"What?"

"No way!"

"Ridiculous!"

Wild shouts rang out. Some believed Tarek Baba but others didn't.

The claim was simply too shocking. If it was true, it would shatter the foundation of Jade Hill Town. The ordinary town guards refused to believe it and shouted down the merchants. They weren't going to accept idle slander against their lord.

Gray didn't believe it either but for exactly the opposite reason. How could someone so beautiful and kind like Alisha turn into the stingy and useless lord? It wasn't possible. It was laughable!

"It doesn't matter who I am." The lord said and held up a small badge in their hand. It let out a deep blue radiance along with a salty and watery fragrance, "This is the crest of the Reddy Clan, noble clan of the Rising Sea Kingdom. Where it goes, so does a member of the clan. There is no need to question who I am. All you need to do is obey this crest... Guards!"

"Yes, my lord!" The guards replied in unison and without question. If any of the guards were still doubtful, they didn't show it.

"As the Lord of the Jade Plain, by the authority granted to me by the Rising Sea Kingdom, arrest these people!"

"Yes!"

They brandished their weapons and advanced. They began pulling people from their horses and from inside the carriages.

"No!"

"I didn't do anything!"

“Help!”

Cries rang out as merchants were taken down one by one. Outnumbered and outmatched, it was futile to fight back. Hemmed in from all sides, they had nowhere to run except one, the stairs behind them that led up to the wall.

Many lost their nerve and rushed up the stairs, trying desperately to escape. Among them were Amin Baba and Tarek Baba. They didn't care about their people, only themselves. They just wanted to get out of this town which they believed was doomed.

The only problem was Gray. He had been too enthralled by the good show below that he had neglected to move to a safe distance. Now, he was directly in the merchants' way.

Slap!

"Agh!"

Gray's palm connected with the face of the first man that popped up. That unfortunate person flew off the wall like a limp doll and crashed onto the carriage below. More came up and they were quickly beaten back one by one. Amin Baba suffered a particularly harsh kick which knocked out a handful of teeth.

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"Move aside!" Tarek Baba roared and pushed his way up.

The lord reacted as well, jumping over the front row of guards and merchants being wrestled to the ground and dashing toward the stairs.

Tarek Baba glanced back at the lord and cursed up a storm. He charged up the last few steps like a raging bison, barreling through and knocking his people out of the way. The lord arrived at the bottom of the stairs, somersaulted over the fallen bodies, and leaped up the vertical wall as if stepping on air.

Tarek Baba caught sight of Gray and snarled, "Son of a demon! Get out of the way!"

The fat man's spiritual energy surged, causing pale colorless energy to collect in his fist for a savage punch. Gray didn't reply and simply summoned golden strength into his right leg.

Crack!

Gray's kick met Tarek Baba's punch. The collision of brute force sent both men backward. With Gray’s advantage in height and momentum, they were almost evenly matched.

Before Tarek Baba could recover and launch another attack, the lord came up behind him, having miraculously scaled the wall as easily as strolling on flat ground.

The lord's body twirled around with a dancer's grace as a powerful kick shot out. It made contact with Tarek Baba's head with a wet thud. The large man flew off the wall like a broken kite and crashed into the ground.

Gray stood transfixed as the lord landed gracefully in front of him.

"Are you alright?" The lord asked him.

Gray's stomach did summersaults. He knew this mellow voice. Without the thick curtain of the throne room in the way, there was no way he didn't recognize its feminine charm.

The lord's features remained hidden behind a thin veil and a light fog of blue spiritual energy. Only their deep brown eyes were visible, filled with concern and intelligence. It had to be her.

Gray summoned his special powers and pierced through the blue fog with eyes. He saw the familiar face beneath, one of worldly beauty. It was her.

"Alisha... it is you!" He blurted out.

He didn't realize how loud and clear his voice was from atop the wall.

An eerie silence swept over the chaotic brawl on the ground. Everyone's heads swiveled around and stared at the pair in astonishment. Those that didn't believe Tarek Baba at first were now doubting themselves. Some were still confused, unsure of what to think.

"Is it really her?"

"How is this possible?"

"Of course, not!"

"Why not?"

The whispers soon devolved into heated arguments. The merchants forgot they were trying to escape. The town guards forgot what they were supposed to be arresting people. Everyone was captivated by the lord's true identity.

"Did you really have to do that?" Alisha asked Gray.

"What? How is this my fault?" He protested.

She gave a long, exasperated sigh and turned to face the frantic crowd below. She pulled back her hood, letting her long brown locks loose to flow in the wind. She undid her veil and let it fall down, finally revealing her face to the light of dawn.

It was mayhem.

It was full-blown bedlam.

Screams of surprise mingled with cries of anger and disappointment. The fleeing merchants felt their case was vindicated while the town guards began to doubt the situation and their own conviction.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Captains Harsh Patel and Zheng Bai shouted over and over. Their voices drowned out the sounds of protest and everyone quieted down.

Alisha nodded to her captains and then addressed everyone, "My name is Alisha Patel but I have another name… Alisha Reddy. I am the daughter of the previous lord, Disha Reddy, and Anand Patel, patriarch of the Patel Family. My mother passed the noble authority to me before she returned to the capital. It was her right to do so and was my right to accept the responsibility. The blood of the Reddy Clan flows through me and thus..."

She lifted the clan crest again, "I am Lord Reddy!"