Aldrian glanced at the group of people gathered at one of the reception counters. All of them wore robes like his. What caught his interest was the information they were seeking. They were asking about the Barisan continent.

From what Aldrian could hear, these people seemed to be from another star.

A sudden thought came to his mind, and he continued to wait for the receptionist to return. After a few minutes, she finally came back, carrying an information crystal. But before she could say anything, Aldrian spoke.

"Ah, I also want to know about the Barisan continent—the one that's said to be a mysterious continent attracting attention lately. I want to know what the information center has on it, and I mean all of it."

The woman was stunned, but she nodded.

"Alright, please wait here for a moment. But you are truly lucky, sir, our information center received new information about the Barisan continent just yesterday. This information has already been confirmed by our trusted source," she said before leaving again.

Aldrian raised his eyebrows at this.

New information came yesterday?

He felt intrigued but said nothing and simply waited for the woman to return.

After a minute, she came back with another information crystal.

"These are the details you requested, sir. For the information about this continent, including its details and the families to take note of, the fee is five peak energy stones. As for the information about the Barisan continent, the fee is ten peak energy stones."

Aldrian nodded and handed over the energy stones.

"Sir, if I may ask, what star did you come from?" the woman asked suddenly, her expression slightly shy.

Aldrian wasn't surprised that the woman thought he was from another star. His behavior all this time had indeed resembled someone who had come from other star, and that was exactly what he wanted. It was the identity he was trying to build. Let her imagination run.

Aldrian smiled, and that smile made the woman blush even more.

"Sorry, but I have my own circumstances, so I can't tell you where I'm from. I hope you understand, miss," Aldrian said with a smile before leaving.

The woman kept watching Aldrian's figure as if she couldn't take her eyes off his handsome face.

"I wonder where he came from," she thought.

"Hey, it's time to switch shifts. Hey, do you hear me? I've called you three times, but you seem completely out of it."

Her thoughts were cut off by another woman's voice, snapping her back to reality. She turned to see her friend looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"What's going on with you? You look like you were hypnotized or something. Who were you staring at?"

Her friend glanced in the direction she had been staring.

"It's not like our flower here to act that way," she added with a teasing smile.

"Nothing. I just met someone who completely blew me away," the woman replied, which only made her friend more curious. She looked at the crowd, trying to guess who could have affected her friend so strongly.

Her friend wasn't the type to be easily swayed or distracted—but to see her standing there blankly, staring at someone? There was no way she could just ignore that. She had to know more.

"I'll ask her after this."

As someone who worked at the information center, she had a natural curiosity for anything interesting or mysterious. And now, she wanted to find out who this person was that had such an effect on her friend.

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After Aldrian left the information center, he continued walking along the street and sat on a vacant bench by the roadside. Then, he reviewed the contents of the two information crystals for the next few minutes before finishing.

He finally understood the general knowledge and some specific details about the Orian continent, and he found the information truly helpful. However, what caught his attention was the information about the Barisan continent.

Why did he think that? Because the information he found in the crystal was more or less the same as what the Barevisk family had obtained from his slave, though some parts were missing.

"Which only means the information was deliberately leaked by them," he thought.

He couldn't help but smile. What are they trying to do? He felt amused as he wondered what they were thinking, leaking this kind of information. He began to analyze what the Barevisk family hoped to gain by spreading it. From what he could tell, the information would have been far more advantageous if they had kept it to themselves—so why release it?

After a moment of thought, something came to mind.

They had revealed that the Barisan continent wasn't what people believed. Instead of a mysterious or powerful land filled with strong cultivators, it was described as much weaker than the other continents.

In the same information crystal, the details about his existence were deliberately made vague. It didn't explain his true status as the emperor or the danger he posed, only mentioning his achievements and how the people of the continent viewed him.

The information did not mention that the entire continent is unified under his rule.

From his perspective, the information seemed intended to undermine his presence, despite his feat of fighting an immortal. And now that his cultivation level had also been revealed, many would start questioning the truth behind his power, or the secret behind it.

Aldrian nodded in understanding. No matter how he looked at it, the Barevisk family was clearly executing a strategy. They were using Barisan as bait and letting those who wanted a challenge step forward.

He had no concrete proof, but he believed this was the situation. That family seemed to be pulling strings from the shadows, waiting in the dark to reap the benefits.

But then, Aldrian grew curious. Why would the Barevisk family do this? Why would they dare to provoke him, when they clearly knew how dangerous he was from the report Vars had given them? What were they trying to achieve by turning the Barisan continent into a target?

"Well, I guess I can only wait for now. Once I'm done creating my domain over this star, I think it's time I pay other star a visit," Aldrian thought.

He stood up and began walking again. He knew that with this information now out, the Barisan continent would be in a dangerous situation. His story and strength were enough to deter most people from entering, but he could not be sure about those bold or reckless enough to barge in or infiltrate.

He could already imagine that some madmen had begun moving toward the Barisan continent, daring to defy his authority. They believed the continent was weak, and that he, the mysterious figure behind it, would not notice their arrival.

Aldrian kept smiling. He would wait. He wanted to see who would try their luck and challenge his authority.

However, after learning this information, he realized that he needed to establish connections with the authorities of this place as soon as possible. With the right relationships, he could take advantage of them to ease the burden on the Barisan continent.

After walking for a while, he came across a tall, grand building. Above its large gate, the words Alchemist Association were embedded in majestic lettering. He stopped and smiled.

"Well, I know an easy way to attract the attention of those big shots."

It was, after all, his innate talent, to draw the eyes of the masses.

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Later that day, news spread like wildfire and caused an uproar throughout Avon City. A mysterious alchemist had suddenly appeared, someone who had created a pill with a quality never seen before, a six stripes pill.

The revelation caused a sensation. For a moment, the city's attention shifted entirely to the Alchemist Association. Everyone wanted to see the six stripes pill, and even more so, the alchemist who had concocted it. However, the association remained silent and guarded the alchemist's identity closely.

But then, another uproar erupted the next day.

Rumble!

A heavenly tribulation descended upon the Blacksmith Association area. It was a clear sign, an artifact was attempting to ascend to divine grade.

Someone had successfully created a divine-grade artifact!

After the heavenly tribulation, people immediately rushed to the Blacksmith Association, eager to witness the artifact and even try to buy it. But the association refused to sell the item, which turned out to be a middle divine-grade sword.

Their refusal left many with deep regret.

They also wanted to meet the one who had forged the sword, but the Blacksmith Association remained silent, guarding the blacksmith's identity as well. This led many to wonder what exactly was happening in the city.

Two extraordinary events had occurred in just two days, yet both associations refused to reveal the people behind them.

And then, on the following day—

Rumble!

Another heavenly tribulation struck.