The Witcher: Elemental Lords

The Rhine family's main gate wasn't often opened; instead, a side gate was used. At this moment, the area around the side gate was packed with carriages, bustling with people, while the main gate seemed somewhat desolate, yet retained a strong sense of ceremony. Two rows of warriors stood tall and erect, showcasing the Rhine family's majesty.

When Dole and Ash arrived, Wayne had been waiting at the entrance for a long time. Standing beside Wayne was Anderson, and to Dole's surprise, Molly was also there, seemingly representing the Marcia family.

Carroll of the Lei family and Jefferson of the Lant family were also conspicuously present. Besides them, there were also patriarchs from some second-rate families, all eagerly looking at Dole from behind.

Dole had really come.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although Dole might only stay for a short while and then leave, he was, after all, the master of the city, and everyone had to act according to his mood, just to get acquainted.

Dole's return was also a signal: he was coming back.

Seeing Dole approaching, everyone enthusiastically greeted him.

Ash watched Wayne walk over and said to Monica beside her, "Greet him, this is Grandpa Wayne, your mother's uncle."

When Wayne approached, Monica obediently said, "Grandpa Wayne."

Wayne looked at Monica, thinking, 'The child is already so big; time flies so fast.'

He said somewhat embarrassedly, "Good granddaughter, good, good, this is a gift." He wanted to take something out.

At this moment, he realized that he couldn't even lift his hand, so he looked up at Dole.

Dole looked around and said calmly, "I'm just visiting today and won't accept any gifts. Save them."

He looked around, gave a slight bow to everyone, and said, "Everyone here is my senior, so I won't stand on ceremony. Let's all go in and discuss anything at the banquet."

Hearing this, everyone around breathed a sigh of relief.

The rumor of Dole's good temper had been around for a long time; he was easy to talk to. However, no one dared to be presumptuous in front of Dole, because more than a dozen level-seven magical beasts had used their lives to tell them that this was a Cataclysm-level powerhouse, and they couldn't afford to be reckless.

Monica stood beside Dole, looking around with curiosity in her eyes. She wasn't afraid and quietly held Dole's hand, looking here and there.

There were only adults here, no children, and she didn't know who to talk to, so she could only watch quietly.

Brian, held in Ash's arms, became shy when he saw so many people.

A group of people, surrounding Dole's family of four, walked towards the Rhine family's estate.

Soon, they arrived at a courtyard. The courtyard was large and exquisitely arranged, with corridors, pavilions, and towers. At a glance, it was very pleasant and peaceful.

At this moment, the courtyard was full of people. The corridors, open spaces, and gardens were all filled with people, nobles and warriors of various ranks, acquaintances and strangers, all looking towards the entrance.

The city lord, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, had arrived, and everyone was looking around.

This guardian of Mount Albis, like a mountain, stood above everyone's heads, sheltering them from wind and rain. Therefore, no one would disrespect Dole.

When Dole walked in, everyone tipped their hats to him, displaying noble etiquette to the fullest.

The courtyard was quiet, without a single person speaking, all eyes focused on Dole's direction. Those who could see and those who couldn't all looked in one direction.

It felt a bit strange.

Dole was somewhat helpless. 'Was it really necessary? It's just that I haven't been here for a long time; was there a need to be so exaggerated?'

On the other hand, Ash looked normal, constantly nodding to acquaintances around her.

Dole waved his hand to express his greetings. Soon, they passed through the garden and arrived at the entrance of a huge, palace-like hall behind the courtyard.

At this time, the people outside were doing what they should be doing, drinking and socializing. Some were excited, some were calm, and the outside began to become noisy.

Wayne walked to the entrance of the hall and also breathed a sigh of relief. Dole wasn't resistant, which was much better than before. He then smiled and said, "Marquis Dole, outside are the young talents of various noble families, as well as some outstanding young people and merchants from our Albis City, and some well-known warriors. Some wizards also wanted to come, but they were all turned back by the Deputy Alliance Master, otherwise there would be even more people."

Dole's mouth twitched. He looked at the front; the low-key and luxurious hall was also full of people, and further inside were the higher-ups of Mount Albis and their descendants.

There were indeed a lot of people.

However, this hall seemed to only be able to accommodate a few thousand people, which, according to the current population of Albis City of one hundred thousand, was really not many.

He nodded and said, "I didn't expect my first return to be so grand. If I had known, I wouldn't have come."

Wayne and Anderson's expressions immediately changed slightly. The fact that Dole didn't like crowds had long been widely known, and this time there were indeed too many people.

Anderson hurriedly smiled and said, "This time it's also because you haven't been back for a long time, so more people wanted to come. It won't be like this next time. We also didn't expect that you would bring two children; otherwise, we would have brought our children as well to let them get closer."

This was something they hadn't considered.

Dole nodded and said, "Let it be this time. Don't make it so large-scale next time. I'm just out for a stroll and don't want to worry about anything. The situation outside is very chaotic now, and I may not have the energy to deal with internal affairs. If I have to participate in everything, then what are others doing? What are you doing?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

At this time, Ivy came out to help them out of the situation. "Dole, everyone just hasn't seen you for a long time and wants to see you; it's nothing else. The city is running very normally now and doesn't need you to worry too much."

Several people hurriedly agreed; their foreheads were almost sweating.

Although Dole didn't use the authority of the city lord, nor did he use the authority of a wizard, the few people were still very afraid.

A level-seven wizard was someone who could easily destroy a city with a casual move.

Dole nodded and said, "Then I won't say more; let's go in."

With that, the group stepped into the hall.

The hall actively cleared some space for the group to enter, and the people inside all looked at Dole.

Dole didn't come alone; he brought his family of four. Seeing this situation, everyone knew what it meant: they were here to have fun, not to discuss business. Some people's other thoughts were dispelled, and they could just treat it as an ordinary banquet.

These were all the higher-ups of Mount Albis in the hall, and Dole was embarrassed to directly lose his temper. While walking, he chatted with them about ordinary things and soon walked inside.

Wayne, as the person in charge, came inside at this time and also breathed a sigh of relief. He clapped his hands, signaling for everything to proceed as usual.