Two hours after the start of the day...
At this instant, the streets of Peters City were filled with people, with many coming and going from the general quarters of some local families.
These people were not allowed to enter these places, obviously. But they crowded in front of these properties to see if the rumors were true.
Two families had supposedly been wiped out on the morning of this day. At the same time, another had lost more than 80% of its members and had only been saved because Transcendents from outside the province had offered help in 'time.'
In any case, the survivors of this family were all low-level cultivators, the strongest of them being only a 30-year-old, level 11 man.
All the elders of this family had supposedly died either in their headquarters or the Frost family headquarters, where the worst massacre occurred.
According to the news, more than 400 people had died near that estate, almost 100% of them 2nd stage cultivators.
But some survivors there, like the Transcendent who had faced Mabel and some low-level 2nd stage men, had managed to escape, badly wounded.
Because of this news, much of the local population, mortals and cultivators, were on the streets earlier in the day to talk about and try to witness this morning's tragedy!
...
At the Peters City central station...
Several minibusses were leaving crowded from there, while the boarding platforms were full of mortals who wanted either to go to work or to the vicinity of the devastated properties this morning.
Many people were there intending to go home after following the Secret Realm scoreboard all night. But, at the same time, some tourists wished to try out this local service.
Amidst these people there, the Spiritual Warriors coming from the empire's capital with the young people participating in the Secret Realm were there to experience this service.
They wanted to go to the front of the Frost estate while taking the opportunity to experience this service.
But a large number of people there this morning surprised them.
"Damn! Why is everyone taking the minibusses here? They could just walk!" One of these men commented among his group.
"There's nothing to do. Lothur's minibusses are a fever among the locals... Besides, after such news, the bloodthirsty crowds would hardly let the opportunity to witness anything pass them by."
"True..."
"At any rate, I am impressed by all this... I didn't expect that in action against the Frost family, the one who would be the winner would be just that family."
"It's shocking. I heard that several of Lothur's partners in the Ritter Motor Company acted simultaneously to exterminate those people trying to destroy the Frost family."
"How did they do that? Did they have an informant among their enemies?"
"Who knows... Anything is possible."
"Regardless of how they did it, the fact remains that Lothur and the Frost family achieved an impressive victory that morning!"
...
Meanwhile, in front of the Baier estate...
This place was surrounded by at least a thousand or so heads, people curious to see if the rumors about this family's end were true.
Those who arrived there with curious expressions would soon become more serious as they witnessed a half-destroyed place with many bodies in the surroundings.
Blood could be seen on the inner streets of this place, which were no longer hidden from the people on the street due to the collapsed outer walls.
While the smell of blood surprised the young people in the surroundings who had never experienced the battlefield and the killing, Chris Waldeaur, the Duke, was walking there together with some colleagues and elders.
In particular, Coroner Klossner was standing next to his old friend, walking and observing the situation of this headquarters that would no longer have nobles to inhabit it.
This morning, the noble House Baier had been exterminated!
All the family's warriors, including the patriarch, had died either on the Frost estate or in this place.
Apart from them, the men of House Koch had exterminated all the other people of this family in this place, even the young master, who was no longer the same since he suffered at the hands of Lothur.
Chris and August saw the body of young Alric with a large cut on his chest and sighed when they saw the expression of terror on the face of this poor low-level cultivator.
They hadn't expected that things would develop this way for this day!
Neither expected the attack against the Frost family would happen today. August was not part of the Third Prince's faction before, and Chris, although he had been, thought that the attack would only happen at the end of the Secret Realm.
But the forces of that prince had moved their plans forward to now to avoid trouble.
Chris couldn't talk about anything he knew. He had signed a confidentiality agreement before leaving the Third Prince's faction. But even with that, that member of the imperial family had decided not to risk it and to advance his plans.
In any case, even though he knew that something would happen against the Frost family at one time or another, the Duke had no idea that Aiken's forces would have such a quick and decisive response!
Several of Lothur's allies had acted simultaneously that morning, attacking several posts and finishing off many enemies before the local forces could stop the conflict.
The empire's laws prohibited acts like the ones this morning. Hence, the Duke of the Province, as protector of this territory, had an obligation to stop conflicts from developing. But by the time Chris heard the disturbing news this morning, most of House Frost's allied forces had already retreated after finishing their targets.
As the one who had been attacked in the first instance, House Frost would not have much of a problem since one would have the right to defend themselves or kill those who invaded their territories. But the allies of that family who acted against enemy headquarters could have it.
Therefore, the Koch family and those who acted on their side finished their affairs quickly and fled, leaving behind this city in doubt about who had wiped out those two families.
So the two saw that family's situation, sensing the power of influence Lothur had achieved, as well as the synergy of his associated families who had acted so effectively today.
"It seems that Lothur has prepared well to go to the Secret Realm..." Chris commented to August, seeing that many of the Baier family's possessions were still there.
Since the Koch family's goal was to exterminate this noble house, its members had only killed their targets and left.
August then commented. "Yes. And from the speed of their reaction, I believe he must have spies in the enemy forces...
I didn't expect that."
"Well, I can't say today's action or Lothur's behavior is unfair," Chris said. "He gave the local powers previously opposed to him a chance to live in peace, without seeking revenge... But they insisted on attacking his allies. So one can't say that was unfair."
"It's just a little shocking."
"Quite."
"What do you intend to do now?" The coroner asked.
"I don't know... First, let's go to the Frost family. I want to talk to Aiken and Mabel to understand the situation better."
...