Sten said, "There was a war 20 years ago. Hacniane calls it the Battle of the Sky, and in Saffronesia, it's known as the Battle of the Dome. I fought in that war."Matilda was taken aback. "Twenty years ago? A war? I was only three or four years old then. Why are you telling me this?"Sten smiled. "During that war, two of my comrades remained in the sky..."Matilda was confused but continued to listen politely."They left behind these relics," Sten said, opening an old digital camera. He flipped through the photos on the small screen, showing images of a couple with their daughter.As Matilda saw the photos, she felt a vague sense of familiarity, as if some long-forgotten memories were resurfacing. The child in the pictures looked strikingly like her."During the war, the couple often looked at these photos," Sten said.Matilda, entranced by the photos, asked, "What happened to them?"Sten replied, "The war was brutal, with many casualties every day. One day, I returned from th
Matilda took the check, signaling the end of the business meeting.Around four in the morning, Matilda and Marilyn returned to their apartment. Marilyn watched Matilda alternately cry and laugh, which piqued her curiosity."Matilda, what's going on? What did that bald Saffronesia guy say to you?"Matilda shot her a glance. "He's my Uncle Sten, so don't call him that!""Uncle Sten?" Marilyn was surprised. She did not understand where that relation came from."But I don't remember you having any relatives from Saffronesia?"Matilda grabbed Marilyn's arm. "Hey, let me ask you something. Do you know anything about the firmament?"Marilyn stiffened but replied, "No, I don't."Matilda looked puzzled. "Uncle Sten said that about 20 years ago, there was a so-called Battle of the Dome at the firmament. He said it was a worldwide war..."Marilyn quickly interrupted her. "What does that have to do with you calling Sten uncle?"Matilda explained, "He was a fellow soldier with my parents.
Marilyn started coughing.She did not expect Chad to ask about the jade pendant. She had yet to swallow the tea she was drinking, and in her excitement, she choked on it."The jade pendant? It's just something I bought from a street vendor for fun. It's not worth anything!"Marilyn tucked the pendant back into her clothes, hoping to brush the matter aside.However, Chad extended his hand. Marilyn could not think of a reason to refuse him.Unbeknownst to her, Chad had already activated his Clairvoyant Eye. To his surprise, he could not see through the quality of the pendant with it."It's just a regular trinket from a street vendor—"Reluctantly, Marilyn took it out from under her clothes and stretched her neck, bringing the pendant to Chad's face.Chad looked at Marilyn's comical expression and grabbed the pendant. The moment he touched it, the glow on his hand changed color, startling him into letting go.Marilyn quickly pulled it back."I told you it's just an ordinary pend
Chad hoisted the unconscious Stanley and went to the air-raid shelter in the backyard's underground villa.He noticed that the walls were covered with Yggdrasil roots. He began to worry that the Yggdrasil might destroy the newly built underground villa if left unchecked.However, his immediate task was to help Stanley restore his life energy and break the enchantment spell he was under. Chad used several needles to adjust Stanley's breathing rhythm.Following the fire folk's breathing technique, he guided Stanley in gradually replenishing his body's life energy through controlled breathing.As Stanley followed the breathing technique, noticeable changes appeared in his condition. Half an hour later, Stanley woke up and, seeing his surroundings, was puzzled."Mr. Jennings, what happened to me?"Chad glanced at him and began removing the needles. He said, "I was helping you regulate your body.""Oh! Right! I'm marrying Jojo, and you invited me for a check-up—"Halfway through his
The funding gap alone was over a billion, but if Chad could fill that gap, Mystic Pavilion would be operational. Once Mystic Pavilion was up and running, Chad's three-year plan could be implemented! That meant that even if Matilda did not divorce Chad, he would soon propose a divorce anyway.Stanley's eyes gleamed with excitement as he said, "If I mortgaged all the Bellenuite Group shares I have, I should be able to cash out 20 billion. But—"Stanley was still worried. Considering the cost of using a loan, having so much cash on hand was not necessarily a good thing."Don't worry, you can give it to me. I need this money."Stanley thought he had misheard Chad, but when he saw Chad's determined look, he asked, "Dr. Jennings, aren't you uninterested in money?""I'm not interested in money, but the Mystic Group needs it!"Stanley became excited. "The Mystic Group? Say no more; I'll invest 50 billion!"However, Chad said, "No shares, only dividends, so think it through."Stanley fe
"Damn it! Do they want to cause trouble?"As Chad calmed down, he swore, his first reaction being that Braum had been deceived.When she saw Chad's reaction, Nancy asked, "What's wrong, Chad?"Chad did not want to get her involved. "Nothing; you go about your business!"However, Nancy said, "Actually, I know how they left. They left with a group of soldiers."That made Chad freeze. "What soldiers did they leave with?"Nancy looked around and said, "The soldiers who go to the firmament. They found a way to the celestial realm and claimed they could take people there."Chad was stunned, not expecting things to have reached that point.Nancy said, "Those soldiers aren't from Hacniane. I saw their shoulder patches; they're Saffronesian soldiers!"Chad was shocked. "Why would Saffronesian soldiers appear in Hacniane?"Nancy looked at Chad, even more confused. "You didn't know? There are three places in the world that can reach the firmament, and all of them are in Hacniane, one of
On Temple Road, large machinery had been used to repair the road after its demolition, transforming it into a temporary runway capable of accommodating large aircraft.By noon, important figures like Bloomington's governor Zach Jovy and Rivervale's governor Tori Hart had arrived. They chose the Hall of Herbs as their gathering point, remaining silent as they waited.Around two o'clock in the afternoon, after all the heavy machinery had been removed from Temple Road, three loud booms were heard in the sky.The sound, often referred to as a sky quake, was familiar. However, it was different then. After that, a dense formation of aircraft suddenly appeared over Bloomington.At the head of the formation was a large transport plane, followed by a series of fighter jets.When Chad saw the formation, he noticed many people in military uniforms had gathered outside Temple Road. He surprisingly spotted Logan, dressed in a military uniform, standing quietly among the soldiers, wearing six m
Logan felt a mix of emotions. "But you've already divorced Matilda!"Chad sighed. "Just go with peace of mind!"Chad understood Logan's thinking. Matilda would have difficulty taking care of Celine and John. Otherwise, Logan would not have called Chad; he would have called Matilda. At that point, there was no point in hiding anything from her.Logan was deeply moved. "Thank you. If they ask what I'm doing, say—""You're working overseas.""Yes, working overseas."Then, Logan hung up and silently stepped out among the uniformed veterans."Former regiment commander of the Hacniane Airforce's Third Corps, Logan Sachs, reporting for duty!" Logan's voice rang out, and others immediately followed suit, stepping forward.The officer in charge of recruitment immediately verified their identities. Chad could see from the officer's demeanor that the situation in the firmament was dire.As the plane's door began to close, an officer approached Chad. "Sir, I'm ordered to ensure your safet