Once the House Meeting time was over, Freya teleported away, leaving Ace behind as he sat on his seat, deep in thought. He was still mulling over all the information Freya had given him and what his next course of action should be.
'If I want to rob the Prime Heavenly Bank's branch, the most optimal choice should be to wait until I'm at least a peak Ascension Warrior or if I awake the Force.
'Going after the bank branch in the second-grade sect's territory is way out of my league, and with threats like Nightfall Ravenhood looming over the bank, they won't be shallow about their security. 'But if I can pull this off, the system mission will be as good as complete, and not only that, but I might even draw the attention of the Nightfall Ravenhood. However, the downside is, I'll also reveal my whereabouts to that Heaven's Advocate if he's still searching for me in the Spirit Inferno Domain...'
Ace pulled an irritated expression when he thought about the Heaven's Advocate. He hadn't forgotten about the loyal dog sent by his enemy, and from their first encounter, he knew that guy had the ability to counter his.
It wasn't like Ace couldn't leave after he was done with the thievery. Not to mention, once he does this and succeeds, the AIG Sect will also hear about it, and it'll be over for George at that time.
However, he didn't want to leave the AIG Sect yet, not until he got whatever was hidden in the Forger Abyss first. So Ace decided to put this matter on hold for at least a year, and Freya agreed with him since even she knew that with Ace's current strength, it would be nigh impossible to pull this off.
Once Ace decided on this plane, he called Noa and Winter and asked them how they were doing. Although their conversations weren't as fruitful as his conversation with Freya, he still learned exciting things from them. Lastly, Ace called Alina.
After their greetings, Ace asked, "So, how did it go with your clan?"
Alina replied with a hint of concern, "They were startled when I told them where we were, and it took some time for them to get used to the environment of the Mortal Ascension Heaven.
"But I wasn't able to find any suitable place for them to settle down, and they are simply too weak in this place, so we decided to travel together, and I placed them back in the living space ring until I discover a suitable place for them or some hunter race's territory.
"I recently discovered the human race didn't seem to have amiable relationships with other races, and the territory of the other races is quite far, just for your information. But you don't need to worry about it; I'm already heading towards the rumored hunter race territory, and I even s-stole from some bandits!"
Towards the end, Alina sounded extremely embarrassed and somewhat flustered. After all, she had been a princess back in the Mortal Sky Heaven, so stealing was not something she was comfortable with.
Ace also understands this point, as he says gently, "You don't need to force yourself. Just do what you want to do, and you can always return. I'll always be here for you. As for your clan, I know you'll find a good place for them. Just make sure they won't become your shackle."
Ace didn't mince his words in the end. Although Ace had saved the Silver Ice Hunter Clan for Alina, he didn't have a good impression of them. But he knew Alina wouldn't be able to forgive herself if he hadn't done it, and this might've caused a crack in their relationship. However, this didn't mean he would let them drag her down. After all, he knew how people would exploit those with such weaknesses. He had done it many times himself.
Alina remained silent for a moment before she said, "I know. That's why I'm planning on leaving the rest of the Silver Ice Hunter clan in hunter territory. I'll only keep my parents and Grandpa Herman with me until they become Ascension Soldiers. I've already taken Lillian as my acolyte.
"I had also discussed it with my father and mother, and they agreed since they knew what kind of place this is. Can I ask you something?" Alina suddenly questioned with a hesitant tone.
Ace was content with Alina's arrangement as he replied, "You can ask me anything."
"You don't like my parents or grandpa Herman, right?" Alina asked hesitantly.
Ace raised his eyebrow as Alina had asked the same question when she took them away, and she was the one who didn't let him meet her parents.
"As I said before, what happened in the past is behind us. Although they wronged you, I can understand their reasons and not blame them. You can be worry-free if you think that your parents would change my opinion of you.
"We've been given a chance to start anew, and so does your family. If they're willing to turn to a new leaf, I have no qualms with them, and neither should you. So, stop overthinking about this, or Eva might take advantage of this..." Ace chuckled as he joked in the end to lighten up the mood. "Hmph, that she-devil will be defeated by me; just you wait!" Alina instantly retorted when Eva was mentioned, and Ac almost laughed, but he controlled himself.
"Alright, I'll believe you, and thank you for forgiving them and saving them for my sake." Alina tenderly said, "A-also, they want to meet with you."
"No need to thank me." Ace sighed in relief when Alina seemed to have returned to her cheerful self. He teasingly said in an ambiguous tone, "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Why are you blabbering about?" Alina retorted in a panicked yet shy voice, "I'll let you meet them once I take care of my clan."
Ace merely shrugged his shoulders, "It's your decision; I'm fine with it."
Afterward, Ace chatted with Alina for a little longer before he cut the call. Since everyone was doing great and working on their own tasks, Ace didn't waste more time and headed towards the cultivation chamber while he used HP to increase the time speed of the House Leader Chamber.
'It's time to start forging and test the new forging technique that I created with the epiphany pill!'