CHAPTER 55: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Three figures walked leisurely down the bustling street—two voluptuous young women wearing elegant cloaks, chatting happily side by side, and an elderly man with long white hair and beard following behind them with a calm, expressionless face.

Just as they passed the entrance of the Azure Crest Pavilion, the old man abruptly halted. He slowly lifted his head, narrowing his eyes as if sensing something.

A low murmur that was barely audible escaped his lips. "This..."

The two girls stopped immediately. One of them turned toward him and asked curiously. "Guardian Lu, did something happen?"

The old man replied with a grave tone as he enveloped the three of them in a nearly invisible protective barrier. "Young Miss... someone from the Dragon Race is inside this place."

Lilith’s expression darkened instantly. Her brows knit together, forming a deep crease. "Did they come for the same reason as us?"

Her gaze shifted sharply toward the girl beside her. "Yvonne, the only person I shared this information with was you."

Yvonne’s expression stiffened. "I only told my father. Do you think the information was spread because of him?

Guardian Lu let out a soft chuckle, attempting to diffuse the sudden tension. "Young Miss, calm down. Perhaps this is just a coincidence. Furthermore, it’s impossible for that to happen since it will only endanger her safety because he had trusted her to us to the point where he didn’t send anyone to follow her specifically."

"Hmph." Yvonne snorted unhappily, though her irritation was clearly directed at Lilith’s suspicion.

"I was just asking, okay?" Lilith giggled and immediately jumped to hug Yvonne, rubbing her face against her cutely.

"I know." Yvonne pushed her face away and asked. "What should we do now?"

"What else? We go inside and let nature take its course." Lilith directly pulled Yvonne’s hand and walked inside the Azure Crest Pavilion.

Just as they stepped inside the building, Ignis instantly looked at James with a serious expression. "They’ve entered the building."

James frowned deeply, using all of his brain cells to think about what they needed to do. A few moments later, he relaxed himself with a soft sigh and said. "Let’s act as usual and just pretend as if they’re not here in the first place."

He then added, "However, in case we can’t avoid them, we’ll do this..."

James then explained his plan to Ignis and Nyxrael. Of course this entire conversation was communicated through their connections from the system.

Of course Elara had no idea about all of this, as she enjoyed playing with Little Bubble while eating a snack.

After waiting for a little bit, James sighed in relief because they didn’t come to them and went to another balcony at the south side.

Five minutes later, the table turned into another feast that was bigger than before.

Watching her little sister enjoy eating them all, James wondered how her small belly could fit these foods. He petted her hair softly and chuckled. "Slow down. No one’s trying to steal your food."

"Mhhhm—Mhhhmmm!" Elara hummed and nodded cutely while stuffing another mouthful of fish soup into her mouth.

Half an hour later, Elara leaned on James with half eyes open lazily while rubbing her belly. "I’m soooo full..."

Then, a sound that no one had expected suddenly came out.

Pffft!

She suddenly farted softly and immediately giggled before running away. "I’m going to the toilet."

James smiled and shook his head helplessly for a moment, but his smile suddenly vanished as his eyes twitched.

"...This little brat. That was lethal" He blew as hard as he could and waved his hand, trying to get rid of the smell that he thought was really the worst he had ever smelled in his entire two lives.

At this time, on another balcony, one of the two girls suddenly stood up.

She wore a soft pink gown decorated with delicate gold accents around her waist and shoulders. Her long pink hair cascades beautifully down her back. With gentle rose-gold eyes and a calm expression, she carried an aura that felt both enchanting and untouchable.

She smiled at the girl beside her. "I’ll be back shortly."

On the other hand, the moment the girl left the private balcony room, Ignis tilted her head and looked at James. "One of them just left their room and went toward the bathroom. Should I go there just in case—"

James cut her off with a wave of his hand. "There’s no need to do that. They won’t dare lay a finger on Elara."

A few minutes later, Ignis looked at James and chuckled. "Just as you expected, Elara went to their room with her."

James shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile. "I know that little brat like the back of my palm. She’ll go with everyone if they manage to tempt her, especially with delicious food."

"Let’s wait for a bit and do as I said." James said and sipped another glass of wine.

After finishing the wine, approximately two minutes later, James stood and stretched his body leisurely. "Alright—time to retrieve our little troublemaker."

Subsequently, they left and walked toward the south. Just as Nyxrael wanted to knock on the door, a soothing voice could be heard from inside the room. "Please, come in."

Nyxrael directly opened the door, and James stepped in first, followed by Ignis, then Nyxrael.

The moment they stepped inside, all of the people sitting at the table were surprised. Elara was surprised that her brother and the others were here and smiled apologetically while chewing up the remaining skewer in her hand.

As for the other three, they were surprised because James, who was the weakest in the group, seemed to be the one in the lead instead of Ignis.

Not only them who were surprised the moment they exchanged glances, but Ignis too. She was surprised inside when she noticed the old man’s presence.

"You were right." Ignis said through her connections with James.

James had explained that the two Peak Legendary Ranks she had detected must have been accompanied by a strong guardian at least.

She didn’t know this because in her memories, the geniuses in the Dragon Race had always gone out alone and never been accompanied except for some special occasions.