GOD OF ALL SYSTEMS
Chapter 28 - 28: Meeting the Family

Watson Family Mansion

Athena held Patrick by the hand as she pulled him into the compound. Upon entering, Patrick and Athena were met with six guards breathing exhaustingly. "Lady Athena… is everything alright?! "We saw you running and assumed there was trouble." The lead guard spoke respectfully as he scrutinizingly stared at the tall Patrick wrapped in his young missus's arms.

"Yes, everything is fine," Athena replied with a smile. She held Patrick's left arm and leaned on him, her action openly declaring Patrick's status and preventing any attempts by the guards to disrespect him.

Seeing Athena's action, the guards sneakily exchanged glances as they immediately became respectful towards Patrick. Some even couldn't help but admire Patrick's height and handsomeness, and mostly, how he could make their missus fall so deeply for him.

For a godly beauty like their missus, they could arguably state that no one deserved her; but seeing the man currently standing next to their missus, they can't help but internally declare them as the most perfect match for a couple.

"If you say so, Miss. The cart is ready for you, young Miss." The lead guard spoke as he directed them to a golf cart parked near their location.

"Come… "Trick, you drive," Athena spoke as she first sat on the passenger side of the cart, allowing Patrick to take the driver's seat. Seeing Athena's action, Patrick made a casual smile and walked past the guards, he held an impressed expression as he drove the cart away from the scene.

With their missus gone, the guards gossiped:

"Huh? Who was that guy? "He was so tall; he must be at least six-four or something. But damn he was handsome too."

"Bruv, you're being gay as fuck right now. While you were busy checking him out, I was more concerned with his Awakened status. I am a B-rank, and my perception isn't that bad, but when I looked at that man, I couldn't even sense the slightest trace of Mana energy from him.

I thought maybe he was concealing his strength, but seeing him and Lady Athena leaving in a cart when they could just run over there, I conclude this man of the miss isn't an Awakened."

"… Huh? "You might be right, but why would the young Miss date an ordinary man? "I mean I know he is very handsome and tall, but what use is that in the world of Awakened? Without strength, I doubt he will make any impression on Sir Watson at all."

"Speaking of Sir Watson, have you guys noticed anything recently? I'm talking about Mr. Mohammed Sahil, he usually visits the Watson mansion every day, but I haven't seen him in the past two days at all. Do you think something has happened?"

"Bloody hell, can you all just shut up and get back to your duties? What happens in the family is of no concern to us, our duty is to provide security to the Watson family, I suggest you do what you are being paid for."

....

At the mansion, Julius and Joseph stood by the window as they eagerly waited for Athena, who had previously rushed to the gates. Both father and son were strongly awakened, so they didn't have to follow Athena; they could just use their detection essences and they would know if there was trouble.

Not long after, the father and son duo watched as a golf cart steadily drove towards the main building. Seeing the cart, both men exchanged gazes with "Huh?!" as they doubtfully looked below. They watched as the golf cart parked near the building, with three women gently bowing to Athena's presence. Patrick and Athena exited the cart as they made their way into the building.

Patrick followed behind Athena as she led the way into the mansion. Patrick had his dark shades on and uncovered his head. He walked with hands in his pockets, his stride confident and lazy as if he were walking in his house. Within the house, powerful Awakened of the A-rank and below stood security in the hallway, their presence pressuring if it were any ordinary person or lower ranked Awakened.

The mansion's interior was quite furnished, it contained numerous expensive items and paintings which could be found for at least millions of British pounds. But despite the wealth of the mansion, to Patrick, they weren't even worth his glance.

'With my [Absolute True Perception] passive nature, plus the infinite amounts of perennial awareness natures I possess, I am always aware of and comprehending everything as the Omniverse and the verses beyond that expand infinitely; "So something as insignificant as the Watson family's dilemma is within my knowledge.

Since I don't want omniscience, this is a lesser substitute.' Patrick internally monologued as he and Athena climbed a staircase.

"Trick, come; my father and grandfather are here," Athena spoke enthusiastically as she arrived on the designated floor where Julius and Joseph were.

Julius and Joseph Watson stood with calm fronts as they watched Athena and the unknown Patrick arrive. But seeing the cheerful expression on Athena's face caused both men to express in shock; to think that their little girl who is usually serious and expressionless is this cheerful because of someone. Joseph had a light cough covering his mouth as he spoke while approaching Athena.

"Athena! It seems we have a guest. Who might your friend be?" A casual smile on his face. Julius also held a curious attitude as he scrutinizingly stared at the young man leisurely walking towards them, hands in his pocket and wearing a shade as if it was brightly sunny.

'Huh? Who is this young man?! "He is quite tall, even taller than me, what family is he from?' Julius thought as he squinted, his sneaky gaze slightly more focused on the tall young man approaching.

'Huh! I should be able to sense almost everything within our territory. But this young man, despite being so close to me, I can't sense him. Wait, could it be he is not Awakened? Or maybe an Awakened of higher rank than me? That should be impossible, how can someone so young be anything higher than an A-rank?

Let's see what Athena has to say first.'

"Grandfather, father; I want you to meet Patrick, … my boyfriend."

"…" The scene went silent for a minute. Julius and Joseph exchanged sharp gazes as they focused on Patrick. Their faces were plastered with seriousness as if they wanted to devour Patrick.

Patrick maintained calmness as he gave Athena a side glance. 'Sigh~ This girl, to set me up and put me on the spot like this, she hasn't changed at all.' Patrick sighed as he acceptingly approached the two men. 'Well, since she thinks I am her boyfriend, I might as well play the part.'

Patrick casually walked and stopped three feet from the men as he spoke "Gentlemen, I am Patrick Alexander King, but you can call me King. Nice to meet you," Patrick spoke, his hands in his pockets, his head held high and his glasses slightly down where he could see the two men.

"…" Another moment of silence occurred, Julius and Joseph slowly exchanged gazes as they thought to themselves. 'Who the fuck does he think he is?' But before any of the men could reply, Patrick continued.

"And since Athena is introducing me as her boyfriend, it is a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen." Patrick extended his right arm, initiating a handshake. He removed his shades as he stared at both men. His eyes not carrying the slightest hint of pressure from a man meeting his girl's family.

Julius and Joseph had dark faces as they stood silent. Julius's face became even darker after Patrick spoke the second time. 'So, we weren't worth the handshake when he was introducing himself, but as my granddaughter's boyfriend, we are now? Such impudence. Since you think you can come into my home and act arrogant; I should teach you some manners.'

Joseph was about to say something when Julius interrupted "Such a vibrant young fella. Haha, I am Julius Watson, the current Head of the Watson family and as you are aware, Athena's grandfather." Julius spoke as he met Patrick's handshake.

Patrick held an expressionless face as he shook Julius' hand. But in that same instant, time stopped. In the time-stop state, Patrick retracted his hand as he stared at Julius lazily, "Grace, is this pathetic S-rank mortal trying to pressure me using his energy?"

"Yes, Master. I am currently restraining 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999, ∞ passive natures from exterminating the Watson bloodline from Existence, since they are Lady Athena's family, but otherwise and the entire Omniverse will be erased, let alone a mere Universe or the mortal himself."

"They think I am arrogant, so he intends to teach me a lesson. Now that's interesting, a mortal trying to teach Me a lesson." Patrick spoke as he casually walked and stood by the window. He turned and looked at Athena, then at the Watson family Head. "Nah, he is too pathetic to bully, let him have his fun. After all, what is a man if he can't even defend his pride?"

"As you wish, Master," Grace replied as Patrick walked and held Julius' hand again, assuming the handshake position. Simultaneously, time unfroze as it resumed at the scene of Julius secretly unleashing his pressuring energy on Patrick while shaking hands.

Already aware of Julius' intent, Patrick remained indifferent to his pressuring energy as he stared at the Watson family Head with a look of 'What the fuck are you even doing?'

Julius held a dominating grin as he released his pressuring energy on Patrick. But suddenly noticing the young man not reacting the least to his pressuring energy, Julius reacted with internal shock as he stared up at him.

But his shock only intensified when he met the young man's gaze; note that the Watson family Head is an S-rank Awakened, his strength, and ability has long surpassed that of human imagination; leveling buildings and destroying one-third of a city like Metro City will be nothing but a walk in the park, of course if he wasn't challenged.

But now, this same S-rank was releasing his S-rank pressuring intent on a young man who he evaluated as a mundane and arrogant human who needed some lesson, and yet he wasn't even flinching when receiving the overwhelming pressure from a literal S-rank.

Like bells of realization and alarm going off in a medieval kingdom, Julius expressed with widened eyes as he discarded his pressuring intent immediately. He retracted his hand as he spoke, a smile of embarrassment plastered on his face.

"Ha; looks like this old man got excited there for a second, welcome! "Since little butterfly has called you her boyfriend, then it's only natural I treat you like family. Come, please join us for breakfast."

Julius directed Patrick as he led him into a different dining area. Joseph held a baffled expression upon witnessing his father's change in mood. 'Wait, wasn't he going to teach the young kid a lesson? How come he is suddenly being hospitable?!' Joseph thought as he smiled at Athena and followed behind his father.

Athena, who had witnessed everything, maintained a proud smile as she murmured to herself, "Trying to intimidate Patrick? Funny; he probably has some gadget that allows him to be immune to most of the Awakened powers, especially a mere intimidation trick like that.

Speaking of gadgets, I wonder how his suit is going; knowing Trick, he must have probably completed it by now …" Athena self-monologued as she followed behind the group.

_______

"It was the night of the annual family celebration. You and father were busy with socializing and those aunties kept bringing their sons and introducing them to me. As you already know, Grandfather, I despise such gatherings, especially those pompous women and men who sought themselves higher than everyone else, they wouldn't talk to someone if they were of a lower class than them.

So, bored of the annoyance, I left the ballroom and went for a walk in the mansion. I eventually ended up in the generator room, and as a young girl, being as curious as I was, decided to test my ice ability since no one was around. I mistakenly lost control and destroyed the generator, causing that section of the mansion to lose power. And it was within that chaos I took the chance and escaped.

But unaware of the harsh truth of society, I was visited by the uncensored slap of reality. I became lost in the city and couldn't find my way home. All I can remember was I fainted, and when I woke up, I was at an orphanage. There, I met Mother Martha, a loving and caring woman who accepted me as her own regardless of background.

So, I was adopted by the orphanage and lived there for the next couple of years, during which I met Patrick. We were initially enemies, but we eventually grew fond of each other and became a couple. But since my father and grandfather became aware of my location and took me back, I haven't been able to contact Patrick all these years.

But thanks to fate, we have finally reunited, and my love for him hasn't wavered the slightest since our separation, but it has only grown even more." Athena recalled her past and how she came to know Patrick.

Patrick held a calm face as he stared at Athena: 'This girl, she didn't mention the part where she was the literal definition of annoying in her story, or how she forced me to kiss her on the lips as payment for not exposing my secret lab. Sigh~ Of course, I would have killed her back then if I knew she was serious.

But she was the only one who understood me since she was also like an old woman trapped in a young girl's body.' Patrick expressed himself internally as he ate a French-made dessert.

"Well, that is in the past now; let's not dwell on it." "Your boyfriend being an orphan doesn't change our perspective of him. Julius spoke words of encouragement as he stared at Patrick. But Patrick, while being pitied, wasn't expressing any sorrowful mood; on the contrary, he seemed to be overly bored with the endless chatter.

Joseph, seeing Patrick's emotionless face, frowned with surprise as he thought, 'This young man, why hasn't he expressed the slightest emotion? He had held the same face since he arrived. From his handshake with Father earlier, I'm sure Father exerted some of his pressure on him, but despite that, he remained unfazed.

Let's see what his actual rank is first before evaluating him.' With a handcloth covering his mouth, Joseph cleared his throat as he spoke.

"So, Patrick, what rank of Awakened are you?" 'Huh!? When did he have a golden chalice?'

The scene went silent after Joseph asked his question. But rather than hastily answering a question posed by an elder, Patrick remained silent and unreactive as he steadily drank from a golden chalice. He placed the chalice on the table as he turned and looked at Athena, his gaze aimed as if telling Athena to answer the question.

Athena, without even turning to Patrick, interrupted as she said, "About that, Father, Grandfather, I forgot to mention, but Patrick isn't an Awakened."

"….!" As if hearing the most shocking news, Julius and Joseph Watson halted their forks and knives as they stayed frozen in their spots. But almost simultaneously, Julius continued eating, acting as if he didn't hear anything at all. But contrary to Julius, Joseph couldn't help but express his thoughts.

"Not an Awakened?! But Athena, you must understand that in this age, not being Awakened is equivalent to being cursed. And, since he isn't Awakened and without a stable family background, how can you tell he is not taking advantage of you using his mere pretty looks, which means nothing when faced with real strength by the way?

I'm sorry to say this, Daughter, but I think this Patrick friend of yours is nothing but a poor and weak orphan boy looking for a strong backing to navigate through life-

"That's enough, Father!" Athena stood up with a serious face as she calmly but firmly stated. She continued; "I understand your concern for me and using your elderly wisdom to express the obvious, but I must state this; "Patrick never knew who I was at the orphanage, on the contrary, I was the one who approached and tried to become friendly with him, I even blackmailed him to become my boyfriend.

I knew he was not an Awakened, and I never paid attention to it.

"You might think Patrick is with me for our family's wealth and status, but let me ask you this; since entering this mansion, has he attempted to curry favor with you or grandfather? You both are high-status men with decades of experience in social life, wouldn't you know if someone was trying to get themselves favors the moment to become aware of your name and societal status?"

"Also, you two have been testing him since he arrived, from sneakily pressuring him to questioning his background and degrading him. For me, him not being Awakened is not a curse, but rather the most natural thing." Athena turned to Patrick as she continued; "I love Patrick and hold deep admiration and respect for him," She then turned and looked at her grandfather, Julius.

"And as a descendant of the Watson family, I would appreciate it if my parents, especially you, Father, would respect my wishes and give the least respect to someone I call my MAN, regardless of his strength and background."

"….." The scene became silent upon Athena finishing her sentence, she sat down, leaving both her father and grandfather to digest her words.

The maids and manservants standing in the room held sweaty faces as they stood stiff at their locations. Especially Athena's maid, Louis, was trembling with panic as she corner-eyed the Watson family Head, anticipating an angry expression. But contrary to that, the Watson family head was calm, he steadily placed the fork and knife beside the plate as he spoke.

"Joseph, I understand you are looking out for your daughter, as any loving and caring father would. In this era of Awakened, not being Awakened indeed leaves one in the spotlight, and it is only natural for someone like that to try to get themselves associated with a strong family.

Athena may be young, but she is mature enough to realize that someone is using her. And if she thinks this Patrick is not who you evaluate him to be, then we must respect her wishes." Julius finished speaking to Joseph, he then turned to Athena and Patrick as he continued.

"Young man, Patrick- I mean, please excuse my son. You can't blame him, after all, he is just a father looking out for his daughter. I hope you wouldn't mind."

Patrick sat relaxed on the chair as he observed everything happening. He had his right hand on the table as he lazily zapped his fingers on it. Unknown to anyone but Patrick, there was a literal black hole hovering outside the Watson family mansion.

If scaled, this black hole could devour the entire multiverse, let alone a mere Universe and planet or even something as insignificant as a country or the Watson family mansion.

"Master, I'm currently restraining 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 ∞ Passive Natures from devouring this Omniverse.

And there are still infinite passive natures being created every Planck time." As if Grace's message wasn't enough, <<<<<<< Sire, requesting permission to erase the Watson family assets and background, I also have nine hundred quintillion nanobots in Joseph Watson's body system, requesting authorization to pulverize him to nothingness. >>>>>>>

Patrick leaned forward as he stared at Julius; he spoke. His voice was calm and unbothered, his expression impassive and tranquil like a frozen sea. "How can I blame a man for caring about his daughter's future? Mr. Watson doesn't have to worry about me holding a grudge, such things are below the affection Athena, and I hold for each other."

Joseph expressed a sigh of defeat as he spoke. "Indeed, I may have spoken out of turn, please forgive my protective manners over my daughter, Patrick. One shouldn't be judged by one's wealth or strength but by their character. I hope we can get past today's matter and get to know each other in the future."

"No problem, Mr. Watson. We might even find ourselves in the same place again sooner than expected." Patrick spoke, his words a cryptic message that no one in the room could decipher.

"Haha, I hope so too, I hope so."