"Miss Aidele?" The middle-aged warlock’s voice was gentle and magnetic.
"You’ve returned? Why didn’t you let us know ahead of time? Master Edmund would have arranged for someone to pick you up."
Aidele stopped and looked at him, her face expressionless.
"Steward Rodney, my older brother is busy with his affairs. I wouldn’t dare disturb him."
Rodney was one of her older brother Edmund’s most capable confidants, managing a portion of the clan’s internal affairs and resource allocation.
Gentle and refined on the surface, he was, in reality, a deeply calculating and ruthless man.
Rodney smiled, his gaze naturally falling upon Ian, lingering for a moment on the temporary Honored Guest Elder badge on his chest.
"And this is..."
"My Honored Guest Elder, Ian Marcus," Aidele said, her voice calm.
"Oh?" Rodney’s smile grew even gentler. He gave Ian a slight nod.
"Welcome to the Justice Clan, Wizard Marcus. I am Rodney, steward to Master Edmund. If you need any help within the clan in the future, you can come find me."
His words were polite, but Ian didn’t believe a word of it.
He glanced at the man, nodded, and said nothing.
Rodney didn’t seem to mind and turned back to Aidele.
"Miss Aidele, you’ve only just returned, so there’s much you’re not familiar with. The accommodations on Golden Statue Tree Street... they’re a bit spartan, wouldn’t you say? Shall I have someone arrange a new place for you? Master Edmund is very concerned about you."
"That won’t be necessary." Aidele’s refusal was curt and final.
"It was my mother’s place. I’m used to it."
The smile on Rodney’s face faded slightly, but his tone remained gentle.
"Very well. However... with the selection imminent, the choice of Honored Guest Elder is of the utmost importance. You should be more prudent, Aidele. After all... the clan’s Elders have very discerning tastes."
He spoke euphemistically, but his meaning was clear.
This Level Two Wizard she found on some backwater island was probably worse than trash in the Elders’ eyes.
From the clusters of people watching around the hall, suppressed snickers could be heard.
Aidele’s fingertips dug into her palm, but her face remained expressionless.
"You needn’t concern yourself."
After speaking, she didn’t linger and walked straight toward the main doors.
Ian and Delia followed behind her.
Just as the three of them were about to exit the hall, another person emerged from a different corridor.
This time it was a young warlock in a silver-white long robe with purple trim, a Level Two Middle Stage.
The man was handsome, but his eyes betrayed a sinister hostility. Behind him followed two Level One Peak Guards with palpable auras.
On one of their shoulders perched a Thunder Eagle with dark purple feathers and sharp eyes.
Her second brother, Edwin.
Seeing Aidele, Edwin stopped in his tracks, unconcealed malice flaring in his eyes.
"Well, well, if it isn’t our little Xiaoqi?"
His voice was somewhat shrill, like scraping metal.
"What’s the matter, couldn’t make it out in the world, so you finally decided to come crawling back?"
Aidele didn’t break her stride, as if she hadn’t heard him.
But Edwin took a step to the side, blocking her path.
He was a head taller than Aidele, looking down on her with eyes as cold and venomous as a snake’s.
"What’s the hurry? Won’t you even greet your second brother when you see him?"
He tutted, his gaze sweeping over Ian and Delia behind Aidele, pausing on the badge on Ian’s chest.
Then he let out an exaggerated laugh.
"This... is the Honored Guest Elder you found? A Level Two Initial Stage? And you picked him up from what... some little island?"
The two Guards behind him dutifully chimed in with low snickers.
The Thunder Eagle on his shoulder tilted its head, its sharp eyes fixed on Ian as a threatening growl rumbled in its throat.
Aidele finally lifted her head and looked at Edwin.
Her gaze was calm. "Move."
The smile on Edwin’s face froze.
’He hadn’t expected this sister of his, who’d always been a non-entity in the clan, even somewhat cowardly, would dare to speak to him in such a tone.’
His gaze turned sinister.
"Xiaoqi, it’s been a few years, and you’ve grown a temper, have you?"
He pressed forward half a step, a faint aura of a Level Two Middle Stage radiating from him, carrying the unique ferocity and pressure of the Thunder Element.
"Let me teach you something, little sister. In this clan, if you don’t have strength... you have to learn to bow your head."
He paused, his gaze falling on Ian once more, the malice at the corners of his mouth practically dripping.
"Especially, don’t go picking up any old trash. It’s one thing to disgrace yourself, but don’t disgrace our Justice Clan."
The air instantly froze.
Every eye in the hall was focused on them.
Those gazes held amusement, schadenfreude, and cold observation.
Ian stood half a step behind Aidele, his face still devoid of expression.
Gaga, however, was having none of it, its feathers instantly bristling.
’Ian, this guy is too arrogant. I’m gonna teach him a lesson.’
Ian looked at the fuming Gaga, a feeling of warmth and amusement in his heart.
’Don’t come out. Just stay put. I’ll be fine.’
He didn’t even look at Edwin. His gaze was fixed on the black crystal on the distant hall’s domed ceiling, as if studying the reflection on its surface.
But in his Sea of Spirit, the pale golden Crystal Core began to slowly rotate.
Ten percent Spiritual Power Elementalization made his Perception incredibly sharp.
He could clearly "hear" the flow of Thunder Element Magic Power in Edwin’s body and could detect the subtle sign of the Thunder Eagle’s muscles tensing slightly.
He could even sense several more subtle, more powerful auras from deep within the hall, quietly watching the scene unfold.
’Those are... the auras of Level Three Wizards.’
’At least three of them.’
’The clan’s Elders, or perhaps some high-ranking members on duty in the Affairs Hall, are watching.’
Ian’s fingers flexed slightly inside his sleeve.
Three Floating Crystal Guards slid silently into his palm, ready to be activated at any moment.
’If we clash, how many Witchcraft spells would it take to break his defenses?’
Aidele just looked at Edwin, and then, she suddenly smiled.
"Second Brother," Aidele’s voice was soft, so soft that only those nearby could hear clearly.
"My father is only in a coma, not dead."
Edwin’s expression changed instantly.
Aidele took her eyes off him, turned, and walked past.
Ian’s gaze finally left the ceiling, sweeping over him indifferently.
His gaze was utterly placid, as if he were looking at a stone.
Edwin stood rooted to the spot, his face alternating between pale and ashen.
’She... actually dared to ignore me?’
The Thunder Eagle on his shoulder seemed to sense its master’s emotions, letting out a sharp cry, its feathers bristling.
But in the end, Edwin restrained himself and didn’t lash out.
He glared at Aidele and Ian’s retreating backs, his teeth grinding audibly, but ultimately, he didn’t dare to make a move in the great hall.
The Justice Clan rules forbade personal conflicts within the Affairs Hall.
Violators would be stripped of their eligibility for succession.
’Hmph! So what if I let you live for another three months? At the next review...’
Resentment filled Edwin’s eyes as he withdrew his gaze.
The three of them exited the main doors of the Affairs Hall and stepped back into the dim corridor.
The giant metal doors behind them slowly closed, shutting out all the varied gazes from the hall.
Leaving the cold corridor of the Affairs Hall, daylight once again fell upon their shoulders.
Aidele stopped at the entrance, the hem of her deep teal long robe trembling slightly in the breeze.
She didn’t leave immediately, but took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly.
Those gazes in the hall, the mockery, the unconcealed contempt... they had felt like needles against her skin.
She turned her head and looked at Ian.
Her expression was complex, a mix of apology, indignation, and a hint of deeply hidden exhaustion.
"I’m sorry," Aidele’s voice was soft. "I’m sorry you had to deal with that as soon as you arrived."
Ian stood half a step to her side, his black long robe looking somewhat thin in the sunlight.
His gaze fell on the carriages and horses hurrying along the distant street, his face expressionless.
"It’s nothing." He paused, then added, "It was to be expected."
On his shoulder, Gaga’s small head poked out from the depths of his hood.
The anger from the hall still lingered in its mismatched eyes, its feathers still slightly bristled.
It rubbed against Ian’s cheek, its voice filled with grievance and indignation.
"Ian, that person is so annoying, gaga!"
"I’m going to bite him!"
Ian raised a hand and gently rubbed its little head.
"Not yet. You can’t beat him."
His voice was calm, but his fingers stroking its feathers were gentle.
Gaga pouted, huffed, and shrank back into the hood, leaving only its eyes to scan the surroundings warily.
Aidele watched this scene, her gaze softening for a moment.
"Edwin has always been like that," she said slowly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"He’s my second brother. The Elders from our mother’s side of the family back him."
"Now that I’ve returned, they won’t let me off easily."
She paused and looked at Ian.
"Back there... why didn’t you say anything?"
Ian turned his head to meet her gaze, a barely perceptible silver glint deep within his eyes.
"Say what?" he asked in return. "Argue? Prove myself? Or..."
The corners of his lips curved slightly, a shallow smile that held a chilling edge.
"Shut him up on the spot?"
Aidele was silent for two seconds. "You could hold back?"
"It wasn’t about holding back." Ian shook his head, his gaze returning to the distance. "It was unnecessary."
He raised his hand, rubbing his fingertips together lightly in the sunlight.
A thread of pale golden light flowed between his fingertips, like stardust, or like the manifestation of some Rule.
"For the three-month observation period, they’ll be watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake, waiting to see me make a fool of myself."
He paused and lowered his hand. "Then I’ll let them watch."
’Let them see... just what I’m capable of.’
Aidele’s eyes lit up.
She looked at Ian, this Level Two Wizard from a remote island. His face was still calm, but his back was ramrod straight.
Like a sword hidden in its sheath, its edge contained, but ready to be drawn at any moment.
"Good."
She took a deep breath, her voice firming with resolve.
"I will support you with everything I have."