his status.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the guests Henry had been expecting arrived—a man and a woman.
The man looked about the same age as Henry, while the woman appeared a few years younger than Julian.
Julian didn't recognize the woman, but he certainly knew the man—in fact, he'd cursed him out plenty of times before.
The man was none other than Matthew Cross, the head of Penguin Group.
The mobile game "Pokémon Glory", which Julian and Celebi often played, was developed by one of Penguin Group's subsidiaries.
And every time he rolled the gacha for a skin and the drop rates were abysmal, Julian would curse Matthew out once.
The Penguin Group was one of the very few corporations in Drakoria that could compete with the Walker Group.
However, there was one key difference: Penguin Group was jointly controlled by Ten Major Families, with the Cross family holding the largest share.
The Walker Group, on the other hand, was 100% owned by the Walker family.
The gap between the two was still quite significant.
So, while the Penguin Group could theoretically rival the Walker Group—but only on paper.
"Chairman Walker, Gym Leader Walker," Matthew greeted them with a smile.
"Just call me Julian," Julian replied.
Matthew wasn't just a director of the Penguin Group—he was also a Pseudo-Champion-level Trainer. As a junior in front of him, Julian naturally didn't want to put on airs.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony—Julian it is," Matthew said with a laugh.
Julian nodded, thinking to himself: 'Just be a little more considerate when I'm pulling for skins, alright? Stop making me pull 365 times before I get what I want.'
"This is my daughter, Lily Cross," Matthew introduced.
"Uncle Walker, and Senior Julian, hello!" Lily greeted politely, her gaze toward Julian filled with admiration and a hint of shyness.
As the daughter of a prominent family—and a direct descendant at that—her poise, looks, and figure naturally needed no elaboration.
"Senior? You're also from Imperial University?" Julian asked instinctively.
"Mhm! I'm a freshman this year, though my skills aren't good enough to get into the Special Recruitment Class," she replied, sticking her tongue out at the end.
"This year?" Julian suddenly looked puzzled.
"You've lost track, kid. You're a junior now," Henry said helplessly.
His nephew could be a bit scatterbrained at times. Seeing him like this, who would believe he was the undisputed top talent of Drakoria's younger generation?
"Ah, right, I'm a junior now," Julian said finally came back to his senses.
It finally dawned on him—he'd spent over eight months in Wyvernia. He'd went there in November, and now, after eight months, the new academic year had begun, making him a third-year student.
It felt like he'd barely experienced his sophomore year before skipping straight to junior year.
Truly, time flew when you were… well, not cultivating immortality, but exploring Secret Realms.
"This kid really is a bit silly at times," Henry chuckled as he watched Julian's dazed expression. He lightly tapped Julian's head to bring him back to earth.
"Must've stayed in Wyvernia too long—seems like his brain's gone rusty," Henry joked.
"But this young hero's achievements have left even us old-timers in awe," Matthew said with genuine admiration.
A Pseudo-Champion defeating a Champion-level Leafeon—when news of that had first reached Drakoria, it had sent shockwaves through all the major families.
And Jake had even brought that Leafeon back with him.
Given Jake's status, there was no reason to exaggerate Julian's feat—so yes, he really had taken down that Leafeon alone.
Regardless of Julian's current strength, from the moment he defeated that Leafeon, his combat prowess could already be considered on par with a Champion's.
"Hahaha, it's nothing special. We Walkers have always been this exceptional," Henry said proudly.
He was genuinely happy to hear Matthew praise Julian—he'd always treated Julian like his own son.
"Chairman Walker, you seem… younger than before?" Matthew remarked curiously.
The last time they'd met was a year ago, and compared to then, Henry looked noticeably more youthful. 'Had he gotten cosmetic treatments or something?'
Henry was only in his early fifties—hardly old, given the average lifespan of 120.
But managing the colossal Walker Group for years had taken its toll, making him appear older than he was.
"Haha! This is all thanks to Julian—he found me a life-extending treasure. And let me tell you—the effects are remarkable. According to him, I've gained at least thirty more years."
There was a clear look of smug pride on Henry's face as he spoke—almost as if he was asking Matthew: "Jealous yet?"
And Matthew was indeed thoroughly envious. For people at their level, there were only two things worth pursuing:
Power and longevity.
What person in power didn't wish they could live longer?
But treasures that could extend one's lifespan were exceptionally rare—and even when they did appear, they usually only added a few years at most.
For Henry to gain thirty years in one go… 'what the hell kind of treasure was that?!'
Of course, this was thanks to the Ambrosia Julian had found.
Julian had consumed most of it himself, which extended his own lifespan by two hundred years.
The remaining portion, though no longer effective for him, was given to his family.
His grandfather had gotten the largest share, enough to extend his lifespan by 60-70 years.
As for Henry, who had always treated Julian like his own son, Julian naturally hadn't forgotten him.
With the Dowsing Machine in hand, Julian was confident he'd find more life-extending treasures in the future—ensuring his family would live extraordinarily long lives.
Even if he couldn't find more, worst case scenario, he could always buy them from the System Store.
Sure, they cost a fortune, but if Julian gritted his teeth, he could still afford it.
It's just that for now, there was no rush—his family still had plenty of time left.
"Do you… have any more of that treasure?" Matthew couldn't help but ask eagerly.
"What are you dreaming about? Even if there was, there's no way I'd give it to you!"
Henry rolled his eyes, blunt as ever.
Items that could extend a human's lifespan were even rarer than Ultimate treasures. This wasn't something money or status could easily obtain—it depended far more on luck and fate.
*****
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