Chapter 123: What Comes Next

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: What Comes Next

Damon let the teasing continue for another moment before finally getting serious.

"Anyway, what’s the update?"

Caelia’s expression changed.

She suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place.

Her hand went to her forehead.

"Oh."

Damon stared at her.

"Did you forget?"

"I was distracted."

"By me?"

Caelia’s face turned slightly red again.

"Just get ready."

Damon laughed.

"You really did forget."

"That’s not the point."

"Then what’s the point?"

Caelia finally looked at him.

"The family head wants to see us."

Damon’s smile faded slightly as he became more attentive.

"Cornelius?"

She nodded.

"He asked for both of us. It has to do with the aftermath of the battle."

Damon nodded.

That made sense.

The battle had been far too big to simply move on from.

There would be reports.

Captured enemies.

The resonance formations.

The changes in Frostveil Expanse.

And probably plenty of other things the Winterbourne family had discovered while he was fighting.

"I was expecting that," Damon said.

Caelia nodded.

"Then let’s go."

Damon stood and began getting ready.

He changed into something more presentable while Caelia waited nearby.

She glanced at him.

"You know, you don’t have to dress like you’re attending a formal event."

"I’m meeting the family head."

"You already met him yesterday."

"And?"

Caelia sighed.

"You really care about appearances when you want to."

Damon adjusted his clothes.

"I care about not looking like I just woke up."

Caelia smiled.

"Fair enough."

Damon glanced at her.

"You were staring."

"I wasn’t."

"You definitely were."

"I was not."

Damon laughed as Caelia looked away.

By the time Damon finished preparing, the three spirits had also finished their snacks.

Freya looked completely satisfied.

Sylphie was no different.

Shiro sat quietly beside them, looking much more comfortable than before.

Damon glanced at the empty snacks.

"Good. At least nobody is going to complain while we’re gone."

Freya immediately looked at him.

Damon pointed at her.

"Don’t even think about it."

She turned away and Caelia couldn’t help laughing.

The two of them soon left the room together.

As they walked through the mansion, Damon began noticing something.

The guards greeted him differently.

So did the servants.

Some bowed.

Others greeted him with obvious respect.

Damon returned the greetings whenever he could, but after a while, he became slightly awkward.

Caelia noticed.

She smiled.

"You’re not used to this."

"I’m used to people looking at me."

"That’s not what I meant."

Damon glanced at her.

She continued.

"They’re treating you like one of the important people in the family now."

Damon was quiet for a moment.

"Yeah. I noticed."

Caelia smiled.

"You look uncomfortable."

"I’m not uncomfortable."

"You are."

Damon sighed.

"Maybe a little."

She laughed softly.

"Why?"

Damon shrugged.

"The last time people treated me with this much respect, things didn’t exactly go well."

Caelia understood what he meant.

She didn’t push him on it.

Instead, she simply smiled.

"Just get used to it."

Damon looked at her.

"That’s your advice?"

"Yes."

"Very helpful."

"I try."

Damon laughed.

Soon, they reached the hall.

The guards at the entrance immediately straightened and nodded respectfully.

"Young Miss."

Then their eyes shifted toward Damon.

"Young Master Damon."

Damon nodded.

"Thank you."

The doors opened.

Damon and Caelia entered.

The atmosphere inside was different from before.

Several elders were already seated around the hall, and from the looks on their faces, they had been discussing something important.

The moment Damon entered, however, the conversation stopped.

Every elder looked toward him.

Damon paused for a moment.

It was quite different from the last time he had stood in this hall.

Now, everyone was looking at him differently.

Caelia quietly nudged him.

Damon glanced at her.

She gave him a small look that clearly said, Greet them.

Damon almost laughed.

He gave the elders a light nod.

"Good morning."

The elders returned the greeting.

Damon then looked toward the head of the family.

"Family Head Cornelius."

Cornelius smiled and gestured toward the seats.

"Come. Sit."

Damon looked around the hall as he walked over.

Judging by the expressions around him, this wasn’t going to be a simple conversation about yesterday’s battle.

There was something else.

Damon settled into his seat, with Caelia beside him.

The room had gone quiet.

Cornelius looked around the hall before finally speaking.

"Yesterday’s battle changed quite a few things."

Damon listened.

The family head continued, explaining what they had learned from the captured enemies.

They hadn’t known much about the mutation of the Frostveil Expanse itself.

They knew the mutation had been manipulated and used against the Winterbourne family, but there was no evidence that the people they captured were responsible for controlling the Distorted Zone itself.

That was still part of the investigation.

Cornelius and the others were questioning the captives while also looking deeper into the spies that had been hiding within the family.

But that wasn’t the biggest problem anymore.

The Frostveil Expanse itself had become unstable.

And that wasn’t something that only threatened the Winterbourne family.

If the instability continued, every family and settlement in the surrounding area would eventually be affected.

"We need to understand the cause," Cornelius said. "Until we do, we can’t know how far this will spread."

Damon nodded.

That was exactly what he had been thinking about.

But there was something else they could do in the meantime.

"We also need to get stronger."

Several elders looked toward him.

Damon continued.

"Even if we find the cause tomorrow, it won’t matter much if we don’t have the strength to deal with what comes after."

Cornelius gave a small nod.

"That is why the loot from this battle is important."

The room became a little more relaxed.

The Winterbourne family had gained an enormous amount from the battle.

Every elemental user who had participated had been recovering the spoils from the beasts they killed.

Even the beasts Damon had fought while he was separated from the others had been searched and collected afterward.

There were elemental cores, treasures, materials and other resources.

The amount was far beyond what the family normally obtained in several years.