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n“Welcome, friend from a distant land! The tea is served. Would you like to try it while it’s hot?” Peklon greeted Himmel Soan with a smile.

nAlthough he didn’t know who Himmel Soan was or why he was here, he was still going to give him a warm welcome. It wouldn’t hurt him to make a new friend. If the other party turned out to be an enemy, he would have to think twice before he did anything to the Baih family.

nHimmel Soan nodded and sat down opposite Peklon. Their building was the best place to watch the contest. Needless to say, all eyes were on them. The crowd noticed Himmel Soan as soon as he sat down.

n“Who’s that? Why is he sitting opposite our lord?”

n“Lord Baih served the tea himself.”

n“Is he a high-ranking official of some sort?”

n“Is he here for Lord Baih’s daughter, too?”

n“Don’t be silly. If a high-ranking official is as young as him, with Lord Baih personally serving tea, he can have any woman he wants. Why would he come all the way here for Lord Baih’s daughter? If that were really the case, this contest wouldn’t even have been arranged.”

n“You have a point, but I still want to see the handsome young man fight!”

n“Shhh… Watch your language! You can get exiled for what you said!”

nEverybody fixed their gaze on Himmel Soan. The young man was being entertained by the city lord, and anyone would be curious. It wasn’t every day that they would meet such an important figure.

nThe ordinary people were never qualified to do so!

nHimmel Soan sipped his tea.

n“What do you think of this contest?” Peklon asked tentatively.

nHe tried to guess why Himmel Soan was here.

nHe was sure Himmel Soan wasn’t a member of the Baih clan. Otherwise, he would have been notified first, but he would complete the mission even without the notification.

nAlthough Himmel Soan seemed to be here to see him, he hadn’t said anything yet. Peklon could only keep probing.

n“It’s alright, but it’s getting boring,” said Himmel Soan.

n“Why do you say that?”

n“It’s a contest with no surprises. The result is fixed, but you’re trying to hide it. That’s just petty.”

nPeklon was amazed. Though he knew Himmel Soan would spot it, he didn’t expect the young man to be so straightforward. But he didn’t mind it. Everybody knew this contest was only for show. The real candidate had already been determined.

nYes, there was only one candidate.

n“Just think of it as a show. At least it’ll be entertaining,” Peklon said with a smile.

n“If you hide the truth about this contest, maybe you’ll hide other truths too because it’s in your nature. People like that would probably have two faces!” Himmel Soan said while watching Shif.

nPeklon frowned. He wasn’t confused as he caught Himmel Soan’s meaning.

nShif was the young man he had chosen to be his future son-in-law. He had looked into him for his daughter and only made the decision after a thorough background check.

nBut now, Himmel Soan had disapproved of the son-in-law he had chosen. No one would be pleased when they heard that.

nPeklon poured Himmel Soan another cup of tea and forced out a smile. “Please feel free to speak your mind.”

n“There’s no such thing as free lunch. You need to trade a valuable thing with something of the same value!” Himmel Soan’s tone was quite calm.

nPeklon was perplexed.

nWas this young man here to trade with him?

nHe didn’t mind it, though. After all, one would get what they paid for. Himmel Soan was right when he talked about equal value.

n“What do you need?”

n“Information!”

n“Information? I’m sorry you’ll be disappointed. Information on the Baih family and Baihin City is related to my clan’s benefit. I can’t tell an outsider anything.”

nPeklon shook his head. He was disappointed and doubted Himmel Soan’s intention. He never trusted him and still didn’t believe him.

nPeklon had personally looked into Shif’s history and done some background checks. Nothing seemed wrong. Yet, this guy had just disapproved of his effort. Therefore, Peklon wasn’t going to trade his family’s information with a man he didn’t trust.

nEven if Himmel Soan were right, he still wouldn’t accept the deal.

nIn that case, this conversation could end here.

n“I’m not interested in your family. Just tell me if you’ve heard of the name Gina Zimmer before. And where’s the center, the prosperous region, of Stelladom? In which direction should I go?”

nSeeing that Peklon had misunderstood him, Himmel Soan told the lord what he wanted to know.

nPeklon was relieved. He was apparently thinking too much. He was surprised that Himmel Soan didn’t even know such basic things.

n“I’m a cultivator without a sect, and I’ve lived in the mountains all my life.” Himmel Soan tried to reassure Peklon with his explanation.

nA cultivator without a sect?

nLiving in the mountains his whole life?

nCould he be a disciple of some unknown master?

nThat was the only explanation Peklon could think of.

nHimmel Soan had evaded his detection earlier, and Peklon attributed it to his skills. Maybe it was some special technique. Some unknown masters liked such things.

nHe had to admit that those rare skills could be quite effective at times and saved them a lot of trouble.

n“I see. I’ve never heard of Gina Zimmer before, but you can ask Star Tower about it. The central region is in the south. We’re on the north side of the continent.” Peklon changed his attitude after Himmel Soan said he was a cultivator without a sect. He even stopped showing as much respect as before.

nHimmel Soan didn’t think much of it. He would respond with the same attitude that other people had given him. Downing the tea in his cup, he stood up to leave the building.

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