Chapter 53: Drawing Attention

As Adam watched them, he began to understand.

The clan heirs were strong, very strong, especially those from the mid-tier regions. There wasn’t a single clan heir from the low regions present to even compare, but Adam didn’t need one to make the judgment.

They wouldn’t stand a chance.

So this is the difference… Between a profound apprentice and a martial apprentice.

The auras pouring off the two heirs were sharper, denser, more refined than anything Adam had felt from any martial apprentice.

It wasn’t just raw power, it was quality. A clear sign of superior talent, and foundations.

Adam continued watching as they braced to clash.

A strange smile tugged at his lips as he watched.

But I’ll still win.

The people standing nearby noticed the smile.

They glanced at him, then at each other, unease flashed across their faces as they subtly shifted away.

Anyone smiling like that in the middle of rising violence had to be unstable.

Adam didn’t care.

He welcomed the space.

A voice suddenly rang out, snapping him from his thoughts.

“They’re about to fight!”

The Faraday heir and the Kelvin heir moved at the same time, but before either could take a single step.

A halberd fell from the sky.

BOOM!

It slammed into the ground between them with a thunderous crash, followed by a voice that was calm yet carried undeniable authority.

“Move one more step…”

“…and you won’t like what happens next.”

Adam turned toward the source of the voice.

It was none other than the Sector’s Mission Hall manager, Vanessa.

Her veiled hat still concealed her face, shadows obscuring her features, while a dark red power suit hugged her frame with sharp authority.

The halberd she’d thrown moments ago was still embedded in the ground, radiating quiet menace.

The two clan heirs looked at her.

Then at the line of acolytes standing behind her.

For a brief breath, the air held…

And then their auras withdrew.

Henry clicked his tongue.

“This isn’t over.”

With that, he turned and walked away. A few of his cronies hurried to lift the unconscious man from earlier, dragging him along as they followed.

Abigail didn’t say a word.

She simply watched him go, her posture relaxed, her intentions completely unreadable behind those dark sunglasses.

Adam frowned slightly.

That was… anticlimactic.

A moment later, the halberd lodged in the ground shuddered, tore free from the ground it was lodged in, and flew back into Vanessa’s hand as if pulled by an invisible thread.

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

But I can see why they held back.

This wasn’t their territory.

Other days, they might have been able to throw their weight around, but today was different.

No matter how powerful the heirs were, the people in charge here could decisively put them in their place.

Adam could see that clearly now.

Vanessa struck the pole-end of the halberd against the ground.

THUD!

The sound echoed sharply through the area.

“We will not tolerate such behavior before we reach the incursion,” she said calmly. “Remember, you are still in our territory and such behaviours will be severely penalized.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed further as he parsed her words.

Before we enter the incursion?

Understanding dawned.

Once the exploration began… no one would be there to stop them.

If the heirs wanted to tear each other apart inside the incursion, so be it.

Adam felt a chill crawl up his spine.

A bad premonition settled deep in his gut.

The manager’s veiled gaze swept slowly through the gathered clan heirs.

It passed over one face after another, measuring and weighing, until it paused on Adam.

Just for a second longer than necessary.

Then she moved on, having taken in the sight of everyone present.

“The people present here,” she said calmly, her voice carrying without effort, “will be taken to the incursion. Those not present will be left behind.”

A few murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Despite the clear date and time that had been given, some clan heirs had still failed to arrive.

Either they were too used to being late without consequences, or they were paying the price for bad late-night habits.

Vanessa didn’t care.

“Get the vehicles ready.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the acolytes behind her replied in unison as they quickly dispersed.

Minutes later, the sound of engines rumbled into the area.

Large trucks rolled in first, heavy-duty and reinforced, followed by a single jeep. The trucks alone were more than enough to carry everyone present.

Vanessa turned back to the group.

“We will proceed in an orderly manner,” she said. “Your names will be called. After confirmation, you will be assigned a seat in one of the trucks.”

An unmistakably overwhelming pressure rolled off her. “And if any of you tries to cause trouble,” she added coolly, “you will be sent home with immediate effect.”

That was that.

Her words were final.

She turned to leave.

Then paused, as she looked back over her shoulder.

“Oh. Mr. Adam,” she said lightly. “I’d like for us to have a talk.”

Every head turned toward the unassuming youth.

Adam felt the weight of dozens of gazes land on him at once.

There goes not drawing attention to myself.

He shrugged internally, unfazed, and stepped forward, following the manager toward the jeep as the murmurs behind him quietly intensified.

The roll call for seating began, names being called out one after another as the martial heirs lined up.

As it went on, murmurs spread quietly through the crowd.

“They’re still not done talking? What could possibly be so important that they had to do it behind closed doors?”

“It’s possible he’s her boy toy. He does have the look for that. Would explain how he’s even allowed to be here in the first place.”

“You’re right, that might be the case. After all, my mother is the same—I remember…”

The whispers continued, growing more shameless by the second.

Yet none of them were as shocked as a particular blond-haired youth, the one involved in the earlier drama, whose name rhymed well with a good time.

Dickson Smor.

The events from earlier had already faded from his mind. Someone had tried to touch the young lady, and he’d responded accordingly. Simple.

He hadn’t even considered the consequences, he knew there wouldn’t be any. The Faradays were enemies afterall.

So the incident had been tossed into the back room of his thoughts.

Now, his attention was on the jeep.

On Adam.

Dickson stood in line, waiting for his name to be called, eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the vehicle Adam had entered.

Could it be, that crazy bastard actually decided to become a gigolo just to get access to the incursion?

A faint twitch ran through his expression.

I knew he was crazy… but I didn’t know he was this crazy.

Just then, a voice beside him broke into his thoughts.

“That’s the friend you said hi to the other day, isn’t it?”

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