"This..." Apart from Max and the three people behind Jack and Janice, everyone felt suffocated under his aura. This was especially true for Jack whom the old man's aura was directed towards.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The trio moved out in unison. Two of them shielded Jack while the other one who was an old lady shielded Janice.
"Old man, when did my young master say that he can't pay? How dare you try and suppress him with aura with your measly early-stage three-star aura? Do you think we can't do anything to you just because we are in Elvin territory?" One of the middle-aged men shielding in front Jack coldly asked.
As he spoke, he and his partner released their auras which were stronger than the old man's, meaning they were stronger than the old man.
"Ugh!" The old man groaned and stumbled backward with a pale face.
He glared at the duo in anger before he smirked, "Yes, I do think that."
Saying this, he took out a small talisman and crushed it.
When the duo saw the old man take out the talisman their expressions changed, they wanted to stop him but it was already too late.
"Damn it, old man. Was there a need to call city enforcement? Weren't we just talking?" The duo, who acted arrogantly before now had ugly smiles on their faces.
"Oh, there wasn't?" The old shopkeeper laughed disdainfully.
"Elders, you don't have to worry. They won't dare do anything to us since we didn't do anything wrong." Jack coldly said as he glared at the old shopkeeper.
Max and the company watched this scene with weird looks on their faces. Max glanced at Janice and opened his mouth to ask if she was somehow related to Flavia when the wind whistled and five figures appeared in front of them.
They were five strong-looking elves in tight-fitting green uniforms. Three of them were beautiful females each possessing slender bodies and well-defined curves which were highlighted due to their tight uniforms. However, the cold expression they wore on their faces gave an unapproachable vibe.
The five of them glanced at the people present and when their eyes fell on little Arya, their cold and aloof expressions changed and become respectful.
This change didn't escape the old shopkeeper's eyes. He also turned to look at little Arya whom he had ignored before and his expression also changed. However, unlike the enforcement team, his expression became one of panic and he cursed himself, 'Damn it! Why is the saint girl with these humans? Are they somehow related to her? I'm doomed. Why did I have to try and swindle him?'
Unsurprisingly to Max and the company, the five elves bowed toward little Arya and greeted, "Greetings, saint girl."
Little Arya looked at them and smiled, "Hello, big brothers and big sisters."
The group of five elves was immediately flattered upon being addressed as big brothers and sisters.
They then noticed her standing together with Max and the others and asked, "Saint girl, are these your friends?"
Hearing his question, the old shopkeeper's heartbeat quickened and although he already knew the answer, he still hoped that she didn't know Max and the others.
"Yes. They are my friends and the honored guests of my family." Little Arya nodded and then happily introduced them, "This is big brother Max, he is very strong and this is big sister Rima, she is..."
As little Arya introduced them, the old shopkeeper's face had gone pale when heard they were her family's honored guests.
If they were only little Arya's friends, although he might have punished them, it would have been only a light punishment, however, now that they were also her family's, in other words, the city lord's guests, he knew he was done for.
'What should I do now?' He panicked and started racking his mind to find a way that can help him salvage the situation.
Meanwhile, Jack and Janice were dumbfounded when they saw the city enforcement guards bow to the little elf girl and heard them address her as the 'saint girl.'
They knew what these two words meant in an Elvin city, especially in Ninam city because they had heard the current saint girl of Ninam city was the city lord's daughter.
Because they knew this, their shock intensified when they heard that Max and his group were the honored guests of little Arya's family.
Jack's eyes burned with jealousy and he gritted his teeth, 'How can this bastard be lucky enough to become the city lord's honored guest?'
Unlike him, Janice's eyes gleamed brightly when she heard this and thought, 'Not only is he the most handsome guy I ever saw, but he is capable enough to become the honored guest of the elf city's lord. Only someone like him is worthy of me.'
As this thought appeared in her mind, she frowned, 'However, it'll be tricky to make him fall for me if he really likes that bitch, Flavia.'
Just like the old shopkeeper, Jack, and Janice, the Elvin guards were also taken aback upon hearing little Arya's words.
They then put on smiles on their face, bowed slightly toward Max and the group, and politely greeted, "Greetings, honored guests. We hope you are enjoying your time in our city."
They then turned toward the old shopkeeper and asked, "Sir alchemist, what is it? Why did you send us a distress signal? Is there any problem?"
The old shopkeeper came out of his thoughts when he heard the enforcement guards' question. He glanced toward Jack before shaking his head, "I'm sorry for wasting your time. There was only a small misunderstanding, however, that has been cleared up before you guys came."
The Elvin guards frowned. 'If there was only a small misunderstanding, why would you send out the distress signal?' They thought, however, they didn't say it out loud for fear of offending him since the old man was an alchemist.
Just like anywhere else, the alchemists were quite rare and respected in Ninam city too and no one wanted them to get into their bad books since they might need their help in the future.
They glanced at Jack who still had his two elders shielding him and then the old man who seemed slightly unruffled and guessed that Jack and his group might have offended the old man and because he was incapable of dealing with them himself, he called city enforcement. However, they didn't understand why he was saying that everything was fine now.
'Could it be that the city lord's guests are friends with the offending party and because the old alchemist doesn't want to offend them, he is willing to let the matter go? However, it doesn't seem like they are friends with each other, then why is he still acting this way?' They were confused. However, since the old man didn't want the matter to blow up, they didn't dwell on it.
"It's alright. But please be mindful of when to send out the distress signals from now on." The enforcement guards warned, bid little Arya, Max, and the company farewell, and turned around to leave.
When Jack and the two elders with him saw this, they were surprised. They hadn't expected him to suddenly become magnanimous and forget what transpired before.
Unlike them, Janice, Max, Belen, and Rima could easily guess the reason behind the sudden change in the old man's behavior.
Seeing them prepare to walk away, the old shopkeeper sighed in relief and thought, 'Thank god they didn't complain to the enforcement team. However, I've to settle this situation now so that even if the city lord finds out, she won't punish me too heavily.'
Just when he was starting to think how he should appease Max, Max called out, "Guards, please hold on for a moment!"
The guards stopped in their tracks, turned to him, and asked, "What is it, sir Max?"
Max didn't immediately respond to them and instead glanced and smiled at the old man who was almost sweating right now.
Seeing Max look in his direction with a smile on his face, the old man gnashed his teeth in anger, hatred, and regret.
Thud!
Then under everyone's watchful eyes, the old man fell to his knees and said, "Lord Max, I admit my mistake. Please forgive me."
"This... What's happening?" The guards were flabbergasted by this scene.
