Back in the City

'Hahh, it seems that I'll have to find a way to earn money', he sighed inwardly as he made his way out of Misty Mountain. It took him a few days to reach the outer regions, and he finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar gathering of individuals.

He didn't hide his aura and walked out calmly. A few people glanced at him, but soon shifted their gazes after noticing his aura. In their minds, a lone expert in the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment realm couldn't have acquired anything significant.

This was the exact effect he wanted to achieve. He entered Stonehold City and swiftly made his way toward the rented courtyard. Immediately, he entered the manor, an amusing sight came into view. Olivia and Jayson were sparring.

Well, it wasn't as much a spar as it was Jayson whooping her ass. He blocked her attacks with minimal effort while taunting her. 

"Come on, Liv, your strikes are very weak. With how much you've been eating every day, I thought you would be stronger by now." Jayson said while holding his sword in a relaxed posture. This comment infuriated Olivia as she yelled while rushing forward, her cute face scrunched up in a frown.

"You're the one who eats too much!" She yelled out as she lunged forward, attempting to stab Jayson with her sword. Jayson smirked as soon as he saw this, and he easily sidestepped her.

He then used his sword to whack her buttocks, causing her to fall on her face.

Olivia stood up, rubbing her nose that she had fallen on while trying to hold back her tears. 

A voice coming from the entrance suddenly drew the attention of the two children.

"You guys seem to have had a lot of fun while I've been gone," Adrian said with a smile on his face. Upon seeing him, Olivia immediately ran and jumped into his embrace while bursting into tears. 

"Wahhhh, big brother, thank God you're back. Jayson was being mean to me. He would steal the meat from my food and use training as an excuse to beat me up." She said through snot-filled sobs. Jayson was speechless at her accusations.

While it was true that he spanked her from time to time, he had never been mean to her or stolen her food. However, before he could defend himself, he heard Adrian's voice, sending chills down his spine.

"Is that so? Don't worry. Now that I'm back, I'll make sure to spar with him a lot, " he said while carrying Olivia inside. Hearing his voice, Olivia broke into a smile before turning towards Jayson and sticking out her tongue towards him.

Adrian noticed this but paid it no mind. Adrian went inside after instructing John, the servant, to prepare a sumptuous meal for them.

Olivia was excited and promptly asked him multiple questions about his adventures. Adrian patiently told her the stories of the beasts he fought, omitting the more gory details. Jayson entered the house at this point with a gloomy expression.

However, Olivia was too engrossed in Adrian's story to pay him any mind as she continued asking questions before John came to inform them that their meal was ready.

Meanwhile, in a dark room, several hooded figures were standing around engaged in a heated conversation.

"Since we are all here now, can you tell us why you have called us here, Black?" One of the voices bellowed in annoyance.

The other two members were also attentive to the current conversation. They usually didn't gather unless it was important, so they weren't angry like the previous speaker.

The first man who was referred to as 'black' didn't seem to mind the previous speaker's tone as he spoke in a low voice.

"I have orders."

This simple statement was enough to make all three figures around him tense as they paid attention to his next words closely.

"The heir of the House of Thorne, Adrian Thorne is alive. During the attack, he was nowhere to be found. After some investigation, the leaders found out that he wasn't in the city when the attack occurred. He was training in the Misty mountains."

Black paused to allow the weight of his words to simmer among the group. After a few seconds, the man who spoke up initially retorted again.

"So what, can't you just get to the point?" He said in anger.

"Patience Red, we're all here to listen to the mission." One of the other two men spoke this time.

Black continued his story. " You all know that we couldn't enter the vault of the Thorne family, so we weren't able to gain anything from the attack."

The rest nodded in agreement. This was already a widely known fact in their organization.

"Well, I was told that we needed some sort of key to open the vault. Previously, the higher-ups didn't have a clue where this key could be.

Even the patriarch of the Thorne family didn't have it. Now that they know that Adrian is alive, they believe that the key is in his possession." Black stated earnestly.

The other two men who were known as Yellow and Green exchanged skeptical glances.

However, before they could express their opinions, Red roared in anger.

"Are you kidding me? Why would such a precious item be in a brat's hands."

Black responded candidly, "Where else would it be if it isn't in his hands? This is the only clue we've managed to find about the key so the higher-ups are very serious about it. Our mission is to hunt down the kid and find the key if it's in his possession."

The room fell into silence as Black finished speaking.

"Alright, we'll send some assassins to find him. Since he was in the Misty Mountains, let's start the search from Stonehold City.

Let's just hope he hasn't gone too far."

Green, who had been silent all this time finally spoke up.

"Hmph, its only been a few months. How far could he have gone?"

Red spoke again.

"I agree. He's just a brat in the end. He is most likely just in the middle stages of the foundation establishment realm. Even though he is a genius, he won't be able to pose a threat. This mission should be an easy one." Yellow commented.