Chapter 801: Dissatisfaction
A moment later, Max strode into the grand hall alongside Princess Lyra. His sharp pinkish-red eyes swept the chamber, taking in the rows of elders with their flowing robes and dignified auras, the towering protectors standing like statues of iron, and the five gathered geniuses whose power pulsed through the air like a living thing.
’So many elders and geniuses gathered here.’ He hadn’t anticipated the sheer magnitude of the assembly that awaited him here, nor the solemn tension hanging over the hall.
Meanwhile, as the echo of his footsteps fell into the hush, every gaze in the hall turned toward Max, some sharp with curiosity, others tinged with silent judgment.
To all present, Princess Lyra was a figure of immense renown—the second princess of the Great Ruler Empire, as brilliant in strategy as she was formidable in strength. There wasn’t a single person in the Empire who didn’t know her name.
View the correct content at NovelFire.
But while Lyra’s presence commanded respect, it was the unfamiliar young man walking a step behind her that now gripped everyone’s attention, stirring a wave of whispers that rustled through the air like wind across parchment.
It was Seraphina Emberfall who finally broke the silence, folding her arms as her eyes narrowed with open curiosity. "Princess Lyra, who is this person beside you?" she asked, her tone casual yet edged with genuine interest. She was one of the geniuses under Lyra’s faction, and her familiarity allowed her to speak with a boldness others would not dare.
Lyra smiled faintly, as though she had expected this question all along. "He? He is Max Morgan. He will also enter the secret domain with you all." Her voice was calm, as if she were merely mentioning the time of day rather than dropping a stone into a still lake.
And the ripples of that stone spread instantly. Every person in the hall seemed to stiffen in astonishment, their eyes darting from Lyra to Max and back again. Even the usually composed faces of the elders shifted in quiet surprise. The five geniuses, Alaric Stormrider, Seraphina Emberfall, Kael Drakemantle, Elara Frostveil, and Lucan Goldwind, stared at Max with expressions ranging from disbelief to scrutiny.
Nobody had anticipated that Max, a man whose aura still lingered at the Master Rank would be the final piece of the team they’d all been waiting for. In a world where rank was everything, where Legend Rank geniuses were the minimum expected to step into a deadly secret domain, the idea of a Master Rank genius joining them seemed, at first blush, almost absurd.
Alaric Stormrider arched a brow. "Princess... are you certain? A Master Rank expert... in a domain crawling with Legend Rank geniuses?" His tone was measured but couldn’t quite conceal his skepticism.