The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 918: Strange Man

The receptionist nodded.

"Who would you like to ask about, Sir Zorzal?"

"I want to know what happened to my last group that I traveled with. Claire, Edwin, Valik, and Froz," Zander said.

The receptionist nodded again. "I see. I will tell you the current situation first. After you disappeared, those families were still looking for you. Sometimes they tried to pressure the guild to hand over your information, but of course we did not give it to them until today."

"Because they could not find you after so long, they started to look for your group at the time of that mission." Hearing that part, Zander clenched his fist.

"They are really persistent in looking for you. Well, it is understandable after what you did. But anyway, for Claire and Edwin, who have special backgrounds, we do not need to worry about them, as they mostly lay low within their families after that time."

"But for Valik and Froz, they were from normal backgrounds, which I believe those families must already know. They seemed to target them the most, but as far as I know, they are still on the run because there is no sign of them being caught, and the guild does not know their location either." The receptionist touched her chin.

"Even if they were caught and those families did not find any information from them, they would likely spread the news of Valik and Froz being caught so you would hear of it and come to them. Well, a classic hostage situation."

Zander truly felt guilty after hearing it. Those families truly targeted his friends. He wondered what he could do so that he could help them. His power was limited, if he only depended on himself, he did not have enough power to shake those families.

He was like an ant in front of their families' power.

Unless he used his master's name—

'No, I will solve this problem myself. I will find a way,' Zander thought.

"At least that is the good news, as they have not caught them yet. But with those families still looking for you, I think it is only a matter of time before they are caught," the receptionist continued.

Zander then thought with a serious expression. The receptionist also looked at Zander, wondering what he would do.

After waiting for a few moments, he finally spoke to her.

"How do I meet the guild master?"

The receptionist was stunned. "Meeting the guild master? Do you want to ask him for help?"

Zander nodded. "Yes."

The receptionist frowned. "I do not think the guild master will help you face those nobles. I have met the guild master, and from his character, even if he is a powerful cultivator, he might not come out personally to help you because he will find it troublesome." She also thought for a moment.

"But maybe I could be wrong. I think you could try to meet him. He must already know about you because you are quite famous for being a powerful earl stage cultivator and also for what you did. I think you must have caught his interest. If he does not deny your request to meet him, then there is a big chance that he might hear you out and even want to help you."

Zander nodded. "Alright, is the guild master still in the capital?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Alright, thank you for the information. I will be going then," Zander said before he turned around and walked away.

"Be careful, Sir Zorzal. It would be a shame if you lost your life in those nobles' hands. You are one of our talented adventurers that our branch pays attention to," the receptionist said, which made Zander stop his steps. He smiled and turned his head.

"I will not let those nobles take my life," he said before he continued walking outside. But before he could take a step out, a male voice suddenly echoed clearly beside him.

"Zorzal, would you mind if I accompany you to meet the guild master?"

The moment he heard that, he widened his eyes and looked beside him. He found no one, so he scanned his surroundings, but he also did not find anyone he thought could be the one who spoke. He suddenly felt uneasy as his gaze swept across the busy hall, trying to locate the man.

But before he could look further, his body suddenly bumped into someone behind him, which made him jump slightly and turn around. His eyes widened as he saw a figure actually standing behind him, someone he had not detected at all!

The figure was a middle-aged man with a moustache. He wore a brown robe that covered his head, but Zander could still see his black hair. His expression showed an amicable smile, as if he was not trying to harm him.

But Zander did not lower his guard, since this man clearly knew what he had just discussed with the receptionist without being detected. He did not know the man's intent, so he prepared himself to escape.

In the midst of the crowd, Vars, who was sent to guard Zander, was also quite surprised by the sudden appearance of the man. That man seemed to appear in the middle of the busy hall without Vars detecting him at all. That meant this man was much stronger than him, which made the situation potentially dangerous.

However, he hesitated to make a move because he did not sense any ill intent from the man. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

'This guy already sensed my presence here,' Vars thought, as he felt the man briefly glance at him when he appeared. He knew that, from the looks of it, if the man decided to be hostile, then he would have to sacrifice himself so Zander could escape.

He decided to stay still and see what the man wanted to do, as the man seemed to have his own intentions toward Zander.

Zander looked at the man warily as he narrowed his eyes, sweat dropping from his forehead.

"Who are you, sir?"

The man still smiled. "You don't have to worry. I don't have any ill intent toward you. I just want to help you, that's all. If I had any ill intent toward you, you would not realize any of it before something happened to you."

Zander gritted his teeth because what the man said was true. With a man whose strength he could not gauge, there was no way he could sense anything if the man decided to do something to him.

"Why do you want to help me?" Zander asked.

"Well, let's just say that it is my interest to help you," the man said. "However, if you don't want my help, then I will not force you. You can go on your way. But I have to warn you that if you want to meet the guild master, then you can only depend on your luck compared to being accompanied by me."

Zander frowned, starting to question the man's identity in his heart. This man sounded so confident about meeting the guild master, even though it was said to be difficult. Was this man an acquaintance of the guild master?

He began to ponder what he needed to do, and the man did not rush him, simply waiting for Zander's response.

After a few moments of thinking, Zander finally replied.

"Alright."

The man smiled. "Good. Let's go. Don't waste any more time." He then walked toward the exit of the building. Zander, who could only follow him, sighed before taking a step and following behind.

They stepped outside the building and walked toward the warp gate. There was no problem as they kept walking for a few minutes, but Zander suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind. The figure was moving quickly, walking past many people before almost reaching him.

His hand was already on his sword's hilt, ready to strike if this figure tried to harm him.

"Zorzal, is that you?"

A woman's voice suddenly resounded, making him freeze as he instantly turned his head. The moment he looked behind him, his sight fell on a beautiful woman with blonde hair.

She wore a brown robe that covered her head, but parts of her long blonde hair still flowed out from underneath it. Her clear blue eyes looked at him with a hopeful gaze that made his heart tremble.

At this moment, his heartbeat quickened, and he ignored everyone between them. Time seemed to slow for a moment before returning to normal.

"Eva—Claire?" Zander wanted to say her real name, but he quickly corrected himself and used her alias.

The moment Zander called her name, the woman's eyes showed relief. She walked quickly toward him and grabbed his hand.

"Where have you been? You suddenly disappeared for months, and I thought something had happened to you. If not for those families still looking for you, I would have thought you had already been caught by them," she said worriedly.

Zander's heartbeat quickened even more the moment she grabbed his hand, and his face flushed slightly.

"Well, many things happened, but I managed to escape," he answered.

Claire sighed. "I see. So where are you going right now? Those families are still looking for you, and it will be dangerous if someone traces your presence and informs them."

"Well, I am trying to solve that problem. At this moment, I will visit the adventurer guild headquarters and meet the guild master. This man here said he will help me," Zander replied while gesturing to the man behind him.

Claire looked at the man who was also wearing a robe, and the moment she saw his face, her eyes widened slightly.

"You—"