The captain of the guards didnât know how to react.
How could anyone change his attitude that quickly?
That was not what you said a moment earlier!
To be honest, he was quite stunned as well.
The sudden plot twist came so fast he almost hurt his back.
Is it because of the womanâs identity?
Or is it simply because sheâs pretty?
He never knew the mayor had a lustful streak!
âWhat are you waiting for? Hurry up!â the mayor roared when he saw that the captain wasnât moving due to his stupor.
Cold sweat ran all over his back. The woman was most likely at the peak of the Star State, as stated by Mr. Garland; she had to be really close to such an estimate, even if she wasnât already there. He certainly couldnât afford pissing her off.
Did they not see that even the family master didnât dare to make a personal visit!
The captain woke up after the yelling; his face became blue and pale. Howeverâhaving been a captain of city guards for yearsâhe knew what to do and simply fell on his knees!
âM-My lady, it was me who knocked on the door. Sorry if my actions disturbed you,â said the captain of the city guards after lowering his head.
The only reason for the mayorâs sudden change of attitude could have been due to the womanâs extraordinary identity.
Otherwise, the mayor wouldâve been fired and executed by the Ryans for disgracing his family. That is, if he had changed his attitude simply because she was pretty.
The whole street was quiet when the captain fell to his knees. The whole street was quiet; all that could be heard was the noise from a few blocks away.
All the people who had been ready to watch a battle on the street were shocked.
Someone from the mayorâs office had just decided to kneel?
He was so aggressive at first, but then he suddenly knelt in front of her. That was certainly unexpected!
âWell...â
Cleo watched such a development from the second floor of the assessment; she was quite surprised.
What is going on?
What is the blonde womanâs identity, to force the mayor into making his captain kneel?
Could she be a Star State expert, too?
She must be!
Could there be another explanation except that?
Cleo felt cold after evaluating. She had seen the blond womanâseemingly an employeeâin Su Pingâs shop earlier. That woman had left a deep impression on her, even though she was slightly angry.
âSheâs also a Star State expert?â Lily was equally dumbfounded, not expecting that such a tiny shop would have two Star State warriors. It was too unbelievable!
Aside from them, the people on the street came to their senses. None of them was an idiot; they soon figured out a reason.
If the blond woman didnât have such a high rank, why on earth would the captain have knelt and apologized?
That man represented the honor of Woffett City!
Woffett City was under the control of the Ryan family. So, the Ryan familyâs honor was at risk!
âI thought they were here to demand an explanation...â
âOh my goodness, itâs more like theyâre begging for an explanation!â
âWhy did he do that? Did this shop really have such a powerful background?â
Everybody whispered in a low voice, shocked.
They had always thought that the Ryan family were the kings on Rhea, but they found that there were kings above them!
âYou did disturb me. You wonât need to breathe any longer if you do this again,â said Joanna with an indifferent, pleasant and daunting tone.
The captainâs heart was beating faster; cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He quickly knelt and kowtowed.
It wasnât embarrassing to kowtow before a Star State warrior.
Besides, it was the mayor who had asked him to kneel; the former would also be punished by the Ryans if he was ever blamed for it.
âGet the hell out of here and stop embarrassing yourself,â the mayor instantly roared. He didnât feel happy about the whispers. After all, he had been sent there to reach an agreement with the other party. That unexpected development had disgraced the Ryan family.
He wouldnât have behaved like that had it not been for what Garland said.
After all, the Ryan family would blame everything on him and punish him all the same if the woman was truly a peak Star State expert and he managed to offend her!
It was quite a dilemma; he only hated being the one appointed to deal with it.
Of all the places in the world, why did you have to open your shop in my city?
The captain of the city guards was again rendered speechless when the mayor spoke. But he didnât dare to express his dissatisfaction; he simply backed away on his knees.
âApologies for my subordinateâs inconsideration, my lady. Iâm the mayor of Woffett City. Weâre here mainly to repair the street,â said the mayor respectfully.
The observers on the street clicked their tongues when they heard that.
This man is quite shrewd.
To repair the street?
They were clearly there to negotiate, even after that kneeling disgrace they had to endure. He was claiming he was there to repair the street, meaning that they didnât represent the Ryan family.
In that case, the embarrassment wouldnât be linked to the Ryans.
It was true that nobody could get to higher positions with brawn and no brains.
Those who only fought with brawn were just reckless guys. If the ones ruling the world did so with their great fists, their reign would have soon collapsed. Strength was only second to wisdom.
Joanna raised her head and said in disdain, âIf youâre here to repair the street, do it. Why are you talking bulls*it to me?â
Are they trying to deceive me?
Being the War Goddess in the Demigod Burial, she wasnât just a warrior, but also a person with great power.
She had seen exactly what those people were up to.
She had already figured out why they had shown up the moment she opened the door. After all, she was aware of Su Pingâs earlier battle, and the latter had given her an introduction to the world outside the shop; she had a basic understanding of their current environment.
Adding her own speculations and judgment, she had already foreseen what would happen next.
âWell...â
The mayor was stunned by the response of such a delicately faced girl, feeling that the rudeness didnât match her look. Shouldnât a girl like her be a graceful lady?
Why did she give off the vibe of a man?
When his excuse was seen through, the mayor simply replied with a telepathic message, while keeping a humble attitude, âWell, my lady, weâre here as representatives of the Ryan family. We would like to know what we should do to bury the hatchet have you release Mr. Garland.â
Naturally, he couldnât let others hear his begging.
âMake peace? Youâll have to wait for my boss to come back. I canât make that decision,â said Joanna indifferently.
Then, she turned around and closed the shop. When she closed the door, she said, âRepair the street right now, donât let it affect our business! By the way, donât come again for unnecessary trouble!â
Bang.
With that, she closed the shop.
The mayor stood at the entrance of the shop, stunned.
She canât make the decision?
She has to ask the boss?
Is there a stronger guy above that Star State woman?
Was it the young man who captured Garland in the battle earlier, or is it someone who had yet to show up?
The more he thought about it, the more shocked the mayor became. He felt compelled to report the terrifying news to his family immediately.
The mayor saw Garlandâs helpless eyes when the door was closed. He smiled bitterly and knew he had messed up what he was sent there for. Garland had to be confined in the shop for a while longer.
The mayor turned around and said to his two Fate State companions, âInform the construction department and repair the street before dawn. Iâll be taking my leave.â
They quickly accepted the task with utmost respect.
Although they were at the same level, the mayor had already reached the advanced phase and was part of a powerful faction within the Ryan family. They had to respect him.
âStay here and work with the construction department. Donât let anyone slack on the job,â said the mayor to the captain of the city guards.
He patted the captainâs shoulder as if comforting him after saying that.
The captain of city guards wept in his heart. It was true that a trusted subordinate was always the best choice as the scapegoat.
âYes, my lord.â He accepted the task respectfully, not daring to show his emotions.
Everyone who remained on the street was still in shock after the mayor and his companions left.
They didnât expect the mayor from the Ryan family to leave just like that.
It seemed that their negotiation had fallen out.
âThe shop was closed first.â
âThey didnât show any respect to the Ryans. They didnât even invite them into the shop.â
âI wonder what the Ryan family will do next. This tiny shop has two Star State experts. Not even the Ryans would have willingly pissed them off. Itâs too irrational!â
âThatâs right! A battle wonât do us any favors. A battle between Star State experts will cause turmoil all over the planet!â
Some old men who had grown up on that planet were rather worried.
A battle of that caliber would be like a nuclear war in the Blue Planetâs primitive age. It was the general public who would suffer in the end.
Outside the shopâ
Mia had been stunned to see that event happen in front of her.
Is Joanna a Star State warrior?
No wonder she beat me so soundly in our virtual sparring!
Considering the methods of the Star State, she could have easily taken her down, even if they were at the same level!
She was suddenly mollified.
She had always thought she had been defeated by someone of her same rank. It made much more sense that a Star State warrior had beaten her silly.
I knew I couldnât be beaten so miserably by someone my level , Mia thought. She was suddenly eager to fight her again.
It was the dream of many to have a chance to fight such an expert.
This would enable her to increase her technique.
The shop owner is also a Star State warrior? What an extraordinary shop. No wonder he didnât give Layne any face earlier. Odd. Does the boss hate the Ryans because of that incident?
Mia suddenly grew uneasy once the thought crossed her mind. Layne had tried to defend her as a way to impress her. She would feel guilty if Su Ping was at odds with the Ryans because of that exchange.
What should I do? I should ask him tomorrow. I wonder if heâll be open about it... Mia thought. She was willing to act as a mediator to solve the issue if that were the case.
At the same timeâ
The mayor had reported the news to the Ryan family. All the family members fell quiet once they heard about the presence of another Star State expert.
In particular, the mayor stated that the person was likely to be at the peak of the Star State, according to Garland.
That was truly a piece of shocking news!
The Ryan family was dead silent. The leaders were utterly speechless because of the news.
The radicals had turned mute; they had been the ones most vocal about declaring war on the shop to display their familyâs power.
One of the two Star State experts had fought against Garland, the white-robed old man and the other guests, imprisoning Garland in the end.
It was very likely that such an expert was at the peak of the Star State!