Billy’s brow furrowed tightly upon hearing Ivy’s words. Stephanie and Edie also wore grave expressions. Billy immediately took out his phone and dialed Grand Ravenwood’s number, but it was still unreachable.
“Boss, do you think something happened to Ms Knight and the others?” Stout spoke up.
“Shush your mouth!” Ivy snapped coldly. She then turned to Billy and said, “Don’t worry, Billy. They might be in some closed-off area without satellite signal.” Though she said so, her face showed deep concern because she knew the chances of that were low.
“Billy, we can’t waste any time. Let’s set off for Demonrealm City now!” Stephanie took a deep breath and headed towards the door. As she walked, she gave instructions, “Edie, Ivy, and Stout, go find Sol right away! Tell him to select a hundred people and rush to Demonrealm City and meet us there ASAP!”
“Stephanie, Frigid Fortress and Polar Trading Guild should have quite a strong force of men, shall we send more people there?” Edie asked after some consideration.
“No, a hundred people will be enough to deal with them!” Stephanie answered before continuing. “Besides, Edie, ask Vice City Lord to gather ten thousand troops. Once I give the signal, they need to be prepared to take over Demonrealm City!”
Hearing her audacious words, Stout couldn’t help but gasp. Was Lad Stuart planning to swallow the entire Demonrealm City? Indeed, she was Billy’s mother, full of courage, even her way of speaking was similar!
“Okay!” Edie responded loudly.
Two minutes later, Stephanie and Billy soared towards the direction of the city. They didn’t bring Edie and the others along, clearly wanting to travel as quickly as possible. Although Edie and the other two could also fly, their speed wouldn’t compare to Stephanie and Billy’s. Now that Stephanie’s cultivation had fully recovered, she could easily fly with a few others. But that would somewhat affect their speed.
Skydragon City was about 1, 780 kilometers away from Demonrealm City. It would take about eight to nine hours by snow carriage. Flying, an ordinary Saint cultivator would take about three to four hours. With Stephanie and Billy’s strength, they would arrive in just over two hours.
…
One hour earlier.
On the Eastern side of Demonrealm City.
After Casey, Harleen, and the others finished their respective tasks, they went to a nearby restaurant not far from their hotel to have a meal. It was the peak dining hour, and the restaurant was bustling with activity. With the presence of many Eastern faces, they didn’t attract too much attention.
“Bob, did you and Ian find anything?” Harleen asked as they sat down at a large round table near the back of the dining hall.
Three days ago, when they arrived in Demonrealm City, they split into four groups, each tasked with monitoring different targets. Casey and the Azure Dragon Four were in charge of Frigid Fortress, while Grand Ravenwood, Elder Wood, Harleen and Felicia were responsible for the City Lord’s Manor. Azure Fang and Judge were stationed near the base of Polar Trading Guild, while Bob and Ian were exploring the city.
“For now, we haven’t found anything particularly noteworthy,” Bob shook his head in response. “Just that according to some merchants, people from Frigid Fortress and Polar Trading Guild have been seen less frequently in public compared to before.”
“Have there been any unfamiliar faces entering the city?” Harleen continued to inquire.
“None!” Ian replied. “They are all ordinary traders, although most of them are martial artists, their cultivation levels are nothing special.”
“Azure Fang, any news from Polar Trading Guild?” Harleen tilted her head slightly and looked at Azure Fang.
“For now, nothing out of the ordinary,” Azure Fang shook his head slightly. “The headquarters of the guild has been unusually quiet these past few days, with only a few sporadic people coming in and out.”
“But, I can’t shake this feeling that something isn’t right. It’s too calm.”
“They should be waiting for someone, I think.” Night Orchid added.
“Uh-huh,” Harleen nodded again. It was similar to the situation they were monitoring at the City Lord’s Manor, strangely calm. In theory, after the battle a few days ago, the forces of Demonrealm City should have made a move. They couldn’t possibly think that Skydragon City would give up just like that! But it had been several days and there was no reaction, clearly not normal!
“Casey, how is the situation at Frigid Fortress?” Harleen paused for a moment and looked at Casey.
“The Lord of Frigid Fortress went out for a trip these past few days. He just returned to the stronghold last night, alone, nothing special,” Azure Dragon responded on behalf of Casey. “We interrogated a few disciples under Frigid Fortress, but they were clueless.”
“He wouldn’t have gone out to seek help, would he?” Felicia asked.
“We don’t know for sure,” Azure Dragon shook his head.
Amidst their conversation, a group of people walked into the restaurant.
Leading the way was a young man, barely in his thirties, with a stern countenance and an unmistakable aura surrounding him.
Following closely behind were six men and women, all displaying formidable skills that marked them as anything but ordinary.
“Madam, this person seems to have quite a background, and he doesn’t appear to be from Demonrealm City!” Grand Ravenwood whispered softly after giving the young man a quick glance.
“Elder Ravenwood, what do you mean?” Frostblade asked, slightly taken aback.
“At less than thirty years of age, he already possesses the cultivation of a Sixth-rank Saint. From what I’ve gathered in the past few days, there shouldn’t be anyone like him in Demonrealm City!” Grand Ravenwood responded.
“Damn, a Sixth-rank Saint at this age?” Judge exclaimed in astonishment.
“Yes,” Grand Ravenwood nodded slightly.
“Elder Ravenwood, can you find out the strength of the people behind him?” Harleen inquired.
“While they may not be as powerful as the young man leading them, they are all at the Saint realm. The strongest among them is a Third-rank!” Grand Ravenwood replied.
“Damn! Looks like Demonrealm City has really brought in some reinforcements!” Azure Dragon furrowed his brow slightly.
“Let’s focus on eating!” Harleen said after a moment of contemplation.
“Let’s not provoke them for now. After we finish eating, Bob and Ian, you two keep an eye on them and see if they have any connections with Frigid Fortress and Polar Trading Guild.”
“Understood!” Bob and Ian nodded simultaneously.
Soon, everyone raised their cups and chopsticks, savoring the delicious food.
However, stillness was often accompanied by an impending storm.
Just as they had taken only a few bites, the young man and his entourage walked straight towards them.
“You all must be from Glavale, am I right?” the young man spoke as he approached.
As he spoke, he surveyed the group and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes.
“Is there something you need?” Rakshasa, sitting on the outermost seat, asked.