"Let’s talk about the ascension," Mitchelle immediately followed up, as she was immensely interested in it, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as the conversation naturally shifted forward.

At Mitchelle’s words, everyone immediately paused. Due to the intense discussion surrounding the recent revelation concerning the Human Bloodline, they had all but forgotten the original reason why they were here in the first place; the Ascension, the Calling, the Beckoning.

"Now that Mitchelle mentioned it, I can definitely feel the so-called Beckoning," Michael spoke, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue, as he could both feel and faintly hear some sort of whisper deep within his very sense of being, a presence that echoed toward him as though urging him, compelling him, to answer.

Irene, Collins, and Mitchelle all nodded their heads in agreement, as they too experienced that same subtle yet undeniable sensation, that distant call resonating within them, impossible to ignore.

Anthony, who was standing beside them, simply smiled. Truthfully, everything had been a gamble. Yes, he had deduced that possessing the necessary level of talent to survive or thrive within the Upper Galaxy was one of the determining factors required to receive a Calling, but he could not possibly have known whether whatever being or force existed behind issuing the Calling would choose to grant one to Michael, Mitchelle, Collins, and Irene, especially after not issuing a Calling to them for centuries, or perhaps even longer than that.

So, yes, his gamble had indeed paid off, and in a far more satisfying way than he had anticipated.

[Ding]

[??? says you shouldn’t thank your luck but him instead]

Anthony remained silent for a moment as he read the message, his expression calm and unreadable, but before he could respond or even form a thought in reply, another system notification followed almost immediately.

[??? says that, as you’ve guessed, your parents received an outrageous boost that none of your subordinates received in the past] 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

[??? says that this was because he had interfered with the process by granting your parents and grandparents higher rewards, and that the Supreme Bloodline Grade was also part of that reward]

A smile couldn’t help but appear on Anthony’s lips as he read the messages. Indeed, it had been surprising that his parents and grandparents had received such a tremendous boost in power, while also awakening their Bloodlines in the process. Now, however, everything made sense, this outcome had not been coincidence, nor mere luck, but rather the deliberate intervention of ???.

Anthony was about to ask ??? how he could properly express his gratitude, but he immediately stopped himself, as he already knew what the response would likely be. ??? would, without a doubt, ask for grandchildren again, a request that Anthony had no intention of entertaining at this moment.

’Thank you,’ Anthony spoke silently within his mind, directing his thoughts toward ??? with quiet sincerity.

[??? says not to bother thanking him; although he doesn’t particularly care about your parents or grandparents in particular, he could at least do this much for them. After all, they raised you with so much love and care]

Reading ???’s reply, Anthony remained entirely unbothered by the statement that ??? did not particularly care about his parents or grandparents. After all, why would such an existence concern itself with four ordinary individuals? To ???, his parents and grandparents were no different from any other Humans or lifeforms scattered across existence, and so Anthony understood perfectly. After all, even he himself did not particularly care about a lot of things beyond what truly mattered to him.

[??? says he loves your mindset]

[??? says he looks forward to your Ascension]

[??? says he is looking forward to the change in scenery and a breath of fresh air]

With that, the messages flickered out one after another, and the system vanished entirely, as though it had never existed in the first place.

Anthony merely shook his head slightly. He was in no particular rush to ascend. Although he would inevitably ascend soon, now that his parents and grandparents were capable of doing so as well, there was nothing truly holding him back anymore... well, aside from his friends.

"So, is there anything else we need to know about this Calling or Beckoning, now that we’ve received it?" Collins spoke, his eyes turning toward Anthony with a steady, expectant gaze.

Anthony snapped out of his thoughts almost instantly; his brief exchange with ??? had taken less than two seconds in total.

"Well, as I’ve explained before, I plan to answer the Calling together with my friends, just in case there is any danger waiting on the other side when we choose to answer it," Anthony spoke. "So I would advise you all to do the same," his tone calm, measured.

Michael could not help but smile as he responded, "It’s certainly strange hearing you advise me," his tone playful, laced with light amusement.

"You don’t need to advise us on matters like that; we are not foolish. We had already planned on answering the Calling together from the moment you told us about upgrading our talent to receive it," Mitchelle stated calmly, her words firm, as there was no conceivable scenario in which they would choose to face such an unknown individually.

"We won’t be coming with you and your friends; we will go our own way, while you go yours," Collins stated, his tone decisive, as though the decision had been made long ago, despite only just learning about the Calling moments prior.

Anthony remained silent. He could not exactly force his parents to answer their Calling at the same time as him and his friends. After all, suggesting such a thing would imply that he did not believe in their strength and was, in a subtle way, calling them weak, especially after having just insinuated they weren’t talented enough just mere moments ago.

So, although he wanted everyone to move forward together, he understood that he could not impose his will upon them, nor would he attempt to.

’What if Aaaninja, Lucian, and the others decline and choose to answer their own Calling individually?’ Anthony thought to himself, the question only now surfacing in his mind, as he had not even considered such a possibility before.

After a moment of contemplation, he slowly shook his head. At the end of the day, it was their choice. He personally had no issue answering his own Calling alone; his confidence in himself remained as sky-high as ever. His concern had only ever been to ensure that they would not end up dying in some unknown and random place.

But of course, considering how overwhelmingly powerful Lucian, Aura Nova, Kingsley, and Aaaninja were, if even they could perish during the process of Ascension, then the entire concept of Ascension might as well be deemed impossible for everyone within the lower Galaxies as a whole.

’I wonder how Klaus and Amara would react to Vega’s ascension,’ Anthony mused to himself. ’With how overprotective Klaus and Amara are, I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow interfered with the process, perhaps even going as far as taking Vega to a higher Galaxy themselves.’ He shook his head slightly at the thought, finding the possibility both amusing and entirely plausible, given their nature.