Edgar paused, then did as Lindsay instructed. He carefully cut into the wound and felt around inside with his fingers. A moment later, he pulled out a small memory card. Edgar stared at it, surprised. "It really was there." His eyes reddened again, realizing what his comrade had done. He could almost picture his friend deliberately cutting his own arm open to hide the card deep within the flesh—a pain beyond imagination. No wonder no one had detected it from the outside.Lindsay and Elric, both understanding the gravity of the situation, felt a wave of respect wash over them.Lindsay said softly, "Take him back and give him a proper burial. His ashes should rest in a Heroes' Cemetery."The memory card clearly held crucial information. This soldier had not only sacrificed his life but had also managed to secure vital intel with his own flesh—a truly commendable act.Edgar nodded. "I'll take him home today."He carefully stowed the memory card away and lifted the body to leave. He
After Sarina left with her people, Elric watched her retreating figure and said, "That one really seems to have it out for you. Better keep your guard up."Lindsay noted his sharp sense for such things. "I will," she replied. Then she added a warning, "You should be careful too. If you run into her, avoid any kind of contact."Sarina likely had access to some sinister tricks, much worse than Olivia's.Elric grinned. "Got it. I'll steer clear of her whenever I see her."With a hint of pride in his voice, he added, "Besides, I've got the talisman you gave me. No way her cheap tricks can beat that."Lindsay chuckled. "Seems like you have a lot of faith in me.""Of course," Elric said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.They continued their conversation as they made their way upstairs and went to their respective rooms.Once back in her room, Lindsay removed her jacket and glanced at the spot on her arm where Sarina had grabbed her. She noticed a tiny red dot, almost like
The next day, Lindsay went out to explore the nearby area with Elric and Ryan. Both she and Elric wore baseball caps and masks, dressed simply to avoid being recognized. Ryan, noticing their cautious appearance, laughed and said, "You two always look so worn out whenever you go out."Lindsay chuckled. "Well, you win some, you lose some. It’s no big deal."Elric nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We don't mind."Ryan rolled his eyes at Elric. This guy was hopeless—anything Lindsay said was gospel to him.The three of them returned in the afternoon, only to coincidentally run into Sarina and her group, who seemed to be heading out for dinner. When Sarina spotted Lindsay, she was briefly stunned before giving her a playful look. Lindsay returned the same playful smile. Sarina blinked in surprise, feeling that Lindsay truly lived without fear. In seven days, this woman would be in tears.Their two groups passed by each other, with Selena at the end. As she brushed past Lindsay, she light
Howard and the others followed inside, clearly unsettled. One of the senior executives from Long Jewelry muttered, "That Sarina is incredibly arrogant. The way she talks, it’s like all the best gemstones here are already in Fox Gemworks' pocket."A seasoned jade appraiser from their side added, "Sarina has really made a name for herself these past two years. She’s become quite the sensation in the gemtsone trading scene."Whenever she attends a public or private auction, she always walks away with the top picks. Her success rate in gemstone betting is over ninety percent, sweeping up nearly all the highest quality jade every time."People in the trade say she’s a natural-born gemstone expert, gifted in ways others can’t compare to. We shouldn’t underestimate her this time."Another expert agreed, "She’s definitely something. Just by touching the raw stone, she can tell if there’s a precious stone inside. And whatever stone she picks never turns out to be a dud."Ryan, recalling his ow
If no one competed for a stone, it could be won at a low price. However, if there was competition and others bid against each other, the price of the raw stone would rise, but at least they would know the base price.The second method was sealed bidding. In this case, after selecting a stone, one would remember its number and write one bid on a slip, placing it into the bid box. The highest bid would win after the final review.The auction was divided into four zones: A, B, C, and D. Zones A and B were for open bidding, while zones C and D used sealed bidding. That day’s focus was on open bidding. For sealed bids, participants would submit their bids after reviewing the stones, and the results would be announced the following day. Everyone entered Zone A, taking note of the stones they were interested in and setting mental price limits. In the afternoon, based on their analysis and stone numbers, they would participate in the bidding.The exhibition area was filled with piles of
As expected, Lindsay noticed that Sarina’s method of examining the raw stones lacked any professional insight. She was simply using her hands to feel the magnetic energy, which felt like cheating. No wonder Sarina always walked away with a fortune at both public and private auctions.Lindsay also realized she wasn’t the only one watching Sarina—many people were closely observing her. In fact, several were noting down the stone numbers that Sarina had inspected and recorded. However, Lindsay noticed Sarina was being cunning. A few stones she recorded had little to no chance of containing gemstones from a professional standpoint. It was clear she was intentionally misleading those who were following her every move.Sarina moved quickly, barely touching the stones before jotting down their numbers, unlike the other gemstone experts who took their time to thoroughly examine and analyze the material. By the end of the morning, Sarina had already finished inspecting all the stones in
Sarina knew she couldn’t leave. She had to stay until the bidding ended and the stones were revealed. However, a strange sense of panic crept into her heart. This sudden reaction felt eerily like she was suffering from backlash. After a while, the burning sensation in her body gradually subsided, but along with it, her fortune seemed to slip away as well. She could feel it—her luck was draining, weakening with every passing moment. Panic surged inside her. What was happening? Why was her fortune continuously fading?Once her body had recovered enough, Steven helped her back to her seat. The moment she sat down, Sarina’s first instinct was to search for Lindsay. She had a strong suspicion that this backlash and the loss of her fortune had everything to do with Lindsay.Sure enough, as Lindsay returned from the restroom, their eyes met. Lindsay gave her a faint smile, one that carried a hint of mischief. This confirmed Sarina’s fears—Lindsay was behind this. The ominous feeli
Sarina’s abrupt exit naturally drew attention and confusion from the crowd. What was happening with her? While it was allowed to leave mid-auction to continue inspecting raw stones, her sudden dash raised eyebrows. Others, too, occasionally left to recheck their selections, but it had to be done before the bidding closed on those stones.Seeing Sarina rush out, Steven and the gemstone experts from the Fox family quickly followed her. Only Selena remained seated, her expression calm. Ever since Sarina had stolen her fortune, Selena had felt drained and weak. But now, a new sensation was washing over her, like a slow resurgence of energy. It was as if the heavy burden she had been carrying had lifted.This shift confirmed that Lindsay’s plan had worked. After Sarina ran out, Selena couldn’t resist glancing over at Lindsay. Sensing her gaze, Lindsay turned her head slightly and winked.Selena’s eyes reddened, an overwhelming urge to cry bubbling up inside her. She held it back a
In the vibrant district of the historic town, the streets were lined with vintage boutiques and various artisan stalls. Lindsay's group visited the town’s administration office and rented a temporary booth.Alex and Justin eagerly borrowed a table and chairs, setting up the booth. Following Lindsay's instructions, they also bought a piece of white fabric and worked together to create a simple sign. The production team provided markers and other supplies.Lindsay glanced over at Benedict and said, "Benedict, I’ll let you handle writing the banner."She was eager to observe his writing and the energy he gave off while doing it.Benedict sighed inwardly—this girl was constantly trying to test him. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll write it."He grabbed a marker, uncapped it, and wrote in bold letters across the white fabric: “Fortune Telling, Divination, and Tarot Readings.”Lindsay watched him closely, noticing the fluidity of his movements as he wrote, his posture exud
Justin added, "My mom’s been trying to get me to help Olivia and distance myself from Lindsay. She’s also said plenty of nasty things about Lindsay. This time, not only did I ignore her, but I even pushed back. It probably pissed her off, and now she’s taking it out on Lindsay."Alex, clearly upset, said, "You should talk to her and tell her to stop fixating on Lindsay. Lindsay hasn’t done anything to provoke her. It’s ridiculous."He was frustrated that Justin’s mom had been stirring up trouble, making Grace even more difficult to deal with.Justin nodded. "Alright, after the show is over, I’ll have a talk with her."He also felt his mom was acting out of line. Back when he liked Lindsay, her disapproval at least made sense. But now that Lindsay had kicked him to the curb, his mom’s continued obsession was baffling.Although they were speaking softly, Lindsay and Benedict, walking ahead, heard every word.Lindsay found the situation with Abby baffling as well. A woman who fawned over
After Lindsay left, the other guests quickly followed, leaving only Alex standing there awkwardly. He spoke briefly to the production staff, and they soon shifted the cameras away from that area. Alex then walked over to Grace, saying, "Mom, since Lindsay won’t lend it, let’s just drop it."Grace shot him a cold glare, her expression dark. "How can you be so heartless? The one lying in bed is your fourth brother. Are you hanging around Lindsay all the time just to learn how to be cold and ruthless?"Unable to contain her frustration toward Lindsay, Grace directed it at Alex instead.Alex sighed in exasperation. "Even if we need help, it has to be something she’s willing to do! We’ve wronged Lindsay enough as it is, so why do you keep trying to guilt-trip her? Brandon’s situation isn’t Lindsay’s fault. Why don’t you go find Olivia? She’s the one who caused all this, maybe she can fix it. After all, whoever’s behind her is no easy target."Right now, all Alex felt toward Lindsay was gui
Grace held back her anger and said, "It'll only take a few minutes. I have something important to discuss with you."Lindsay sat back down in her seat. "Fine, go ahead."The livestream was on, and Lindsay was fully aware of it—she was doing this on purpose.Grace was about to speak when her assistant whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed, and she subtly shifted her body to turn away from the camera.Then she looked at Lindsay. "Can we talk outside?"In her rush to find Lindsay, she had almost forgotten that this was a live-streamed variety show. She didn’t want to be on camera, much less discuss such personal matters in front of an audience.Lindsay, however, refused. "If it's important, say it here. If not, then don’t say anything."Grace’s expression darkened. "It’s because it’s important that we need to talk privately."She emphasized, "It’s not appropriate in front of the camera."Lindsay just smiled. "Unless it's something shady, what’s wrong with saying it on cam
Lindsay thought about it for a while and figured that if Grace was coming to find her, it was probably for Brandon. The only thing she could want would be the artifact in her possession.Alex saw her reply and couldn’t help but smile wryly. His sister was indeed sharp and saw right through it.He sent a voice message, repeating what the head of the Divination Association had told them. "Mom just wants to borrow the artifact from you to suppress Brandon’s condition."Lindsay replied, "Tell her not to waste her energy."Seeing that message, Alex knew right away that she wouldn’t lend it out. It didn’t surprise him—his sister could be ruthless when she wanted to be."We can’t convince her otherwise, not even Dad can stop her... sigh," Alex added. When their mom’s temper flared, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.Lindsay didn’t seem to care. "Then let her come. I’m not going to do her any favors."Alex recalled the conversation between their parents at the hospital and decided to warn her, "M
Recently, Grace had been spending more time with Abby, often meeting up for outings. Over time, Richard noticed that Grace's anger towards their biological daughter had deepened. Abby had always disliked Lindsay and showed more favoritism towards Olivia. She must have been stirring up trouble and egging Grace on whenever they met. With time, Grace was bound to be influenced.Grace, clearly annoyed, said, "You even want to control who I make friends with? Aren't you going too far? What's wrong with me getting along with Mrs. Ford and spending more time with her?"Richard felt cornered. "I just think there's something off about her. Her intentions in getting close to you don't seem good. That's why I'm trying to give you a heads-up."Grace didn't believe him at all. "I think you're overthinking it. We’ve always had a decent relationship. We’re just closer now, that’s all.""What do you men know about women’s matters? Don't interfere." She now had plenty to talk about with Abby. Jenny wa
Richard glanced at Grace with clear disapproval. “This whole mess was caused by Olivia and Brandon. What does any of it have to do with Lindsay?”He could tell that recent events, and the embarrassment caused by their sons, had left his wife feeling bitter. It seemed she had begun to project that frustration onto Lindsay, despite the situation having little to do with her.Grace crossed her arms defensively. “If it wasn’t for her ongoing fight with Olivia, Brandon wouldn’t have gotten involved. He’s her brother. Doesn’t she owe him some consideration now that he’s in this condition?”Richard frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”Valarie, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up, her displeasure clear. “I see it differently. It’s Olivia and your son who started the trouble, and all Lindsay did was defend herself. Are you really looking to embarrass yourselves even more?”Grace shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of her mother-in-law’s words. “I’m just thinking abou
Given the Harper family's persistence, there was no way the Divination Association could avoid a thorough investigation. Seeing that Randolph wouldn’t back down, the official left, courteously escorted out by Randolph, who, for the moment, had ceased his protests.Valarie carefully placed the multicolored stone inside a small protective pouch before securing it around Brandon's neck. Though he felt a slight relief after putting it on, the bad luck continued. As the official had warned, his misfortune was too severe for one artifact to fully contain.Randolph tried every connection he had, attempting to borrow a second artifact, but came up empty-handed. Time slipped by, and evening approached before they could find any further solutions.By the time Richard and Grace arrived at the hospital, they were met with the weary faces of their parents. Feeling guilty for everything his father had gone through, Richard bowed his head. "Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry you had to go through this today."
Hearing their words, the hope that had briefly flickered in Brandon’s eyes quickly faded, leaving him more devastated than before. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong," he muttered, finally realizing the truth. His foster sister had been nothing but trouble—far from trustworthy, she had been a constant source of harm. Meanwhile, his real sister, though harsh and distant, had proven to be far more reliable. Regret gnawed at him deeply.Randolph sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Knowing you’re wrong doesn’t change anything. It’s too late now.”Turning back to the two mystics, Randolph asked, “If you can’t break the curse directly, could you at least help suppress his misfortune? Maybe with a protective charm or some kind of mystical object?”Despite his frustration with his grandson’s foolishness, he couldn’t just leave him to suffer.Both mystics exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have the ability to suppress his bad luck with charms.”“For something like that, you’d need t