"SAY WHAT?"

Dexter’s face twisted in an ugly expression. His fury was visible as the guard nearly lost consciousness on the spot due to his mana leakage.

Not even a fellow peer in the same Tier would dare to make him go outside and greet them in demand.

If anything, it would be him willingly going outside to greet them out of politeness and not because the other party ordered it.

"Do I look like a platform for others to step over?" Dexter used telekinesis and dragged the petrified guard closer to him.

"Who is that person to have such courage for you to even deliver me such a message?"

The guard swallowed a mouthful of saliva nervously.

"The messenger from His Majesty."

"A messenger?"

Dexter was about to lose his cool.

How dare a mere messenger demand that I personally greet them?

Did they think having the emperor as their support was enough to humiliate him, a Tier 5 expert?

’Wait a second...’ Suddenly, Dexter paused for a moment. Out of all the messengers, there were indeed a few that really could not be touched.

"What’s the person’s appearance?" He asked the guard.

"The person was quite old. He had a beard and a wrinkled face. But his clothing was quite noble, unlike that of any other messengers."

The guard hurriedly relayed everything he knew about the person.

As soon as the guard finished, he failed to realize Dexter’s facial complexion had changed.

’Fuck, isn’t that the messenger Tobey?’ Dexter cursed silently. Everything made sense why the person demanded his presence.

After all, they truly had the emperor’s backing, whose power was unfathomable and not something he could offend.

Not even the crime of colluding with Hell would be deadlier than offending Tobey.

At the very least, the emperor would simply send his personal guards to hunt him down when he discovered his collusion. But if he messed with Tobey, then the emperor himself would personally hunt him down.

And not just the emperor, but everyone who wishes to curry favor for the emperor would collectively make a move.

"I-Is there something wrong, Sir?" The guard remained clueless and unaware of the significance of the individual, who asked in confusion.

"SCRAM!" Dexter hissed coldly and flung the guard to the side. Due to the guard’s inferior status, they naturally wouldn’t know about Tobey.

It was just like how a lowly peasant would never be able to see the face of an emperor. The gap was simply too big and unimaginable.

Dexter ignored the guard’s injuries. ’What can I expect these useless guards to do anyway?’

He snorted in disdain. Because of the guard’s blunder, he now had to fear for his life. He couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

The other party might start to complain or criticize him, so he wasted no time rushing toward the city gate.

...

City Gate

Without any surprises, the so-called old man was naturally Xu Feng in disguise.

’Hmm, does it really take that long for a Tier 5 to come here?’ He frowned slightly. He was pretty certain he performed well as Tobey. Otherwise, the guards would have detained him already.

A few seconds later, Xu Feng felt every fiber of his body tremble slightly.

’Am I exposed?’ He wondered inwardly.

Swoosh!

A powerful presence emerged in the sky, their eyes scrutinizing Xu Feng deeply.

In the meantime, Xu Feng remained uptight and solemn.

Not an ounce of worry or concern could be seen on his face.

He had full confidence and trust in the Mirage Pendant to thoroughly be concealed from Dexter’s discerning eyes.

And sure enough, Dexter hurriedly retracted his aura when he couldn’t sense anything was amiss.

"What brings you over here, Messenger Tobey?" Dexter landed on the ground and greeted the latter as an equal.

"So it was you, Mister Dexter." Xu Feng stroked his beard and nodded. "I was wondering what happened in the city when there was such a lockdown in place."

"Ah, it’s like this."

Dexter proceeded to explain his discovery and his subsequent action to contain the suspicious person from leaving.

"Fatal Attraction Incense?" Xu Feng feigned a look of surprise and disbelief. "In a time of crisis, to actually use such an incense is no different than being a traitor to humanity."

"Indeed, even I was taken aback by the smells."

"You did great, Mister Dexter."

After a few more casual talks, Xu Feng proceeded to glance around their surroundings.

Dexter understood the signal and promptly guided him inside the city.

Sometime later, they entered a private room.

"Feel free to talk here, Messenger Tobey." Dexter gestured to him to have a cup of tea before the conversation continued.

Xu Feng didn’t reject the kind gesture and took a sniff at the tea’s fragrance.

’As expected of a Tier 5 expert.’ His face remained unchanged on the surface, but he was sneering inwardly at Dexter’s move.

The tea wasn’t some fancy or expensive drink. Instead, it was a tea that had a cleansing effect.

In other words, if a person was under disguise and consumed such a tea, then their disguise would immediately be dispelled upon consumption.

To summarize, Dexter was still suspicious of his identity and tried to act dumb.

After all, such a tea was quite uncommon, especially when its properties were extremely hard to detect.

"A cleansing tea." Xu Feng smiled briefly. "It’s good to be cautious, Mister Dexter. But I hope such tests won’t continue as we progress."

As he directly exposed Dexter’s conduct, he promptly drank the tea.

Shortly after drinking it, nothing happened to him.

Dexter’s brows furrowed slightly as he realized the individual might really be Tobey. Not to mention, the latter even exposed his intention on the spot without any care and went to subtly threaten him, too.

These two factors alone made Dexter certain that this Tobey was unlikely to be a fake unless they really had the courage of a Colossus’s size.

"Do pardon my suspicion, Messenger Tobey." Dexter apologized.

"Fret not. In this turbulent time, it’s best to remain cautious and vigilant." Xu Feng shook his head and said softly.