Chapter 168
The Grand Guardian of Avalon
“……All right, I understand.”
The middle-aged man with bright golden hair raised an eyebrow but replied calmly, “I’ll be right there.”
His face was as deep and stern as a stone statue, with pair of emerald eyes like jewels. Perhaps due to his elven blood, he was over 1.9 meters tall but showed no signs of being thin. His back was as straight as a pine tree, and his shoulders were broad and solid. Sitting there motionlessly, he was like a mountain, instilling a strong sense of security.
Of course, if the positions were reversed… it could also be a sense of oppression.
“What’s wrong, George?”
His wife, Nadia, with black hair and black eyes, was polishing their medals nearby. Seeing her husband put down the phone, she casually asked, “Does our Grand Guardian have another official duty?”
“There’s a lead on the Moriarty matter,” George Barton replied. “Do you remember Bran Boka?”
“The one from the White Queen District? Or the one from the Lloyd District? Sorry, dear, there are quite a few people named Bran, I might be mistaking him for someone else,” Nadia said.
“You’re not mistaken, it’s the same person. The judge from the White Queen District, the Vice President of the Lloyd Society…” The Grand Guardian narrowed his eyes, stood up, and put on his coat. “He just surrendered to me. He said the people who attacked Moriarty before were sent by Lloyd, and now Lloyd wants to silence him.”
His coat was a pure white double-breasted stand-collar trench coat, with Avalon’s insignia on the back – a silver-white triangle with a jade-green jewel in the center. As he put on the coat, the silver triangle began to shine with radiance.
He inserted two slender elven scimitars, one on each side of his shirt, and then turned the necklace hanging around his neck to the outside. It was also Avalon’s insignia, but the center was not just a jade-green jewel; it was an eyeball carved from emeralds.
He lightly tapped the jeweled eye, and his pupils flashed with silver radiance.
His vision abruptly shifted—to a perspective overlooking the entire Avalon territory from high above. As his attention focused, the image zoomed in at an extremely high speed.
Avalon, Glass Island, White Queen District, Green Vine Avenue No. 113…
Finally, the Grand Guardian clearly saw Vice President Boka hanging up the phone. There was clear anxiety on his face, as if he was afraid of something. At the same time, there was a hint of viciousness, and he said something in despair.
By reading his lips, the Grand Guardian basically understood what he was saying: “Being caught is better than being killed. If I can save Eivass this time, my previous plan won’t be a complete failure…”
The Grand Guardian tapped the eye again. His vision returned to the highest point. Then, he shrunk the image to the Lloyd Society headquarters.
Along the way, he suddenly saw something, moved the screen, and focused it on Grand Arbitrator Meg, who was sitting by the roadside in a tavern eating fried chicken and drinking beer. The old lady, who looked no different from ordinary people, dressed very casually… and was so short that her heels couldn’t even touch the ground while sitting on the chair, suddenly seemed to sense something. She looked up and met the Grand Guardian’s gaze across time and space.
Then Meg showed a cheerful smile, raised her beer, and toasted towards George Barton. After that, she took big bites of freshly made fried chicken.
She moved her lips silently, and George understood her meaning: “The fried chicken at this shop is good. Come again next time, I’ll treat you.”
The Grand Guardian’s lips curved slightly upward, but he quickly smoothed them out. He touched the jeweled eye again. This time, the image smoothly descended to the highest level of the Lloyd Society, the President’s office.
The half-blood giant’s face was flushed red with anger, from his head to his shoulders. The intense rage made him breathe in great gulps, white mist steaming from his mouth and nostrils. Large, spiderweb-like veins protruded from his forehead and neck, pulsing visibly with his heartbeat. His pupils had turned blood-red from burst capillaries.
The tabletop he was pressing with his left hand had already caved in slightly. He was hunched over, head bowed, gasping for air, trying to cool his head and quell the endless rage—but it was clearly not very effective.
The Grand Guardian of Avalon took a deep breath, and the silver radiance in his pupils faded.
“How was it?” Nadia inquired.
“Mostly angry,” George Barton replied. “That half-blood giant looks really angry.”
“Giants are always angry,” she replied with a smile. “It’s normal.”
“He’s exceptionally angry today—I think it might be related to Madam Meg,” George said, looking down as his wife placed his pocket watch in his pocket. He then continued, “She’s also in the Lloyd District.”
“Went for a drink?”
“Yes. Drinking beer and eating fried chicken.”
“You should try to persuade Madam Meg too; it’s not good for her health like this.”
“Who can persuade her…” George also gave a wry smile. “Perhaps only Her Majesty the Queen can persuade her.”
“But Her Majesty the Queen would drink with her.”
“That’s nice,” Nadia said with some envy. “I really hope I can be that free when I’m old.”
“Then you’ll have to see if David lets you,” George said, pushing the door open. His wife followed behind him.
When they reached the yard, they saw their son playing ball with his Gryphon, Emily. Seeing George approach, Gryphon Emily flew over and made a purring sound like a kitten. George smiled, stroked her chin, and then waved her away.
“Dad, where are you going?” The young man, with emerald-green pupils like peridot and soft golden short hair falling to his shoulders, asked curiously. “Didn’t you just get back?”
“Another official duty,” George replied briefly. “Going to protect a witness.”
“Was the person who attacked Mr. Eivass found?” David Barton ran over with the ball, asking.
“Yes, he was found,” George nodded. “His name is Alistair, a Fiend possessed by a Shadow Demon… Avalon is very dangerous lately, try not to go out. If you go out, bring Emily, understand?”
“What?!” To George’s surprise, David’s reaction was extremely intense. He widened his eyes. “The one who attacked Mr. Eivass was… was Alistair?”
Seeing this, George and Nadia exchanged a glance. But neither said anything nor directly asked. George instead revealed more. “Yes, I’m going to protect a witness this time. To prevent him from being killed by Alistair.”
“…Then, Dad,” David hesitated, “can I come with you?”
“Nonsense!” Nadia’s eyebrows immediately furrowed, scaring David into a shiver. “That’s a battle between Extraordinarys starting from the Fourth Tier. What are you getting involved in! Go train, strike your sword a hundred times, stab your spear a hundred times, then guide lightning. Eat lunch after you’re done! If you don’t want to go to school, then study and train at home. Slacking off is impossible.”
“I’m already Second Tier, Mom!” David said with some dissatisfaction. “And I can already skillfully guide lightning!” As he spoke, electricity flowed through his arm with a crackling sound.
He knew his father had the final say, so he looked at his father appealingly. “I want to see… can I, Dad?”
“It’s not impossible,” George said, stroking his chin, and surprisingly agreed.
“George…” Nadia’s eyebrows remained tightly furrowed.
“It’s alright, I’m here,” the Grand Guardian said calmly. “If you’re not at ease, let Angelica accompany him.” Angelica was the name of the Gryphon Nadia kept.
“I don’t mind,” the white Gryphon replied from the side. Her voice was gentle. “I’ll follow David.”
“Great! Thank you, Auntie Ange!” David said excitedly. I feel like I should write until two in the morning for the next chapter (contemplation)
