Offer.

Arriving at the restaurant, they were led to a large room on the second story of the building. There was a large table in the center of the room, it was large enough to seat a dozen people. The walls mural of a lake and an array that made it come to life with movement and water sounds.

After taking their seats they began to wait in silence for the food to be served.

"Leave your mask on till the food has been served and the door is locked." Collin said as one of the trio started to remove their mask.

After ten minutes of waiting, five waiters filled the table with dozens of dishes. Several bowls of different kinds of soups, plates of fried dishes, braised dishes, steamed dishes, and raw items. There was enough to feed a dozen fully grown adults but would be devoured by four ten-year-olds.

After the waiters left the room, Collin got up and placed a spirit stone in a small slot in the door. The walls shimmered for a moment, showing that the privacy array was active and protecting the room from those who would try and spy on them.

"Alright, you can remove your costumes and start eating." Collin said as he headed back to his seat.

Collin had expected them to tear into the food like they were starving, but after looking at the odd looks on their faces, he remembered his clan's aversion to eating fish.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot our clan is full of pretentious morons that don't like to eat fish because poor people can afford to eat fish. Try it, you'll like it." Collin said as he took a portion of steamed fish in a spicy butter sauce.

The trio helped themselves to small portions of the fish dishes, not because they trusted Collin on how delicious they were, but because they were afraid that if they didn't, they would be chased away from this large table full of food.

It didn't take long before their apprehension at eating fish disappeared and was replaced with delight. Soon large amounts of food were being shoved into the mouths of the trio. Collin found it humorous to see his cousins trying to eat everything they could, but he couldn't blame them, he remembered the small portions of bland food he received when he lived like the shacks.

After the four of them were stuffed full of food and couldn't eat anymore, an odd silence was lingered in the room. After about ten minutes of awkwardness the silence was broken by Collin.

"What do you plan to do with your lives?"

It was a simple question; they could do nothing till their sixteenth birthdays and then be thrown out to the streets, or they could try and learn a trade and have something to make a living with. Julie and Valter began to give it serious consideration, but Viktor did not.

"Save up the money the clan gives us and buy cultivation methods that will work for us and rejoin the clan." Viktor said smugly.

"That won't work."

Viktor looked like he was about to explode, but Valter's hand grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him back to his seat, earning him a glare from Viktor. Valter ignored his brothers looks.

"Why won't it work?" Valter asked.

"First, the clan gives you about fifteen gold a month, and even if all three of you save all of it each month, it won't change the fact that alternative path cultivation methods cost spirit stones, not gold.

Second, each path costs at least twenty spirit stones each, and not every path is useable for everyone. Someone like Viktor, with his explosive personality probably won't do well with very technical path that requires lots of time and patience.

Third, even if you have suitable methods, each path has extra costs to even start and more to progress farther and farther that path.

Fourth, even if you do become a cultivator, the clan sees alternative path cultivator as inferior. If they let you back into the clan, you will never have the status that you once had. You would be lucky to be sent to guard a distant resource point with others the clan doesn't care about. And you will most likely face discrimination as children of clan elders wherever you go. Especially you Viktor, you acted like a complete asshole to everyone around you, and without your father having your back, your screwed." Collin said calmly.

"Can't we buy spirit stones for gold? Viktor asked. He looked pale, like all his hopes had gone up in flames.

"I have heard that there are people that sell spirit stones for gold, but the normal rate is around ten thousand gold per spirit stone, but the prices would have gone up during the trade fair."

Now all three of them look hopeless. The hope that they had to become cultivators and return to their old lives had been destroyed.

"What's your offer?" Valter asked.

"The clan threw you away, so throw away the clan and come with me. I have lots of alternative cultivation methods, and I will front the money for the materials needed for you to become cultivators. In exchange, when you three reach the 5th layer of Qi Condensation, you will form a hunter team just like a lot of rogue cultivators do. You will also give me 60% of your earnings till each of you have paid me five thousand spirit stones or you reach Foundation Establishment."

"Five... five thousand spirit stones?" Julie stuttered.

"OR, till you reach Foundation Establishment. You can think of it as extortion, if you wish. But every cultivator needs a goal to push themselves." Collin said.

"I'm in." Valter was the first to agree, a moment later Julie also agreed, and after looking at Valter and Julie several times Viktor also agreed.

"Viktor, there will an extra condition for you. You need to get your temper in check, you no longer have your parents or the clan as a background to act like you want, if you act like normal in front of other cultivators, they will kill, or they will mistake your brother for you, and he will die."

Viktor wanted to say something, but he couldn't, Valter had been telling him the same thing for the last several months. He agreed that he would try and control himself better.

With a wave of his hand Collin had brought out several plates from his space ring and began to move the remaining food from the restaurants plates to his before placing them back into his space ring. The trio looked at him with odd expressions on their faces, as they wondered what he was doing.

"I will have the restaurant begin delivering four sets of food to the villa, but I don't know if delivery will start tonight or tomorrow morning. So, I have either gathered tonight's dinner or tomorrow's snacks." Collin explained.

"Now put your costumes on, we'll be heading home soon."

A few minutes later they left the room in their costumes, it took Collin a couple of minutes to have food delivery changed. As they walked, one faceless servant confidently walked in front while three others were closely following while looking at everything around them, drawing some looks from those in the market.

It wasn't long before the four of them were standing at the front gate of a large villa. When they entered the trio were stunned by the three large buildings and the beautiful ocean views.

Collin had brought then to the villa he claimed after the Tyler family was exterminated. It was a larger property with far better arrays and workstations for alchemy and treasure refining. Collin didn't know if offering to help him cousins was a good idea or a mistake, but he felt he needed to try.