Although the ninth elder stood among the thirteen highest-ranking members of the house, before Gulistan, he still had to bend. In fact, while Hejin wielded considerable influence in the elder circles, Berken aside, only Gulistan could freely order members of the thirteen.
The reason was simple. Besides her own Demigod cultivation, Gulistan's prestige in the house was unrivaled, and it was no exaggeration to say that all they currently had stemmed from the planning of the father-daughter pair.
"Lady Gulistan, just like you expected, the culprit for Helbin's disappearance was your son, Konrad. Or rather, his forces. Konrad himself didn't appear. The experts he dispatched handled all the tasks, from the maiming of the khan, the slaying of the khanum, and the kidnapping of Helbin.