Mane, Lam and Lily were led into the mansion of the City Lord. They bypassed several rooms, and each hall they were led through was its own. None of the halls were of the same design, or even had similar decorations. Each hall was masterfully designed into masterpieces and each carving and decoration was unique with no other replica. Mane and the twins couldn't help but marvel at how novel and beautiful each hall was. Mane was the most affected of them all. That was because he thought that he had seen all there was to see since his parents were extremely wealthy themselves. But he had been humbled by the several different artful pieces placed nonchalantly in each hall. He didn't know what most of the carvings were made of, but with his senses he could tell that they were dense and precious materials.
They followed behind the leading guard quietly, not speaking a word – only observing and admiring the mansion which was several times more glorious on the inside than it was on the outside. Soon the trio were led to a large hall which was grander and prettier than all the others they had passed through so far. The furniture were beautiful, and were made of several precious ores and the hides of Middle Class Magical Beasts!
The guard asked Mane and the twins to take their seats before leaving to call a servant who asked them if they were comfortable or wanted anything. They all politely refused. Mane couldn't help but applaud the brilliance of the servant. This person wanted the three to take off their masks for security reasons, so she thought of a smart scheme to make that happen. If Mane, Lam or Lily had agreed, they would have had to take off the masks to take whatever was brought – even if it was water. As long as one of them said 'yes', that would be it. The others could easily be traced through contact tracing. Unfortunately for her, Lily, Lam and Mane weren't easy pickings. They might be young, but they were no fools. There was no way they would fall for such a rudimentary scheme.
Normally a servant wouldn't be so bold as to be shrewd around guests. But this was the mansion of the City Lord. Everyone here was a talent worthy of being nurtured. Their intelligence and skill was off the chart. For instance, the 'servant' that had asked them if they were comfortable was a Thrasher! This woman didn't look older than 35, yet she had such strength. Anywhere else in the city she would be treated with respect. But she could only be a mere servant in the City Lord's mansion. Although Mane suspected that she wasn't just an ordinary servant.
The servant bowed politely and sought permission to take her leave. Mane and the twins were more than happy to let her go. Once the servant left, Mane used Lock-On to convey some information to the twins.
"There are three people watching us. Can you feel their presence? You can talk. Your voices would only be heard by me." Mane assured the twins that Lock-On was a two way communication skill and set their mind at ease.
"I could feel the presence of only one of them," Lam confessed.
"Me too," Lily was the same.
"It's already amazing that you could sense the presence of one of them. All three are extremely skilled at concealing themselves, and are likely assassins. I'm sure that they are here to make sure we aren't a threat. If we give them a reason to suspect that we are threats when the City Lord arrives, they wouldn't hesitate to kill us!"
Mane wasn't surprised that there were people keeping an eye on him. On Zandor, he had the privilege of meeting Abe's father on a few occasions. On those occasions when he visited the palace, he could always feel the eyes of a few concealed guards tailing him. It was a precaution that every ruler took. They had people who were outside their direct control and had the free will to make split second decisions as long as they thought those decisions were best for the monarchy.
"Where are the others? I can only sense the one hidden in the wall to my right." Lam said.
"There is one to my left. He is hidden behind that ornamental partition." Lily replied, giving away the position of the person she could sense.
"The last person is on the ceiling. Or rather I hope that he is the last person since anyone who can evade my senses would be beyond our current level." Mane gave away the position of the last person he could sense. He was impressed that the twins had managed to sniff out two of them though. He suddenly felt that he could push Lily's Scholar training a bit forward. He was waiting for her to grow a bit more accustomed to inner energy before inaugurating her into the Path of Scholars. However, it seemed that she had the talent to skip a few grades.
The three kept speaking through Lock-On. That was until Mane felt a new presence approaching. In fact, Lam and Lily felt it as well. After all, the person coming was weaker than them, so they could easily sense this person. They ruled out the City Lord since he wasn't that weak. This person didn't even have the ability to conceal her aura. The day Mane met the man, he could sense the aura of a Peak Level Predator from him. Although he suspected it anyway from the Record Stone Images, he realised that the City Lord was even stronger than Rusty when they met! As for this person coming, Mane could feel her aura most clearly – clearest than Lam and Lily. It was someone they had met on the day they met the City Lord.
"It seems that the servant ratted us out to her Mistress," Mane smiled bitterly and told the twins. The two nodded their heads in understanding. Mane and Lam had presented their suspicions to Lily once they returned from the Grand Tourney, and Mane didn't hide his suspicions of the Orange Team's assault on the City Lord's mansion from them either. So they knew everything that he did. It seemed that Mane's hunch was right. The servant was really not a simple one. After all, which servant could easily seek audience with her Mistress?
"Hello Miss Mira," Mane and the twins stood up and bowed slightly to the person who had arrived. The twins were trained in proper etiquette by the grandfather, and Mane had learned from Uncle Jake how to treat others respectfully. So even though their faces were covered, the respect in their voices wasn't.
Standing at the entrance to the hall was a beautiful young woman with lovely features. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders and unto her back. Her neck was adorned with an expensive diamond necklace, and her ears were decorated with the same mineral. Her delicate curves were soul stirring, and anyone who saw her would find it difficult to harm even a strand of the hair on her head. She was a beautiful woman, and very few could match her beauty. However, right now neither Mane nor the twins could admire her beautiful visage. For her face was red and her formerly delicate eyes were filled with anger.
"What are you doing here?" Mira asked coldly. Her gaze was filled with the wrath of one who had almost lost something dear to her. She didn't even bother to exchange pleasantries and didn't bother to hide her billowing hostility.
"We are here to see the City Lord, Miss Mira," Mane smiled bitterly underneath the mask, and so did Lam and Lily. Since Mane had told them about his suspicions, they weren't left in the dark concerning Mira's cold behavior towards them. They knew that if they were in her shoes, they would have likely considered themselves enemies as well. Maybe they wouldn't have been so civil either, for they may have done something far worse like to attack on the spot or aim to kill. Thy admired her for her self-control.
"My father would not meet the likes of you," Mira stated coldly. Since the trio had been invited inside, it was obvious that her father had agreed to meet with them. But she didn't want him to. She didn't want her father talking to people who were – in her books – responsible for his injuries only a few days ago.
Mane didn't reply, and that was because he didn't need to. He could already feel the presence of two individuals headed this way. One of the auras undoubtedly belonged to the City Lord. The other, he wasn't familiar with. All he could deduce from it was that it belonged to a woman.
"I know you are angry Mira, and that you don't want to see them. To be honest, so am I. But I wish to hear them out. After all, if not for the blood of the Apex Monkeys, I would have lost my life that day." The voice of the City Lord traveled to the ears of Mane, Lam, Lily and Mira who were in a faceoff. The handsome Lord of Asher City finally made his appearance. At his side was a woman who Mane recognized from the images he had seen that day in Ivor's Shop – the images from the Record Stone. She was the wife of the City Lord.
"We greet the Lord and Madam of Asher City," Mane and the twins bowed a little more deeply than they did when they greeted Mira, and conveyed their greetings in synchronized unity. The gaze of Mira softened a little seeing how much respect they were giving to her father.
"Let's hear them out Mira," the beautiful woman stated with a smile.
"But Mom, what they did was unforgivable!" Mira argued in a very childlike tone. Mane, Lily and Lam looked at her strangely. How was this the same person who had been so fierce with them earlier? Feeling their gazes on her, Mira blushed slightly.
"We don't know that for sure yet," the City Lord stated and moved to stand right in front of Mane and the twins.
"We haven't been properly introduced yet," Mane stated and took off his mask. The twins did the same. The eyes of the City Lord's wife lit up at this small gesture, and her smile grew a tad wider.
"I am Mane."
"Lam"
"Lily"
"We are pleased to make your acquaintance, City Lord."
"You have finally told me your names," the City Lord smiled and said. He was a bit surprised that they hadn't given him their titles but their actual names, and that improved his impression of them. How was he supposed to know that neither Mane nor Lam nor Lily had any titles? Lam and Lily had no strength until recently, so they didn't have titles. And Mane was someone who had only joined this world a few months ago, so he also didn't have a title. But the revelation of their names had more of an impact than they anticipated. After all, to reveal their names instead of their titles was basically them saying that they were willing to put their trust in the City Lord and his family. Even Mira's discontented look eased greatly when they did this. The City Lord turned to his wife who nodded her head. Then he smiled and said,
"Since you have revealed your names, it is only fair that I reveal mine. I am Sutton, the Lord of this great city. This is my wife, Anna. You already know our daughter, Mira. Now let's sit and get our differences sorted out."