“Phoenix flag?” Flynn frowned, his tone uncertain. “Could it be that Greengate’s flag is Dragon?”
“Exactly.” Scott Chilton took a bite of his side dish, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
“Phoenix, Lynx, Dragon, Alligator.” Flynn straightened slightly, contemplating. “You mean there might be two other factions, holding the Alligator and Lynx flags?”
Scott Chilton replied, “Not just ‘might be.’ There are two other factions.” He continued, “In my investigation, I found that Greengate not only has the Dragon flag but also the Alligator flag! From what the small-time Greengate boss I killed said, the two groups have already merged.”
“Now Dragon and Alligator are one, forming what we know today as Greengate!”
Flynn’s expression grew serious. He murmured, “Greengate became the world’s top organization about thirty years ago, coinciding with the fall of Dragon Seal.”
“But even if Lynx still exists, if it hasn’t joined Greengate, it might have shared Dragon Seal’s fate by now.”
Scott Chilton shook his head. “Even among quadruplet brothers, there are differences in strength. Just because Phoenix was destroyed, does that mean Lynx is weaker?”
Flynn took a sip of white wine, following Scott Chilton’s train of thought. “So, the development of Dragon Slayer Powder might be targeted at Lynx. Or perhaps Lynx’s leader.”
Scott Chilton chuckled. “You’re sharp, kid. But all of this is just speculation. We need proof!”
“Why did Greengate and Alligator join forces?”
“Why did they destroy Dragon Seal?”
“Why did they originally split into Dragon, Alligator, Phoenix, and Lynx? What ties exist between these four families? A simple power struggle? Or something deeper?”
“These answers must be unraveled through the master of Zion Watson.”
Flynn pondered for a moment, pulling out the Heaven’s Punishment Ring and handing it to Scott Chilton. “I don’t know about the rest, but I suspect Greengate destroyed Dragon Seal for this Heaven’s Punishment Ring.”
“Heaven’s Punishment Ring?” Scott Chilton examined it closely.
Flynn frowned. “You were my mother’s mentor for over a decade. You’ve never seen it?”
“Never. It’s likely your grandfather’s. And it’s rare-something that wouldn’t easily appear in public.” Scott Chilton speculated, “After Dragon Seal fell, your grandfather might’ve passed it to your mother.”
“Wait-Phoenix represents red, and the ruby on this ring is deep crimson. Could it be…”
“You’re suggesting the other three factions also have rings, with colors white (Alligator), black (Lynx), and green (Dragon)?”
Scott Chilton’s gaze turned contemplative, his voice uncertain. “That’s just a guess. Let’s wait for Zion Watson’s master. We’ll see how much we can learn.”
As the words left his mouth, Carter Landford’s phone rang.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t I say not to disturb me while I’m entertaining guests?”
“What? The Clark family brought gifts? They want to meet Lord Valerian Nox? Even the top ten families of Slatin are here?”
Carter Landford hurried to the foot of the mountain. From there, he used binoculars to observe the scene outside the Langford family estate.
The Clark family, Caldwell family, Woods family, Ambrose family…
Paxton, Tessa Watson, Vicente Clark, Layla, Cora Caldwell…
Every prominent family head or heir was present!
A mountain of extravagant gifts piled high-millions worth of rare treasures, including Bloodlotus orchids, thousand-year-old ginseng, luxury villa keys, supercars, and stocks.
The heirs of these families stood in a row, elegantly dressed, competing in beauty and charm. Even the heads of the families stood respectfully, almost reverently.
“Lord Valerian Nox, what should I do?” Carter Landford sought Flynn’s instructions.
Before Flynn could answer, Scott Chilton sneered, “You haven’t even gone to the Clark family to deliver your gift, and now they’ve come to you first. It seems you must give Tessa Watson her gift!”
“Boy, the gift you prepare that day must be grand. I’ve waited ten years for this moment.”
Ten years ago, when Scott Chilton sought Matteo, he discovered Adrianna had married into the Clark family.
He spent five years there and eventually understood why Adrianna hadn’t contacted him, her mentor, after Dragon Seal’s fall.
The matter involved the colossal entity Greengate, and she didn’t want to drag her teacher into it.
Adrianna was too kind. So kind, in fact, that even the likes of the Clark family dared to bully her!
At the time, Scott Chilton had been tempted to destroy the Clark family. But he ultimately decided to leave them for Flynn-so Paxton could see just how blind he had been.
“They’re groveling before an Earthly Sovereign. The Clark family has no dignity left.”
“These people are still far behind. They’re nowhere near the caliber of true aristocratic clans.” Olive’s voice was icy.
Scott Chilton smirked at Carter Landford. “Paxton is desperate to curry favor with Lord Valerian Nox, isn’t he?”
“Leave them for now. Let’s see how much he’s willing to grovel to meet Lord Valerian Nox.”
Carter Landford bowed and left. “Understood. I’ll go and see.”
As he descended the mountain, praise and flattery erupted from the Langford family gates.
The heads of these prominent families introduced themselves with glowing words about Lord Valerian Nox, their compliments dripping with sycophancy.
Even though Langford’s estate was over ten miles away, Flynn and the others, with their Earthly Sovereign-level abilities, heard every word clearly.
“Reincarnation of a Martial God? Emperor’s poise? Divine and otherworldly? Pfft-” Scott Chilton spat out his drink, bursting into laughter at Flynn.
“Kid, you’ve only shown a bit of Earthly Sovereign-level strength, and the world is already singing your praises. How do you do it?”
“When I was a Blademaster Heavenly Sovereign, people weren’t nearly this crazy!”
Flynn touched his nose, smiling faintly. “Maybe it’s because I’m handsome.”
“Get out of here!” Scott Chilton rolled his eyes, downing another drink. “In the end, it’s just people these days being more opportunistic and less genuine than they were decades ago.”
At the Langford family gates, Paxton and the other family heads shouted themselves hoarse, introducing themselves and listing their gifts with all the enthusiasm they could muster.
But the Langford estate remained silent.
Everyone grew anxious.
What was going on?
Each family had brought gifts worth millions, yet they couldn’t even secure a meeting with Lord Valerian Nox?
Clark family members, in particular, were growing restless.
They had thought they’d been ahead of the curve. Little did they know the other families had been secretly gathering information about Lord Valerian Nox too. The Woods family had even arrived three minutes earlier!
This was infuriating!
“Layla, come here!” her grandfather, John Woods, called.
Layla stepped forward.
John Woods pointed at her and said, “Lord Valerian Nox, this is my granddaughter Layla, known as the first saintly hand in the Southern Territory. She’s exceptional!”
“You must have heard of her name!”
“Lord Valerian Nox, I know Layla might not be worthy of you now, but she has great potential. With time, she’ll surely make you proud.”
“So, I’d like to propose that Layla marry you. What do you think?”
“Of course, someone as unparalleled as you can’t have just one wife. Even if she marries you, you can still take other wives, maids, or concubines as you please!”
“If that’s not acceptable…”
John Woods gritted his teeth and declared loudly, “Then let Layla be your mistress!”
What?!
Eyes widened in shock.
The Woods family was willing to go so far as to offer Layla as a mistress just to align themselves with Lord Valerian Nox!
Madness!
Absolute madness!