For Theodore as he was now, whether Lis was an Abyss Demon or not no longer mattered; after Lis had protected Hanna and Turner so many times, that was already more than enough for Theodore.
Now, even if Lis ordered him to become an enemy of the Ryan Kingdom, he would not hesitate in the slightest.
"Please reconsider."
Seeing this, that servant grew even more anxious.
However, she didnât dare to lay a hand on Lis to stop him.
The scene of Lis so cleanly defeating those three just now was still vivid in her mind; she didnât think she was any stronger than those three.
At this moment, a slightly aged voice sounded.
"Honored sir, please wait a moment."
Lis turned his head and saw a figure slowly walking down from the stairs of the Mercenary Guildâs second floor.
An old man was slowly coming down the stairs.
He wore a pure white robe as immaculate as fresh snow; the robe lightly fluttered with his slow steps, as if carrying a sort of transcendence beyond the mortal dust.
He leaned on an ancient-looking staff, upon which were carved mysterious and complex patterns, as though telling some story.
His hair was entirely white, like the first snowfall of winter, without the slightest impurity.
His body was hunched and thin, every step taken with great difficulty, as if bearing the heavy burden of the years.
But when he raised his head, his eyes were astonishingly bright, like the most dazzling star in the night sky, carrying a wisdom and resolve born of endless vicissitudes.
When he appeared, the entire Mercenary Guild instantly fell silent, as if time itself had frozen at that moment.
The originally noisy mercenaries all stopped what they were doing, their gazes simultaneously turning toward the old man, their eyes full of awe and respect.
The clamor of conversation and laughter vanished without a trace, leaving only faint breathing reverberating in the air.
Lis likewise saw this old man, but he seemed to notice something, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes.
Then Lis sized the old man up and down, his expression hard to read.
At this moment, the old man slowly walked toward the center of the guild; every step seemed to tread on the mercenariesâ heartstrings, and the whole guild was steeped in a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
Just then, Lisâs voice suddenly sounded, breaking that solemn mood.
"Looks like youâre the president of this Mercenary Guild?"
"Indeed. I am Leander, the president here. How should I address you?"
Facing Lisâs question, the old man spoke slowly, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes as he glanced at Malcolm.
"Iâm Edward."
Lis nodded, appearing more patient than before.
"If you wish to learn about matters related to the Morlock Temple, I believe I might be able to assist you."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Lis smiled faintly, then said:
"Youâre so certain you can persuade me?"
"Itâs merely my thought. It doesnât do you any harm, does it?"
Leander said softly.
"All right then."
Lis nodded as he spoke.
"Please come with me."
Leander turned and walked upstairs.
Lis dragged those three along and, with Theodore and the others, followed behind Leander.
For a moment, only after they had all left and gone up to the third floor did the Mercenary Guild once more become lively.
"How long has it been since President Leander last appeared?"
"Isnât this perfectly normal? Someone like Malcolm was defeated with a wave of his handâhow could President Leander possibly sit still?"
"Besides, the last time President Leander showed himself, wasnât it to invite Malcolm to join the Morlock Temple?"
"Thatâs true. Iâm so envious!"
"If you could defeat Malcolm like that, President Leander would invite you too."
"Ha, heâs still a long way off!"
In an instant, the Mercenary Guild filled with a lively atmosphere.
...
Leander led Lis and the others to a reception room, and after a servant brought in black tea and refreshments, Leander spoke to Lis:
"I wonder what price it would take for you, Lord Edward, to be willing to spare Malcolm and the others?"
"Oh?"
Lis glanced at the three lying in the corner by the wall and said with a smile:
"You care a great deal about these three, huh?"
"Could it be that their attacking the people by my side was at your orders?"
Hearing this, Leander shook his head slightly and said:
"Of course not."
"In fact, Malcolm appearing here surprised me as well."
"However, Iâve already learned why they attacked your companions."
"Because it was an order from the Morlock Temple: they were sent to eliminate the Grant family bloodline and prevent the spread of the Demonâs Blood."
Leander spoke softly, as if without any emotional fluctuation.
"So, youâre also a member of the Morlock Temple?"
Lis nodded as he asked.
"That is indeed the case, though it has been a long time since I returned to the Holy Temple."
Leander shook his head slightly, then looked at Lis and said:
"I imagine the reason you, Lord Edward, wish to join the Holy Temple is that you have sensed that barrier, havenât you?"
"The obstacle before breaking through to Legend?"
Legend?
Sitting to the side, Theodoreâs expression tightened for a moment, then relaxed.
It really should be like this.
If Edward did not possess that level of strength, he could not have been so relaxed earlier.
"Oh?"
Lis was a bit surprised and said with a smile:
"Youâre actually able to guess thatâbecause of this staff of yours?"
"Thatâs right."
Hearing Lisâs words, this time Leander was genuinely somewhat astonished.
"Just as you say, I relied on certain clever methods. I canât compare to you."
"To express my apology, Iâm willing to help you contact the Morlock Temple."
"With your strength, Lord Edward, joining the Temple will be quite easy."
"Thatâs all well and good, but what if the same thing happens again next time?"
Lis pointed at Malcolm and the others and looked at Leander as he spoke.
Hanna and Theodore unconsciously clenched their hands when they heard this.
Leander was silent for a moment, then nodded and said:
"If that is your view, I see no problem with it."
"However, the Grant family must disappear."
"And from this day on, they may no longer perform Demon Summoning, or the Morlock Temple will pursue the matter to the end."
Hearing this, Lis turned his gaze to Hanna, Theodore, and the others.
"Of course, no problem!"
Theodore said quickly, and Hanna also nodded repeatedly.
To them, the glory of the Grant family wasnât anything important.
In fact, if not for self-defense, Hanna had never wanted to use the Demon Summoning Array.
"In that case, Iâll be taking Malcolm and the others away."
"Lord Edward, the Morlock Templeâs envoy will arrive in two or three days. You may rest in the Guild for a while."
Leander nodded as he spoke.
"No need, weâre more used to staying outside."
Lis waved his hand and directly led Hanna and the others away.
After Lis left, Leander did not leave.
He didnât so much as glance at Malcolm and the others, but simply sat there, deep in Thought.
He looked in the direction Lis had left, somewhat puzzled.
This Edward... had appeared far too suddenly.
Strength touching upon Legendâwithin this small world, that was something unimaginable.
Moreover, within the Holy Temple there was no record of him whatsoever; it was as if he had just popped out of a rock.
A guest from the outside?
Or was he a Demon summoned through a ritual by those two descendants of the Grant family?
However, when Leander used the Scepter just now, he hadnât sensed any aura related to an Abyss Demon on this Edward.
As a high-ranking member of the Holy Temple, Leander naturally knew the information concerning this small world.
Thus, in his eyes, Edwardâs origin was riddled with doubts.
Still, regardless of which possibility it was, Edwardâs strength was solid and undeniable.
There wasnât anyone in this small world stronger than him.
Weâll speak again when the envoy arrives...
Leander shook his head slightly, genuinely feeling that things had become troublesome.
For now, he could only stall for time and placate this Edward.
He only hoped the Divine Envoy would arrive here as soon as possible.