Chapter 47: the unexpected guest

Just as Smith was about to retrieve Brenda’s gift from his inventory, a heavy pressure suddenly descended across the villa. It pressed down like a massive mountain, crashing onto the estate with overwhelming force.

​Brenda and Velvet were the first to react. Sensing the oppressive weight, they instinctively equipped their armor and weapons, dropping into fighting stances. They positioned themselves to the left and right of Smith, who was in the middle,they ready to protect him.

​Even Smith felt the pressure, but he suddenly noticed something peculiar. Other people around the villa—like Diana and the rest—wore completely puzzled expressions, clearly wondering what Smith’s group was doing.

​Carefully sensing the pressure, Smith realized that only the three of them could feel it. The others went about their daily activities completely unfazed. Although those they tried not to stare, occasional curious glances revealed that they didn’t know what was happening. Smith needed understanding what was going on so he started to observe.

​He noticed that the pressure targeted only their immediate surroundings, carefully controlled so as not to affect anyone else in the villa. only the three of them could feel it .Smith found it a bizarre experience, akin to walking through an underwater glass tunnel at an aquarium: you can clearly see the water and the surrounding fish, but the water itself cannot touch or affect you.

​Smith concluded that whoever released this pressure must be an extraordinarily powerful being. However, velvet told him thought their connection that she sensed no killing intent or hostility. Even so, they couldn’t let their guard down without knowing the stranger’s true intentions.Velvet was especially sensitive to killing intent because her Blood Arts is very sensitive to maliciousness and hostility.

​As Smith nodded to signal caution, a powerful presence rapidly approached the villa. Judging by the aura, it belonged to the same person who had released the pressure. Smith was greatly surprised that someone could be that far away and yet have their presence felt so clearly by a low-ranking player like himself, proving just how powerful the visitor truly was.

​Looking toward the table, Smith saw that the other people were starting to grow worried by their series of actions

"Don’t worry," Smith said, "it’s just someone is here to meet us."

​Deciding to go and see who was causing the commotion, Smith felt confident the person wouldn’t turn hostile face-to-face. He knew the Brown family wouldn’t let just anyone run rampant in their territory without approval; the family must have already sensed the visitor, and their silence meant tacit permission.

​Turning to Brenda and Velvet, Smith said, "It’s a guest, and I’m sure he have his own reasons for acting this way. Let’s go meet him"

His aunt who was observing there actions asked anxiously, "Will it be all right? Your reaction didn’t indicate they were a friend—it sounded more like an unwelcome guest."

​"Don’t worry, just trust me this time," Smith replied.

​She didn’t push further and simply followed behind him. Without wasting time on idle chatter, they hurried outside to the front of the villa to see what was going on.

​Just as they stepped out the door, Smith spotted a blue meteorite flying directly toward them. He instantly recognized it, remembering when he had seen it before.

​As Smith racked his brain, Brenda said, "Smith, this looks just like when we were coming back to the villa from our dungeon run! It looks like the same person who flew over us outside the city!" ℯ

​Smith realized she was right. It was the exact same aura and color he had felt on their way home. A flurry of questions popped into his head, but with no one to answer them, he would have to ask the person directly once they arrived.

​Smith and the others waited in front of the villa as the blue meteorite suddenly halted ten meters away. The aura instantly dispersed, revealing an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a formal suit with in a white t-shirt and white sneakers.

​The casual look seemed quite ironic given his overwhelming entrance, leaving Smith genuinely surprised. Still, he kept quiet, waiting for the other side to initiate conversation.

​The old man who was obviously Cersur began straightening his suit, trying to look presentable, though he took a little too long doing so. Just as he took a stride forward to speak, he froze upon seeing Smith’s aunt standing beside Smith.

​Abruptly changing his trajectory,Cersur pivoted away from Smith and walked straight toward his Aunt instead. This unexpected move stunned everyone, as they knew the powerful figure had originally come looking for Smith.

​After reaching, the Cersur casually slid a hand through his hair in a stylish manner and flashed a grin. "Hey there, beauty. Free this evening?"

​The question left everyone momentarily speechless. Smith’s Aunt was especially stunned. Although she was only thirty-two and still in her prime, years of hard labor made her look older than her original age, and she didn’t consider herself an outstanding beauty. Being hit on so abruptly left her entirely at a loss for words.

​Before the awkward situation could linger, a second presence was felt approaching. While the pressure wasn’t as intense as Cersur’s, it was still clearly felt by the group.

​A glowing figure moved across the ground like a rolling torch. Though not as blindingly fast or terrifying as the first arrival, the incoming pressure caused the old man to instantly shut his mouth, plunging the entire group into silence.

​Seeing this, Smith also kept quiet, puzzled as to why multiple high-ranking players were converging on his location. What did I even do to garner this much attention? he wondered.

​A ball of fire flashed across the ground and halted near the group, its aura dispersing to reveal Jacob. Seeing that the old man was already talking to Smith and his group, Jacob hurried forward to apologize.

​"I am so sorry, Mr. Smith, for this sudden intrusion," Jacob said earnestly. "I didn’t realize he was coming, or I would have warned you beforehand. I am so sorry if this caused you a shock, and I will give you a satisfactory explanation later."

​Knowing something bigger was at play, Smith waved his hand. "You don’t have to worry about it. No real damage has been done, and I don’t mind"

​With that matter out of the way, Smith invited them inside. "We can talk properly inside. It’s not good to stand out here."

​With that, the group stepped into the villa to talk properly inside.