Chapter 943
Chapter 943
The family heads were sweating bullets. Dealing with the Earth factions had already been a major pain in their necks. Now this new boss? Rumor had it she made the old faction leaders look like chumps. Just thinking about her power level gave them the heebie–jeebies.
“I’m telling you, we gotta do this!” one blurted out.
The others nodded like bobbleheads. No objections there.
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“Hey, nobody punches a gift horse in the mouth, right?” another chimed in, rubbing his hands. “We show up bearing presents, that big shot’s gotta cut us some slack.
“I’ve been saving this primo elixir tablet–the intermediate grade one Miss Janice Larsson gifted me last winter. Perfect welcome present. She’ll eat this up, guaranteed.”
The mood turned grim. “This new player… she’s rolled up every faction like yesterday’s trash,” someone muttered. “There goes our city’s decade–long
status quo.”
Lately, Forlunda’s elite had been jumping at shadows. That mysterious powerhouse had them equal parts terrified and dying of curiosity.
Even the city bigwigs running the selection event broke protocol–sending VIP invites to her and her right–hand person, plus a judge’s seat to boot.
Took the families about two hot minutes to track down the Cloudshadow Sect’s digs.
Prime real estate–a swanky downtown manor that used to belong to the late Emerald Dragon Sect leader. After his… unfortunate departure, the sect’s leftovers had scrubbed the place spotless for their new overlords. Raven had claimed it as Cloudshadow’s new home base before the dust even settled.
The manor’s meeting hall glowed under the chandeliers as Raven studied the four gilded invitations spread across the oak table.
The Forlunda City selection committee sure knew how to keep things interesting. Out of five judges, four had personally invited Raven to join the panel.
Every judge got to invite one outsider to ensure fairness in the competition. So when Raven woke up to four invitations on her doorstep this morning? That raised some eyebrows.
Timothy nudged her arm, eyes wide. “No way you’re actually considering all these, my lady?”
Raven didn’t even look up from sharpening her dagger. “Give them to the other execs. I’m entering the competition–not judging it.”
Truth was, Forlunda couldn’t hold her. Not when the Larssons‘ puppetmaster was still out there. She and Cássian would be sitting ducks if her real identity got blown.
Timothy practically bounced on his heels. “Hell yeah! Knew you weren’t the settling–down type.”
He had been sweating bullets thinking she’d park here after schooling those Earth faction wannabes. But Raven? She played the long game.
“Forlunda’s still got four satellite city slots up for grabs,” he added. “Snag one, and you’re golden for the next round all the way to Deariton.”
The selection process worked its way up from the smallest towns all the way to Deariton–like climbing a ladder one rung at a time.
Gotta admit, the system was pretty fair. Starting from nowhere towns and moving to the big leagues? That gave the little guys a fighting chance. No way those silver–spoon nobles could keep all the glory to themselves.
But here’s the kicker–the smaller their hometown, the slimmer their chances. These fighters had to grind ten times harder just for a shot at the big time
“Lady Valor,” Timothy whispered urgently, “you know Miss Larsson already snuck her way into the Deariton qualifiers through back channels, right? If that bitch actually makes the cut…” A nervous swallow. “She’ll come back swinging for blood. And trust me, you don’t wanna see that hell unleashed
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Chapter 944
