Chapter 14: The Heulos Family Visits

The Shura Palace was composed of Eight Great Shura and Thirty-Six Heavenly Fiends. The Eight Great Shura were warriors at the War God level, while the Thirty-Six Heavenly Fiends were at the Warlord level. Each of them possessed formidable strength and was a highly capable subordinate of Ruxley. When Ruxley entered the study, the dozen or so Heavenly Fiends inside all showed expressions of excitement. They knelt on one knee and respectfully greeted him, "Greetings, my Lord!" Ruxley waved his hand and said with a smile, "Rise! You've all worked hard during this time!" "Thank you for the praise. It is our honor to serve you!" The group looked up at Ruxley, their eyes full of fervent admiration.  To all the soldiers of the Shura Palace, Ruxley was akin to a deity. At his command, they were ready to lay down their lives without hesitation. Seeing the reverence in their eyes, a slight smile appeared on Ruxley's lips, and a deep sense of pride filled his heart. These soldiers of the Shura Palace were elite warriors he had personally trained. With them by his side, he feared nothing in this world. Ruxley took a seat and addressed a black-clad man standing at the forefront, "Igneel, how did you fare with the task I assigned you?" Igneel straightened up and replied in a deep voice, "My Lord, as per your instructions, we have secretly established the influence of Shura Palace in major cities across the Saultrouge Kingdom." "Over the past year, we have successfully taken control of the underground forces in twelve first-tier cities and thirty-six second-tier cities within Saultrouge Kingdom. All of these now belong to Shura Palace." "Very good!" A gleam flashed in Ruxley's eyes as he nodded in satisfaction. The White and Fisher families were among the most elite families in Saultrouge Kingdom, with a deep foundation and countless powerful members. Their strength was immeasurable. Even the Martial Department of Saultrouge Kingdom did not dare to offend these two families lightly. Though the strength of Shura Palace was no less than that of these two families, it was still considered a foreign force. If they were to enter the Saultrouge Kingdom on a large scale, it would certainly attract resistance from the Martial Department and cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, a year ago, Ruxley began laying out his plans in Saultrouge Kingdom. In addition to sending Theoleon, Arius, and Lixen to Saultrouge Kingdom, he also secretly placed the Heavenly Fiends in various parts of the country, having them establish their influence discreetly in preparation for future vengeance. This move was so covert that even the intelligence agencies of the Saultrouge Kingdom Martial Department had failed to detect it. Ruxley gently tapped the table and continued to ask, "What about the intelligence I asked you to gather? How did that go?" Igneel responded, "According to your orders, we established an intelligence organization called Sky Pavilion within Saultrouge Kingdom. Over the past year, Sky Pavilion has grown to become one of the largest intelligence organizations in the country." Igneel then produced a document and handed it to Ruxley, saying, "These are the details Sky Pavilion has collected over the past year regarding the White and Fisher families." Ruxley took the document and began to review it. When he reached a certain piece of information, a cold smile appeared on his lips. The document stated that three months from now, Alitia would be marrying Vulpier in the capital, officially joining the White family. "Heh, a wedding? It seems I'll have to personally attend and offer my congratulations!" Ruxley sneered coldly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. When he had been expelled from the White family, not only had Alitia refused to help him, but she had also publicly torn up their engagement in front of all the families in the capital, turning him into a laughingstock. That humiliation was something he would never forget. One day, he would make Alitia regret her actions for the rest of her life. "Oh, by the way, my Lord..." Igneel suddenly remembered something and looked at Ruxley with a strange expression. "Last night, the Fox family unexpectedly contacted our Sky Pavilion. They wanted to pay us to investigate your information." Hearing this, Ruxley's lips curled into a faint smile as he chuckled, "It seems they're being quite cautious. In that case, give them some good news, something that will put their minds at ease." Igneel immediately understood and replied with a cold smile, "Don't worry, my Lord. I'll make sure they're very reassured!" As Ruxley was reviewing the report in his hands, Theoleon suddenly entered the study and reported to him, "My Lord, the brothers at the gate just informed me that Tarragon, the head of the Heulos family in Eastern City, is outside the villa and wishes to meet with you." "He wants to meet with me?" Ruxley raised an eyebrow. Yesterday, he had told Earla that her father should come personally to apologize, not simply request a meeting. It seemed that the Heulos family's patriarch was not entirely willing to comply. A slight smile played on Ruxley's lips as he calmly said, "Let them in." "Yes, my Lord!" Theoleon nodded and spoke into his radio, "Let them in." At the villa's entrance, Earla was waiting with Vulson and a middle-aged man. This man, dressed in a traditional suit with slicked-back hair, exuded an air of authority. He was none other than Tarragon, the current patriarch of the Heulos family. "Earla, do we really have to apologize to that guy? If word gets out, the other families in Eastern City will laugh at us!" Vulson said, clearly unhappy. He had been planning to find an opportunity to get back at Ruxley and reclaim his pride after yesterday's events. But to his surprise, Earla had actually followed through with Ruxley's demand and brought him and their father, Tarragon, here to apologize in person. It was utterly humiliating. Tarragon also looked somewhat displeased. He glanced at Earla and asked, "Earla, is that guy really as terrifying as you say? I had someone investigate him yesterday, but they couldn't find any information. Are you sure you weren't deceived?" Even now, he found it hard to believe that Ruxley could be as formidable as Earla claimed. "Exactly!" Vulson chimed in. "That guy's just a lunatic! I heard he actually abducted Redlyn during his birthday banquet last night, and he even demanded that the Fox family's patriarch personally come to retrieve him." "I think we should just team up with the Fox family and teach that guy a lesson. No matter how strong he is, could he possibly stand against both of our families?" "Shut up!" Earla glared at Vulson, then cautiously looked around before saying in a cold voice, "If you dare say something like that again, don't blame me for disowning you as my brother. I don't want to see the Heulos family ruined by your recklessness." Hearing Earla's stern rebuke, Vulson immediately shrank back, too scared to say another word. Earla then turned to Tarragon, her expression serious as she said, "Dad, you have to trust me. Mr. White is not someone the Heulos family can afford to offend. It's not just the Heulos family—no power in Eastern City could stand against him even if they all joined forces!" Tarragon nodded, his tone grave. "Alright. If that's the case, let's meet this Mr. White first. If he really is as terrifying as you say, then there's no shame in apologizing." Although he said this, Tarragon was still somewhat skeptical. He had lived a long life and had never heard of a young man in his twenties possessing such power. However, adhering to the principle of safety first, he decided it would be best to meet with Ruxley and assess the situation. If Ruxley truly was as formidable as Earla claimed, they would apologize sincerely. But if Ruxley was merely bluffing, Tarragon would make sure that he learned the true power of the Heulos family.