*** The City of Shadows. The Kinson residence.
As soon as Bollands had left, Caspar tore the letter in his hand to shreds. "Unbelievable. He actually turned down the proposal!"
Beth and Camilla, standing beside him, were astonished. It was as if they did not believe that Han Shuo would even consider such an option. The way they saw it, once the House of Han and the House of Kinson were united, even the House of Sainte would have to think twice before going all out against them. The alliance of the two family clans would be of enormous benefit to both sides, with seemingly no downside.
Besides, Jiya was famous in the city for her beauty. Caspar did not expect Han Shuo to refuse to have that beauty delivered to his doorstep!
"What the hell is going on in his head?!" Beth was quite angry. She said hatefully, "Don't tell me that our House of Kinson isn't prestigious enough for him? Yes, it is true that the House of Han has been all the rage lately. But how long have they lived in the city? Are they capable of standing up to the House of Sainte all by themselves?"
"Camilla, inform the two patriarchs of the news. Tell them that the boy did not appreciate our kindness. There's nothing I can do about it and it's their turn to try something," Caspar instructed his sister Camilla with a dark face.
Camilla nodded and left quietly.
Soon the patriarchs of the other two main clans were informed of the news. The three patriarchs had been communicating in secret for some time. All three agreed that they could take advantage of the friction between the House of Han and the House of Sainte. They planned to probe the House of Saint through Han Shuo. What Caspar did was only the first step of a grand plan. But unexpectedly, it failed.
Kinloch of the House of Kisa and Laurel of the House of Buller replied that they would do nothing rash. They would wait and see what Wallace would do with the Fifth Corps.
The previous Fifth Corps had essentially collapsed with Avery's departure. All its responsibilities have been reassigned to other Diving Guard Corps. But currently, the Fifth Corps had recruited three hundred new Diving Guards. Together with the company that had won the competition, the Fifth Corps now had a total of four companies. They had regained functionality and the ability to fulfil their former responsibilities.
Logically, Wallace should have returned power and duties to the Fifth Corps by now. However, Wallace had been silent on the matter and showed no intention of returning their powers any time soon. The two Patriarchs wanted to continue to watch and see if there would be any conflict between the House of Sainte and the House of Han.
*** Back at the Kinson residence.
"What?!" cried Jiya, who had just been told the news by her mother, Beth. She shouted angrily, "Who told you to do this? Why didn't you ask me first?"
Caspar did not ask Jiya's opinion before sending the proposal to Han Shuo. When Jiya found out, she felt betrayed, especially when the cruel outcome wasn't what she wanted. Jiya was extremely angry.
"Half the city knows that you liked that boy. Your father did it for your own good!" Beth sighed and continued, "But we did not expect the boy to be so blind and foolish. To refuse to marry my beautiful darling because of those women he's brought from a low material plane, he won't achieve anything great with that little mind of his!"
"Enough! You will not make any more decisions for me!" cried Jiya angrily. She slammed the door and left.
*** The Han residence.
Emily, Phoebe and the other ladies were no longer nervous or unhappy. As they watched Han Shuo write a letter diplomatically refusing Caspar's proposal, they felt as if they were drinking ice-cold water on a hot summer's day. Their minds were relaxed and at ease.
Another group of Divine Guardians emerged from the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation. Each and every one of these energised Divine Guards was tested by Bollands. After the tests, Bollands was confident that the Divine Guards were fully capable of performing any task the city could throw at them. But what a pity that the House of Sainte had so far remained silent and had not given them any assignments.
Bollands went to Han Shuo and reported the situation, "All four companies of the Divine Guards have remained with the Fifth Corps, doing nothing but training and training because we have not been given a single task all this time. The districts that the Fifth Corps used to be in charge of were still divided between the First, Second and Third Corps' jurisdictions. There is no way for them to gain any real experience. With no mission and no real authority, we can't even leave the city for training. We can't go on like this any longer!"
After being brainwashed by Bollands, the Divine Guards who joined the Fifth Corps truly considered themselves part of the House of Han. They put the interests of the House of Han above all else. Unfortunately, the Fifth Corps had nothing to do but train in the same area of the city. They had long since become bored.
"I will look for Andre and hopefully he can do something about it. Andre hadn't been around for a long time. Wallace must have put a lot of pressure on him," Han Shuo thought for a moment and decided to visit the Sainte Residence. He knew that even if Wallace was suspicious of him, he could not delay the matter any longer.
"Senior, even if we can't get any privileges, please find a way for us to leave the city. If the companies can go to Fort Lasberg, I have ways to further temper and sharpen them!" said Bollands. He was aware that the House of Han and the House of Sainte weren't exactly on the best of terms.
"Got it!" Han Shuo nodded and he immediately went to the Sainte residence.
Even though Han Shuo had not entered the Sainte Residence for a year, the guards at the main entrance still recognised Han Shuo and greeted him politely. However, when they heard that he was looking for Andre, they seemed a little concerned. One of them replied, "My apologies. Lord Andre has been in cultivation since he returned from the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range, and he didn't want to meet anyone. He remained in seclusion even when the City Lord was looking for him. It seems that Lord Andre is on the verge of a major breakthrough!"
Han Shuo stared blankly for a moment after hearing these words. He realised that Andre must have disagreed with Wallace's actions, otherwise he wouldn't have refused to meet Wallace in this way. Han Shuo understood that it must be a difficult situation for Andre to be stuck between his family clan and his friend.
"Oh, I see. If Lord Andre used the time to cultivate, then I assume Carmelita did the same?" Han Shuo asked with a faint smile.
"That is correct. The City Lord has been pushing Lady Carmelita to cultivate ever since she returned from the mountain range. Like Lord Andre, she has not stepped out of her gymnasium since then," the divine guard replied hastily.
"Oh. Okay. Never mind then," Han Shuo had no intention of talking to Wallace. He did not enter the Saint Residence, but turned around and left.
On his way home, Han Shuo thought carefully about the situation. He thought that it might be a good idea for him to leave the City of Shadows for a while, since Wallace's target was him alone.
Han Shuo thought that what Wallace was really after was not the House of Han but himself. To truly suppress the House of Han, Wallace must first keep Han Shuo under control. Other members of the House of Han should be too weak to be on his radar at the moment. In other words, the members of his House of Han would be safer once he's gone, and Wallace wouldn't hurt them.
Upon returning to the Han residence, Han Shuo gathered Bollands, Sanguis, Gilbert, Stratholme, Ayermike and others and instructed, "Move all of our family clan's development to Fort Lasberg. Bollands, just ignore these rules. Make up some excuse and move all the divine guards of the Fifth Corps to Lasberg Fort. Leave only the Celestial Pearl in the city. Every member of our family clan will move to the fort."
"Bryan, are we leaving the City of Shadows?" asked Stratholme.
Han Shuo nodded and replied with a smile, "That's what I'm thinking, but I haven't decided yet. You will all stay in Fort Lasberg for now. Focus our growth on other cities or dominions. Make sure you do not have any conflicts with members of the big family clans.
Han Shuo then wrote three letters - one for Wallace, one for Erebus and one for Aobashi. He had his divine guards deliver the letters. The letters explained that he would be away from the city for some time.
The letter he wrote to Wallace was tactful in its wording. It hinted that he had no intention of taking over the City of Shadows, although Han Shuo was certain that Wallace wouldn't believe it. However, Han Shuo believed that if he was not in the City, even if Wallace were to actively suppress the House of Han, he wouldn't do anything too excessive.
In the letters he wrote to Erebus and Aobashi, he asked the two to look after the House of Han when possible. Given how close they were, Han Shuo was certain that the two will do him the favor. Besides, with Andre and Carmelita around, Han Shuo doubted that any family clans would harm the House of Han while he was away.
Always be careful wherever you venture. I will ensure the safety of the House of Han while you are away from the city. Han Shuo received the letter from Wallace after three days. He thought the letter had confirmed his suspicion that Wallace was only interested in him.
Han Shuo was finally at peace. After putting certain things in order in the City of Shadows, he travelled with Rose to Fort Lasberg without rest.
Upon arriving at Fort Lasberg, Han Shuo reconstructed the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation within the fort. He then used countless materials to construct four demonic formations in his mansion: the Shura Illusion Formation, the Heavenly Thunder Formation, the Omen Soul Gathering Formation, and the Five Toxins Mystical Yin Formation. They were arranged around the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation in the centre of the mansion.
The materials needed to build the four new demonic formations were purchased with the five hundred thousand Black Crystal Coins granted by Wallace. With the help of the Cauldron of the Myriad Demon , it took Han Shuo half a year to build the formations. Han Shuo was truly at ease after testing the power of the formations and explaining the method of using them to Bollands, Sanguis, Gilbert and others.
With the four formations, even if the House of Han were attacked, they would be able to withstand the attack for a long time. Any enemy who dares to invade will pay a heavy price for their recklessness. Even a Highgod who wasn't careful could lose his life to the formations.
With everything properly arranged, Phoebe and the others moved from the city to Fort Lasberg, and Wallace showing no intention of stopping them, Han Shuo finally left with Rose.
Their destination - the Fringe!