Bordin was slightly stunned when Aldrian seed to accept the invitation so easily. He had already prepared so plans to persuade this mysterious man if he showed no interest in coming to the city lord manor. However, it seed that wouldn’t be necessary, he was much easier to invite than expected.
"So, when is the right ti for to co to the city lord?" Aldrian suddenly asked, to which Bordin replied,
"If it’s alright with Your Excellency, we could depart now. My lord truly wants to et you and has already prepared himself."
Aldrian nodded and stood up.
"Alright, what are we waiting for? It’s not good to make the city lord wait. Lead the way, Sir Bordin," he said, and Bordin obeyed.
Bordin then guided Aldrian to a carriage bearing the city lord manor’s symbol, and not long after, they departed for the manor. The carriage flew throughout the journey, pulled by a northern winged horse, a species of flying horse native to the northern part of the continent, the region inside of the Martal Empire.
During the journey, Bordin, who was escorting Aldrian, occasionally glanced at him. Aldrian was truly much easier to talk to and to invite than expected. Bordin had already prepared himself for the possibility that this man would be arrogant or pompous because of his status or ability, just like many others in the associations.
He had encountered many such people from the Alchemist Association and the Blacksmith Association. Because they held imnse influence and their services were essential for cultivators, they knew their worth well, even the city lord manor preferred to avoid trouble with them.
But this person simply agreed when the city lord manor invited him. Thinking about it again, it was as if—
"He was already waiting for this mont," Bordin thought.
If that was true, then he wondered what this person wanted from the city lord manor.
After more than ten minutes of travel, they finally arrived at the city lord manor, and the carriage landed right in front of the main entrance doors. A blonde-haired man was already waiting there, having received the report that the mysterious person had accepted the invitation and was on his way.
Once the carriage landed and the doors opened, Aldrian finally ca face to face with the blonde-haired man. The man was at the middle stage of pseudo-immortal establishnt, and through the Eyes of the Heaven, Aldrian instantly knew who he was.
The man showed a smile and offered his handshake.
"Welco to the city lord manor, Your Excellency. My na is Zuke Fars Hazerdolf, the current city lord of Avon City. It’s truly an honor to et your esteed self. I sincerely thank you for sparing so of your ti to visit this place."
Aldrian accepted the handshake and nodded.
"Likewise, Sir Zuke. It’s a pleasure to et you," he responded, which made City Lord Zuke nod in return.
"This way, let us move to a more comfortable place," he said, then guided Aldrian to the guest room where they were served tea.
Not long after they settled into the room, City Lord Zuke looked at Aldrian with a curious expression.
"My apologies if my question offends you, but do you always wear a mask and black robe when eting others? I’m just curious, Your Excellency. If you don’t wish to answer, then please forget I asked," he said.
"Oh, of course not. I only wear the mask for convenience. In fact, I could show you my face right now," Aldrian replied, which left the city lord stunned. He then watched as Aldrian removed his mask and pulled back his robe’s hood, revealing his handso face and red hair.
The mont City Lord Zuke saw Aldrian’s face, he was truly astonished by how young he looked. He had expected to see a middle-aged man, or even an old one, as he hadn’t believed Aldrian’s voice reflected his real age.
With the mask, Aldrian’s voice could have easily been altered to conceal his true identity. But to think that behind the mask was a handso young man, Zuke truly hadn’t expected it.
But then, he didn’t know why Aldrian’s face seed familiar, until he rembered sothing.
"Wait... doesn’t that mysterious man’s giant avatar have a face like this young man?" he thought.
He had been among those who followed the continent’s major powers on their journey to the Barisan Continent that day, and he had personally witnessed the battle between Aldrian and Tarius.
That battle was the most powerful one he had ever seen. He could still recall how that giant avatar destroyed the eye in the sky with a single sword slash. There was no way he could forget the details of that towering figure which was clearly visible even from a distance. And he was certain now... the avatar had the sa face as this young man.
Suddenly, his heart trembled, and the way he looked at Aldrian changed.
"Don’t tell —?!"
"Oh, from the way your thoughts and the way you look at have changed, it seems you already know who I am," Aldrian said with a smile, which made City Lord Zuke’s eyes tremble. His body also couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
He gulped before asking,
"Uh... Your Excellency, are you from the Barisan Continent?"
"I am."
Aldrian answered without hesitation, causing the city lord’s heart to pound heavily. Even so, he braced himself and asked again.
"Are you that person, Your Excellency? I an... the one who fought that thing, the terrifying eye in the sky on the Barisan Continent?"
"I am."
Plop!
City Lord Zuke dropped to the floor, even though he had already been sitting in his seat. The situation felt surreal. To think his guess was right... this man was the sa one who fought the immortal that day!
He wanted to brush this off and tried to convince himself that this young man rely shared a similar face with the avatar, or that there was so other reason he wasn’t the sa mysterious figure. But deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the man in front of him was the real deal.
And he couldn’t think of anyone who would benefit from pretending to be that man. The only thing awaiting anyone foolish enough to masquerade as the mysterious figure was the wrath of the real one once the Barisan Continent opened for visitors.
Aldrian calmly sipped his tea and put the cup back on the table.
"I just happened to pass by this place during my journey. It’s my first ti visiting this continent since the Barisan Continent opened to the world," he said.
City Lord Zuke still looked at Aldrian with a slightly blank expression, but he tried to move his lips and speak.
"Ah, uhm, Your Excellency... it’s not that I don’t believe you, but... uhh... could you give so kind of proof that you’re truly that sa man?"
He knew how ridiculous and contradictory that sounded, but it reflected just how much disbelief he still felt. Was this truly the sa man who had fought the immortal, the man who had beco the subject of conversation among people across the continent, even on other stars?
Aldrian’s gaze shifted, locking directly onto the city lord’s eyes. Zuke froze as his surroundings suddenly changed.
He was no longer in the guest room. He now floated in the sky, surrounded by a chaotic atmosphere and engulfed in darkness, with destruction threatening to spread onto the land below. His heart trembled as he felt the sheer terror in the air. It was so real that it struck at his very soul.
Then, slowly, he looked upward, only to see that thing.
The eye.
That colossal eye staring directly at him.
His ntal defenses nearly collapsed on the spot.
"ARGHH!" he shouted, but his surroundings shifted again, returning to the room, with Aldrian still sitting calmly, watching him with an calm expression. Then, Aldrian suddenly smiled and picked up his teacup once more.
"I hope that is enough for you to no longer have any doubts about ," Aldrian said before taking another sip.
City Lord Zuke was still gasping, sweat already rolling down his forehead. What he had just experienced must have been an illusion, yet the terror he felt was even greater than that day.
The day when he and the others saw the colossal eye in the sky... the despair they had felt then was unforgettable. Just looking at that eye had shaken their souls.
That sensation, that fear, it was not fake.
The experience just now was even more terrifying, because this ti, he had been the main target of the eye. He couldn’t imagine fighting, or even standing, in front of a being like that. But this young man...
City Lord Zuke instantly kowtowed before Aldrian.
"My sincerest apologies for even having the slightest doubt about you, Your Excellency," he said. "It is truly an honor to welco you to this place."
After enduring just a few seconds of that terrifying illusion, there was no longer any doubt in his heart about Aldrian’s identity.
"You don’t have to be so dramatic, Sir Zuke," Aldrian replied. "Instead, why don’t we talk about sothing else? Don’t you want to build a relationship between us?"
"Ah, yes, ahaha... That’s true, Your Excellency," he replied awkwardly.
City Lord Zuke straightened his body and sat back down, but his posture was now far more reverent, clearly showing that he saw himself as soone of lower status compared to Aldrian.
Aldrian continued smiling as he spoke.
"Anyway, after arriving in this place, I ca across so interesting information. I hope Sir Zuke can give an answer."
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