In another grand base city in the heartland of the Subcontinent District.
There was a prosperous region where a large garden was grown. The garden’s appearance resembled an old mansion.
The guards standing by the gate wore golden armor.
Standing by the guards were eighth-rank battle pets, Flame Wing Tigers. This was a kind of battle pet of the fire family that also had one-third of the demon bloodline. It was said that the most talented Flame Wing Tigers could learn some skills of the demon family.
The armor’s chest plate was engraved with the mark of a golden sword in the shape of an umbrella. Everyone in the base city knew that the mark was a sign of the Ocean Umbrella, the family heirloom of the Tang Family!
The garden housed a small city.
The garden was fully equipped; it had battle stadiums, simulation halls, playgrounds for battle pets, among other amenities. The living quarters had many buildings of antique beauty.
In the innermost depths of the garden was the most majestic building. Five people were sitting in the hall with some guards and maids standing in line.
The middle-aged man sitting in the seat of honor said coldly, “I have learned of Ruyan’s whereabouts.”
He sat there, elegant and poised. With big eyes and bushy eyebrows, the man had an impressive and dignified air about him.
The faces of the other four were clouded.
“Was it the doing of another family?”
“Is she alive or not?”
“I heard that the Situ Family also went to the Mysterious Realm. Was it them?”
The middle-aged man said, while squinting his eyes. “She’s still alive. I can basically rule out the possibility of a plot from another family. Ruyan is currently imprisoned in a regular base city in the south. Someone has seen her many times in a pet store there. She is actually waitressing at the pet store.”
The four were astounded. They had so many things to ask.
Their future family head was in a pet store, working as a waitress?
They couldn’t even begin to imagine that.
If it weren’t for the fact that their family head kept a straight face, they would have thought that he was making a joke.
“Are you sure?” an old man asked in surprise.
The middle-aged man shook his head. “I have pictures and I have confirmed the information. It is true. She’s trapped in that store and is unable to leave!”
“I had already sent people to investigate the store before I called you over, but it didn’t go well. The pet store is mysterious. It is said that a titled battle pet warrior is in the store. Besides, I learned that the store even has an Inferno Dragon! “The people I sent over disclosed the fact they were from the Tang Family. However, the local government refused to cooperate. The mayor personally offered advice, clearly warning us not to offend the people running the store.” “A titled battle pet warrior in the store?” “To avoid offending them?”
The four were unable to believe this.
The fact that a titled battle pet warrior was in a pet store was uncommon, but it wasn’t strange. After all, some battle pet warriors had to run some business to earn money. But, what was wrong with the mayor? Why would he tell them not to provoke a pet store?
Did he tell ‘them’ not to do that?
Them, the Tang Family, one of the four most important families of the Subcontinent District!
Truth be told, they had the power to destroy that base city. How could the mayor tell them not to provoke a pet store?!
“I think our Tang family has been too focused on the heartland of the Subcontinent District that we have forgotten about minding the borders.” An old man suddenly heaved a sigh. “Some base cities have forgotten about our name.”
“I didn’t realize that our influence has dropped to this level in that region.” An elderly lady pulled a long face. She had basically lost all of her teeth.
“The people from that backward place are so green and inexperienced.”
“For an Inferno Dragon to scare them so… Yes, Inferno Dragons are rare but the store only has one. If it weren’t for the fact that we cannot take the Ocean Umbrella away from the family estate, we would be able to show the world that the Tang family can hunt and kill battle pets of the legendary rank!”
“What a sorry bunch!”
Two people shook their heads, sneering. They felt ridiculous and disappointed at the same time. During the recent years, the Tang family had finally gained a firm foothold in the heartland of the Subcontinent District while not realizing that people no longer respected them near the borders. If Tang Ruyan would have been taken to other base cities in the heartland, they would have received a message from the very beginning.
To be exact, it would be much more than a message. The mayors would escort Tang Ruyan back in person with respect!
However, the mayor of that remote base city told them not to provoke that pet store. What did this mean?
So, the future family head of the Tang family was supposed to stay there?
Such foolish sounding words made them laugh, but they also angered them at the same time.
“Sir, I will go and fetch Lady Ruyan.” An elder man stood up. A glint of coldness glowed in his eyes. “I will also teach that base city a lesson so that they know who we are!” “Yes. Those country bumpkins must have thought we are like one of their shabby, impoverished small families!”
The others agreed.
The middle-aged man refrained from answering. He was still thinking.
A moment later, he said to the elderly man. “We know next to nothing about the store. But that person was able to kidnap Ruyan from the Mysterious Realm without leaving a trace. We have investigated Longtai Mountain but found no clues. The person is likely at the upper position or the peak of the titled rank!
“Besides, Ruyan is not being imprisoned; she can walk around in the store. The person must know about her identity and still dares to humiliate her in public, completely unafraid of her being seen. Either that person knows nothing about us, or he doesn’t fear us. “Judging by the current situation, I am leaning toward the second possibility. After all, a person at the upper position or the peak of the titled rank must know something about our Tang family.”
Once he finished speaking, the other four dialed down their anger and began to think.
They were just mad about the warning issued by the mayor of that base city. As they refocused their minds on the store, they realized many things couldn’t be explained.
Why did that person leave Tang Ruyan in the store to receive customers if he had kidnapped her?
Wasn’t he afraid that people would eventually recognize her?
As for being unafraid of the Tang family… That was quite unlikely.
Not even the other three important families would dare to imprison Tang Ruyan in such an imposing manner. That would be a declaration of war!
The more they thought about it, the stranger the situation was for them.
They eventually arrived at two conclusions: either the store hid unknown powers or the store owner was extremely arrogant and stupid!
The second explanation made the most sense!
After all, there was a fair share of stupid people in the world.
While they didn’t like the first conclusion, they knew they had to be prepared. Because if it did turn out that the store had some unknown powers, they would have to be ready for the possible severe consequences.
“Let me go, then,” an elder man said.
“And me. As a matter of fact, the three of us will go together. I don’t think we will find three at the peak of the titled rank in that one store!” the almost toothless elderly lady said. While she was a lady, her temper fuse was even shorter than those of the two old men.
The middle-aged man thought about it. He nodded. “Okay. I will have two other titled battle pet warriors go with you. Take a look first and send a message back when you find something. I’ll give you some chips so that you can make cross-continent calls. We will send in reinforcements if you find anything wrong.” The three nodded but they didn’t understand why their family head was making such a big fuss.
The three of them were more than enough to deal with one pet store. They would become a joke if they needed more reinforcements.
But their family head had always been prudent and cautious. They also believed that it would be too risky if one of them were to go alone.
The store might have a titled battle pet warrior at the peak. Besides, they were heading to a place they had no control over. Any one of them going alone could end up in danger. The worse outcome would be the inability to get Tang Ruyan back.
“Ruyan is just a ‘mask’, but the public thinks she is our future family head. Anyways, ensure her safety. That way, other families will be more convinced that she’s our future family head!
“On the other hand, sacrificing Ruyan is okay if that store uses her life to threaten you and endanger your life.”
The middle-aged man said to the three, “You three are the valuable assets of the Tang family. You cannot let anything happen to you.”
The three of them seemed touched. Of course, inwardly, they had different thoughts. He could easily give up on Tang Ruyan only because she had less value than them. It wasn’t because their relationship was close.
The Tang family was not built or sustained on close relationships, but interests. Those who were useful to the family would be valued.
Those who were useless would be abandoned, even if they were true children of the Tang family.
That seemed coldblooded but that had always been how things were done in the Tang family, and one of the reasons why the Tang family was able to remain prosperous.
Running based on relationships would have soon corrupted the Tang family, because the useless people would occupy high positions just because they were born in the immediate family while the valuable people would have to stay at the bottom. As such, although they understood what their family head was thinking, the three still felt a bit glad.
The kind of families they were afraid of were the ones that would abandon the useful people.
Those families were the actual jerks!
“Sir, don’t you worry. We will try our best to bring her back.” The three promised.
The middle-aged man nodded.
“Then, we will take our leave now. Since we’re going to demonstrate our powers, I put forward the request to take a Feather Army and a Tactic Army!” one of them said.
“Sure.” The middle-aged man nodded.
They had to keep up appearances.