Hearing Madman’s words, Jared felt a little embarrassed. He hadn’t realized how different things were in the celestial realm.
In the mundane world, a gift could smooth over nearly anything. Refusing one was practically unheard of.
“All right, all right, if you don’t want it, fine. No need to blow up over it…” Jared tucked the celestial coins away.
“Talk! Who are you people? One more lie, and I won’t hold back,” the captain barked.
Around them, the soldiers’ auras shifted, each one unsheathing weapons, ready for a fight. The air was thick with murderous intent.
Jared and his companions suddenly found themselves the focus of hostile stares. One wrong word and they’d be torn apart.
Feeling the rising threat, both Madman and Eason tensed up, their auras surging in preparation. Bastian was visibly shaken, his face pale as clung tightly behind Madman.
Oddly enough, Jared wasn’t panicking. If they were still being questioned, it meant their identities hadn’t been exposed yet. If word had already reached this city, the soldiers would’ve acted without hesitation. They still had a chance. If worst came to worst, they’d just skip this city altogether.
He glanced around. Soldiers had them completely boxed in. Every one of them was alert and ready to strike.
The squad captain was watching Jared closely, face like stone.
“It’s a misunderstanding. Just hear me out…” Jared spoke quickly, trying to reason with the captain while simultaneously scratching something into the ground with his foot, so subtly that no one noticed.
“Talk! Who are you?!” the captain demanded again, his tone frigid.
“All right, truth is, we’re not from Winged Tiger City. We just heard the place was thriving and figured we’d move here.”
Jared was grasping at straws, hoping to stall with half-truths.
“You expect me to believe that? If you’re going to move to Winged Tiger City, you could’ve just stayed in the main city. What were you doing up in the mountains?”
“Of course, we wanted to check out the main city, but come on, look at us. We’ve even got a kid with us. No way Lord Jovan would’ve accepted us. So we thought we’d settle in some quiet little town, take on local identities, and keep a low profile…”
“That way, we wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention. We found out about this Winged Tiger City territory up in the mountains, and figured we’d find shelter here,” Jared explained.
It was all fabricated, of course, just a ruse to buy time. Meanwhile, Jared kept drawing on the ground, carving a strange rune little by little.
“You take me for a fool? You really think I’ll fall for such crap?” The captain was seething now.
With a sweep of his arm, shouted, “Men, seize them! Let the city lord question them himself!”
The moment the command left his lips, the surrounding soldiers burst into action.
Seeing how things were spiraling, Jared gave a subtle signal to Madman and Eason.
If it came down to it, they’d have to fight. They couldn’t afford to be dragged in front of Jovan. That would mean certain exposure.
But before the soldiers could strike, an overwhelming and authoritative aura rolled in from within the city. Then, from the inner streets, a colossal tiger strolled out calmly.
Atop it sat a young man dressed in grey. He was strikingly handsome, with a commanding presence, and his eyes looked like they didn’t care about anyone or anything.
The moment appeared, all the soldiers dropped to one knee in reverence.
“Greetings, Prince Thorley…” The captain lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact.
“What‘s going on? Why is the gate in chaos?” the young man asked coolly.
“A few outsiders, not from Winged Tiger City, tried to force their way in. I was just about to take them to the city lord for questioning!” the captain explained.
The young man’s eyes flicked toward Jared.
Jared looked back calmly, though noticed the young man’s expression tighten.
