All the parties present frowned. They were not fools. They had lived for hundreds of years and could discern what old ghost Malric was hinting at.
If they were truly after something, then it had to be extraordinary. We have to find out what it was and whether they had gotten their hands on it."
The woman said with a grave tone. Then, with a wave of her hand, she brought out a scroll from her storage ring. The two old men, upon seeing this, bowed their heads while placing a fist on their chest.
"By the order of the Emperor, the House of Vyre and House of Blake are to investigate the traces of the demonic cultivators in the Southern region and hunt them down mercilessly."
"The House of Blake has received the order of the Emperor."
"The House of Vyre has received the order of the Emperor."
Both old ghost Malric and Herbert, responded simultaneously. They didn't dare to be unwilling, nor were they ashamed of bowing their heads to someone weaker than themselves.
That was because, in their eyes, they weren't bowing their heads to the woman in front of them, but rather, they were bowing their heads to the Emperor.
After their acceptance of the order, the imperial edict in the woman's hands started turning into motes of light, before finally disappearing. The two old men straightened their backs and exchanged a few words of pleasantries with the two envoys before finally disappearing on the spot.
The envoys also didn't waste time before turning back into streaks of light and disappearing into the distance, leaving the area empty as if nothing had occurred there.
Meanwhile, back in the forest, a carriage drawn by two magical beasts could be seen moving at a leisurely pace. After a week of travelling, Adrian and the children had settled into a stable rhythm.
They had spotted a city along the way but had avoided entering it. It was still too close to Thorne city, and the noble families inhabiting it could recognize them.
They continued on their path, avoiding interacting with any passing carriage they met along the way. This relatively peaceful and boring journey continued for a month until they chanced upon Roser City.
This city was a very small city that was secluded in the forest region. The residents here were mostly mortal, with the highest strength not surpassing the Golden Core realm.
A glint sparked in Adrian's eyes as he steered the carriage towards the city gates. The two city guards who were previously lounging around quickly became alert when they saw the silhouette of the carriage moving closer to them.
They were surprised because they usually didn't get guests. They squinted their eyes and became alert when the carriage stopped in front of them. Adrian was in his black robes, with a scarf covering his face like a mask.
One of them drummed up his courage before announcing in a strained voice.
'"This is Roser City. Identify yourselves and state your purpose for coming here.
There is an entry fee of 100 low-grade qi stones for carriages."
When the guards saw this, they tensed up, with one of them even reaching for his sword at his waist. However, when Adrian released the aura of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, the two of them were shocked.
Then, without missing a beat, he tossed a bag filled with the required amount of spirit stones towards one of them, who caught it with shaky hands. Without a word, he directed the carriage into the city, not caring about the shocked gazes of the two guards.
The two guards didn't stop him, or rather, they couldn't. They were only at the beginning stages of the Qi Condensation stage. Even if they had more lives, they wouldn't dare to provoke a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator.
The carriage then headed into the city, where they made their way to an inn. The inn was one of the larger ones in the city, so they were able to rent out a small courtyard.
Even without the family, Adrian was considered wealthy compared to normal people.
His allowance was something that ordinary people could only make after saving up for a few decades.
His previous display of using hundreds of thousands of qi stones to power the teleportation formation was a testament to that. With his remaining assets, he was still considered rich for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator.
Even renting out a larger courtyard wouldn't be a problem, but since they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves, they could only make do with this small courtyard.
The manager of the inn was a bit skeptical about renting the inn to them after seeing Adrian still covering his face with a scarf. He was, however, convinced when Adrian dropped a large amount of qi stones on the ground.
His countenance did a complete 180 as he tried to relentlessly flatter Adrian. He even offered to personally escort them to the courtyard, which Adrian refused.
Only when the three of them entered the courtyard did they heave sighs of relief. There was a bronze grade concealment formation present in the courtyard. This was set up by the inn to ensure the privacy of their clients.
Though it was of a low grade, it was still better than nothing. Adrian activated it before taking the two kids to check out the rooms. Aside from the basic amenities, the house only had a small living room and two other small rooms.
Small indeed. The kids were worn out from traveling all day. More than a month in the forest was already the maximum they could endure. They took quick baths and retired for the night. Adrian did not stop them.
After all, he was also tired, perhaps even more than the kids. Over the next few days, they stayed at the inn and tried to figure out their next move. After more than a month, news of the destruction of the House of Thorne had circulated through every major city on the continent.
However, there were some backwater places where the news hadn't reached. Roser City, however, was surprisingly in the know. Perhaps, it was because they were in the same region, but the news of the downfall of the Thorne family had somehow made it the this small city.