Elyria Voss stood at the center of the room, her silver-white hair flowing down her back. She took a proper look at Alex from head to toe before a small, amused smirk appeared on her lips.

"You’re a man of taste, Mr. Alexander Hale..."

The heavy pressure that had filled the room disappeared completely the moment she spoke.

Alex, without a hint of embarrassment, smiled back at her.

"Well, that I am."

Behind Elyria, the woman stepped forward. She bowed her head slightly and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Mr. Alex, this is Mrs. Leera Langford, the manager of this hotel... And we are really sorry for interrupting your fun moment like this."

Her gaze briefly locked onto Alex’s naked form, and she smiled embarrassingly before quickly looking away.

"But she wanted to meet you personally."

She gestured toward Elyria with a respectful nod.

"You did disturb my fun moment," Alex said plainly.

He then turned to look directly at Elyria, his expression calm but slightly annoyed.

Without breaking eye contact, he reached for his bathrobe, picked it up, and casually tied it around his waist.

Elyria Voss gave a small nod, her expression calm and composed.

"I’m Elyria Voss," she introduced herself proudly, "a leader in the Sacred Order... and these two are my students."

Alex’s expression, which was neutral and slightly annoyed just moments ago, suddenly changed. His eyes widened as he whispered under his breath:

"Sacred Order..."

He quickly composed himself, but the shock was still visible on his face for a brief second.

Elyria looked visibly pleased with his reaction. A small, satisfied smile appeared on her lips as she continued.

"Yes, the Sacred Order. I hope you’ve heard of us?"

Alex looked at her carefully. He could clearly see the happy, almost pleased expression on her face, and her system panel still showed Neutral status with only 1% Interest.

’She looks genuinely happy to see me...’ Alex thought, still confused. ’Then why is the system warning me that she’s dangerous? Is it because of something I’m going to do... or is the real threat someone else?’

He couldn’t understand it. Everything about her current demeanor felt calm and non-threatening, yet the Emergency Quest timer was still there in the corner of his vision.

Pushing the confusion aside for now, Alex gave a small smile and replied.

"I’m Alexander Hale. I’ve already met them... I hope they’re not too afraid of this."

Elyria let out a soft laugh. She was clearly enjoying the bold personality of this young man. Her eyes sparkled with interest as she looked at him.

"Mr. Hale," she said with a graceful smile, "I have heard a few things about you recently, and your feats really impressed me. I wanted to meet you someday, but by pure coincidence, we met here."

She took a small step forward, her voice turning smooth and serious.

"So, I’ll not beat around the bush. As one of the leaders of the Sacred Order, I would like to formally invite you to join us."

The moment those words left her lips, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically.

Mrs. Blackwell’s eyes widened in genuine shock. She quickly lowered her head, trying to hide her expression, but the surprise was still clear on her face.

’Is he really that talented to get a direct invitation from her teacher?’ she thought.

But then she remembered... she really couldn’t see through the guy at all. No matter how hard she tried, Alex’s cultivation level remained completely hidden from her senses.

That alone was enough to make her feel uneasy.

Elyria, however, remained calm and confident, her eyes still locked on Alex as she waited for his answer.

Suddenly, the younger woman stepped forward and spoke, her voice sharp and filled with disgust.

"Master, you can’t take him. He is the worst kind of person I’ve ever met... He is not suitable for it."

Before she could say anything more, Mrs. Blackwell quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her. She made a quick scissor-like gesture with her fingers behind her back. The younger woman immediately went quiet, then smiled innocently as if nothing had happened.

Elyria Voss looked at the younger woman with an amused expression, then turned her gaze back to Alex.

"Look like you really make them afraid..." she said with a small smirk.

Alex’s expression remained calm, but his tone was firm.

"But she is right," he countered. "I’m really not suitable for your group."

He rejected her offer without hesitation. He didn’t know much about the Sacred Order anyway, and the strange scissor-like gesture Mrs. Langford had made earlier still lingered in his mind, making him feel slightly uneasy.

Elyria raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting such a direct refusal. She took a step closer, her voice turning smooth and persuasive.

"You’re a really talented person, Alex. Do you really want to waste that potential just like this? You can get access to resources in the Sacred Order that even some Blackwood members can’t have."

She smiled confidently, clearly trying to tempt him.

"I would rather be free," Alex rejected again, his voice calm but firm.

He didn’t know how Elyria had gotten information about him, but since she belonged to the same group as Viktor, he knew her words about resources were likely true.

Still, he wasn’t ready to bind himself to any group.

Elyria looked at him for a moment, then gave a small, unbothered smile.

"That’s a pity," she said lightly, not pushing further. "You can contact me if you ever change your mind."

She turned around to leave, but just as she took a step, her eyes suddenly locked onto the man slumped against the wall.

Howard.

She paused. A flicker of confusion crossed her face as she stared at him. Something about the man felt strangely familiar.

Elyria stepped forward toward him.

Howard flinched violently, his body shrinking back against the wall in fear.

Elyria stopped right in front of him, looking down with sharp, authoritative eyes.

"What is your name?" she asked, her voice calm but commanding.

Howard swallowed hard, his voice shaking.

"H-Howard... Howard Sterling..."

Elyria’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sterling?"

"This name sounds too familiar..." she muttered under her breath. She turned to look at Alex, about to ask him something, when her eyes suddenly caught the woman lying on the ground.

Heena was staring at her with wide, terrified eyes. The moment their gazes met, Heena’s face turned pale with fear. She quickly lowered her head and pressed it against the floor, trying to hide.

But it was already too late.

Elyria had clearly seen her face.

"Heena?!"

Her voice exploded through the room like thunder.

Everyone present in the hall froze in stunned silence. The younger woman and Mrs. Blackwell looked at each other in shock. Even Alex’s eyes widened as he finally understood what was happening.

’So she’s related to Heena...’ he thought. ’Somehow.’

Heena’s body trembled violently on the floor. She could barely lift her head as she whispered in a broken, fearful voice:

"Aunt..."

At that exact moment, the system in Alex’s mind started beeping loudly.

[DANGER!]

[DANGER!]

Alex quickly checked the system panel.

[Elyria Voss’s Favorability: -100]

Elyria’s expression turned ice-cold. It didn’t take her long to piece everything together... the state of Howard, Heena’s condition, and the humiliating scene she had walked into.

"How dare you..." she growled, her voice low and filled with pure rage.

Alex instinctively raised his hands.

"I can explain..."

But before he could finish his sentence, Elyria flicked her wrist.

A terrifying force blasted through the air.

Alex’s body was violently thrown backward as if hit by an invisible hammer. He crashed straight into the wall behind him with a loud, devastating impact.

BOOM!

The wall cracked and broke into multiple pieces as Alex’s body smashed through it, sending debris flying everywhere.