MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

Alex went home with Andrei and informed his family and Aunt Irina that he would be going to Dubai for a few weeks due to urgent work and that Venedikt had already left.

Alex used a mimic AI to act as Venedikt on a live call to ensure everything appeared normal while also setting up call diversion to ensure that any time Aunt Irina or anyone called Venedikt, they would be talking with the mimic AI, which was programmed to handle any situation.

Once the situation at home was handled, Alex combed through his surrounding area to see if they were being watched.

While Zero had assured him that his family was safe and he would make sure that his aunt and two brothers did not die, Alex needed to know how bad the situation they were dealing with was to get some peace of mind.

Alex found close to two dozen trained individuals keeping watch over his family, led by two first-rank awakened, and while they were a great threat to even Andrei himself, they were no threat to the few dozen automatons appointed by Zero.

Zero was protecting Alex and his brother's family not because he held great value as an individual but rather because the automatons were a security that could be bought from him using galactic coins by any awakened individuals.

As for why they did not protect Venedikt because even though two second rank automatons were present they were neutralised at the same time the kidnapper captured Venedikt.

The same would not happen to his family since Alex had three Third Rank automatons always protecting them, and now, with the recent incident, he had added two more.

However, if things did take a turn for the worse, Alex could still depend on Zero, but that was the last option he wished to take since it would bring him a lot of trouble.

Zero had two strict rules to keep everything fair. The first was that his knowledge about everything was kept secret, meaning not even the world elites could get intel on a player. The other was that he could not get involved in matters of earth or the Ancient world.

However, Zero could break those rules if he saw that a player or party could significantly affect any of the world's negatively, in turn, majorly affecting his plan.

Alex was one such individual because of his status as the Domain Ruler, and if he wished, he could go public and have Zero protect him and those close to him.

However, while Alex and those he wished to protect would be safe physically and financially since Zero would make sure of it, with his identity exposed, only troubles awaited them in life until the people at the top got what they wanted because they had many ways to mess with people around him.

This was also the reason why Zero allowed the kidnapping of Venedikt because if he interrupted by informing Alex, then it could only pass as a coincidence once or twice before the other party figured that they were being protected by Zero.

As for how Zero was going to save Venedikt without revealing his identity, he was going to use the identity of his persona of Shiekh since the only way Zero could interfere in matters of any world was if it could seriously affect any of the two worlds positively or negatively.

In the coming times of war, the Mystium Ore was going to be needed by all since it was such a great material for high-grade items and was also easily acquirable.

Zero wanted to use it by making it freely available to everyone and not exclusive like it was before, and in exchange, he would grant permanent protection to both Alex and the Venedikt family.

Alex had no problem sacrificing one of his cash streams since it mattered little to him, but since the term of their protection from Zero will have a nonaggression clause, they would have no protection if they were the aggressor.

So why was Alex taking the risk of getting involved when his presence could worsen the situation, and staying out would allow Venedikt to return home safe and sound with Zero's help?

At the moment, Sir Slavik was the aggressor, so the protection would not work on him, and Alex wanted to meet him once and explain the situation to him, and what he would do next would be up to him.

Alex had already agreed to Zero's offer, but it would only take effect in a conditional situation, which was when any of his family life was in danger.

Alex was just taking an extra step to meet with Sir Slavik because he felt there was much more to his situation than he knew.

In his previous life, nearly two years from now, the Ivanovich family's eldest son, who was dead in papers, would be found alive, while the family itself would be found guilty of many crimes besides their son betraying the country and committing the murder of his comrades for important intell.

It was then that Sir Slavik's name was cleared, and he was given the honor he deserved, and Alex believed that all of it was no mere coincidence.

Alex wanted to meet the man and see if he could help him get out of any situation he was in, and while he was taking a small risk, it was worth it for his brothers.

-----------------

In a spacious room, a dark bed sat in the center, surrounded by walls and ceilings painted in ashy white and blue hues, creating a calming yet slightly eerie ambiance.

Directly across from the bed, a massive TV was mounted on the wall, dominating the space with its imposing presence.

The left side of the room was occupied by various sleek and modern advanced weight-lifting machines, while the front wall had an array of old-generation gaming consoles.

A polished pool table occupied the right side of the room, next to a wall of glass showing the other side, which housed a large indoor pool.

Despite the room's appearance as a fantastic game and recreation space, a closer inspection revealed a significant commonality among all the items, which was a complete lack of internet connectivity.

A man could be seen seated in a lotus position on the bed. Seconds later, the door opened, and a man wearing a dark long coat with dark fur on its shoulders entered. One of his eyes was covered with an eye patch, and his right arm gleamed with a silvery iron sheen.

"Venedikt Makarov, my little nephew, my name is Viktor, but you can call me uncle," Viktor said as he walked next to the bed.

Venedikt opened his eyes, calm as an ocean, and began to examine the man, not saying a word, and after a good look, he closed his eyes again, going back to doing meditation.

"You know your father would be proud of you for growing out of nothing to becoming an Awakened in less than a year and also achieving a great deal of strength in the ancient world."

"However, if you ask me, nephew, then I am not surprised since Slavik Makarov's blood runs through your veins," Viktor said, and Venedikt, even with his stone-like demeanor, could not help but scoff internally.

"You see why I have you kidnapped is to to confirm whether your father is alive or not, so you will be staying with me for a few weeks."

"Your father is a man of patience and exceptional talent, but most importantly, he has immense love for his family, so if he is alive and learns that his son is with me, he will surely come to save you."

"I picked a few random things for your entertainment, but if you need anything that is offline, you can ring this button on the side of your bed, and my men will deliver it to the best of their abilities."

"I don't want to meet Slavik and hear that I treated his son poorly, so enjoy your stay while you are here."

"Before I take my leave, one last thing."

"Please don't kill any of my men, and be a good boy. Otherwise, I might have my men kill off your friend Alex and his little family," Viktor said as palpable killing intent cloaked in immense mana pressure engulfed the room.