After the meeting, everyone dispersed. Grey, Werner, and Valeria walked down the Azrael Corporation headquarters.

The ancestor of Hale family he came here to seek heavy compensation left with his head held low.

He wanted to accompany Dorian for some time, he understood how much suffering he could underwent for the sake of their family and city. He also mentioned to Grey, that the city lord mansion has already been cleaned out.

He could move there immediately if he wanted to.

On the way, Orion came forward and discussed some details with them before leaving.

"We need to strengthen the formation." Grey stretched his body lazily as he spoke to Werner.

"Preparations have already been made, Master Grey."

Werner had already arranged everything prior to the meeting. All he had to do was make one phone call, and now the formation association in Ashspire City was on standby.

"Should we call the formation associations in other cities too?" Werner inquired. "Master, considering we are going to deploy a large scale array, the more manpower we have, the better."

Forget the four cities, Werner was a respected formation master in the entirety of the southern region. People would come flying to help him over one phone call.

"That will not be necessary." Grey gave it a thought and shook his head. "The only reason I need people is for them to place the formation correctly. I can create the formation by myself."

It might seem like a huge task for others. For Grey, it was nothing.

He was the creator of the eliminate the chicken array after all.

"Hey Brother Grey." After the small discussion, Valeria called out from behind.

Grey immediately turned toward her.

"What is it, my lady?" Grey asked with a smile. "Would you like to sit on my lap now? There is only Werner here, you can do as you please."

While Grey's words were provocative, he did not really mean them. He was just paying back Valeria for all the teasing she had done to him.

However, who was Valeria?

Instead of feeling flustered and shy, she would proudly sit on his lap without a thought.

Unfortunately, there were no chairs nearby.

"You are so bad~" Valeria closed the distance between them, her fingers pressing softly against Grey's chest. "Saying such shameless things to an innocent girl like me… what if no one dares to marry me after this?"

Her lips curved upward, clearly not bothered at all.

"I'm sure there will be a queue in front of the Azrael Corporation by tomorrow if you announced that you are interested in entering a relationship. Perhaps even the people from the floating cities would come down for you."

"Hm... I don't want to marry just anyone." Valeria giggled beautifully. The way she looked right now could capture anyone's attention.

Grey raised an eyebrow hearing her.

"Oh? Then who would Miss Valeria want as your suitor?"

He already knew Valeria wouldn't marry just anyone. Who was she? Someone born with a heavenly fire, and, most probably from a prominent family in the floating cities, which may or may not be related to Brandon Everhart, the man who sealed the Starcrest Continent.

Speaking of that, he believed that before leaving, he should casually mention it to her and see if he could gain any reaction.

But before that, he was curious about her answer regarding her marriage.

Valeria did not answer immediately. Instead, she took a single graceful step forward… then another.

Her movements were light, almost soundless, yet each one closed the distance between them with deliberate intent. A sweet smile blossomed on her lips, the kind that could make even a seasoned cultivator forget to breathe. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze brushing over Grey's face before settling on his eyes.

"I want someone reliable," she said softly, her voice warm enough to melt frost. "Someone I can share my secrets with without fear."

She stopped right in front of him, so close he could feel the faint warmth radiating from her body, the gentle fragrance of her perfume intertwining faintly with the air.

"Someone I can trust my life with," she continued, her fingers brushing against her collarbone as if tracing a promise only she understood. "Someone who will care for me, hold me when I am tired, someone who will be there for me when I am down. That person should be capable of brightening my day, and finally someone who will hug me to sleep."

Her eyes, bright like smoldering embers, lifted and locked onto his.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to quiet itself, as though entirety of Blue Star itself was holding its breath to hear her next words.

Then, with a small pause, she leaned in slightly, close enough that her whisper felt like a caress.

"In short," she breathed, "I want someone like you."

Grey blinked.

Of all the answers he expected, that one was nowhere on the list.

A slow smile tugged at his lips as he straightened, looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity.

"Someone like me?" he repeated. "My Miss Valeria, you do realize that is an extremely dangerous standard to set. I am barely qualified to take care of myself on most days."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Reliable? Reasonable, sure. Share secrets? Maybe. Brightening your day, I do not know about that." His brow arched. "As for hugging you to sleep. That sounds like a full time job. Do I at least get employee benefits?"

Valeria giggled hearing this.

"I was just joking," Valeria said with a smile. "I do not plan on getting married any time soon."

Grey merely shrugged hearing this. "Well, you just turned twenty one, there is still time to get married."

"True..." Valeria's voice trailed off as if thinking of something, but it was unnoticed by Grey.

Then, Grey waved his hand and the portal to the secret realm appeared. Since they were going to talk about Brandon, he did not want Eterna to find out about that.

She would definitely ask him where he learned the name from if he discussed it here.

"Miss Valeria, come to the secret realm with me. I have something to show you." Grey said with a smile.

However, just as quickly, he connected to her telepathically.

"Miss Valeria, I have something to speak to you. It is very private, and saying it here might cause Eterna to notice."

Valeria, as a CEO of a large company, quickly understood the situation. Instead of showing it on her face, she smiled brightly.

"What is it, Brother Grey~" Valeria asked with a small blush. "Are you going to do something indecent to an innocent maiden like me?"

"No." Grey said with twitching lips.

This woman, she should really stop saying things like this!

He was a young man too.!

There was a limit to how much he could control himself!

Sighing, he entered the secret realm, and Valeria followed behind with a sweet smile.

The portal was left open at the place where he last had a conversation with Lia, hence, he swiftly made Valeria enter and started.

"Miss Valeria, I am aware that you are from the floating cities. As for the family, I believe it should be the Everhart family, right?"

"Yes?" Valeria tilted her head, confused. "Why do you ask, Brother Grey?"

"Do you know Brandon Everhart?" Grey asked in a slightly serious tone.

"Brandon Everhart...?" Valeria's expression stiffened when she heard the name. "This..."

Seeing this, Grey immediately understood.

She knew about him.

That was what he wanted to know.

That meant Valeria was from the same family as him.

"Brother Grey..." Valeria had a slightly serious expression on her face. "Where did you learn his name from?"

"Only a handful of people know my ancestor's name," Valeria said in a low voice.

She was stunned beyond words.

How did Grey, who had never even stepped foot into the floating cities, become aware of him?

"I will tell you later." Grey shook his head. "But before that, tell me, how much do you know about him?"

To this, Valeria shook her head. "I know nothing of my ancestor. I only know that he is our ancestor and that he disappeared several hundred years ago. The only reason I know about him is because I found a single record while browsing the library in my family."

Then, as if remembering something, she spoke. "There was also something related to a seal. Yes, a seal. The record I found was incomplete since it was worn down by the passage of time. Only his name and something about a seal were mentioned."

"But when I told my grandfather about it, he reprimanded me and said to never reveal anything about him to anyone. Not even my own mother. I never talked about it again." She paused. "Until now."

"Now, Brother Grey. Please tell me, how did you learn about his name?" Valeria stared deeply at Grey.

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