Arlet Pagan’s eyes kept twitching after hearing Kora’s words. A sense of coldness shrouded her beautiful face.“The Pagan family only does honest business!“Our antiques are all genuine!“If you like to, you can stop by anytime!”“Is that so?Kora smiled faintly as she leaned forward.“Tell me, if I went to your family’s antique shop and pointed at a few things, saying those are the only genuine antiques there…“Would everyone believe me?“Or would they believe your crumbling reputation instead?!”Arlet’s face changed in an instant.“You’re shameless!”“That’s right! I am shameless!Kora stepped forward before patting Arlet’s face.“That said, I can give you a chance.“Hand over fifty-one percent of the Archa Corporation’s shares. Only then I’ll let your family go.“Just leave the paperwork to me.“Of course, you can decline the offer, but there’ll only be one outcome waiting for you…“Bankruptcy!”“You…”When Arlet wanted to slap Kora out of rage…Someone tapped on
In everyone’s eyes, Harvey York was just an idiot.‘He wants to gamble against Kora?’‘Who does he think he is?’‘Is he even worthy?’‘Even the Pagan family, one of the six Hermit Families, was utterly beaten by Kora!’‘What else can Harvey even do?’‘Under these circumstances, ordinary people would’ve made a deal with Kora. Maybe even pampering her so she wouldn’t cause any more trouble.’‘He must be desperate to die for going against her like this!’The people behind Kora showed judgmental gazes while looking at Harvey, scoffing.Arlet Pagan wanted to say something but briefly hesitated before letting Harvey decide.“Are you scared, Kora?Harvey showed a calm expression.“I’ll pick twelve stones too. I guarantee the gems I picked will definitely be worth much more than the ones you picked. How does that sound?”Everyone scoffed after hearing Harvey’s statement.They were wondering what sort of bet Harvey would come up with.‘Gambling stones?‘How can this guy, who cam
Naturally, Kora knew who Harvey York was. She knew she might not have the upper hand if she also took action.She intentionally pretended to stop the people behind her so that Harvey would not have an excuse to fight.If Harvey still fought under those circumstances…He would be questioned even if he was the representative of the country’s Martial Arts Alliance.At the same time, Kora only called Harvey a lackey so that he could not reveal his identity. She could continue pressuring him that way.The crowd was showing utter disdain when they looked at Harvey.‘No wonder he’s been barking at everyone he sees! He’s a dog for the Pagan family!’‘Then again, it’d be better if he just killed himself instead!’‘He’d at least be able to benefit from being a kept man. He has nothing if he’s just a lackey!’If the turf did not belong to the Pagan family, the people would have drowned Harvey in their spit by now.The whole situation was a bit chaotic. Kora and the others were just abou
Kora glared coldly after hearing Harvey York’s words.She squinted while sizing up Harvey with her narrow eyes before scoffing.“Scared?“I’ve never had that word in my dictionary since I was a kid!“I dissected cats and dogs myself since I was three!“I stayed a night alone in a cemetery at six!“I even dragged a damn corpse back home from the morgue when I was nine!“I’ve never known fear!“Then again, I’m not interested in a lame bet like yours.“If you’re willing to up the ante, I’m willing to play!”Kora showed a cold expression.“That said, do you dare?”“Talk,” replied Harvey.“If I lose, I’ll crawl my way out of the damn city.“If you lose, you do exactly the same.“How does that sound?”Harvey chuckled.“That’s barely enough…“Why don’t I add something else?“If I lose, I’ll be yours for the rest of my life! I’ll do whatever you tell me to!“But if you lose, you’ll have to do whatever I say!“Well? Do you dare?”Kora stood frozen before showing a hint of
Harvey York completely ignored Kora while she was showing off.He waved his hand, signaling for Kade Bolton to prepare a contract.In his eyes, the people from sacred martial arts training grounds are all pompous.Without a contract, it would be bad if Kora ignored the bet.After making the contract, Harvey signed his name before casually throwing it before Kora.Kora hesitated momentarily before signing her name while gritting her teeth.“Come! Seal this entire place up!”Kora scoffed after seeing Harvey take the contract. Naturally, she was pretty confident in her energy detection technique.She truly believed that Harvey would lose.Harvey squinted at Kora.“I won’t take advantage of you.“I’ll select twelve of the stones right here.“That’s perfectly fine, right?”Kora’s heart skipped a beat after seeing Harvey’s confidence.“Fine! I have one condition. My men will scramble the order of all those stones!“We won’t want anyone to cheat now, do we?”“Sure.Harvey wav
Harvey York heaved a sigh.“You’re not even grown up yet, and you want me to call you that?“Little brat.”Kora’s face was completely flushed.“You bastard!” she shrieked.“How dare you tease me like this?!“When you lose, I’ll make you wash my feet every single day!”The men beside Kora were stunned before looking at Harvey with jealousy and envy.Harvey twitched before rolling his eyes.“Not interested.“If you lose, I’ll have you bring me tea, mop floors, and wash the damn toilet in the Fortune Hall every day!“You’ll have everything you need provided to you.“Food and a place of stay included. Don’t you worry.”Kora was breathing rapidly. She finally managed to calm herself down before speaking.“Crack open the stones!“I want to see how you’ll fulfill those words with all this hunk of junk!”Harvey smiled before signaling the smith to open the stones, completely ignoring Arlet’s worried expression.The smith hesitated for a moment before carefully opening a stone.
“What goes around, comes around.”Harvey York smiled.“Since you’re being this kind, I’ll also give you a chance.“Kneel and apologize for all those arrogant words.“Leave a hundred and fifty million dollars here to compensate for the stone gambling site’s losses; then I can consider not letting the smith open this stone here.“I’ll leave some respect for you and your teacher.“But if you don’t, don’t blame me for what happens next.”Everyone was shocked before they burst out laughing.They have seen their share of show-offs before…But it was their first time seeing someone flaunt their strength on the verge of death!Kora’s body was trembling in anger after seeing Harvey’s calm expression.“Open it! Open it right now!” she exclaimed while pointing at Harvey.“We’ll see if you’ll get me to serve you!“You’ll regret it.”Then, he glanced at the smith.“Please be gentle when you open it. Just cut an inch deep and remove the shell.”The smith was stunned while looking at
Kora’s well-laid plan instantly went down the drain because of Harvey York.The moment the Emperor’s Gem appeared, Kora was utterly defeated.She seemed horrible while looking at the sight, as if she still could not believe anything she saw then.A few beautiful disciples even slapped themselves in the face, hoping they were just dreaming.“We won! We won!”Arlet Pagan came to her senses before jumping around while wrapping herself around Harvey’s arm.Kade Bolton gave out a sigh of relief.The staff of the Archa Corporation also smiled.They did not expect the tables to turn this way.“Let’s get out of here then. Right, aren’t you supposed to come with us as well?“We’d need someone to pour our tea during the celebration, right?”Harvey smiled at Kora.“I have the contract. You won’t bail on it now, will you?”Kora’s expression turned dark while her entire face was twitching.She let out a cold chuckle after that.“How dare you still tell me to keep my promise?!“You p
Harvey could not stop rolling his eyes as he could feel his head throbbing again, but he still suppressed what he was feeling. "Thanks, but I don't like anything too greasy in the morning. I prefer vegetarian if possible. You can put the deep-fried hoppers aside. I'll reheat it in the afternoon."Vaida blinked her beautiful eyes. After some hesitation, she said, "I see. We'll set it aside for now, then. This is a local delicacy in Grand City. You can't even buy this with money.""Thanks; I appreciate it," replied Harvey, feeling the pressure. He had no choice but to get himself a bowl of oats with milk and slowly eat it. Harvey was worried Vaida might add something special to the oats or milk, but after eating, he realized there was nothing weird in it. It was just delicious.If food also had realms, while this was not at the level of a True Warrior, it was definitely at the level of a King of Arms. That was something that Harvey found surprising."Right, Harvey. I heard you become
"Oh, right," Geoffrey remembered something else. "While Harvey was the representative of the Country H Martial Arts Alliance, his identity isn't accepted by the seven families of Grand City. In other words, he has no support in Grand City at all. Even if everyone recognized that he is indeed your man of destiny, it's difficult for him to become mayor. Grand City is no longer the same city as it was a decade ago."Vaida frowned and said, "Getting Harvey to garner support in Grand City is not difficult. Find a way to make him the leader of the Belladonna Cult. Before making him the mayor, we can make him the cult leader first."That way, not only can we make it easier for Harvey, but we can also disgust the hell out of Dan. He's been obsessed with taking over the cult, right? Does he really think he can become mayor after becoming the leader of two of the seven families? He's dreaming!"Geoffrey was speechless. "Things aren't as easy as you think. If you simply give the cult to Harvey
"Not to mention, during the decade that the ex-mayor had disappeared, the entire Grand City had lost their respect toward him and the Belladonna Cult. Even you have become someone who only existed in the fringe. While Grand City looks like it didn't have a singular leader, the Hierophant's prophecy was guiding everything."That’s why we must be patient. On the one hand, we needed to make Harvey accept all of this. On the other hand, we have to rebuild a solid foundation as we advance. We will make the entirety of Grand City understand that the Belladonna Cult is still the same cult that rules over all! Only then can we obtain everything he has left for us."Then, Geoffrey cleared his throat. "Even I can wait for so long. I believe you'll be fine, correct?"Vaida gave it a thought, but she still hesitated. It was good for her that someone like Harvey, who fit the prophecy, appeared. But the problem was… This was supposed to be done slowly. Trouble was brewing underneath Grand City. H
"Kill him? Why should I?' Dan pulled out a long cigar and lit it up. After a huff, he puffed out a ring of smoke. "I've just received news that Vaida has gone crazy, and she's sure that Harvey was the man of her destiny. That way, once he leaves Grand City, she would die of depression or kill herself. Looks like I can become the mayor soon. The Hierophant didn't lie to me…"-There was no difference between the day-and-night cycles within Grand City and the world outside. When the sun finally set, Grand City was lit brightly, enticing everyone to enter.Harvey, who had been trying to send a sliver of his energy into Vaida, walked out of the room. There was a hint of fatigue on his face. He thought that it would be ineffective to do that. But he did not know why, after sending in his energy, Vaida managed to recover somewhat.Other than still being somewhat unstable and sure that Harvey was her man of destiny, she was slowly regaining control. Harvey felt a bit strange, but all he c
Harvey suddenly remembered something when he saw Vaida returning to her deep sleep. "I heard that Grand City doesn't have a mayor right now. Then, what's going on with the previous mayor?"Geoffrey sighed and answered, "After the Hierophant prophesied Vaida as the third incarnation of Grand City's progenitor, he had left Grand City to find a way to deal with this. A decade… He's gone for a decade, and no one has seen him since then. That's why everyone believes he's already dead. That's why the seven families agree that Grand City has no mayor right now."Harvey frowned. "Then, what about Dan?"Then Geoffrey replied, "Dan is the mayor's final disciple. But the old mayor had only taught him for less than a year before leaving Grand City. According to the city's rules, if Vaida is killed, Dan will become the leader of the Belladonna Cult. And he will also naturally become the mayor of Grand City."Harvey nodded. He had learned some more things. Vaida was indeed part of the Belladonna
According to Geoffrey, Vaida's condition was precarious. While no one was targeting her, she might jump into the sea on her own again at some unspecified time.A condition like that was very difficult to deal with. No matter what was torturing Vaida, Harvey believed that it might not be within his power to help her."Have you realized that Vaida seemed to be opening herself up to you in the final moments? She even fell into your arms," Geoffrey remembered something else. "Do you think her condition would improve if we simply continued with this? Of course, I know you're in love with someone else, so I am not imposing on you. But can you please stay with her as much as possible while she's in Grand City? This might stabilize her emotional state."Neve also nodded continuously. She could tell that Vaida's condition was severe and complicated. If Harvey refused to help, she might attempt to jump into the ocean again as soon as she woke up.Harvey was speechless and heaved a sigh. "You
Half an hour later, in a lounge in the Foster estate.Harvey held Vaida's wrist with his right hand. After some time, he said, "Geoffrey, what's wrong with her? When I met her on the plane, while she was on the brink of going berserk, she could still control it. But now, the energy cycle within her was chaotic, and an outsider's energy couldn't easily enter."It's as if she's been losing control for many years. What's going on here? And how can you lie to her saying that I'm the man of her destiny? If I became her obsession or even her inner demon, it wouldn't do her any good to her martial arts training," Harvey said as he could not help but let out a sigh.Regardless of what happened, Vaida still fought with him on the plane. Harvey could not ignore what happened to her because of that.Geoffrey sighed. "There's something you don't know. Not only is Vaida the daughter of the previous mayor of Grand City, but the Hierophant also prophesied her to be the reincarnation of Grand City
"That's right!" exclaimed Geoffrey. "You should come down now or let him get closer to check up on you!""Geoffrey, Neve. We have known each other for so many years. I know you don't want me to leave," replied Vaida, sighing. "But, do you think I'll believe you when you look for a random man to be my man of destiny? If a fake can replace the one I seek, I won't be trying to find him for three lifetimes, right?"Please, just ignore me and let me go in peace. Even if you can save me now, can you save me forever?"Obviously, while Vaida had a mental breakdown, she no longer recognized Harvey and forgot what had happened between them, but she was still a wise woman. She could tell that Geoffrey and Neve dragged Harvey here so that she would not die."Vaida! Don't forget that you're the daughter of the previous mayor! In my heart, you’re the real princess of Grand City!" Geoffrey roared. "I swore to him all those years ago that I would find the man of your destiny. I won't lie about som
"No! There is! Not only are you fated to cross paths, but such a fate is inevitable!" Geoffrey suddenly cried out. "Vaida, I managed to do as promised and found the man who is your destiny when I went to Wolsing last time! That's him! He's the man of your destiny! I won't have any objection even if you want to make your marriage official!"Geoffrey immediately rushed over to Harvey and pushed Harvey to Vaida. Harvey was stunned when he heard it, his eye twitching.What?Something about being the man of her destiny?Geoffrey did not give Harvey any time to react and winked at Harvey. "Mr. Representative, why don't you go speak with Vaida? The two of you promised to be together for three lifetimes before the Rock of Fate! You shouldn't miss each other now that you've been reunited!"When Harvey heard what Geoffrey had said, he was full of questions. Although he could understand every word, he did not understand what Geoffrey meant by that. Even Neve was so shocked that she subconsci