Trouble Brewing

" What brings almost all of our vice commanders to meet me early this morning? Is there some event I'm unaware of? ".

Followed by the voice, a figure slowly descended, landing in front of the six standing people with their heads bowed.

A chilling breeze swept through the area, causing everyone to shiver uncontrollably.

What just happened was not intentional at all. The figure who descended didn't do anything except slowly glide down. However, the qi within her was so intensely cold that it reacted upon being near anything that wasn't fortified against the power of her contracted pet, Snow Eagle.

If one takes a closer look at the individual who made such a chilling appearance, one will be surprised to discover that this person is none other than a young woman aged twenty.

Despite her beauty and youth, none dared to be disrespectful towards her; they kept their heads bowed, afraid to make a single move that might displease her. After all, the woman was none other than Vanessa, the commander of the Heaven's Gate family, with only the great commander above her in strength.

The lady's eyes were gray, and her skin was so white that one might not even notice her existence if she slept on top of the snow. She had flawless white hair and wore a long white robe; she resembled a white painting that could make a man want to possess it if they saw it.

"Better speak inside, Commander," A middle-aged woman stepped forward respectfully.

Before her commander misinterpreted her intentions, she hastily continued, "It's the Imperial family; their spy sent a letter providing some vital information about the barbarian dogs on the other side."

Creak! Creak! Creak!

"This indeed isn't a conversation that can be discussed in a matter of seconds outside," Vanessa acknowledged her subordinate's suggestion and opened the door with a wave of her hand," Come in. Let's talk about this in the meeting room."

Right after her words, the door opened, and a vortex of spiritual energy appeared in front of them as they all stepped into it without any hesitation. The Heaven's Gate family palace is beyond vast, and one had to use teleportation gates designed by specific beast tamers who studied the space concept; if not for them, things would have been far more complex.

On the other side of the gate was a modest, small room, barely large enough to accommodate an ordinary wooden table at its center. Once Vanessa took her seat at the head of the table, everyone else followed suit.

Waving her head, gesturing for Anithia to present the message, the middle-aged woman slowly stood up. She asserted," After the spy delivered everything to the Imperial family, they promptly sent an order for us to execute, related to one of our farms."

'Will they thin some of our resources to limit our growth? Are they fearful of our rapid rise of strength?' Vanessa wasn't sure as she had one hand placed on her cheek while the other rested on the armrest.

Their family had indeed grown so big these last centuries, but it shouldn't warrant the imperial family's attention; after all, those people were behind them, and none could threaten their rule.

"Continue," Deciding to end her random baseless thoughts, she ordered.

Anithia's body tensed up," Yes, commander. The spy's recent messages have informed us that the barbarian continent has lately dispatched four of its bottom-rank guardian's parties to earth protecting a particular kid."

After glancing at the woman sitting in the main chair, she continued," The order is simple. Investigate the planet and kill any barbarians inside it. Add them to that list and pick a few candidates from Earth to participate in our test grounds; if they pass, they are allowed to participate in that tournament."

Tsk!

Vanessa clicked her tongue in annoyance,' Are they purposefully limiting our spots this time? They are going too far with this!' Rage filled her heart as everything in the room turned to ice in the blink of an eye; even her subordinates weren't so lucky as they also experienced a freezing wave of energy running through every fiber of their body.

Phew!

Anithia breathed a sigh of relief as she opened and closed her arms. "If the commander hadn't controlled her power, we all would have instantly died. That's terrifying!" Her heart shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if Vanessa hadn't controlled her abilities.

'Is this the power of the infamous sky-ranked pet beast, the Eagle Snow?' Everyone in the room gulped; they had never witnessed their commander's anger before, and they had certainly never been present when her qi was out of control.

Commander Vanessa waved her hand. "Take your leave; I'll have to discuss this with the great commander later."

None remained a minute longer as all six vice commanders stood up, bowed, and exited the hall through the same gate they had entered.

In the next moment, Vanessa also vanished from her spot.

***

A man sat cross-legged on a large rock in a vast, rocky land filled with blood-red flowers stretching in every direction. His eyes were closed, and his long brown hair fluttered in the wind, complementing his brown clothes that blended in with the rocky landscape around him. One might even mistake him for part of the rock.

Swoosh!

"Vanessa, what brings you here? Is it about that order?" The man asked slowly, his eyes still closed, not bothering to look at the woman kneeling before him.

Vanessa's eyes widened for a brief moment before she immediately relaxed," Truly, nothing is hidden from you when it comes to the Imperial family, Great Commander."

"What are your orders?" She added, a bit of rage in her tone.

The man seemed to be thinking for a long time, not moving or talking for an hour, before finally saying," Take away the rights to participate in the test grounds from one of the lowest contribution branch families and replace them with Earth. Also, your disciple is there. You should meet with him. I have sent him there for some time now, so he should know a thing or two about Earth."

"As per your orders, Great Commander," she replied, vanishing the very next second.

"Prime Minister, what are you cooking up this time?" the man muttered, his figure blending seamlessly back into the rock as though he had never been there.