Chapter 46: Rumors That Shook Aurelia City
Rumors That Shook Aurelia City
The moment Adrian Valerius dropped to his knees, True Spiritual Power surged violently through his body.
His face flushed with embarrassment.
Before anyone could react further, he immediately circulated his spiritual power, forcing his trembling legs to straighten. He brushed the dust from his robes with practiced composure and lifted his chin, doing everything he could to pretend that nothing unusual had happened.
Unfortunately for him...
The bustling street outside the Salvatore Family estate had been full of people.
Dozens of eyes had witnessed everything.
Silence lasted for only a heartbeat.
Then the whispers began.
"The Salvatore Family is truly overbearing!"
"Exactly! They destroyed both the Ashthorn Family and the Ravencreast Family, and now even the City Lord is kneeling at their gates!"
Another passerby overheard only part of the conversation.
"What? The City Lord performed three kneels and nine kowtows before the Salvatore Family estate?"
The rumor immediately grew another layer.
"What?! The City Lord wants to become Patriarch Victor’s dog?"
Someone farther away misunderstood it even more spectacularly.
"What?! A dog became the City Lord of Aurelia City?!"
The rumors spread through the crowd faster than wildfire.
Every person added a little embellishment.
Every listener misunderstood another detail.
By the time the story reached the opposite side of the street, it had become something completely different from reality.
Listening to the increasingly ridiculous rumors echoing around him, Adrian’s expression darkened until it resembled the bottom of a burnt iron pot.
The corners of his mouth twitched violently.
The veins on his forehead pulsed one after another.
He wanted nothing more than to roar at the crowd.
Who had knelt three times?
Who wanted to become someone else’s dog?
And where in heaven’s name had that dog become the City Lord?
Yet...
Standing before the gates of the Salvatore Family, Adrian didn’t dare lose his temper.
Not here.
Absolutely not here.
He instinctively glanced back toward the estate.
Although the gates remained peacefully closed, he could almost feel two terrifying gazes silently watching him.
One belonged to Victor.
The other...
To Elder Black.
Just remembering the black-robed veteran caused Adrian’s scalp to go numb.
Damn it!
The moment I get back...
I’m hanging every single one of you rumor-mongers from a tree!
He silently swore vengeance against the entire city’s gossip network.
With that thought firmly in mind, Adrian no longer lingered.
He turned around and fled as though escaping from the jaws of death.
Every step carried him farther from the Salvatore Family estate.
Only after putting several streets between himself and the mansion did his racing heartbeat gradually calm.
Then...
His footsteps slowed.
His brows furrowed.
A strange feeling surfaced in his mind.
"...Something feels wrong."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I feel like..."
"I forgot to mention something important."
No matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind.
Eventually, he shook his head helplessly.
"I’ll think about it later."
With that, Adrian disappeared into the crowded streets of Aurelia City.
Meanwhile...
Inside the Salvatore Family estate...
Quite a few clan members had witnessed the City Lord’s respectful attitude toward their Patriarch.
The scene left every disciple deeply shaken.
Moments earlier, the ruler of Aurelia City had entered with confidence.
Yet when he departed...
His posture had become incomparably humble.
Although no one knew what had been discussed, one thing was perfectly clear.
Even the City Lord treated their Patriarch with immense respect.
That realization filled every member of the Salvatore Family with indescribable pride.
Many unconsciously straightened their backs.
Their heads lifted a little higher.
The confidence in their eyes became even brighter.
One young disciple clenched his fists tightly.
"Patriarch is so powerful that even the City Lord bows before him."
"I must cultivate harder to be worthy of the family!"
Nearby, another disciple nodded with burning determination.
"To be born into the Salvatore Family and protected by such a Patriarch is the greatest fortune of my life."
"If I don’t cultivate diligently and repay the clan..."
"...how could I ever call myself a man?"
Those words resonated with everyone nearby.
Without anyone realizing it...
The morale of the entire clan quietly rose once again.
Respect gradually transformed into faith.
Faith transformed into motivation.
Each disciple silently returned to cultivation with renewed determination.
They no longer cultivated merely for themselves.
They cultivated for the future of the Salvatore Family.
At that moment...
Steady footsteps approached from the courtyard.
Max Salvatore walked toward Victor.
His shoulder-length black hair swayed gently as he came to a stop before his elder brother.
"Elder Brother."
"City Lord Adrian came just now."
As he spoke, his gaze briefly drifted toward Elder Black.
A trace of curiosity flashed through his eyes.
The mysterious black-robed elder had appeared without anyone noticing.
No one knew his background.
No one knew his cultivation.
Yet Max didn’t ask a single question.
If this man stood behind Victor...
Then that alone was enough.
His elder brother’s judgment had never once been wrong.
Victor gave a small nod.
"Mm."
"A year and a half from now, a Heavenly Secret Realm will appear outside Aurelia City."
"The Salvatore Family has been granted entry."
He spoke as casually as though discussing today’s weather.
But those simple words struck Max like a bolt of lightning.
"What?!"
"The Salvatore Family qualifies as well?!"
The former great families of Aurelia City would have considered themselves fortunate simply to maintain order outside the entrance.
His eyes widened in complete disbelief.
Every cultivator knew what a Heavenly Secret Realm represented.
Endless opportunities.
Ancient inheritances.
Fortunes capable of changing an entire lifetime.
Yet access to such places had always belonged to the truly powerful factions.
Compared to those giants...
The former great families of Aurelia City would have considered themselves fortunate simply to maintain order outside the entrance.
Yet now...
The Salvatore Family had obtained entry qualifications.
What Max didn’t know...
Was that Victor had never asked for the quota.
Adrian had practically insisted that the Salvatore Family accept it.
Comments