"Besides, as the grandfather of Dorian, you yourself should know how much this title as the city lord meant to him." Grey smiled as he spoke to the ancestor.

He shook when he heard what Grey said, because in the end, it was the truth.

If anything, these prominent families were a direct threat to the Hale family rather than Grey himself.

The ancestor's face was not so friendly as he stared at the others now.

Then, abruptly, the Frostpetal family head stood up from his seat with an enraged expression on his face.

His intent was obvious. He wanted to have a not so friendly chat with Grey.

"Since City Lord Grey knows about the consequences of trying to provoke or act against the families, you should simply do as we say." The family head was a stout middle-aged man, but his face was dripping with arrogance and disdain.

"You might be the city lord, but we, the families, are the ones that actually keep this entire province going. Without us, you are nothing."

"Oh?" Grey's smile widened when he heard this.

The Langford family head seeing this shook his head, and then there was the head of the Valestorm family.1

He appeared calm. In front of him was a bottle of water, and he glanced at it and calmly sipped from it.

He looked forward to how the city lord would deal with this situation.

"That is a very daring word, family head of Frostpetal." Werner, who had been silent until now, erupted with his aura. "I wonder if the family head of the Frostpetal family is willing to exchange a few moves with this old man."

"???" The family heads' expressions all turned ugly the instant they heard Werner's words.

"Count me in." Valeria chimed in with a charming smile.

True Heavenly Fire's aura erupted out from her. Instantly, the room was filled with immense pressure, and even the people who remained neutral were affected. All of them had ashen faces.

Valeria was enraged beyond words. These people thought they owned the world, and the Frostpetal head had no respect for Grey. He was outright threatening him.

If the family head spoke another word, he would be directly handled by her.

She wanted no one to look down on her brother Grey.

However, Grey simply remained in his seat with an amused expression.

He raised his arm, and immediately Valeria and Werner stopped whatever they were doing.

Seeing the pressure vanish, the Frostpetal family head wore an enraged expression as he shouted, "You dare use your powers on me?"

"You are done. Done, I say!" He shouted with a sneer. "Like you said, the media in the province is controlled by us. If we, the family heads, make a move, your reputation will be ruined!"

Orion, who was seated at the side, frowned heavily when he heard this.

He utterly despised the Frostpetal family head. The person sitting in front of them was the one who single handedly saved everyone in the province, including them. Only god knew what would have happened if someone like the city lord did not come to save them.

Yet here were the same people Grey saved trying to turn him into a slave dog and threatening him.

This was the first time he heard about the families' dealings himself. He knew not everyone was part of it, only some, but he was definitely aware of their influence. He did not expect it was this exaggerated.

The same city Grey protected was under such blatant corruption with people like the head of the Frostpetal family.

As a law enforcer, Orion could no longer stomach the injustice unfolding before him.

He knew the citizens would not willingly side with the major families, yet those families still held absolute control over the local media. With just a few carefully crafted headlines, they could twist any narrative they wanted.

How hard was it to distort the truth? Not at all. And once multiple voices repeated the same lie, the masses, ordinary citizens and evolvers alike, would accept it as fact.

If that happened, City Lord Grey would be finished before he even had the chance to defend himself.

This was also the reason why Dorian was afraid to act against them. As long as his title was not threatened, he would let them do as they pleased.

Orion then immediately stood up with an enraged expression as he stared at the Frostpetal family head, ready to defend Grey.

Grey naturally noticed this. A smile broke out on his face when he saw this.

There were good people in this province after all.

He swiftly sent Orion a telepathic message.

"Head Captain Orion, you do not need to step in right now," Grey spoke as he winked at him. "I have everything under control."

Grey had already foresaw this, and he was naturally prepared for whatever came next.

He might not put much effort into things aside from when it was about his own evolutionary path, but he still did his duties very clearly.

Hearing his words, Orion stared deeply at Grey and then sat back down at the same speed. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, not bothering to look at anyone anymore.

Since the city lord had spoken, then he must have something to keep everything under control.

"Family Head of Frostpetal. Are you going to publish the fact that you were attacked in the provincial meeting?" Grey tilted his head and asked with a smile.

"You think I would not?" The family head sneered. "You can count your days, City Lord Grey. Once the entire city turns against you, you might no longer be the city lord."

Grey nodded with a smile when he heard this. "Splendid. That is exactly what I wanted to hear."

Then, a cold smile crept onto his face. "Make sure you add in all the details that will happen in here as well."

A terrifying power erupted out of Grey. The psionic energy within his mind palace surged like a tidal wave, and immediately, the Frostpetal family head froze as his facial expression turned ugly.

His blood went cold as a chilling sensation crept across his spine, and immediately after, a crushing sensation completely enveloped him.

It was not just him.

Everyone in the room, except Orion, felt it.

A terrifying pressure descended onto them.

Their natural instincts screamed at them: 'Do not move!'

If they moved, they would most definitely die here.

Crack.

"Arghhhh!" A shriek escaped the Frostpetal family head's mouth as his arms began to distort and turn disfigured.

The Valestorm Family was supposed to appear in the previous chapters, but due to uploading the wrong version, their introduction didn't show up. They originate from Ironveil City. Sorry for the error.

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