544: Chapter 547 The Jones Family

He knew these poor boys too well.

Just give him a little taste of sweetness,

and he would immediately change his tune.

Aicklin smirked triumphantly.

Doflair's heart sank instantly.

He knew Aicklin genuinely possessed the Awakening Pill.

If this kid backed out now, Doflair would be helpless.

Lu Chen merely looked at Aicklin.

Clearing his throat, he spoke with utmost seriousness:

“Esteemed sir, I am a man of principle. Since I decided to speak the truth, I will never lie. I apologize.”

Aicklin was so furious he almost lost control on the spot.

He wished he could slap this brat to death.

But in the end, he forcibly restrained himself.

“Hmph, Doflair, do you think anyone in the Imperial Council will believe the words of this piece of Trash?”

He sneered coldly.

Yet, Doflair looked at Lu Chen with gratitude.

His eyes were filled with deep emotion.

He had already made up his mind.

To bring this youth into the core of his Family,

and fully support all his needs.

Doflair looked toward Aicklin.

and laughed mockingly:

“Then we shall see. You don't need to trouble yourself with it.”

“However, until the truth is clarified, this SSS-rank kid cannot go with you. I still have the right to contend for him.”

Aicklin refused to yield an inch.

“Why don't we go to the Imperial Capital together? Until the truth is uncovered, this youth will temporarily stay at the Hunter Association. What do you think?”

Aicklin snorted coldly and offered no further rebuttal.

Doflair turned to look at Lu Chen, a gentle smile appearing on his face:

“Kid, come with us.”

He then looked toward Rogers on the side and commanded:

“Rogers, bring your sister-in-law along. We are leaving now.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Rogers responded respectfully.

“I have already contacted His Excellency Pires. He will arrive soon. Once he is here, we will leave with him,”

Doflair stated.

Initially,

they had planned to travel directly to the Imperial Capital.

But upon reflection,

traveling alongside Aicklin might lead to conflict on the road.

After a moment of thought,

the two contacted the Hunter Association Vice Guild Master... Pires Dawn.

Aicklin was staring at Lu Chen with undisguised killing intent.

At this moment, his obsession with Rosen was not nearly as intense as his murderous intent toward Lu Chen.

Lu Chen walked shakily behind Doflair.

He remained silent throughout the entire ordeal.

The more Doflair looked at the youth, the more satisfied he became, thinking to himself:

“He is clearly trembling with fear, his body completely out of control, yet he hasn't uttered a single word of plea. This kind of courage is truly rare!”

Lu Chen's actor-level performance had once again deceived everyone.

Rosen stepped forward and patted his shoulder:

“Brother, you are truly brave. I admire you from the bottom of my heart.”

“In all likelihood, we will be living together in the Jones Family from now on. I hope we can become good friends.”

Lu Chen forced a smile.

and slowly replied:

“You are a peerless Genius, one in ten thousand, while I am merely Trash with F-rank talent. We were never people of the same world.”

“I am certain that once you step onto the path of Cultivation and experience the joy of becoming stronger, you will eventually forget everything you said today.”

“The strong always associate only with the strong. Weaklings like me are destined to be mere supporting characters in the story of your life.”

As soon as these words were spoken,

everyone present looked astonished.

They had not expected

that this youth's mentality was so much more mature than his peers.

Rosen opened his mouth, wanting to offer some polite words, but found that every sentence the other said was logical.

Just then,

Lu Chen raised his eyes to look in Aicklin's direction.

In an instant,

Aicklin felt as if he were being stared at by a Vicious Beast awakened from the Primordial Era.

His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

An unprecedented terror swept through his entire body.

“What was that feeling just now?”

Aicklin panicked.

His eyes darted around in confusion...

He had truly smelled the scent of death just now.

And Lu Chen had already shifted his gaze elsewhere.

In the corner, Yundou Luojia was silently watching Lu Chen, her heart filled with surprise:

“He just did something like that, yet he can still be so calm? This is practically openly making an enemy of an SS-rank Hunter!”

Thinking of this,

a trace of admiration involuntarily rose in her heart.

At this moment,

a black Airship sliced through the sky, slowly descending above the plaza.

Before the Airship even landed,

a majestic pressure enveloped the entire city.

Although the people inside the vessel had already done their utmost to suppress their Aura,

that divine, world-descending pressure still made it hard for people to breathe.

The Airship's hatch opened slowly.

A middle-aged man stepped out with a steady gait.

Silver hair draped over his shoulders, his appearance was extraordinarily handsome.

His pure white battle armor further accentuated his imposing Aura.

He stood with his hands behind his back,

and with a slight push of his toes, he hovered in mid-air.

In that instant,

all the Hunters present, including Doflair and Aicklin, felt as if a great mountain had been placed on their shoulders, making even breathing difficult.

Behind the man stood two others.

They were also clad in battle armor, their faces obscured by visors.

But the Aura emanating from them was several times stronger than that of Doflair and Aicklin.

Upon seeing this,

everyone in the plaza, from the nobles down to the commoners,

immediately bowed in greeting.

“We welcome His Excellency the Vice Guild Master!”

“We are truly sorry to have troubled Your Excellency to make this trip personally,”

Doflair said respectfully.

Pires merely smiled faintly:

“Doflair, both you and Aicklin are pillars of the Empire and mainstays of the Hunter Association.”

“Moreover, both your Families have made outstanding contributions to the Empire for generations, so I naturally had to come myself.”

“Besides, it wasn't just the two of you who drew me here.”

His gaze fell upon Rosen.

Doflair's heart instantly leaped into his throat...

If the Vice Guild Master intended to snatch this SSS-rank Genius, he would be powerless to stop him.

After all, the other party was a genuine SSS-rank Hunter.

Pires saw Doflair's flustered appearance and laughed loudly:

“Rest assured, I won't be snatching the person from you.”

“Oh right, where is the person who promised to testify earlier?”

Doflair quickly waved toward Lu Chen:

“Kid, come here.”

“Don't be afraid. With me here, no one can harm you in the slightest. Just tell the truth.”

Pires sized up Lu Chen with interest, wondering inwardly:

How could such an ordinary-looking youth possess such courage and spirit?

“Tell me, child, what did you see?”

Lu Chen met Pires's gaze.

A faint smile curved his lips:

“Thank you, Your Excellency, for being willing to listen to the words of a mere commoner like me.”

“Before the Awakening ceremony began, Lord Rogers was already present and even personally took the stage to give a speech.”

“At that time, I did not see the figure of Lord Aicklin.”

“Perhaps he was hiding somewhere, planning to launch a surprise attack to snatch the SSS-rank talent after it appeared.”

“Later, that youth awakened the SSS-rank talent.”

“I personally saw Lord Rogers step forward to invite him to join the Family, even promising to marry a woman from the Family to him.”

“Not long after, I saw Lord Aicklin descend from the sky and injure Lord Rogers, hitting him so hard he vomited blood on the spot.”

When Lu Chen's words fell,

the entire plaza fell into a dead silence.

Even Doflair's eyes widened,

staring fixedly at Lu Chen, a monstrous wave surging in his heart:

“What is this kid’s background? How can his Heart-Nature be so extraordinary? Why is Heaven so unfair? Why wasn't he born into my Jones Family? And why does he only possess F-rank talent?!”

Rogers, Yundou Luojia, and Rosen all looked at Lu Chen as if they had seen a ghost.

Rosen’s heart churned violently:

“Who exactly is this guy? A character who should have been a mere passerby, how can he possess courage that even I, the protagonist, cannot match?”

Aicklin's killing intent had completely erupted.

If Pires hadn't been present,

he would have already made his move.

Pires looked at Lu Chen as if he were gazing at an extraterrestrial visitor:

“Tell me, child, where does this confidence of yours come from?”

“His Excellency Doflair guaranteed my safety.”

“He and Lord Aicklin are evenly matched in strength. With him present, I naturally don't fear being silenced in public.”

“Of course, if Your Excellency intends to act against me, then I can only submit my neck for execution...”

“After all, I cannot imagine anyone in this world who could protect me under your hands.”

“But I am not afraid of Lord Aicklin.”

“Afterward, I will join the Jones Family and live in seclusion from then on.”

“With His Excellency Doflair taking care of my daily needs, Aicklin trying to kill me is simply a pipe dream.”

“Hahahaha!”

Doflair and Pires burst into simultaneous laughter.

“Kid, you certainly trust this old man quite a bit,”

Pires said with a smile.

“Why don't you consider coming to my place instead?”

“I can also ensure your safety and satisfy all your needs.”

For some unknown reason, although Lu Chen looked ordinary, he possessed an irresistible charm.

His tone of voice, his demeanor, and that composed self-assurance made people unable to help but admire him.

Doflair's expression changed upon hearing this; even he didn't know why.

Even though he had already secured the SSS-rank Genius Rosen,

seeing that this youth had also caught the Vice Guild Master's eye,

he inexplicably felt somewhat uneasy.

“However, Your Excellency, I think I heard Lord Rogers mention earlier that the Jones Family has the most beautiful woman in the Empire, and he said he would marry that young lady to that future supreme powerhouse.”

Lu Chen shifted his tone and said with a smile.

“But what if that young lady doesn't fancy that powerhouse? Wouldn't I then have a chance?”

In reality,

he had already sensed the thread of Karma belonging to Nianwei from Doflair and Rogers.

Although he hadn't planned to actively search for Luo Nianwei's Soul Fragment,

his intuition told him that one wisp of Nianwei's remnant Soul was indeed within the Jones Family.

Since he knew about it,

he naturally had no reason not to go.

“Hahahaha! Kid, your tongue is truly sharp!”

Pires laughed heartily.

“I wish you good luck in pursuing that spoiled girl from our Family.”

“Alright, I'll be leaving now. You don't need to go to the Hunter Association... That youth will go directly with the Jones Family.”