Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 25 [Clay's True Name Lesson]

"friend?"

After hearing this, Velen snorted coldly.

“Are friends people who do nothing?”

As he said this, he turned and went into the pub, but left the door open.

"What do you mean by doing nothing? I... you also know my identity, I..."

Clay was a little angry when he heard it at first, but after following him into the pub, he said a few words but seemed a little dejected. Finally, he sat down at the bar and said nothing.

On the contrary, although Veron spoke harshly, he still took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet behind the bar, poured him a glass, and poured another glass for Ethan, saying: "Master, this guy can be trusted. He is Al's friend. He helped to promote the truce and he also took the risk to retrieve Leonardo's body."

Ethan walked over, picked up the glass of wine, touched it to the glass in front of Clay, and said, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I really am a person who can't do anything."

He said this with a self-deprecating smile and drank the glass of wine.

The door of the tavern was closed and a dim light was on in the room. After Velen poured another glass of wine for Ethan and Clay, he left the remaining wine and walked away. He and Anya became silent statues, leaving only Ethan and Clay facing each other.

"I was supposed to go on the day of the negotiation, but I was sent away because of an urgent matter. I understand what Sandro meant. He didn't want me to get involved anymore." Clay took another drink. "He assured me that you would be fine. Do you know what I felt?"

"What do you think?" Ethan poured him another glass.

"I was very uneasy during those few days outside. I always felt that something was going to happen. I thought, if something really happened to you, I would kill all the people in the Cabrera family when I came back, and then commit suicide in front of Sandro." Clay drank his third glass of wine.

Ethan just poured the wine in silence.

"I know you still don't believe me, but it doesn't matter. You're still alive, and that's good." Clay stopped drinking and put his arm around Ethan's shoulders again, patting him hard.

"Ethan, good boy, good boy, you did such a great job. I don't know what else I can do for you. Tell me, let me do something for you."

"You don't have to do anything for me." Ethan shook his head.

"No, I must do something for you, otherwise, I am not even a friend." Clay fell into a brief silence.

Ethan could sense the self-blame and powerlessness from him.

"Let me think. Money and armed protection—you don't need those for now. So what else do you need? Allies? You've already taken care of that. Oh, I've got it. Real name. You only inherited your father's real name not long ago, and your father passed away so quickly. You must still have a lot of questions you haven't figured out, right?"

Clay looked at Ethan with some excitement.

Ethan didn't comment, just took a sip of his drink. "I'll just assume you want to hear it." Clay also took a sip and then began his long speech.

In fact, Ethan had heard the previous content, which was no different from what Anya said that day.

Until he talked about the inheritance of his real name.

"...True names can be inherited. You probably already know this, as you inherited your father's True Name. However, you may not know that True Names are exclusive. Just because you have your father's blood doesn't guarantee you'll inherit his True Name. The inheritance of a True Name is a complex subject, and the most important aspect is compatibility."

Clay seemed to have been talking for too long and was a little thirsty, so he knocked on the table. Ethan poured him another glass, and he took a sip with satisfaction before continuing.

"The so-called compatibility means you must be highly synchronized with the True Name you inherited. For example, your eldest brother Leonardo has been involved in the family business since he was a child, participating in various operations and often immersed in the underworld. You could say he was built to live up to your father's True Name, a violent unifier. However, he encountered some problems with the inheritance and was not fully aligned, so he remained a thug until his death."

"So you're a true genius. You've never managed the family business, nor have you ever been immersed in the underworld, yet you've directly inherited your father's true name. Incredible! I sense you're even more powerful than your father. Could someone like you be the legendary Chosen One? It's a perfect match."

Ethan still didn't speak, and it was impossible for him to speak. He couldn't say that I didn't inherit it, I just created a new real name.

"Now that we've discussed inheritance, let's talk about bestowal. Inheritance is a part of directly obtaining a True Name. Bestowal is different. It's simply about sensing the aura of a True Name, which can potentially awaken it. For example, Fred and Joan both had True Names bestowed upon them by your father as rewards for outstanding performance. I'd also like to add that Fred is a traitor, and Joan is a similar case. He simply left the Pauletta family over a decade ago, struck out on his own, and is now counterattacking."

After hearing this, Ethan's doubts were resolved, that is, why he could use the "Name of the True God" to counter Fred and Joan, but it was ineffective against other True Name holders, because their origins were the same.

Also, the True Namer's gifts are too weak. His gifts are all given directly to real things, such as Anya.

Clay said a few more scattered things, but none of them were what Ethan wanted to hear, the part about the plunder of his real name.

After he killed Fred and Joan, he had a clear sense of plunder, gaining some power and strengthening his true name.

But Clay didn't say anything. Could it be that this kind of thing doesn't exist among normal True Name users?
"Okay, that's all for today. As for other true name systems, my knowledge of ancient languages ​​is zero, so I can't explain them to you. Next time, I'll bring you a copy of the latest Truth Report, which has detailed information." Clay burped, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"The Newspaper of Truth?" Ethan finally spoke.

"Oh, you definitely don't know. This is a newspaper circulated only among True Namers. You can buy it at True Namer gatherings. Oh, True Namer gatherings... Next time there's a True Namer gathering, I'll take you there and you'll understand."

True Name Gathering is another new term.

Clay staggered out of the tavern, and before he closed the door, he suddenly turned around and looked at Ethan.

"Ethan, boy, listen, I don't care what you think. What I want to tell you is that I will always be your father's friend and your friend. Whenever you need anything, you can come to me and I will help you, okay?"

He closed the door and Ethan just poured himself a glass of wine.

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(End of this chapter)