In the square where the Secret Realm data stood, thousands of people were in the surrounding area, many barely having more than 30 centimeters of their own space due to the number of people there.
In the next few minutes, the Secret Realm was supposed to shut down and expel all the young people who had entered there a week ago.
As such, the local population was there to accompany the triumphant return of the young participants in this edition, especially Lothur, the creator of the Ritter Motor Company.
In the last week, the numbers of this company had improved significantly, and now more than 200 cars, 20 minibusses, and ten cargo vehicles were running locally.
During this, Lothur performed best at the Secret Realm event, finishing first overall.
So many of his fans and customers were there to welcome him back, while many others, such as Seraphim Church of Peters City post members, were there to invite him into their organization.
Several other powers that did not demand exclusivity from their members wanted to enlist Lothur in their ranks, as many representatives of mainland organizations were there as well.
Finally, some local nobles and cultivators close to Lothur in some way were there to welcome him, especially the members of House Frost, Becker, and Koch, who were very close to him, Viktoria and Elke.
These people wanted to see him again after these days in the Secret Realm, but they were also there to warn him.
That's because, while this crowd was waiting for the arrival of the eight survivors of this event, two Nascent Soul Transcendents were around the stage from where the young people were supposed to arrive.
They had several formations activated over that space, guarding the area without letting people approach.
The surrounding mortals and irrelevant cultivators had no idea who they were. Still, Lothur's powerful allies knew these two were there for him.
As such, these closest allies of Lothur wanted somehow to warn him of these two dangers in the surroundings, even considering the low probability that this would be useful to him.
Meanwhile, the Transcendents in this city were watching the situation cautiously.
Luis was standing next to the Duke of Linn Province, looking on in anticipation of his communiqué with House Leopoldine coming to fruition before the worst happened.
On the other hand, Chris was in doubt for the first time about his decision to leave the Third Prince's faction.
Meanwhile, the Transcendents Dukes of other Leopoldine provinces in Peters City to buy cars were awaiting the situation's outcome, curious about Lothur.
They knew that the probability of that young genius escaping was negligible. But considering how strong the people locally thought Lothur was and the advances he had made in the Secret Realm, these two wanted to see for themselves what this man would do when confronted by those two experts.
Amid this, the Transcendents who the imperial family had sent to accompany the two young men who had entered the Secret Realm had already departed back to the capital, confident that their superiors would deliver justice.
Minos had probably killed those two, but since two Nascent Soul Transcendents were there to arrest him, he would pay for his crimes one way or another.
There was no need for them to stay behind!
So while the ignorant crowds kept the noise in that area high, the local and out-of-province experts were tensely awaiting the return of the eight survivors.
Annaliese was one of those most concerned people there!
'Lothur, please be careful...' She wondered as she stood next to the white fox that had been living on the Ritter estate since bringing young Ritter from the Three Great Lakes Region.
Currently, Ice was at level 15, not far from advancing to the 3rd stage because of the resources it had been receiving from Lothur and his women since arriving in Peters City.
But at the moment, all that was on this beast's mind was worry, for Lothur was in great danger from those two high-level humans.
Although weak, this beast was brave and willing to fight for the freedom of that human it loved most of all!
'When they attack him, I will make my move.' It thought, considering that Lothur was very strong and that those two would have a lot of work against him.
If they were distracted, considering how weak the body of humans was compared to that of beasts, it felt that it could disrupt the plans of Lothur's enemies!
Amidst the different thoughts of the many individuals in the surroundings of that square, the hourglass that marked the time of the Secret Realm finally reached the point that marked the end of the event!
In that instant, the thousands of people there fell silent, focusing on the platform from which the 15 competitors who had entered the Secret Realm had departed earlier this month.
The level 17 Transcendents looked at each other, increasing their concentration as they checked that all their Gold-grade formations were working.
If one looked closely into the eyes of the two, one would see traces of agitation and even a little fear, for even they were subject to the rumors.
Around Lothur was a mythical haze that would make anyone doubt themselves by standing against him.
Would he perform a miracle and once again escape, turning the situation in his favor?
That was the question the two of them had in their hearts while controlling formations capable of even holding level 18 cultivators.
Logic said no, but being up against someone who had contradicted logic several times, these two were naturally cautious!
Amidst their thoughts, eight spatial distortions appeared on that platform within the area under the influence of the formations controlled by these two envoys of the Third Prince.
The first to appear had been the weakest and worst in the event.
One of them even looked scared when he arrived there as if he was about to be attacked by an opponent.
The others were calmer, but all shared traces that they had been in battle and were tired from this week-long event.
Then Elke appeared in that area, smiling as she felt her cultivation closer to level 16, but still in the 2nd stage.
She had advanced in body cultivation to level 14 but was still a bit short of reaching level 16 of soul cultivation. In any case, she had obtained resources that would last for months in her hands and could certainly help her advance.
In particular, this woman had obtained an item through Lothur that had increased her talent. So upon arriving at that place, she couldn't help but smile as Viktoria and Larissa appeared at her side.
Finally, Lothur appeared in the middle of that group with a calm expression. Yet, soon his expression changed due to the terrible situation he found himself in.
His visual ability was activated, so as soon as he reached that square, he realized the powerful suppressive forces upon him!
...