Skyler stepped forward. Furrowing his brows, he asked, “Didn’t you say Matt is here? So, where is he?”
“He is both far away and right in front of you.”
Veronica raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Skyler to look at the man behind him. With that, Skyler and Shirley turned around. Their gazes instantly landed on a tan-skinned man with an average look and a mole on his face, but they didn’t notice anything unusual.
“What’s wrong? You guys don’t recognize me now?”
With his hands in the pockets of his loose- fitting pants, Matthew raised an eyebrow slightly and had a faint smile on his face.
“Matt?”
“P-President Kings?”
In addition to his changed appearance, since Matthew had been speaking with a fake voice and deliberately disguised himself after joining the hidden clan, the two never suspected anything.
But now that he spoke with his original voice, they immediately recognized his identity. “Oh my God! President Kings, so you are indeed alive?! I still didn’t believe Skyler when he told me about it.”
Finding the situation unbelievable, Shirley opened her mouth wide in astonishment. After a moment of daze, she walked up to Matthew and reached out to pinch his arm. “It actually is a live body. President Kings, is it truly you?”
Because the image of Matthew’s funeral was vivid in her mind, everything felt like a dream now that she saw him appear before her. No, wait. Too surreal should best describe how Shirley felt at the moment. “No doubt about it.” Matthew smiled lightly.
“Tsk, tsk-Matt, it’s fine if you want to look ugly, but I can’t believe you’re going all out with this hideousness. If I were Roni, I would have had nightmares from looking at your incomparably ugly face.”
Skyler couldn’t help but tease him. Upon hearing that, Matthew kicked him in the leg. “Get lost.”
The four exchanged a smile, and shortly after, their voices echoed in the VIP lounge. After taking their seats, Matthew served them tea while Shirley held Veronica’s hand. As if she had discovered a new world, she expressed in awe. “Ron, you are simply amazing. I have no idea you’re actually the leader of the hidden clan! Also, do you know that I feel like I have traveled through time starting the moment I entered the hidden clan? Everything here feels like a dream to me. After being so used to skyscrapers, the architectural structures of these buildings truly resemble ancient times. Oh, and another thing-when did you learn you are the leader of the hidden clan? So, you were aware that President Kings was alive the whole time, weren’t you?”
At this moment, Shirley had countless questions in her mind. She had been holding Veronica’s hand and constantly bombarded her with questions since they entered the room.
Veronica patiently explained the situation to her, and only then did Shirley grasp a little. Even so, she still found it slightly difficult to adapt as she looked at Matthew dressed in the hidden clan’s traditional attire.
“You two just arrived today?” Veronica picked up a cup of the scented tea in front of her and took a sip. Acting casual, she added, “How many days did it take you to get here?”
“It took us ten days from Castron to here.” Skyler carefully calculated the time and gave Veronica an exact answer.
Upon hearing his reply, she clenched the cup, slightly lifted her eyelids, and looked at Matthew. “Master Crayson lied to me.”
In truth, Veronica had asked Crayson before why she had to rush to the hidden clan when the ascension ceremony for the leader of the hidden clan was still two months away. At that time, he answered that she wouldn’t be able to get into the hidden clan if she was a few days late.
Yet, Skyler and the others still managed to enter the hidden clan smoothly.
“Master Crayson has a strong desire for control. He would worry that you might change. your mind even if you spent just one more day with Ada and Alan in Bloomstead, and asking you to come early was also his wish to let you adapt to the hidden clan’s life. I suppose he really hopes that you can adapt to life here and stay.”
Indeed, to persuade a person to stay, one must have advantages that could convince them, and the hidden clan’s picturesque scenery and simple folk customs were considered its most remarkable attractions.
