Eternal Thief

1179  Not So Simple! n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

On the third week after George went 'missing' in the Weston Clan Estate, the Weston Clan was visited by two unexpected yet esteemed guests: the delegate0 of the Oriente Clan. Following him was the Sutton Clan as well, which made the Elder in charge of clan diplomacy frown and show hostility.

After all, the matter regarding John's death was no secret among the clan elders, and they all knew that it was most likely the Sutton clan behind that assassination. But without any solid proof, they can't do anything but swallow their rage and grievances.

The diplomatic elder's name was Brycen. He was a middle-aged man with a bony frame and astute personality. Although he had no good feelings toward the hunched-back old man from the Sutton clan, he knew confronting him would only make the matter worse for the Weston clan, especially when the Sixth Elder of the Oriente clan brought him here. They can't afford to have a hostile relationship with the Oriente clan as well.

"It's nice to see you after a long Elder Enrique, Sixth Elder Darius." Brycen greeted politely with a smile.

"Indeed, it's been a while, Elder Brycen. The last time we met was at the century clan gathering meeting, and I still remember you taking over Elder Brodie's seat. It's a real pity the old man died too soon." Elder Enrique Sutton lamented as if he were mourning an old friend.

But Brycen's expression immediately fell because Elder Brodie was none other than Elder Brycen's father, and he died while fighting the Sutton clan. So Elder Enrique's words were like a taunt to him. He clenched his fists under the table, and it took great willpower to suppress his urge to attack the old bastard.

Sixth Elder Darius quickly intervened as he knew agitating Brycen would only make matters worse for them. He secretly cursed the old goat for not being sensible and even regretted taking him here with him.

"Ahem, it's very pleasing to see you, Elder Brycen. You have become even stronger than the last time I saw you."

However, Brycen had already lost interest in talking with them, especially with Enrique present, so he dropped all the pleasantries and asked, "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? How may I help you, gentlemen, today?"

Darius was more than happy to oblige. He knew beating around the bush wouldn't work here, so he directly stated their reason, "Elder Brycen, it comes to our knowledge that you are harboring a criminal in your clan, and we are here to take him under our custody!"

Brycen was startled when he heard this unexpected reason before he thought of something, and his eyes went cold, "I don't know what you're talking about, Elder Darius."

Enrique sneered at this moment, "We are talking about the vile thief George from the backwater first-grade sect, and you know it. Don't bother to pretend; we know he's here!"

However, Brycen suddenly pulled a smile filled with disdain instead of getting angry, which startled Enrique since he was expecting a more negative response.

"Oh, you're talking about, Sir George? First, let me clarify: He is not a prisoner but our esteemed guest, and we have no intention of handing him over to anyone. Furthermore, if he wants to leave, he is a free man and can leave anytime he wants, but as long as he's staying here, the Weston clan will make sure to protect him with everything we have."

Both Enrique and Darius were shocked by how Brycen addressed George and his clear stance on this matter. They were both old foxes, and they instantly sensed something wrong with all this since Brycen's reaction was simply not what they had expected, and he seemed full of confidence.

Still, they knew George's importance, so they weren't going to be scared so easily, as Darius probed again in a harsh tone.

"Elder Brycen, don't you know that the vile thief George had robbed many people from small sects within your city? Not only that, but he even robbed my clan's young talent and a Flame Disciple, Irv, who was passing by that day and left him with that cursed mark. I don't need to tell you if this news reaches the Sect Law Enforcement, you will also be punished for harboring the criminal in your clan.

"So, I want you to consider this again if you really want to protect the criminal and suffer the consequences. However, if you are willing to hand it over, you will have the Oriente clan's gratitude, and we'll owe you a favor. It's far better to make friends than have enemies on every side."

The last part was clearly a threat, and Darius was making it pretty clear that he wouldn't back down today, no matter what. If Brycen still didn't choose wisely, the Weston clan would have the Oriente clan on top of the Sutton clan as their enemies.

Furthermore, Darius knew that Brycen was aware that the Oriente clan had far more influence in the Western Guardian Sect City than the Sutton Clan, and if they turned hostile, it would be a disaster for the Weston Clan.

However, Brycen's smile only grew colder as he replied ambiguously, "Again, I want to make it clear that Sir George is no criminal, and what he did back there was an act of self-defense. If you want to take it to the sect, be my guest. If there is nothing else, then please excuse me. I have more important matters to tend to than this baseless farce. I won't be seeing you out." Without waiting for Enrique and Darius's reactions, Brycen boldly left the meeting hall without any intention of entertaining them anymore. Secretly, he was cheering for them to take action against George and burn themselves because he knew George's status was completely different from three weeks ago.

If they can't bring at least an inner sect elder into this matter, they can't do anything to George, and instead, they will offend both Elder Homer and Elder Dewey as well as George, who was destined to rise to the heights of their outer clans can't even dream of.

Once their relationship with George turned hostile, the Weston clan didn't need to do anything; they could just wait for them to get burned from the fire they started on their own. That's why Brycen didn't even bother to pretend and followed Lloyd's instructions.

'Now, let's see if you dare to dance or not…' Brycen left while sneering with this last fleeting thought, feeling quite refreshed about getting one up on both old foxes.

Enrique and Darius left completely flabbergasted. They looked towards each other with dace, as if they still couldn't believe that really happened, before their brows tightly knit together and expressions turned grim.

"Are we missing something here?" Enrique asked Darius, as his information on George was almost the same as Darius'.

But Brycen's confidence had really shaken up the old man, and he was starting to become vigilant and wanted to make sure they weren't playing in the Weston clan's favor. After all, the Sutton Clan had been fighting the Weston clan for too long, and they knew them far better than anyone, so he knew Brycen had something that gave him the confidence to treat them like mere riffraff.

But Darius was equally confused, "I don't know. Let's get out of here first and investigate again. If he's bluffing…humph!"

Although unhappy, Darius didn't want to take this gamble until he was absolutely sure that they weren't overlooking something.

So, both clans launched another investigation this time, which turned out to be a massive waste of time and resources. What they didn't know was that the time they had wasted was enough for Ace to complete his preparation!  

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