"Excuse me?" asked John in confusion. The boy's question was completely out of his expectations. The driver had been the one to lash out at him. He only tugged on the whip to teach him a lesson and nothing more.
"I asked how you want to die?" repeated the young boy. Two guards quickly hopped out of the carriage and surrounded John on each side.
"Late Mist Creation! Both of them. Seems like this boy is someone decently important in the kingdom to have two late Mist Creation guards following him around!" Although John was surrounded by two Late Mist Creation realm cultivators, he wasn't worried.
He looked away from the guards and back to the boy as if he was stupid.
The boy became enraged by the way John looked at him. "Kill him!" shouted the boy.
The guards had just arrived on the scene and had not yet taken a chance to assess the situation, but their young masters orders were orders. They took out their weapons and were about to charge at John before they came to an abrupt halt. Fear quickly appeared on both their faces. Their eyes were glued to John's hand.
In John's hand was a small item. It was a small badge which had an ornately carved phoenix on it. It was a Fenix Clan badge, and every member of the Fenix Clan carried one. It was almost impossible to fake, and was used by Fenix Clan members to quickly identify themselves. Although John had this back when he was attacked by the bandits, he had no intention of revealing his identity and had therefore not taken out this badge.
"The guards are pretty blind. I have the Fenix Insignia embroidered on the shoulders and back of my robe!" thought John.
"What are you stopping for? Kill him!" shouted the young boy once more. He obviously didn't recognize the Fenix Clan insignia. The boy lived a sheltered and pampered life, and did not care for learning about the surrounding powers. Fear appeared on both guards faces as they quickly admonished the boy.
"Young master, apologize to this man right now!" shouted one of the guards. He quickly followed up by turning to John and said "Young master, please take no offense. Our young master is spoiled and unbridled. He had no idea who you were."
The young boy was confused by his guards' reactions. He was just about to shout out once more when his guard appeared directly in front of him. He bent over and whispered into the boys ears, at which point the boy's eyes grew large with shock.
His guard quickly turned back towards John and spoke out before his young master could cause any further harm. "Young Fenix Clan Master, please accept our most sincere apologies. We will be leaving." The guard quickly turned around and started dragging his young master back towards the carriage.
"Wait!" a shout came from behind the guard. The guard winced before turning around.
"Yes young Fenix Clan master? How can I help you?" asked the guard.
"He asked for my death. Had I not been who I am, I would have certainly died to your hands. Don't you think leaving like this is getting off a little too easy?" asked John with anger in his voice. If he was some commoner and not a member of the Fenix Clan, John would have surely died right now. All for standing in the path of the carriage for slightly too long.
"Mercy please, young Fenix Clan master. Our young master is the youngest son of Duke Trommel."
The guard was clearly trying to use the young masters status as a shield against any punishment. John scoffed at the man's response. John was a direct descendant of the Fenix Clan leader himself. Not only was the Fenix Clan more powerful than the Dreadel Kingdom, John status was much higher than the boys. Even if the boy was a prince of the Dreadel Kingdom, he would still need to be respectful to John.
John didn't like flaunting his clans power, but every now and then it was needed. This was one of those times. He still felt indignant about the way the driver and boy had treated him. They considered all beneath them, to the point of them taking lives for trivial reasons.
"Duke Trommel huh?" John said for a moment before continuing. "I will be staying in the Dreadel Kingdom for some time. Duke Trommel better give me an acceptable answer for what has happened. If not, I don't mind asking my grandfather Cade Fenix to show up personally."
The guards eyes widened in horror, his worst fears realized. Not only was the boy in front of him a Fenix Clan member, he was also a direct descendant of the Fenix Clan leader. The boy in front of him was someone even Duke Trommel would have to be respectful towards, let alone the Duke's son.
The guard hesitated for a moment before responding "I will relay today's events to Duke Trommel himself. We will give you an appropriate answer before you leave the kingdom."
John nodded his head at the guards answer. The guard breathed a sigh of relief before quickly turning around and getting in the carriage with the boy. He threw the injured driver in the carriage as well, while the other guard assumed the driver's mantle. The Onyx Horse sped off into the distance.
John watched the carriage leave before he started chuckling slightly.
"Although I don't like abusing my status, it is pretty convenient at times. That was pretty refreshing."
John knew what it felt like to be powerless. Most of his life was spent being powerless and watching others soar. Because of this, John had a soft spot for the weak, he understood their struggles. The son of the Duke was clearly someone who didn't care about the lives of commoners and the weak, he only cared about himself. John hated people like him the most.
After dealing with the situation, John stood in line to enter the Kingdom. The nearby people who had been watching the events unfold looked at John with shock and reverence. The son of the Duke was known by all the commoners as a horrible, vicious person. All of them did their best to avoid him at all costs. Seeing the Duke's son take such a loss was quite refreshing for them.
John waited in line for nearly an hour before he reached the front of the line.
"One silver coin," said the guard stationed at the gate.
"Silver? That's quite expensive compared to other places" responded John.
The guard looked at John before responding "The Dreadel Kingdom is the bastion of power in the surrounding area, and as such many people seek to enter and live inside. The silver entrance fee is meant to keep things from getting overcrowded."
"Oh" mumbled John. He took out a silver coin and gave it to the guard.
The guard took the money and handed him a piece of paper. "This paper is proof of your payment. It's good for one week, at which point you'll have to renew it."
John took the paper before heading inside. A bustling city soon revealed itself to John. Thousands of people could be seen walking in the busy streets, going about their daily lives. Mist Creation realm cultivators were quite common, and John even noticed a few Qi Condensation realm guards walking about.
"This place surely deserves its reputation" thought John as he walked through the busy streets. John walked for some time before he eventually arrived in front of a large building. It had deep purple colored walls and was ten stories tall and one hundred yards wide. Two majestic lion statues were placed on either side of the front entrance, and a steady stream of people was constantly entering and leaving the building. John read the front sign, which was written in large characters.
"Mystic Trade Hall? Never heard of it. Let's see what's inside."