All the way there, Jaxon—and his entire team—trailed behind Ethan's group in dead silence. They didn't dare say a word. Honestly, they barely dared to breathe.
The pressure coming off these people was unreal. Jaxon kept fearing that if they annoyed someone by accident, they'd get slapped to death on the spot.
It was a short walk, but it felt like some kind of endless pilgrimage.
Up front, though, Ethan and the others didn't seem to notice them at all. They chatted and laughed as they walked, occasionally pointing at nearby buildings and tossing out quick comments.
They kept running into residents along the road. The moment people saw Ethan's group, they all greeted them respectfully. A few who were seeing them for the first time even whispered excitedly to each other.
Watching strangers act this reverent, Ethan guessed Miles had been working the crowd behind the scenes. Just relying on the original residents' hype probably wouldn't have gotten things to this level.
