Even the waiters wondered what was going on."Sir, why did we waive their bill? Not even the highest VIPs could get that privilege. This has never happened since our restaurant's inception. And you even gave her the shop's custom-made gift."The manager said, "Ah, what do you know? Those two are going to bring us a lot of money.""Huh? Did you just say…" The waiters were once again dumbfounded."Just you wait. Our restaurant is going to be madly popular from now on. We just received a Black Card owner in our eatery. If everyone finds out, business is going to boom. That little event alone is worth millions in marketing. Oh yeah, I can see the money already."The manager was muttering to himself like a madman. The waiters had no idea what a Black Card meant, nor did they know who the bigshots were.…Queenie was still in a daze. She was in her car, staring at the golden whale and the card in confusion. Nox was beside her, looking relaxed.A long while later, Queenie shook her he
Nox hurried upstairs. "What's wrong?"Queenie was seated before her laptop, her eyes wide. The Black Card was sitting before her. It took her a long moment before she pointed at the screen. "Nono, y-you have to see this."Nox approached her and scanned the screen. It was showing the Black Card's introduction."I-It's a Black Card, the king of cards. Owners of this card get all the VIP privileges wherever they go. Only top government officials, bluebloods, or big capitalists can own one. No one else can apply for one of these. And it has unlimited credit!"Queenie fell into stunned silence. She had never seen a Black Card but had heard stories of it. Now, she was holding the very same legendary card, and she was dazed.Nox didn't think Queenie would find out so soon. He scratched his nose and feigned surprise. "I see.""Don't give me that! You've probably never seen this card, so I'll make it simple. If you have this card, you'll be treated like royalty wherever you go. And it has
"But we have—"He wanted to say they had the card, but Queenie interrupted, "Don't even get any ideas about that card. I won't take anyone's charity, Nono. It's beneath me."She added, "Besides, we don't know where that card came from, nor do we know who gave it to us. Do you think we can just use it?"Nox scratched his head. He had no idea how to answer that."Just go back downstairs. I need to start my job hunt." She chased Nox away.Nox felt a little miffed. "Guess it was a wrong call having Alex give us free money. Wonder how his purchase is going."…Ever since Queenie went with Nox, the Sanderses had been plunged into a dilemma. Centersea had ceased all partnerships with Sanders Holdings. The med factory hadn't been paying its workers for three months. They were one step away from bankruptcy.The whole family was draped in fear and uncertainty. Just then, a roar came from the residence's lobby."George, from this day onward, your daughter is no longer part of this family
Jezebiah was in a closed chamber. He asked, "Now that the bitch is exiled, what should we do?"Hogs sneered. "Now we just have to take all of George's shares.""But Dad, we've made an enemy out of Silas. Even if we get all of the company's shares, what will we tell him?" Jezebiah added.Hogs answered, "Don't worry. We're not the ones who made an enemy out of Silas. Besides, even if Centersea won't help us, I can still try and sell the company.""You want to sell the company? That won't be easy, Dad. We've made losses every year. Who'd buy our company?"A frown creased Hogs' brows. He wasn't confident in the family's company at all. Like Jezebiah just said, it was making heavy losses for years, and they had gone three months without paying the workers their salaries.Sanders Pharmaceuticals' production had ground to a halt, and the workers would keep coming to collect the debt. The thought of all these problems was giving Hogs a headache.And then a servant came hurrying into the
They could sell the company for cheap, but no one in their right mind would take it, yet Empire Corp themselves were doing something this crazy. Hogs took a deep breath."Mr. Laws, please come with me. We'll talk over tea."Ferguson waved him down. "We shall skip that. My employer has given me his command. The sooner we settle this purchase, the better."Ferguson pointed at the bespectacled man. "This is our CFO, Mr. Larson. He has gained all the necessary intel regarding your company. All that's left is the price offer. If the offer is fair, we shall proceed with the transaction."Mr. Larson smiled.Hogs couldn't believe the CFO himself was here. He wondered, 'Wow, they are fast. Not the top company in Riverton for nothing. But what offer should I make? The company has made losses every year. It's not even worth a few million. And we owe the workers three months of pay.'Hogs was wondering about the offer he should make. A moment later, he said, "This is a big decision to make,
Hogs was about to quote a lower price, but Ferguson said, "My employer dislikes the act of haggling, and he prefers having fives in his pricing. He is making an offer of 15 million for your company. Is that fine with you?"'15 million?' Hogs thought he was hearing things. 'Dear gods, that's a huge haul. Even at its peak, the company was only worth around that price, and now it's bankrupt, but Empire Corp is making a peak offer.'Buzzing with excitement, Hogs said, "Yes, of course. More than fine, actually."Jezebiah was grinning from ear to ear. He thought, 'Well, we just made bank.'"Can you sign the share transfer, then?" Mr. Larson held up his suitcase and whipped out the contract.Hogs quickly said, "Of course. Let me."Just as he was about to sign the papers, Ferguson said, "Mr. Sanders, I'm afraid you cannot sign the papers.""What?" Hogs was stunned.Ferguson smiled. "My employer has decreed that only Ms. Queenie Sanders can sign the papers for this purchase."The menti
The news of her permanent exile broke Queenie's heart, but she could do nothing about it. Her family used her as a chip on the table for their own profit, and now they kicked her out of the family.The thought of that ached her heart, and she was filled with fury. Still, life had to go on.Nox knew about the exile as well. He was on the first floor, looking out the window. "Alex should be done by now."Twenty minutes later, a car came to a stop before Pearl Residence. George and Yvette came out, and Yvette was talking to her husband. Eventually, she teared up. "Do you think she'll forgive us?"George inhaled deeply. "Don't worry. We're still her parents.""This is all your fault. You just had to freeze all her cards and let Hogs exile her. She's never been through this before all her life," Yvette grumbled.George knew he'd gone too far this time, so all he could do was sigh. "Alright, stop. I was just doing it for the family.""You'd toss our own daughter's happiness away for t
"You'd sacrifice my happiness for your company? I'm your daughter! And you know how much of a scum Silas is! You'd have destroyed me if you made me marry him!"Queenie's fury grew stronger, and her eyes eventually went red.A long sigh escaped George's lips. "You're right. This is my fault. I'm sorry, Queenie. Can you forgive me?"Queenie stared at her father in petrified confusion. 'He's apologizing to me? I thought he was here to demand an explanation,' she wondered.Yvette added, "Queenie, your father has never apologized before. This is his first time. You have to forgive him."Queenie might be their child, but she was no fool. They had just exiled her an hour ago and crossed her name off the family records, and now her father was here to apologize. Something was up.A moment later, Queenie asked, "Dad, why are you suddenly apologizing to me? Did Silas tell you to do this?"George waved his hands adamantly. "No, it wasn't him.""Then why are you doing this?" Queenie had mor
Nox unleashed his divine sense, scanning the entire perimeter of Imperia. The same scene repeated itself everywhere: borders littered with unconscious civilians, numerous car crashes, and many more trapped victims in desperate need of help."It looks like we need to break this damned formation first. Ugh, what a pain. And of course, we've got to locate the core before we can dismantle it," he muttered in frustration.The Soul Maze Formation was powerful—so much so that only those in the Legend Realm could traverse it unscathed. Imperia didn't boast many cultivators at that level, and those few were already occupied along the borders, rescuing civilians.Nox focused his Divine Sense and quickly pinpointed the core of the formation within minutes."There's a Sacred Realm guardian from the path of the ancient divine stationed at the core," Nox said telepathically to Cassian. "Grandpa, you and Kirin should head there. But don't rush—leave the rest to me."Nox's caution was clear—he di
Aphrodite maintained her usual stoic demeanor, but behind the scenes, she said to White Tiger telepathically, "Being enslaved by Nox's soul technique? That's quite the excuse. Surely, you know I'm naturally immune to soul techniques?"White Tiger scoffed and shot back telepathically, "They'd have chopped you into pieces by now if I hadn't done some fast talking! Do me a favor and behave yourself for once, or I'll handle you personally before they could even get the chance."Despite his grumbling, White Tiger couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and frustration over Aphrodite's extraordinary immunity. It was said that if someone's mind was honed to an unparalleled level, they could naturally resist soul techniques. Aphrodite had truly reached such a pinnacle of intellect.Aphrodite assumed command of the Nox Army as Nox's soul technique had seemingly bound her to him. She immediately ordered them and the nearby forces to retreat, leaving only the Sword Sect of Magic Mountain behind
Kirin and White Tiger had already entered Nox's room, only to freeze at the sight of his stormy expression. Trouble was clearly brewing."Milord, what happened?" White Tiger asked cautiously, lowering his head as if trying to shrink out of sight.Could this be about them swindling Aphrodite? But they had lost everything all night long—wasn't that punishment enough?Nox announced, "Imperia has gone dark. I can't reach Azure Dragon or the others. White Tiger, contact the military zone immediately and arrange for a military aircraft. I need to leave for Imperia right now!"White Tiger instantly tensed at the news. Imperia suddenly going dark, combined with Cassian's imminent return to reunite with Penelope, felt too coincidental. Could someone be targeting the Greenshade family?"Damn those scoundrels! Understood, milord. I'll get everything ready!"He rushed off to make the arrangements.Meanwhile, Aphrodite's telepathic voice reached Nox. "Stay calm. It's not as dire as it seems.
Nox felt choked by the sheer emotion he was feeling. Sometimes, even a thousand promises couldn't compare to the simple vow of staying together in life and death."Don't worry. There's no one in this world capable of killing me," he reassured her with a smile. All the talk about ruling the Nine States and Five Domains or becoming the emperor of the world paled in comparison to having the one he loved by his side.The destroyer ship made its way back to Faeast's inner harbor. Nineve eagerly led the group to the largest shopping mall in the area as soon as they disembarked.The marines quickly found themselves acting as her personal attendants, lugging bags upon bags of purchases. The spree lasted the entire day, only stopping when the mall finally closed for the night.Later that evening, Nox was watching a live news broadcast in the hotel.The screen showed an official spokesperson from Faeast addressing the issue of piracy on the high seas. The statement carefully emphasized the
As the Temple Lord of the Beast Temple, Kirin was none other than the auspicious beast Kirin itself.On the other hand, Mufasa, while known as the temple's guardian, was, in cruder terms, little more than a servant to the golden lion. His master, the golden lion, paled in comparison to the Kirin in both cultivation level and bloodline.Simply put, if the golden lion were present, it would have to kneel before Kirin."What now? Why'd you drag me out? Couldn't you deal with it yourself? You're so annoying! I was just having a great chat with my students," Kirin grumbled, clearly irritated.However, he immediately shut his gob after receiving a hard whack on the head from Nox."I called you out to ask if you could gather the beasts of the Beast Temple. Tell them to withdraw from Mystia and return to Faeast for the time being. I foresee a war with the path of the martial brewing soon, and I'll need a fully armed force of sacred beasts," Nox said, his piercing gaze fixed on Kirin."Ca
Faeast's rise was inevitable. This belief was absolute and unshakable!At that moment, Aphrodite came to a realization that so long as she and Nox had no romantic ties, their hearts could truly be in sync.Love brought complications such as resentment and division. But without personal emotions clouding their judgment, everything they did would be for the nation alone. Take this moment, for example. The intricate trap she had laid was no longer just a scheme. Rather, it had become a necessary move to safeguard Faeast. By nightfall, the destroyer arrived at the island where Voltaic resided. Before the ship even came to a stop, Voltaic stepped onto the water, striding across the waves with Mufasa by his side. With effortless grace, he leaped onto the bow, landing before Nox on the deck. "You old bastard, what's your deal? When I tried reaching out before, you acted like you were deaf. Now that I've shown up, you're all smiles and warm welcomes? What's that supposed to mean?" No
Just then, several pirate ships appeared on the horizon. They were from Capwave Island. Now, Nox had every reason to suspect that these pirates were nothing more than pawns, a smokescreen used by the elites of the island nations to cover their tracks. "Milord, those guys have their eyes on us. What's the call?" the captain asked. "My rule is simple. If they make a move, fire. Wipe them out. But you're the captain, so I'll leave the decision to you," Nox said. The university students onboard were all fired up, ready to take action without a second thought. The captain, mindful of the number of civilians on board, decided to attempt communication first. He picked up the radio to send a warning to the pirates.The deafening roar of jet engines ripped through the sky. A sudden transmission cut into their frequency. The voice on the radio was firm and unmistakable. "This is the Faeast Air Force. We have orders to escort your vessel. Stand by." Above them, fighter jets h
Nox first checked on Cassian. After realizing he was fine and had only collapsed out of exhaustion and loss of life essence, Nox turned to lead a group of men toward the port. The mystical artifact sealing off the island had been retrieved. The isolated island would finally see the light of day once more! Nox had just arrived at the port when he was surrounded by a pack of students. Somehow, they found out their savior was Lord Nox of Faeast. They were all insistent on meeting him. "We just knew Faeast would save us!""Our savior is actually Lord Nox! We will surely study hard to repay Faeast!"They were young and impulsive. In their eyes, Nox was sent to rescue them as Faeast knew they were in danger. Hence, they were overwhelmed with emotions. Nox stared at them with a guilty look in his eyes. He had not even known they were kidnapped. Due to that guilt, he agreed to take a group photo with the students even though he disliked appearing before the public eye. The enti
"Zeller, you'll be brought to justice!"With a twist of his fingers, thousands of swords appeared out of thin air and swung at Zeller.Without any techniques he could use, Zeller had to risk his life to block and dodge every blow sent his way. However, his body gave up after a few hundred strikes, and his body was torn apart.Shaken to his very core, Zeller tried to make a retreat."Where are you going? Quintuple Lightning, awaken the divine tempest!"As deafening thunder roared through the sky, countless bolts of lightning struck down at Zeller's dark spirit, killing him.One of the best evil cultivators died just like that.His death also sounded the death knell for the Celestial Ordinance's Abode that had been causing chaos in Faeast for centuries.The Marine Corps gazed at Nox with passionate excitement in their eyes.This was their lord, someone who was stronger than Cassian!Nox turned around to find the remaining elites crying in despair. Some of them had already lost