Lia Clark was in a state of panic, desperately avoiding the gazes of those around her.
She seemed reluctant to face such a scene.
"Nathan! What have you done to Miss Lia?" a furious voice shouted from the crowd.
"Lia, are you alright? Why won't you speak?"
Several young clan members rushed forward, only to be stopped by the city guard.
Seeing this, Alex Clark pointed at his sister and said to Nathan, "The Sacred Emperor has already pardoned the Clark family's crimes. What guilt does Lia still bear?"
"I suspect Lia of conspiring with Wales to assassinate a court official. What do you say to that?" Nathan declared, firmly pinning the blame.
Hearing this, Alex Clark's expression darkened.
He wasn't particularly concerned about this sister of his.
Lia was just a baby girl adopted by their father, initially valued for her magical talent, and she had been obedient enough.
However, perhaps their father had been mistaken.
As she grew up, Lia didn't exhibit any outstanding magical talents.
There were several girls like her in the family, all potential candidates for arranged marriages.
But upon seeing Lia, with tears in the corners of her eyes, a weary expression, and a bruised arm, Alex slightly furrowed his brows.
Now, Lia's value had significantly diminished, and she would only bring shame to the family.
However, as the head of the family, there were things he couldn't voice publicly. Reluctantly, he said, "Name your price."
"Hand over Wales, and I'll let her go," Nathan demanded.
"That's impossible," Alex sneered. "If you're capable, catch Wales yourself. Using a girl as leverage, what does that make you?"
"Not talking, huh?" Nathan laughed heartily, then raised his voice. "Anyone who provides the whereabouts of Wales will secure Lia's release! I mean it!"
"I'll tell you!" Suddenly, a young clan member shouted, eagerly stepping out of the crowd. "Wales is at—Ah!"
A fiery blade suddenly struck from behind, hitting the clan member's back and instantly toppling him to the ground.
Immediately, two more clan members stepped forward to drag the fallen man away.
An elementalist of the second generation of the Clark family retracted his right hand that had unleashed the flame blade.
His sharp gaze swept over the family members.
"Who else wants to speak up? Come forward!"
For a moment, many fell silent, cold as cicadas, while others watched with detached indifference.
Seeing this, Nathan narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Fine, no one will speak? If I find Wales in this mansion, you'll all be considered accomplices!"
"What!"
"That's just bullying!"
"I'm gonna fight you..."
"Nathan, you scoundrel, using Miss Lia to threaten us, you deserve the deepest hell!"
Previously uncertain, the clan members, upon hearing Nathan's words, erupted in curses, all displaying a readiness to fight to the death.
Nathan watched as the Hostility Index on the panel skyrocketed, finally bursting the index bar.
With a flash of light, the progress reset to zero.
Simultaneously, a notification sounded.
[Ding! Host has gained a massive amount of hatred.]
[Ding! Host has successfully incited the anger of the Clark family members. Hostility Index +2000! Villainy Index +1000!]
[Reward: 1 Flame Blade Scroll, Flame Shield, Basic Level.]
[Villainy Index full, Reward: 1 Mirror Scroll.]
The system rewards were again credited!
This time, with the Villainy Index filled, an extra reward was given.
Without hesitation, Nathan pointed his finger and mentally commanded, "Learn Flame Shield!"
Instantly, a profound stream of knowledge about fire elements merged into his mind, connecting various pieces of elemental lore he had previously learned.
Gradually, an emblem resembling a ring of fire formed in his mind, floating gently in a void space, seemingly ready to be summoned as a shield at any moment.
So this is a magical shield.
Nathan recalled the descriptions from the magic books.
Flame Shield: Capable of creating an elemental shield to protect oneself or allies, effectively countering elemental attacks, and tripling movement speed.
How to deploy it effectively in combat would require further experimentation, but using it as a self-buff seemed straightforward.
It appeared that once a magical emblem was formed, it could be directly transformed into combat power.
With this magic, he now possessed a means of self-defense; at the very least, if he couldn't win a fight, he could escape.
Should he face another assassination attempt, he wouldn't be as vulnerable as before.
Nathan then glanced at the Flame Blade scroll.
It was a 4-tier magic spell: only a level 4 elementalist proficient in elemental shaping could unleash it.
The power of the Flame Blade was formidable, especially at close range, no slower than the battle blade of a warrior of the same level.
Finally, his gaze landed on the Mirror Scroll.
This was a level 3 arcane scroll.
Upon use, it created a mirror image of oneself at the original location, while the caster himself would vanish for thirty seconds, allowing them to escape unnoticed from danger.
Another life-saving ability. Now he felt more secure.
More Hostility Index points might be incoming, so he put away the system interface, noticing that the outside world's cries of scorn had somewhat subsided.
Seeing Lia still behind him, he cleared his throat and said, "Miss Lia, our agreement is now fulfilled. You are free and can leave whenever you wish."
Upon hearing this, Lia seemed not to have heard, her gaze fixed intently on Alex Clark.
It took her a second to react, and instead of approaching her family, she walked towards the exit of the mansion.
Seeing this, Alex Clark let out a cold laugh.
A few clan members thought to stop her but were halted by Alex Clark's stern look.
Nathan simply shrugged, indicating it was none of his concern.
He chuckled and paced back and forth, silently calculating the time.
Soon after, the armored guards and city guards who had gone to search for Wales gradually returned, encircling the Clark family once again.
Aaron hurried over to report, "My lord, we've searched the entire mansion, no sign of him!"
He then leaned closer to Nathan and whispered, "We've smashed almost everything that could be smashed. Any further instructions, my lord?"
Nathan nodded in approval, gently stroked the tiger-striped lion cat in his arms twice, and then set it down.
The tiger-striped lion cat landed and let out a meow, sniffed the air, glanced at Nathan, and then darted back into the mansion.
With a wave of his hand, Nathan signaled everyone to follow.
Immediately, a group of people followed the tiger-striped lion cat, running forward.
Many of the Clark family members were puzzled by Nathan's actions, but Alex Clark and the second-generation elementalist from the family's earlier encounter had already turned pale.
Alex whispered something to his men behind him, and immediately, two clan members hurriedly left the mansion.
...
In the palace, the banquet hall.
The long dining table was draped with expensive silk tablecloths, laden with an assortment of delicacies.
Crystal wine glasses were filled with fine grape wine from the Free Federation.
In a corner, a blind pianist played a melodious tune, adding a lazy ambiance to the banquet.
The Sacred Emperor, dressed in a dragon robe, sat beside the dining table.
He was a tall man in his forties, with a stern and naturally commanding presence.
The man sipped from his glass and then set down the wine cup.
"Would the Empress really hinder my plans for a mere castaway?"
Across from him, Milo Shulin chuckled.
Differing from her usual presence in the Magus Tower, she was dressed in a lively emerald green floral dress, appearing almost like a completely different person.
"Little brother, you are not aware of the unique significance this person holds for me. Cliff once prophesied for me, saying only a soul transcending this world can break the curse on me. And this person, he is the one I've been searching for!"
"Do you truly believe that curse can be lifted, sister? After all these years, you have tried countless methods, but what has been the result?" The Sacred Emperor shook his head, seemingly skeptical.
"This time is different, somehow, our world seems to have formed an unknown connection with other worlds, allowing beings to escape the constraints of their own and arrive in ours! You know of them, the so-called 'outsiders.' They may possess bodies like ours, but their souls are different," Milo explained.
"If you're talking about such individuals, I might have a few candidates that could interest you," said the Sacred Emperor, clapping twice.
A servant approached. "Bring those outsiders here."
"Over the past six months, I have also ventured out and found many such people. However, most are disabled or mad. On the rare occasion I find a lucid one, they are merely ordinary people. They are incapable of magical cultivation, let alone breaking my curse," Milo said, seemingly having anticipated this, and stood to leave.
Shortly, over ten people entered from outside, a mix of men, women, young, and old, all with ordinary human faces.
Milo gave them a cursory glance, seeing only ordinary people, and stood up to take her leave.
The Sacred Emperor stood up and followed her out.
"Ah, I see. You can take a look, and if they're not suitable, I'll continue searching for you, sister?"
"Giggle, let me know when you find someone good. And remember, you must spare the life of this one!" With that, Milo's figure disappeared around the corner of the hall.