Son Of A Duke

"Excuse me?" asked Alex in confusion. The boy's question was completely out of his expectations. The driver had been the one to lash out at him. He only tugged on the whip to teach him a lesson and nothing more.

"I asked how you want to die?" repeated the young boy. Two guards quickly hopped out of the carriage and surrounded Alex on each side.

"4th stage of the Qi Gathering realm! Both of them. Seems like this boy is someone decently important in the kingdom to have two Qi Gathering Realm guards following him around!" Although Alex was surrounded by two 4th stage Qi Gathering realm cultivators, he wasn't worried.

He looked away from the guards and back to the boy as if he was stupid.

The boy became enraged by the way Alex looked at him. "Kill him!" shouted the boy.

The guards had just arrived on the scene and had not yet taken a chance to assess the situation, but their young master's orders were orders. They took out their weapons and were about to charge at Alex before they came to an abrupt halt. Fear quickly appeared on both their faces. Their eyes were glued to Alex's hand.

In Alex's hand was a small item. It was a small badge that had an ornately carved dragon head on it. It was a Dracon Clan badge, and every member of the Dracon Clan carried one. It was almost impossible to fake and was used by the Dracon Clan members to quickly identify themselves. Although Alex had this back when he was attacked by the bandits, he had no intention of revealing his identity and had therefore not taken out this badge.

"The guards are pretty blind. I have the Dracon Insignia embroidered on the shoulders and back of my robe!" thought Alex.

"What are you stopping for? Kill him!" shouted the young boy once more. He obviously didn't recognize the Dracon Clan insignia. The boy lived a sheltered and pampered life and did not care for learning about the surrounding powers. Fear appeared on both guard's faces as they quickly admonished the boy.

"Young master, apologize to this man right now!" shouted one of the guards. He quickly followed up by turning to Alex and said "Young master, please take no offense. Our young master is spoiled and unbridled. He had no idea who you were."

The young boy was confused by his guards' reactions. He was just about to shout out once more when his guard appeared directly in front of him. He bent over and whispered into the boy's ears, at which point the boy's eyes grew large with shock.

His guard quickly turned back towards Alex and spoke out before his young master could cause any further harm. "Young Dracon Clan Master, please accept our most sincere apologies. We will be leaving." The guard quickly turned around and started dragging his young master back towards the carriage.

"Wait!" a shout came from behind the guard. The guard winced before turning around.

"Yes, young Dracon Clan master? How can I help you?" asked the guard.

"He asked for my death. Had I not been who I am, I would have certainly died at your hands. Don't you think leaving like this is getting off a little too easy?" asked Alex with anger in his voice. If he was some commoner and not a member of the Dracom Clan, Alex would have surely died right now. All for standing in the path of the carriage for slightly too long.

"Mercy please, young Dracon Clan master. Our young master is the youngest son of Duke Grey."

The guard was clearly trying to use the young master's status as a shield against any punishment. Alex scoffed at the man's response. Alex was a direct descendant of the Dracon Clan leader himself. Not only was the Dracon Clan more powerful than the Devontae Kingdom, but Alex's status was also much higher. Even if the boy was a prince of the Devontae, he would still need to be respectful to Alex.

Alex didn't like flaunting his clan's power, but every now and then it was needed. This was one of those times. He still felt indignant about the way the driver and boy had treated him. They considered all beneath them, to the point of them taking lives for trivial reasons.

"Duke Grey huh?" Alex said for a moment before continuing. "I will be staying in the Devontae Kingdom for some time. Duke Grey better give me an acceptable answer for what has happened. If not, I don't mind asking my Father Lucas Dracon to show up personally."

The guard's eyes widened in horror, his worst fears realized. Not only was the boy in front of him a Dracon Clan member, but he was also a direct descendant of the Dracon Clan leader. The boy in front of him was someone even Duke Grey would have to be respectful towards, let alone the Duke's son.

The guard hesitated for a moment before responding "I will relay today's events to Duke Grey himself. We will give you an appropriate answer before you leave the kingdom."

Alex nodded his head at the guard's answer. The guard breathed a sigh of relief before quickly turning around and getting in the carriage with the boy. He threw the injured driver in the carriage as well, while the other guard assumed the driver's mantle. The Horned Horse sped off into the distance.

Alex watched the carriage leave before he started chuckling slightly.

"Although I don't like abusing my status, it is pretty convenient at times. That was pretty refreshing."

Alex knew what it felt like to be powerless. Most of his life was spent being powerless and watching others soar. Because of this, Alex had a soft spot for the weak, he understood their struggles. The son of the Duke was clearly someone who didn't care about the lives of commoners and the weak, he only cared about himself. Alex hated people like him the most.

After dealing with the situation, Alex stood in line to enter the Kingdom. The nearby people who had been watching the events unfold looked at Alex with shock and reverence. The son of the Duke was known by all the commoners as a horrible, vicious person. All of them did their best to avoid him at all costs. Seeing the Duke's son take such a loss was quite refreshing for them.

Alex waited in line for nearly an hour before he reached the front of the line.

"One silver coin," said the guard stationed at the gate.

"Silver? That's quite expensive compared to other places" responded Alex.

The guard looked at Alex before responding "The Devontae Kingdom is the bastion of power in the surrounding area, and as such many people seek to enter and live inside. The silver entrance fee is meant to keep things from getting overcrowded."

"Oh" mumbled Alex. He took out a silver coin and gave it to the guard.

The guard took the money and handed him a piece of paper. "This paper is proof of your payment. It's good for one week, at which point you'll have to renew it."

Alex took the paper before heading inside. A bustling city soon revealed itself to Alex.

Thousands of people could be seen walking in the busy streets, going about their daily lives. Qi Gathering realm cultivators were quite common, and Alex even noticed a few Peak Qi Gathering realm guards walking about.

"This place surely deserves its reputation," thought Alex as he walked through the busy streets. Alex walked for some time before he eventually arrived in front of a large building. It had deep purple colored walls and was ten stories tall and one hundred yards wide.

Two majestic lion statues were placed on either side of the front entrance, and a steady stream of people was constantly entering and leaving the building. Alex read the front sign, which was written in large characters.

"Mystic Trade Hall? Never heard of it. Let's see what's inside."

To Be Continued...