With a bright flash of milky gold, Seth’s frame appeared within the safe residence, this time alone.
Pounding softly on the side of his neck in an attempt to banish a lingering dull ache, he reached for the door and opened it.
The safe residence area was just a bunch of small buildings aligned in arranged clusters, and Seth and crew just happened to rent a residence at the forefront of the cluster.
Which made exiting the residence area very easy, but Seth noticed something off as he walked down the streets.
His gaze narrowed and his ears twitched as hushed whispers from the surroundings evolved. Most avoided eye contact, but when he walked past he could clearly feel them gazing his way.
Figures of evolvers in his path went stiff when they caught a glimpse of him and swiftly made way.
Seth raised his brows in realization. It seems word of our clash with the Treants yesterday has spread.
According to Malgo, the Treants basically took over the entire settlement, and all prestigious powers in the settlement couldn’t resist. It was said the city lord himself was even brought to his knees.
Seeing things from this light, the reaction of the Greenfold settlement evolvers before him made sense.
Since Seth and the others got rid of the Treants, the fear and respect directed at the green-haired bastards were naturally projected onto Seth’s crew.
His eyes flashed as he thought of something. A faint smile broke on his lips. If we could use this to our advantage, the human race evolvers I brought here would benefit from this influence!
Right now, if he could guess, those guys were most likely scattered across the dense wild foliage of the Savage Oasis. But he didn’t have to worry much — they would be getting the beginners quest that would set them on the direct path to the Greenfold settlement.
And this time he was more confident in his control. Plus, the power gulf was so large that the incident that occurred with Brandon being displaced would definitely not repeat itself.
Thinking to this point, he concluded, "It seems I would have to speak with the Settlement Lord before I make further plans."
It was at this moment three figures approached him. Glancing at them, his eyes flashed with recognition.
The Rangols... these were the first alien evolvers he ever made contact with in the Origin Realm, the three who escorted him to the settlement.
The three Rangols arrived before him, glancing at him with awkward expressions.
Seth smiled. He could understand their plight. Last they saw him, he was a novice and they were experts of the advanced stage of the Awakened Rank.
Seeing him now, they must have heard about the defeat of the Treants. They probably didn’t know how to interact with him anymore.
Smiling at them, Seth was the first to speak, breaking the ice. "What’s up with you guys? You see an old acquaintance and you’re hesitant to say hello?"
The three glanced at each other, still wearing awkward smiles. The female Rangol replied, "It’s not like that. You see, your status has actually changed and you are a big shot. We don’t know how to address you."
Seth examined the three silently. He could feel the reverence in the Rangol’s voice as she spoke, and he could detect the subtle light of fear in their eyes as they stared at him.
Sigh...
It seemed getting them to speak to him casually was impossible. They could never see him the same.
And this went to show the reality of the realm he was in: power was everything, and those below would forever be reverent of those above them.
He sighed again. Seeing things like this, it was obvious these three would never have approached him of their own volition. They were most likely messengers.
Sensing their discomfort, Seth, out of respect, decided not to push it. It wasn’t like they were that close anyway. "Okay, I understand. Why did you guys come seek me out today?"
The female Rangol flinched at the question. Using her hand to rearrange some stray locks behind her ears, she spoke, her tone rich with nervousness. "A-actually we were sent here by the city lord to invite you for a banquet he plans to host in you and your team’s honor."
Immediately after she finished saying this, unable to meet his gaze, she continued, "We tried to explain that we didn’t want to disturb you, plus we didn’t know your—"
She was interrupted by Seth. "No need for the explanation, Reva. I understand. Lead the way."
Hearing Seth’s assuring words, the three visibly heaved a sigh of relief, their nervous demeanour settling a bit.
Quickly they proceeded to lead Seth towards a nearby teleportation hub.
Using mounts to travel within settlements was banned, so in its place teleportation hubs were set up in various locations within the settlement to provide convenience.
The three arrived. Seth was about to fish out his essence crystals for payment when the short, stalwart foreign race evolver manning the hub hurriedly waved his hands with a fearful expression.
"I don’t dare, esteemed sir. You may board for free."
Setting a connection to the teleportation hub located at the Settlement Lord’s residence, which was Seth’s destination, the little evolver bowed in wait for Seth.
Seth let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. He could only join the Rangols above the platform elevation of the teleportation hub.
Staring at the bowing evolver and the others in the distance that stared at him with a mix of fear and reverence...
I guess I have to get used to this... With a warping flash, he and the three escorts vanished.
It was only at this moment that the little evolver straightened his back. Staring at the platform with lingering fear, he composed himself, wiping beads of nervous sweat off his slimy face.
Turning to the other evolvers, he barked, "Alright, now reform the line."
Obeying his words, they quickly formed a single file, ready for batch transportation. Seth didn’t know it, but once they saw him heading this way, the evolvers had dispersed. They weren’t passersby but figures who had places to be.
Somewhere urgent, others casual, but before such a figure they didn’t dare cause an inconvenience.
Though Seth was right — the Origin Realm did follow the law of the jungle — he still failed to understand how deeply ingrained the fear of the strong was imprinted in the psyche of the weak.
Especially when the powerful figure wasn’t from your race. The weak had to be extra careful. Some might be eaten alive, some might be squashed to death for fun.
One thing was for certain: as much as a paradise the Origin Realm might seem, it could be a nightmare to the weak.