Immortal Kingdoms

Just like that, under everyone's confused eyes, Leonardo and company left the scene, leaving behind a bodyguard seemingly paralyzed from fear and a silent Ray who stared at Leonardo's back with a hint of gloom in his eyes.

From start to finish, he didn't say anything or make a move. However, he understood that this one-star civilian was also a cultivator, a very formidable saint cultivator at that.

…

Elizabeth and Merlin followed behind Leonardo who was carrying the old man on his back, all three of them were silently advancing towards the exit gates of the Vast Sky Avenue.

Elizabeth had her head lowered, her black hair descending like ruffled bangs to cover her eyes behind a dark curtain of hair and shadows. As for Merlin, her hazel eyes were sparkling with myriad thoughts about how to incorporate inspirations into her studies.

Soon, they arrived in front of the massive gates and were caught over by the regulations committee.

The moment the party of four phased through the transparent screen of light within the gate, a faint red flicker surrounded Elizabeth and the old man, drawing the attention of the regulations committee guards.

"You there, please stop!"

A crisp shout echoed from a distance small pavilion as a middle-aged woman radiating powerful energy fluctuations gestured to Leonardo and the rest, calling them over.

Leonardo didn't dally, immediately heading over. Behind him, Merlin tapped Elizabeth's shoulder lightly and gestured for her to follow after Leonardo.

The woman furrowed her brows, "Unconcerned parties may leave the site, I only need those two!" The woman pointed at Elizabeth and the old man who was slowly waking up from the commotion.

Leonardo didn't mind and displayed his SCC before the misunderstandings snowball out of hand. He didn't want another cliche moment about going back and forth with the guards out of self-confidence.

In a gentle voice, he explained, "I have exploited my authority to hire them as probationary employees. For the following three months, I will be responsible for clearing their immediate debts as their superior."

The middle-aged woman's frown softened while she inspected the SCC. She then looked up at Leonardo and spoke in a comparatively gentler tone, "So it is Shopkeeper Shi, do you have their verbal testimony?"

Leonardo sighed in relief that the committee members weren't corrupted, and this woman seemed to be quite direct and straightforward when it came to handling her affairs.

Leonardo gestured toward Elizabeth who quickly voiced her consent. As for the old man, he was in no condition to relay his testimony, but it didn't look like a kidnapping incident and the old man seemed to be in dire need of medical attention. Hence, the woman transitioned to the debt collecting procedures, inspecting the current debt and tax based on the spiritual fluctuations.

After going through some calculations on a small gadget that looked similar to a portable phone.

"Hmm. I see you've been in the red for a few months now, and if we calculate the interest rates without the revenue interest, the overall debt is 643,000 credits. However, that could be rounded down to 640,000 due to your status as a one-star civilian if you pay the total amount up front."

Both Leonardo and Merlin were shocked, but the latter's shock was even more animated as her mouth hung up, speechless for words.

She never expected that a few months of interest would snowball to over half a million credits in debt, and that was only for two people. If their shop had a full staff instead, the mere numbers sent her dizzy with fright.

Leonardo however, didn't react so greatly but merely displayed a faint surprise in his eyes. Then, he smiled faintly and gestured for her to deduct the money from his private account directly.

"Alright, one moment… There, your current balance is 260,000 credits, the transaction has been registered in the database." The woman returned Leonardo's card while asking if he needed anything else.

Leonardo nodded, "Transfer 160,000 credits to an employee name card under her name," Leonardo then pointed at Elizabeth. "In the future, her tax fees for entry and exit from Vast Sky Avenue should be deducted directly from that card instead."

Elizabeth was too ashamed to lift her head and talk, as she didn't want to bicker with her boss in front of the public eye and damage his reputation. Hence, she could only lower her head further as her eyes misted over.

"Understood," this wasn't something difficult as the regulations committee had a clear signature of every temporary and permanent residence to Vast Sky Avenue, and linking their spiritual fluctuations to a name card was a simple manner. Within moments, a subordinate came over and handed the woman a name card, and she proceeded to hand it to Elizabeth.

"This card is only operational within Vast Sky Avenue, as the credit inside is a virtual currency, the actual money will be deposited directly into our treasury. This is also to say that we offer no refunds."

Elizabeth really didn't know how to express her gratitude as the card in front of her felt so heavy and scorching hot to the point she didn't dare reach out to grab it. Leonardo sighed, gesturing at Merlin who understood and immediately took the care, forcing it into Elizabeth's shaking hands.

Pearl-like tears rolled down Elizabeth's cheeks as she clutched the card, but her lowered head and black bangs concealed the look of determination in her eyes.

Leonardo seemingly didn't notice as he spoke, "Merlin, you can go recruit some maids and servants, then return to my private house. As for me, I'll take them home first, this old man needs rest urgently."

…

Leonardo brought the old man and Elizabeth to his private house in the 7th District, 28th St.

The house had three floors, a stable for mounts, an open courtyard, an outdoor swimming pool, and a massive front gate.

The infrastructure of the house closely resembled a mix of Western and Eastern traditional architecture, it was very pleasing to the eye.

The trip home was silent.

The party hired one of the fastest mounts, so a bit of silence along the way wasn't entirely a bad thing. Moreover, Leonardo understood that someone with Elizabeth's temperament would feel rather uneasy under these circumstances.

When they stepped through the gates, Leonardo finally broke the awkward silence, "You don't need to feel so pressured to repay me. Trust me, I'm not the kind to take a loss, you can rest assured that I'll work you to the bones… In the shop, of course, I won't take advantage of you."

Elizabeth was about to respond when a row of twelve delicate young girls who didn't look older than fifteen rushed out from the house in a neat formation and bowed their heads.