James found himself unable to sleep.
He had been repeatedly going through the events that had taken place.
He no longer had a handle on the situation. He had no idea what the King or the other forces that were
backing the Emperor were plotting.
The God-King Palace only served to complicate things even further. What were they aiming for?
The night passed silently.
The next day..
The Caden residence bustled with its numerous visitors.
Mr. Lee and the King were the first to arrive.
They were here with a single objective in mind-to ascertain last night's events and what the Cadens’
position was on the matter.
Opting to not waste any time with useless mental chess, Tobias simply told the truth of what had
happened-James was left at the front door of the Cadens.
Mr. Lee wrinkled his nose at Tobias’ explanation.
He could not tell if Tobias was trying to deceive him or was actually speaking the truth.
Shortly after they departed, Mr. Gabriel arrived.
Next were the Johnstons and the other two families of the Ancient Four. All of them were here to ask
about last night’s events.
Despite a large number of guests, Tobias’ answer to them remained unchanged. He plainly stated that
the Cadens had nothing to do with the entire thing.
By noon, the guests finally stopped coming.
James only managed to fall asleep as the sun’s rays breached the horizon.
The first thing he sensed when he stirred was the appetizing aroma of hot food.
Turning his head in the direction the scent came from, he saw Maxine seated next to him.
She said, “I made you some porridge. Eat up and get your strength back.”
Despite only getting a few hours of rest, James had already felt much better. Getting up was still
extremely difficult for him but he somehow managed and leaned weakly against a pillow. Maxine
brought a spoonful of porridge to his lips.
Swallowing painstakingly, James opened his mouth to ask, “What's going on?”
Maxine replied as she continued to feed him, “What else could it be? Many powerful figures were here
to question grandpa about the events last night. However, grandpa simply sent them away after a brief
conversation. Now, we just have to wait and see which side moves first.”
“Huh?”
James paused with a perplexed look on his face. Then, he asked, “What first move?”
Maxine looked to the ceiling in mild irritation. “I thought that the Dragon King would be able to
understand this much at least.
Everyone's trying to make a move against you. You're the one who executed the Emperor and
kickstarted this whole thing.
Everyone is currently eyeing like a hawk. The only way they can get out of this stalemate is by taking
action against you.”
Hearing this, James gripped the rails of the bed.
Before he killed the Emperor, he had already surmised as much.
That was why he ordered the Elite Eight to establish the Dragon Palace in secret.
He just did not expect that day to arrive so soon.
Maxine continued, “Though grandpa saved you this time. the same cannot be expected the next time
someone targets you. If he continues to stick his neck out for you, the Cadens will be completely
dragged into this mess.”
“What about the God-King Palace?” James tensed up.
Taking a moment to consider her answer, Maxine replied, “I still know nothing about them. However,
from what I can clearly observe. the God — King Palace is definitely here to make a mess of things.
Since they've managed to accomplish just that. I predict they won't do anything to you for a while. From
what I can infer, the Johnstons should be the ones who will make the first move.”
James tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
Maxine drew another deep breath and explained, “Since grandpa saved you after the God-King Palace
left you at our doorsteps, the Johnstons will suspect that the Cadens were the ones behind all this.
They will assume that our objective, after obtaining the box unearthed from the ancient tomb of the
Prince of Orchid and unraveling the secret of the Moonlit
Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge, would be to secure the remaining three treasure scrolls and find a way to
make a breakthrough into the ninth rank.
“With this in mind, they won't sit on their hands and wait for things to blow over. By killing you, it would
serve as a warning to the Cadens. They want to show that they're ready to retaliate with force if the
situation demands it.”
James rubbed his temples and scrunched up his face.
Everything felt like it was continuing to escalate without affording him a second to gather his thoughts.
At that moment, Tobias entered the room.
Maxine put the bowl aside and bowed slightly. “Grandpa.”
“Mm.”
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda