His speech seemed perfect. From his words, he didn't shirk responsibility for the situation, however, he still highlighted his various efforts to resolve the issue.
Such was the wisdom of someone who was over a century old. However, Bella wasn't one to be fooled by his silver tongue.
"So what you're trying to tell me is that after almost a month of investigation, you still haven't found a sliver of evidence?
Are you really that incompetent, Mr City Lord?"
Bella's icy words plunged the room into an awkward silence. The city lord, a man of dignity and respect within Stonehold city, was now being questioned on his competence by a child, now even a quarter his own age.
Any other person would have flown into a rage and would have sought to teach Bella a lesson. However, the City Lord didn't harbor such thoughts.
Putting aside her noble background, he had a feeling that if he released even a sliver of malicious intent, the mature-looking woman sitting beside Bella and quietly sipping tea wouldn't let him off the hook.
It would be a miracle if he could walk away while only losing a layer of skin.
After taking a deep breath, in order to organize his thoughts, City Lord Richard responded in a tentative manner.
"Actually, there is a report I received from one of the smaller sects that took on the mission. However, that report seems too unreliable, therefore, I didn't mention it to the young Miss."
"Let's hear it. At least it's better than not knowing anything at all."
Bella responded impassively. She wanted to have at least some information before venturing into the Misty Mountains herself.
Hearing her response, the City Lord heaved a small sigh of relief before responding.
"Actually, according to the report from the sect, they were able to venture into the inner region. It was there that they felt a very powerful aura.
They said that the aura they felt made it hard for them to breathe, and it felt as if they were going to die.
They believe that the owner of this aura is the cause of the recent situation. However, this claim can't be verified in the short term.
Aside from the fact that their cultivation level was relatively low, stronger cultivators have ventured into the mountains without being able to enter the inner regions, which makes their claims suspicious.
Plus, even if they were lucky enough to be able to enter the inner regions, they didn't find any beast, only the mysterious and 'powerful' aura.
Since their cultivation levels were low, we believe that they were just scared of a normal beast that resides in the inner regions.
We also can't rule out the fact that they were simply lying to get the assigned rewards. This is why this report can't be trusted, young miss."
The City Lord finished his explanation with a long sigh. Then his gaze focused on the young lady sitting in front of him once again.
He was trying to read her expression to no avail as she has her eyes closed, digesting the new information she had just received.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes, revealing nothing from her expression.
"Alright, we'll be staying in the city for a while, so we'll have to impose on you. I hope you don't mind."
She said, steering the conversation towards another direction. Such a move indicated that she was done talking about this matter.
"Haha, the Young Miss must be joking. It would be my honor to accommodate the Young Miss during her stay.
Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay even more comfortable."
The City Lord, ever wise, quickly grasped her intentions and deftly played along.
With those words, Bella, along with her entourage, departed the City Lord's private study, where they were ushered into the guest rooms that had been prepared beforehand.
Meanwhile, news of a member of the House of Vyre visiting Stonehold City could not be concealed from the residents.
I mean, they did enter with a big ass convoy and made their way straight to the City Lord's mansion.
If anything, it was as if they were trying to announce their presence to the residents of Stonehold City. The luxurious carriage and the exotic, magical beasts didn't exactly scream subtlety.
Of course, this news meant little to the ordinary citizens of the city. A person of such high standing was too far away from them and could only become the topic of gossip within the taverns and other similar establishments.
However, the same could not be said for the noble families. The opportunity to interact with a member of one of the great families was few and far between.
Therefore, they had to seize every chance. Multiple noble families, under the pretense of bringing gifts, tried to get closer to the Vyre family member.
However, it was all for naught. Bella, already familiar with the tendencies of noble families, didn't even bother meeting them.
She delegated all those tasks she considered 'bothersome' to Elder Glenda. Elder Glenda, understanding her intentions, simply accepted the gifts while tactfully shooing them away.
The representatives of the noble families were a bit disappointed with this response, but there was nothing they could do about it.
They could only return to their various households, planning and hoping for another opportunity.
Meanwhile, some other individuals were paying attention the the presence of the Vyre family in Stonehowl city.
These were of course, the demonic cultivators. They had only just begun their investigations when they received the startling news of the arrival of the Vyre family.
For a while, all operations ground to a halt. This was until they confirmed that their presence was merely a coincidence and was not related to them.
Still, they became even more cautious and slowed down all operations within the city. The same went for the group that was currently searching for Adrian.