"Please calm down." Grey appeared beside the federation expert who looked like an enraged beast. True Martial Energy, a higher-quality evolution of True Energy, swirled around Fedrick like a violent storm hungry to tear everything apart.

Grey narrowed his eyes. Despite the overwhelming aura, he could still ascertain that this man remained at the Pseudo Rank.

Even so, 3rd Rank was still 3rd Rank. The gap between a Pseudo Rank expert and a peak 2nd Rank at the 12th level was not something one could casually cross.

If Grey had the Burst Force Talisman, he was confident he could match the guy blow for blow.Not to mention the slight saintification his physique had undergone, which boosted his physical strength more than he initially realized. And above all, he still had Nexus Overclock.

Speaking of Nexus Overclock… once he broke through to the 3rd Rank and fully transferred his power and existence into his core, he would be able to draw out far more power from the technique. At that stage, an upgrade would be inevitable. Grey could already envision the path forward. The thought alone filled him with anticipation.

His musings ended the moment the federation expert opened his mouth.

"Are you the City Lord?" Fedrick asked coldly.

"That is indeed the case." Grey replied while sending a pulse through his nexus link to Lia.[Grey: You should've seen the commotion by now. Send Little Hong over.]

Her reply came instantly.

[Lia: Yes… Brother Grey, should we unleash the infernals too?]

[Grey: We'll see about that.]

Little Hong alone was enough. She was the closest combat force capable of matching the furious expert before him.

Fedrick's gaze hardened as it returned to Grey.

"You… what is the meaning of this barrier?"He stepped forward, True Martial Energy trembling around him. "Did you receive permission from the Federation to erect something of this scale? Who gave you the right to make decisions on this level?"His eyes narrowed with scorn. "Do you think a mere City Lord can act independently? The Federation funds your operations, supplies your resources, and grants you your position. Without their approval, you have no right to decide what should or should not be done."

"..." Grey was caught between laughter and tears when he heard this.Buddy, just because your AV got destroyed, you do not have to take it out on me…

But in a sense, what the guy said was true. Permission from the Federation was technically required, yet no one in the southern region bothered with that because the Federation never replied in the first place. And now this fellow came lecturing about rules.

Fedrick looked around him. Even at this close distance, he didn't see any signs of massive destruction across Ashspire City. Earlier, he assumed that was because he had viewed it from afar, but now, even up close, he saw no remnants of high order activity, corruption energy, or abyssal residue.

Of course, what he did not know was that Ashspire City had suffered the least damage among the four cities. Eliminating the chicken array in one swift strike wiped out both the high order presence and the corruption fields.

Fedrick's tone dropped to a low, dangerous register. "So tell me, City Lord, was this invasion a lie? A fabricated excuse to justify your unauthorized actions? Do you understand the severity of deceiving the Federation? This is grounds for immediate disciplinary seizure under Federal Combat Protocol Seventeen."

Grey merely shrugged, as if Fedrick's accusation weighed less than dust. "I took care of the high order."

He kept his reply curt. He had no interest in wasting breath on this federation man. The only reason he even bothered responding was the fact that the other party was an Inner Core Realm expert.

A direct conflict would be troublesome, and accommodating this man within his province was the last thing Grey wanted.

It was painfully obvious that the fellow looked down on everyone here. Grey, in turn, also looked down on the Federation.

A bunch of incompetent bums. They failed to arrive in time to handle the high order threat, and now that they were inconvenienced, this guy suddenly wanted to preach rules like sacred commandments.

They were worse than dogs.

Fedrick froze for a heartbeat before letting out a cold, derisive laugh. "Just you? A mere regional city lord handling a high order threat? Do you take me for a fool?"

Hostility flared in his eyes. "You are lying. You must have deceived Eterna. And lying during a regional-level alert makes you a criminal in the eyes of the Federation."

Grey responded calmly. "I can show you the recordings if you want."

"What recording?" Fedrick's voice was icy. "It must be fake. Prepare to be apprehended, criminal."

Grey sighed.

He knew it would escalate to this. There was no point wasting time.

Yes, he erected the barrier without permission, but the high order situation was clearly a misunderstanding that could have been settled… if the other guy used his brain.

But in the end, a pride-struck man is deaf to reason.

Fortunately, a familiar aura approached.

Grey turned his head.

"Grey!" Little Hong shot across the sky with immense speed.

"Come here, Little Hong." For once, Grey was relieved to see his daughter.

"Huh?" Fedrick's expression stiffened the moment he saw her.

"S-She's flying?" His voice cracked. "How is that possible?"

Normally, one awakened at the age of seventeen when their elixir field matured. Early awakenings existed, but only among prominent families, and this child looked barely ten or eleven.

Even with miraculous resources to speed the formation of the elixir field, it should not be possible for a girl this young to become an evolver. What was even more absurd… she was flying.

Fedrick extended his senses toward her and his expression went blank.

2nd Rank, 12th level.

12th level!

"Y…You what?" Fedrick stumbled backward, disbelief plastered across his face. "How is this possible? How can a little girl like her be a 2nd Rank?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.