SWNOVELXO Chapter 12: Chapter 12
While Rhys was living a simple, focused life of learning and self-improvement in Greenleaf, the Azure Province was anything but calm.
Beneath the surface of relative peace maintained by the Royal Family, a storm was brewing.
The subtle signs, which Rhys had only caught a glimpse of, were now coalescing into a palpable tension that could be felt even in the marbled halls of the provincial capital, Azuregard.
The city of Azuregard was the heart of the province, a sprawling metropolis of towering pagodas, elegant manors, and bustling commerce, all nestled within the protective shadow of the royal palace.
It was here, in a somber and heavily guarded estate of the Royal Family, that the true powers of the province had been summoned.
The meeting took place in a hall surrounded by formations that prevented any sound from escaping. Around a massive round table sat men and women who held the fate of millions in their hands.
At the head of the table sat Marcus Azure, the Royal Regent. His face was a mask of strength and authority.
He was here instead of the emperor of the Royal Family, who was in deep seclusion.
To his right was Corbin Ashton, Rhys's uncle. The stress of managing a declining family had etched deep lines into his face, and his military-style robes seemed to hang loosely on his weary frame.
Across from him, Lord Valerius Thorne of the Thorne Family radiated an aggressive energy, his powerful frame barely contained by his opulent silk robes.
His fingers drummed impatiently on the table, his gaze sweeping over the others as if assessing their weaknesses.
Beside him, Lord Sterling of the alchemist family remained placid and unreadable, his eyes holding the shrewd patience of a man who measured time in generations and wealth in mountains.
The final seat was occupied by Matriarch Elara Crestfall. Clad in elegant, rune-embroidered robes, and unlike the others, she wore a smile.
The Regent broke the heavy silence.
"I thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began, his voice smooth and steady, yet carrying an undeniable weight.
"I have summoned you today because several... troubling patterns have emerged across our province. Patterns that, I believe, are connected and demand our unified attention."
He looked directly at Corbin Ashton. "Patriarch Ashton, your report first. The military situation."
Corbin cleared his throat, his expression grim.
"The situation is worsening, Your Highness. In the past three months, my garrisons have confirmed seventeen separate attacks by Feral-bloodline beasts in the outer territories.
These are not isolated incidents. They are becoming more frequent, more aggressive, and are appearing in regions they have never been seen in before."
He paused, the memory of loss heavy in his voice.
"The most recent incident near Greenleaf Town is a prime example. A single Stage 1 Swamp-Scale Croc. A Feral. It took a full team of five of my Tier 2 cultivators half a day to bring it down. Two of them did not survive the encounter."
A collective intake of breath went around the table. The death of two Energy Gathering experts to a single Stage 1 beast, even a Feral, was a shocking loss.
"This is an unacceptable attrition rate, don't you think, brother of the great Kaelen? Is it merely because the monsters are stronger, or have your battle-hardened warriors become inefficient?" Lord Thorne sneered.
Not giving Lord Ashton a chance to speak, he continued, "My trade caravans are being forced to take longer, more expensive routes.
If the Ashton military cannot secure the roads, perhaps my Thorne family's private guard should be given jurisdiction—and compensation—to do so."
"My soldiers are dying to protect your caravans, Thorne!" Corbin snapped back, his weariness replaced by a flash of anger.
"This is not a matter of security patrols. This is a sign of a fundamental instability in the Whisperwood. The beasts are being agitated. Pushed."
"Pushed by what?" Lord Sterling asked quietly, his calm voice cutting through the tension. "A nascent beast tide?"
The air grew colder. A beast tide was the greatest calamity that could befall a province. The last one, the one that had claimed the life of Kaelen Ashton, had been led by a single Stage 2 Elite beast and had nearly overrun three towns.
If something was stirring in the depths of the Whisperwood powerful enough to displace Feral-bloodline creatures, the consequences would be catastrophic.
During the last one, it was only because the Ashtons were at the forefront of the battle that the towns under the control of the other families escaped the calamity.
In the current scenario, no one here believed that the Ashtons could stop a beast tide with their current strength.
"I think your brother used up all the talent for himself, leaving none behind for his son," Lord Thorne let out a laugh.
"I don't think that's the problem, Valerius. It's medically proven that talents are transferred from parents to their children in a roughly 90:10 ratio," Lord Sterling said, looking blankly at Corbin Ashton.
"As far as I remember, your sister-in-law has no trait, right? But your brother had an amazing one. Yet his son has none…"
"YOU FUCKER!" An overwhelming temperature rushed out of Corbin, burning the table cover before him.
"Seriously, Corbin? We have a new medicine suitable for mending high blood pressure. For you, I will offer a discount," Lord Sterling added, seemingly ignoring the outburst.
Corbin was fuming, and after hearing his words, he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. This Lord Sterling was daring.
He had not only called out his sister-in-law for cheating but was now making fun of his anger.
The aura around him changed as the pressure of a Tier 3 cultivator filled the room. A transparent layer slowly started to appear behind him as he began to activate his trait.
The expression of everyone in the room changed.
"Oh, Lord Sterling, shut your mouth for once, please. There's no need to flaunt your fire resistance trait here," the speaker was Elara Crestfall, who had been silent until now.
Once someone activated their trait, it meant battle. And none of them wanted a fight with each other, at least not before they themselves broke through to the next tier.
"Sigh." The Regent raised his hand, a calm and soothing aura spreading from him as he dispelled the tense atmosphere.
Every pair of eyes glanced at him and gulped.
"We are not here to fight," he said calmly.
"Patriarch Ashton's fears are valid. The Royal Family's own diviners have noted a growing turmoil in the Whisperwood.
But today's meeting isn't for that…" He stopped, gazing at each of them. "…it's about the labyrinth we found in the Dragon Tooth Mountain Range."