Among fans from the other kingdoms, many had already turned themselves into so-called expert strategists, loudly claiming that the War God team’s apparent search for one-on-one fights would only accelerate their defeat.

Some even began joking and mocking the Northern Kingdom supporters who had fallen silent.

There were those who claimed that Alec had deliberately run away just to avoid facing the captain of the School of Silent Night. Others simply laughed at what they saw as the War God team’s inevitable misfortune.

While many Northern fans remained quiet, the fanatic supporters of the War God Mage Academy were anything but quiet, they refused to let any insult aimed at Alec go unanswered, firing back aggressively at anyone who dared to slander him.

Even though they didn’t hold much hope for the War God team’s victory, they absolutely would not tolerate anyone speaking ill of Alec.

“Begin!”

But no matter what anyone still had to say, it all came to an abrupt end when the judge flew into the air and declared the start of the match.

Instantly, all attention shifted back to the arena.

_ _ _

Back in Estonia City—

Alec could be seen walking toward the Patriarch’s residence. A few enforcers stood guard at the entrance, and the moment they recognized him, they immediately bowed in respect.

To the Gordons Clan mages who had witnessed Alec’s strength firsthand, there was nothing but absolute reverence in their hearts for him.

Alec waved a hand dismissively as he entered the compound. There, he saw the old man seated outside, taking a slow breath with his eyes closed. The moment Alec stepped closer, George opened his eyes and looked at him.

“What are you still doing here? I thought the City Hall’s Space Axis had already been repaired,” George Gordons said.

“Why does it sound like you’re trying to chase me away? We both know you’d miss me too much if I left, and that’s the only reason why I’m still here,” Alec replied casually.

He then sat down opposite the old man, he had lightly tapped his leg on the ground, at his feet touch, a stone shifted and rose, forming a stool tall enough to accommodate him.

It was clean, smooth, and carefully shaped, with every detail precise, as if he had even given his full attention to such a small action.

“By the way, I still have a few things to pass on to you. Don’t worry—I’ll be leaving immediately once everything is settled, a lot of people are counting on me now, so I can’t stay away for long. The good thing is that you now have full control of the Space Axis, so you’d better be prepared to receive me on Blood Moon day, because I’ll be coming back to support you,” Alec continued.

The moment George heard this, he frowned deeply. He hadn’t expected Alec to return again so soon.

While he knew the city would need all the help it could get, he was also one of the few who wanted Alec’s true strength to remain hidden for as long as possible.

But before he could speak, Alec cut him off.

“I can see your expression, and I can already predict the words you’re about to say next. But you need to understand something,” Alec said calmly.

“I’m not the same little boy who needs your protection anymore. I can deal with the consequences of my own actions—and I’m sure you’ve seen that for yourself.” Alec said this with a straight face, making it clear to the old man that whether he liked it or not, he fully intended to return.

And if the Patriarch should dare to tamper with the Space Array, he would make the journey himself on land just to arrive in time.

Seeing his grandson’s face and knowing just how stubborn he could be, George finally sighed in defeat.

“No problem then. I understand the threat message you’re trying to pass to me,” he said.

“Who’s threatening you, old man?” Alec asked, feigning innocence.

“Drop the act, you little fox,” George replied. “What did you really come here for today?” he continued with a question.

Alec finally stretched out his right palm, and two pill bottles appeared instantly, summoned from his space ring.

They were transparent containers Alec had specifically purchased from the system store to preserve the pills inside, and no matter how long they were stored, their potency would never diminish—something he’d acquired at the cost of only a few system points.

The moment the Patriarch’s eyes fell on the bottles, his mouth fell open in shock.

Because the containers were transparent, so he could see their contents clearly.

Inside the first bottle were ten Tier 7 Mental Pills, each glowing with a soft blue hue like fireflies in the dark, with intricate engravings covering every pill, precise and profound.

Inside the second bottle were roughly thirty Tier 7 Cultivation pills, golden in color and radiating brilliance like a cluster of miniature suns trapped within the glass.

The engravings on these pills didn’t remain still, they shifted and flowed, as if alive.

Seeing Alec extend his hand and offer them over, the Patriarch’s expression changed completely.

“Alec, the clan can’t afford to take these from you, they rightfully belong to you. You should keep them and use them to enter the Tier 7 realm yourself. If you do that, the clan will gain another true powerhouse,” he said without hesitation.

Alec stared at the old man in surprise, he had never seen him this serious, nor had he ever seen him refuse such treasures. After all, George was the greatest hoarder Alec knew.

“Come on, I’m not giving these to the clan, old man. I’m giving them to you,” Alec said.

George paused, swallowed hard, but then shook his head again.

“And that is exactly why I won’t take them, you have a far brighter future ahead of you than I ever did. These pills would serve you far better if you used them yourself,” the Gordons Patriarch replied, rejecting them once more.

This time, Alec could no longer bear it, this wasn’t the old man he knew.

“Oh, just stop it, old man. I didn’t get these from the academy—I made them myself. In fact, everything we auctioned was made by me. I don’t have some big supporter backing me or anyone handing things to me,” Alec said, pushing the bottles into his grandfather’s hands.

At the same time, he manipulated the earth again, forming a stone stool that rose smoothly from the ground in between both of them.

Then he placed ten more bottles in front of him, five contained Tier 7 mental pills, and the other five held Tier 7 cultivation pills.

Looking his grandfather straight in the eye, Alec continued,

“We can’t keep hiding anymore. After what’s happened, trouble will come for us. We’ve clearly caught the attention of someone influential, and the only way to survive that is to become strong enough that they’ll think twice before acting against us.”

The moment Alec finished speaking, the Patriarch burst into loud, hearty laughter.

“If that’s the case, then I won’t stand on ceremony,” he said, reaching out without hesitation toward the pills on the stool.

That smile.

That greedy glint in his eyes.

Yes—that was the old man Alec knew, and the one he’d been waiting to see again.