"Well..." Gilbert was almost rendered speechless. He had already expected that Adrian would not be so
kind to him, but he didn't expect that the latter would deliberately say such cruel words.
"I'll give you one more day to think it through and come up with a decision. I will come back again to
hear your reply tomorrow." After saying that, Adrian took a meaningful glance at Rocky before he left
with his daughter.
"What the hell is that? Adrian is too arrogant! I can't believe that he will take this farther than his
daughter!"
"There is no need to worry. We don't have to fear even if we made an enemy out of him and his fief! We
are not afraid of anyone!"
"That's right! Although the Genie Fief is powerful, there is no doubt that we are more powerful than
them. We're going to make them regret that they went against us!"
Several elders of the Ghost Fief immediately remarked with righteous indignation. They could not help
but feel furious that Adrian was being too haughty and rude.
On the other hand, Gilbert didn't really let out any expression and just asked the elders to leave
afterward.
Soon enough, Rocky and he were the only ones left there.
"So, did Adrian already give his reply?" Gilbert asked in an anxious tone.
"Based on his attitude earlier, I think he already gave one," Rocky answered vaguely and let out a
confident smile.
"What exactly do you mean?" Gilbert was baffled by Rocky's response. Obviously, he did not want to
assume anything, so he wanted a clear answer.
"I mean that it's time for you to prepare your part in this play. Excuse me, sir. I'll go on ahead," Rocky
still replied vaguely and eventually left.
After leaving the square, Rocky did not return to the Ghost Palace yet. Instead, he went to the guest
hall where Adrian and Gloria were still staying. Of course, he made sure that no one noticed him
coming there.
Upon arriving, Rocky saw that both Adrian and Gloria were already expecting him. They were sitting in
the hall and waiting for him.
"Are you sure that your leader won't suspect this betrayal of yours? What if he knew that you came
here without any apparent reason?" Gloria asked with a charming smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Don't worry. I'm not that careless to let anyone find out that I came here," Rocky answered
straightforwardly. Then, he returned a question, "Leader Adrian, isn't it time for you to formally give your
response to my proposal?"
"Yes, of course. I have already thought carefully about this. I will do what you want and join you,"
Adrian replied firmly. It was true that he had been quite hesitant at first. However, when he saw that
Rocky had been summoned by the gods for a second consecutive time, it became easier for him to
make up his mind. After all, being summoned by the gods twice in a row meant that Rocky was a real
talent and he was appreciated by the gods. Therefore, he thought that cooperating with him would be a
good deal for him and his entire fief.
"I see. I assure you that you have made the right choice!"
"Don't celebrate yet. I have a condition if we are going to make our alliance formal," Adrian suddenly
said, demanding something from Rocky.
"What is it, sir? I'll do it if it's within my ability."
"I want my daughter to stay by your side so that she can learn some medical skills from you. Can you
do that?" Adrian asked bluntly.
"Well…" Rocky was a bit taken aback upon hearing this. Of course, Rocky knew that Adrian would
want Gloria to stay and keep an eye on him. It didn't really come as a surprise.
"I heard that your master's skill in disguising is very unique in this world. I believe that it's not difficult for
you to achieve the same," Adrian quickly added and flattered Rocky. It was obvious that he would not
let the young man find an excuse to refuse him.
"It is not difficult to learn, so I know that Gloria will do just well. However, she is still a girl. I'm afraid that
it will not be convenient for her to live with me," Rocky argued.
"I don't think so. Besides, you are already engaged. I'm sure she won't mind."
"Of course, I won't mind! In fact, I am willing to sleep together with you in the same bed," Gloria
instantly said flirtatiously. Her voice was so alluring that it was enticing enough to make most men lose
their minds. Fortunately for Rocky, he was strong enough to render Gloria's enchantment skills
ineffective.
At the same time, he also knew that Adrian set this up on purpose so that Gloria could keep an eye on
him. This way, she could always check what he was up to, giving them the advantage. On the other
hand, Rocky did not really mind if Gloria stayed with him. If worse came to worst, he could easily get rid
of her.
"All right then." After thinking for a while and weighing the pros and cons, Rocky finally agreed.
"Then, it is settled. Our secret alliance is formed. I hope that you won't let me down!" Adrian had been
the leader of the Genie Fief for decades now. But for the first time in his life, he encountered a
promising Godly Genius that was heavily favored by the gods. Hence, even though it was risky, he was
willing to take it, knowing that its benefits to his fief could outweigh any disadvantages along the way.
"Yes, sir. I won't disappoint you!" Rocky answered with brimming confidence.
Of course, the secret alliance was only the first step in Rocky's meticulous plan. The next one would be
to make the other fiefs believe that the Ghost Fief and the Genie Fief had actually turned against each
other.
Therefore, early the next day, since Gilbert firmly insisted on refusing the proposal to marry Rocky and
Gloria, Adrian made a huge fuss in the leader's mansion.
However, as the leader of the Ghost Fief, Gilbert could not let Adrian do whatever he wanted. Hence, a
fierce fight broke out in front of everybody present there.
It was an astonishing sight to behold since it was a battle between two powerful Shura Realm masters.
But after several exchanges of blows, it appeared that the two were equally matched in strength, and
the battle would not go anywhere. Thus, eventually, they already stopped.
Before Adrian left the mansion, he threatened Gilbert once more, saying that he would regret making
an enemy out of the Genie Fief. Then, in a flash, he left together with his daughter.
At the same time, Elder Leticia and Valeria also witnessed all of this. The fight between the two leaders
was so convincing that they would never think that Rocky actually formed a secret alliance with Adrian,
let alone the fact that Gilbert also knew all about this when he fought Adrian.
Because of this incredible show, Rocky successfully completed the preliminary stage of his plan, which
was to deceive most of the people. Now, they would need to be patient and depend on the Genie Fief
to successfully win the favor of the Primitive Fief. If the Primitive Fief accepted the alliance with the
Genie Fief to go against the Ghost Fief, then all the requirements would be met.
However, from here on, it also meant that the difficult stage for Rocky would also begin.
It turned out that Gloria, who was seen by everyone to leave with her father, secretly returned to the
Ghost Palace. She disguised herself as a male apprentice pharmacist of Rocky so that she could stay
with him in the Ghost Palace and learn medical skills from him.
Since Esteban was currently not there, no one would really suspect her true identity.
In the next few days, Gloria took advantage of the situation and seduced Rocky every opportunity she
got. Unfortunately for her, Rocky rarely paid attention to her. Except for studying more medical skills, he
was busy cultivating his newly-gained power.
Eventually, half a month quickly passed.
Although the nine fiefs looked rather peaceful on the outside, a lot of changes were brewing from the
inside. In fact, Rocky got a piece of news from Adrian that right after the mission to deal with the Nether
Dragon King, the Primitive Fief had begun to negotiate with the other fiefs in order to ally with them.
However, most of the fiefs knew how powerful the Primitive Fief was. Hence, they feared that the
alliance would just benefit the latter more than themselves. Moreover, there was always a risk that they
would be betrayed after they had already achieved their goal. Therefore, even if the Primitive Fief had
put forth very tempting offers, no one was really interested.
On the other hand, Adrian did not take this opportunity to reach out to the Primitive Fief yet. Instead, he
decided to wait patiently for the most perfect time.
Another piece of news that caused a sensation was that after the mission to subdue the Nether Dragon
king, the Purgatory Fief and the Elite Fief had formally formed an alliance.
Then, just as the power structure of the nine fiefs began to gradually change, the gods announced the
new progress of the pillars of divine power.
However, there was really no specific information regarding the progress of each Godly Genius.
Instead, they only announced that as of this moment, the highest pillar of divine power had already
reached the height of three feet. Of course, there was no information that pointed out the Godly Genius
who possessed it.
Therefore, all sorts of rumors and suspicions arose in the nine fiefs.
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