Chapter 2186: Thalor City II

Dawson Family manor, later that day.

After parting from Arya, Orin, and the triplets, Grey, Reynolds, and Conor made their way across the quieter northern streets of Thalor City. The noise of the market faded behind them. In its place came the orderly silence of the Dawson Family grounds. High walls of pale stone rose ahead, marked with the family’s emblem. Guards in dark uniforms stood at the main gate and immediately stepped aside when they recognized Conor and Grey.

Inside the manor the air felt different. The courtyards were wide and carefully kept, with old trees casting long shadows across the stone paths. The main hall stood at the center of the complex, its heavy wooden doors already open. Conor led the way inside. The hall was cool and dimly lit by a few standing lamps. Dark wood pillars lined the sides, and a long table of polished stone occupied the middle of the room.

Conor sent a guard to inform their grandfather of Grey’s arrival. The man left hastily. Only a short time later hurried footsteps echoed from the inner corridor. The old man entered the hall with steady steps, his presence filling the space the moment he appeared.

His eyes locked onto Grey the instant he stepped through the doorway.

Grey, Reynolds, and Conor bowed in greeting.

The old man waved a hand casually and took the main seat at the head of the table. Only after he sat did the others take their places.

"Ninth stage," the old man said, clicking his tongue softly. "Impressive."

He had already seen the reports and knew Grey’s current cultivation, yet seeing it in person still left a trace of disbelief. His gaze shifted to Reynolds and widened slightly. He remembered the young man from an earlier visit and from the more recent reports. Grey’s cultivation speed was already considered unnatural yet Reynolds didn’t seem to be losing out by much. The old man fell silent for a moment, weighing the implications.

"How are things with your father?" he asked at last.

Grey gave a clear, measured account of the situation in the Azure Continent. He spoke of the expanding Gnome advances, the pressure on multiple regions, and the general state of the war as he had last seen it. The old man listened without interrupting, fingers resting lightly on the arm of his chair.

When Grey finished, he reached into his storage ring and brought out a small, sealed item.

"He also asked me to pass this to you."

The old man took it. The moment his spiritual sense touched the object, the voice transmission activated. His expression changed almost at once. Shock flashed through his eyes, followed by something heavier and more complicated. For several long seconds he sat completely still, the weight of the message visible in the set of his shoulders and the tight line of his mouth. A quiet, resigned sigh finally left his mouth. The item crumbled into fine dust in his palm and drifted to the floor.

Grey, Reynolds, and Conor saw the shift in his face, but none of them spoke. The old man offered no explanation, and they did not ask.

After a short time his expression returned to its usual calm. He looked at Grey again.

"You’ve been causing quite the storm this past month," he said. "It has given me no small amount of trouble."

He paused, then continued in a more practical tone. "I assume Conor already told you that several forces have come seeking your help in their regions."

Grey nodded. "He did."

"What do you intend to do?"

"I set out with a destination in mind," Grey answered evenly. "I don’t plan to take unnecessary detours. I’ll help the places I pass through, nothing more."

The old man studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Reasonable. I expected as much, which is why I turned the others away." His expression grew more serious. "However, as your grandfather, I still have to ask a favor of you."

Grey raised a brow. He already knew there would be no easy way out of this. With a quiet note of resignation he asked, "Where?"

"Two cities in the Archon Region." The old man raised two fingers.

"One," Grey replied without hesitation.

"They won’t release the payment if we only help one," the old man said, his voice firm but not unkind.

Grey opened his mouth to argue, but his grandfather continued before he could speak.

"I made this arrangement for the future of the family. Just do this for us."

From the side, Reynolds let out a quiet snicker. He still remembered the explosion that morning and the dust Grey had covered him in. Watching his friend get cornered by family obligations clearly improved his mood.

Grey sat in silence for a few seconds, weighing the request. The Archon Region was not far from one of the places he already intended to visit. Accepting the task would delay them by a week or two at most. In the end he gave a reluctant nod.

"Fine. However, I must warn you that I’m not certain I can replicate the same feats. Now that the Gnomes are aware I’m no longer in the Azure Continent, they’ll be more cautious and not use their puppets, especially the ones close to my last appearance, if they do not use their puppets, it’s impossible to replicate it." Grey made sure to let his grandfather know of this.

The old man thought for a while, "Hmmm, this will complicate things. Don’t worry, I’ll send one Peak Sovereign to assist you. As long as the Gnomes can’t use their puppets, we can take them out."

"Alright." Grey nodded.

He asked a few questions about the deal. The old man explained without embellishment. In return for Grey’s help, the Dawson Family would gain access to a restricted training ground that held a rare magical beast found only in that region. The site sat close to the Dawson Family’s borders. They had tried for years to obtain rights to it, without success.

As the explanation continued, Grey recalled the older history tied to the same force. That force had once competed with the Dawson Family over the rights to a small world the family had originally discovered. The pressure from that conflict was part of what had forced Lucas Dawson to return to the family years ago, leaving Grey and his mother behind in Red City. The memory settled quietly in the back of Grey’s mind as he listened.

The Archon Region itself was under heavy Gnome assault, comparable to what the Pyre Region had faced. The Dawson Family had already sent reinforcements and resources more than once to help the local forces hold on. Despite that assistance, the old man had not forgotten the earlier troubles this force had caused them. When their envoys first arrived asking for Grey’s help, he had refused them outright. Only after several days of thought had he decided to propose the current trade. To his mild surprise, the other side had accepted almost immediately.

Whether the wider war would end in victory or not, the old man believed it was still necessary to secure advantages for the generations that would come after. Grey understood the reasoning, even if he did not particularly enjoy being the one to carry it out.

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