Aidan's expression was thrilled. Without a care for his image, he immediately picked it up.All of these were precious crystals worth billions of dollars! It would be a good choice no matter if the person decided to sell or keep it."Eclipse spiritstone? This is actually an eclipse spiritstone?""Guys, quick! Let's grab them!"At this moment, many people recognized the black crystal on the floor and quickly snatched it.Although some didn't know what was happening, they also joined in after seeing everyone grabbing it."I saw this eclipse spiritstone first! Give it to me!""No way! It belongs to me now that it's in my hands. Let's fight if you're not content!""Fuck off! I'll kill anyone who dares to snatch with me!"A place with interests would always create war.After knowing the eclipse spiritstone's value, everyone started to seize it. They were following the law of the jungle precisely.The capable ones could get a few more pieces, while the weaker ones could only obtai
"Ms. Linsor, did those two steal your eclipse spiritstone? I'll go and get it back for you right now!"After noticing what had happened, Jackson was prepared to make a move.If it weren't for Grace's Draken Drope, Jackson wouldn't have defeated Ryan. In fact, Jackson might even be killed by him."Jackson, there's no need to go after him! I gave them the crystals myself. I don't really need it," Grace quickly called out and explained after seeing Jackson ready to chase after them.Jackson was stunned. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked in confusion, "What? Those are eclipse spiritstones. "It's extremely precious to us martial artists! It can increase your cultivation level. Even if you don't need it, you can still sell it for an exorbitant price.""I don't need money." Grace smiled faintly."Well …" Jackson didn't know what to say.Jackson had almost forgotten how rich Grace was. After all, she even had the Draken Rope.Thus, it was normal for her not to pay a
Ryan had already mutated just now. Thus, it wasn't hard to believe that the eclipse spiritstone was his flesh and blood."Even if the eclipse spiritstones were formed by Ryan's blood and flesh, what's the problem with it? Why did you say I cannot live more than three days?" Jackson asked again."The eclipse spiritstone has already been contaminated. You've seen Ryan's condition just now. He suddenly became crazy, lost his sanity, and mutated. "The eclipse spiritstones were formed by his blood and flesh when this happened. Do you think it's safe?" Dustin explained seriously."Dustin, this is your mere speculation. I'm afraid you can't convince others about something as serious as this. Do you have any evidence?" Jackson asked.The members of the Embersteel Order had picked up eight sizable eclipse spiritstones. Thus, it could be said they would have a handsome profit.If the eclipse spiritstones couldn't be used, they would be facing huge losses.Thus, Jackson couldn't accept su
"How … How could this happen?" Seeing the black mist in Dustin's hands, everyone was stunned.The eclipse spiritstone was fine just moments ago. Yet, its spiritual energy had been devoured in just a second!Everyone was stunned that a dark energy that was thinner than a hair could be so powerful."I didn't expect this thing to be so terrifying. How eye-opening!" Jackson gulped, feeling a bit scared.Thankfully, Dustin had warned them in time. Otherwise, there would be trouble if he absorbed the spiritual energy along with the dark energy in the eclipse spiritstone.Once the dark energy exploded, Jackson would probably have the same fate as Ryan."It's just as I thought. This thing is quite ferocious."As Dustin exerted more and more force, the dark energy surrounded by the energy barrier became ferocious. It surged and thrashed wildly, relentlessly slamming into the energy barrier to try and break free.They could faintly hear roars that resembled a beast's growls.It was ob
After an hour, Jackson walked into the hotel room carrying a whole sack of eclipse spiritstones and poured all of it on the table."Ms. Linsor, these are all the eclipse spiritstones that I managed to collect. This is around 70% of all the eclipse spiritstones out there. "Those who have the remaining ones are either uncontactable or they refused to sell." Jackson gave her a simple explanation of what happened.Initially, he didn't want to spend any of Grace's money. Hence, he tried to explain the gravity of the issue to those who had the eclipse spiritstones. Unfortunately, no one believed him. It was useless even when he tried to use the Embersteel Order's reputation to convince them. Most of the people he approached thought that he was a liar. They thought that he was jealous of them for having the eclipse spiritstones in their possession. As such, he was trying to steal the eclipse spiritstone from them by lying.In desperation, he could only follow Grace's idea of purc
At night, Deadlands was very cold, with a bitingly cold wind that stung the face. In the morning, it would become extremely hot, like a fire pit. If a person cracked an egg on a rock, it'd be cooked in a minute. The average person wouldn't be able to endure the extreme weather in Deadlands. They'd only be barely surviving, even with enough resources. The real test was on one's determination and the ability to endure stress.Dustin, Grace, and the rest of the team moved steadily forward, following Ryan's map. They walked from night till morning and vice versa. Due to their group size, the team wasn't going very fast. The good thing was that Grace had prepared everything well in advance, and the team consisted of only the elites in their own trade. They were able to resolve any trouble that they ran into quickly.As night descended, Grace instructed the team to set up camp when she found a suitable spot.They had been traveling for quite a long time, and everyone was physica
Dustin was awakened by footsteps outside the tent at the break of dawn. He quickly turned around to get up and was watchful.Soon, he heard Osley speaking. "Ms. Linsor, something bad happened!" Instead of barging into the tent, Osley stood outside to report the incident to Grace."W-What?" Grace slowly opened her eyes when she heard the commotion. She slipped out of the sleeping bag and slipped into her jacket. She then asked, "What happened, Mr. Will?""When I was doing my routine check, I saw a lot of desert rats around our camp. I followed their trail and realized that the rats had destroyed our supplies!" Osley replied anxiously."What?" Grace's expression instantly became serious when she heard that. She quickly walked out of her tent and questioned in a serious tone, "Didn't I arrange for someone to stand guard through the night? How did the desert rats get to our supplies?""I have no idea as well. It was already too late when I discovered the problem." Osley appeared d
This was, without a doubt, very bad news.""Ms. Linsor! What happened? Where did the desert rats come from?" Garret asked as he walked toward her."Captain Wilder, shouldn't I be the one asking that question?" Grace said indifferently, "You've been to Deadlands many times and are very familiar with this place. You even chose this place for us to set up camp. "Don't you know that there would be desert rats around this area?""Ms. Linsor, I had no idea this would happen." Garett quickly explained, "Normally, desert rats will only appear at the border of the oasis, and even then, they are only active in a specific area. "The place that we chose to set up camp is not in that area. The invasion shouldn't have happened.""Ms. Linsor, accidents are inevitable. Once we're in Deadlands, you should have prepared yourself for all scenarios. Our captain has done his best. No one knew that there'd be desert rats here. "If you want to blame anyone, you should blame your subordinates fo
"Oh? Really? Then, show them the evidence. Let everyone see for themselves." Austin said with a faint smile.Langdon swallowed hard, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.Had his entire past really been dug up in just half a day?"First, I investigated Mr. Langdon's assets and income sources," Axel said, pulling out a stack of documents and placing them on the table. He explained firmly, "His spending far exceeds his salary. He owns 18 luxury homes, dozens of high-end cars, and a private collection of gold, antiques, and famous paintings. "Altogether, his assets are worth tens of billions. Given his salary, it would take him several thousand years of saving every penny to afford that. So I have to ask—where did all this money come from?"The moment those words left his mouth, all eyes turned to Langdon.Everyone knew he was corrupt, but no one expected it to be on this scale. If his fixed assets alone were worth billions, his liquid assets must be even more staggering.
"And as for the rest of you, I'll be investigating each of you one by one." Austin's gaze moved past Langdon and landed on the royal advisors. He sneered and added, "You'd better keep your records clean. If I find anything on any of you, I'll handle it by the book, and there won't be any mercy."At these words, panic swept through the room. Everyone exchanged nervous glances, and their hearts pounded like war drums.As soon as they realized Austin was angry, they quickly fell silent. Langdon had always been making all the noise, but now they found themselves caught in the fire.Anyone who'd held a position like theirs usually had some skeletons in the closet. In the past, Rufus had been willing to turn a blind eye and let things slide. But now, Austin clearly wasn't following the usual rules. If he decided to investigate thoroughly, most of them would likely find their careers and reputations destroyed."Mr. Rhys, what do we do now? Lord Austin seems dead serious about this."
"Langdon, I can't tell if you're playing dumb or if you really are that stupid." Though Austin was smiling, his eyes were cold. He continued, "You asked for physical evidence, and I provided it. You asked for witnesses, and I gave you those too. Now, with both evidence and testimony laid bare, and even the criminal confessing, what else do you want?""Hmph! The government is rife with corruption. I'm simply seeking justice and preventing you from wrongfully killing the innocent." Langdon still held his righteous stance.Some of the royal advisors who had initially supported him now stayed silent. They could sense Austin's rising anger and didn't dare provoke him further. At that instant, they had lost their confidence. As Austin had pointed out, the solid evidence was right before them, and it was impossible to deny.Langdon was a member of the Rhys family and Austin's elder. He could afford to speak without a filter, but the others couldn't. If they truly angered Austin, the
"Sir Thatcher? Mr. Wentworth?" When Langdon saw their faces, his eyes went wide in disbelief. "You… How did you two end up like this?" He was genuinely stunned.Huxley and Percival were two of the most powerful figures in West Lucozia. They commanded respect wherever they went, and even Langdon himself had to show them deference.He never expected that they had fallen from their positions of prestige to become disheveled prisoners overnight."Austin! You've gone too far!" Recovering from his initial shock, Langdon's fury erupted. He didn't even bother with titles anymore. "Do you even realize what you're doing? These two men are pillars of West Lucozia and the prince's most trusted advisors. They're your elders and mentors. Yet, you tortured them like this. Are you even human?""He's right," someone chimed in. "They dedicated their lives to this country. What crime did they commit to deserve such cruelty by Your Highness?"The gathered officials erupted in outrage and condemned
"Your Highness, you mustn't speak such nonsense." Langdon put on a righteous front.He continued, "I've always prided myself on my integrity and never done anything dishonorable. I've never betrayed the prince's trust or let the people down, and I have nothing to hide.""Such lofty words," Austin scoffed. "If you have nothing to hide, why not let the enforcement team investigate?"Langdon's face tightened, and a flicker of unease crossed his eyes. After all, what official didn't have some skeletons in the closet? A full investigation would likely turn up something, no matter how small. Even if the offenses weren't serious, the damage to his reputation would be permanent.With so many officials watching, Langdon couldn't afford to back down. If he did, he would lose his standing in the political world—and his claim to integrity along with it."Go ahead and investigate." He raised his chin and said confidently, "I've lived an honest life and never engaged in anything illegal. No m
Austin sat in his chair and silently watched the royal advisors put on their pretentious act. He slowly sipped his tea as if he couldn't be bothered by their so-called accusations.His nonchalant demeanor made Langdon and the others frown. Their once-outrageous voices began to falter.They had stormed in full of righteous fury earlier, only to be met with complete apathy. What was the point of arguing when he wasn't even listening?"Are you done?" Austin finally spoke once the room had quieted down. "If not, go ahead and keep talking. Say as much as you need to until you're satisfied.""Your Highness, we're here to discuss serious matters. Your dismissive attitude is truly disappointing," Langdon said sharply."Serious matters?" Austin let out a short laugh.He went on, "You barge in here without even understanding the full picture and spewing accusations like they're facts. As far as I'm concerned, you're no different from clowns putting on a show.""You… How dare you!" Langdon
"Are you even qualified to sit while speaking to me?"Austin's words struck like the blow of a hammer. They were sharp and unrelenting, and they left no room for retort.Langdon sat frozen and was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected a brat like Austin to have such a sharp tongue.If he admitted he had come for personal matters, he would keep his pride intact, but he would lose control of the conversation. Everything he had prepared—and all the accusations he meant to throw—would be meaningless.But if he insisted it was official business, he would have to show proper respect and offer a formal greeting. No matter how he answered, he would be conceding ground."I'll ask one more time. Are you here on official or personal matters?" Austin asked coldly."O-Official matters." Cornered, Langdon barely managed to get the words out."Well? Is this how an official conducts himself?" Austin pressed.Langdon had no choice but to rise and offer a deep bow. "Your Highness, it's an h
After a night of chaos, some of the Red Legion's members were killed, others were captured, and the entire force had been wiped out.But the fallout didn't stop there. The Prescott estate was also raided. All embezzled wealth was confiscated, and those found guilty were thrown into prison.Anyone connected to the Prescotts was placed under house arrest and subjected to rigorous investigation.And the man behind it—Warrick—had become the kingdom's most wanted fugitive.Until he was captured, Celestria remained under lockdown. Major roads were sealed off, and patrol teams scoured every corner to ensure Warrick had no way out.Austin's crackdown sparked outrage among senior officials who didn't know the full story. They voiced their dissatisfaction, with some even gathering outside the castle gates in protest. They stomped their feet in outrage, just short of openly cursing him.To them, Warrick had made great contributions to the nation. Even if he had committed crimes, he didn't d
Austin's words were calm and almost casual. Yet, they struck like thunder and echoed in the hearts of the three assistant generals of the Red Legion.If they answered Austin's questions, there might still be a slim chance of survival. But if they refused, death was the only outcome.After all, who would willingly choose death when they had worked so hard to achieve their wealth and status? Yet, pride and dignity held them back. They didn't want to be branded as traitors.Now, they were caught in a dilemma. Which was more important—their honor or their lives? It was an impossible choice."You have ten seconds left. If you don't speak, you'll lose your chance." Austin's voice was utterly devoid of emotion.His words seemed to pierce their souls, and the three Red Legion assistant generals broke into a cold sweat.As the countdown neared its end, Auron finally couldn't hold back. "Your Highness! I'll talk—I'll tell you everything."Dropping to his knees, he scrambled forward and wa