"Touching him means disrespecting me!" Hans roared.Tony's face darkened at Hans' words, anger bubbling inside him. He didn't expect Hans to be so adamant.Benefactor and savior? Tony was confused.According to his investigation, Sebastian was just a small figure in Steinberg, and he also divorced his rich wife without taking anything from her. This meant that he should have no power of status.Why was Hans here because of him?Tony was puzzled."Tony! What are you waiting for? Release the hostage! If Mr. Ballard's ex-wife is harmed in any way, don't even think about leaving Steinberg!" Hans shouted.Tony was speechless, and his face turned livid.This was the first time someone had ever commanded him!He was the head of the Wright family, and everyone respected him anywhere he went!But today, he was first disrespected by an unknown young man. Then, he was scolded by someone like Hans, an underworld scum who couldn't even show his face in public. Tony was seething with ang
Whitney's head suddenly throbbed. She quickly covered her head while hissing in pain. Sebastian said emotionlessly, "I just gave you acupuncture to promote your blood flow. Avoid strenuous activity, refrain from thinking too much, and rest for a few days, and you'll be fine."Hans also seized the opportunity to say, "Ms. Sutton, if it weren't for Mr. Ballard, you might have lost your life. It's evident that he cares about you.""Cares about me?" Whitney was taken aback, looking at Sebastian with a complex expression.Sebastian furrowed his brow and said, "Hans, didn't you say you had some matters to attend to?""Oh? Yes, yes, I do. Sorry to intrude. Let's leave the two of you alone," Hans quickly responded, leading his men away.After a moment, the living room quieted down. Whitney sat on the sofa, feeling nervous and uneasy as she watched Sebastian put away the silver needles, preparing to leave. She quickly asked, "Sebastian… um, earlier, was it you who saved me?" Even t
"Mr. Cobb, you're too kind. With your status and strength, even Mr. Wagner has to show you respect. I really admire you," Mabel flattered.Fergus smiled as he played along.The incident at the cruise party last time almost blew his cover.But this time, clearly, Mabel and Whitney misunderstood. It was better to just go along with the misunderstanding, as there was no loss anyway.Whitney also smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Cobb.""Whitney, even if it's the richest man in Steinberg, as long as you're in trouble, I can get in touch with them for you!" Fergus said, showing off.Sebastian, who was about to leave, heard these words and chuckled coldly."Sebastian, what are you laughing at?!" Mabel was very displeased and said, "If it weren't for Mr. Cobb, Ms. Sutton would have been in trouble tonight! How dare you laugh? You useless scum!"Sebastian countered, "So, you think Hans got involved because of Fergus?"Mabel frowned disapprovingly, "Well, who else could it be? Certainly
Today marked the launch of Frostwave Corporation's latest beauty and skincare product. The Iceheart facial mask, propelled by Frostwave Corporation's marketing efforts, was quickly sold out upon its release. Due to significant discounts, long queues formed across major malls and counters in Steinberg. In her office, Whitney wore a confident smile as she reviewed the data reports Mabel handed her. Within half a day, the facial mask surged into the top five of Steinberg's facial mask sales chart. "Ms. Sutton, given the current momentum, this mask could top the sales chart in just three days," Mabel exclaimed excitedly.The tremendous success of this facial mask could undoubtedly elevate Frostwave Corporation to higher levels. Whitney set aside the reports and gazed through the large glass window at the bustling cityscape with towering skyscrapers. She calmly said, "We can do better. Allocate all of the group's current promotional resources to this facial mask. I want this ma
In the afternoon, Arctic Snow Mask officially set up its temporary counters in major shopping malls in Steinberg and began distributing trial samples. However, the situation wasn't optimistic. This was because, throughout the morning, the malls in Steinberg were plastered with advertisements and banners promoting Iceheart facial masks. The malls even set up counters at the busiest spots, with each counter surrounded by crowds of people. Batch after batch of the product was quickly sold out, with continuous restocking. As a result, Arctic Snow Mask's counters were left deserted, with no one showing interest.Soon, word reached Mabel's ears. Upon seeing the video footage, Mabel smirked, mocking him, "Is Sebastian out of his mind? Promoting his facial mask at a time like this is nothing short of suicidal."She immediately ordered, "Arrange to ramp up our promotional efforts. Also, arrange some netizens to discredit the Arctic Snow Mask!" After briefing her staff, Mabel turned
A Rosé Corporation employee rushed into Sebastian's office, looking anxious. "Mr. Ballard, here is the latest data." Sebastian took the data and glanced at it. It was dismal.Trial samples - 0 Purchases - 0"Mr. Ballard, what should we do now? The malls have deliberately placed our counters in remote corners. It's clearly targeted against us," the employee exclaimed in distress. "At this rate, our counters might be removed."Sebastian sighed, his expression calm, and he smiled at the employee. "It's okay. If the malls won't let us sell, then we'll set up booths at the entrances, on the streets, in tourist spots. There's always a solution.""Ah? Mr. Ballard, this… isn't this a bit… questionable?" the employee hesitated.Sebastian replied, "There's nothing wrong with selling our products. Just do it. If the mall counters are removed, all employees will go out to sell the masks for the next two days with double pay.""Do we need to advertise and promote like Frostwave Corporation
Sebastian's martial arts prowess and his medical skills from that night had thoroughly impressed Joseph."Mr. Ballard," Joseph greeted with a bow."Mr. Ballard, please come in," Hans welcomed respectfully.Sebastian nodded and didn't hesitate to enter the hall. After taking a seat, he asked, "Mr. Wagner, what's the matter?"Hans glanced at Joseph, sighed, and then spoke with nervousness and concern, "Mr. Ballard, ever since you defeated Elliot, I've had someone inquire about him overseas."We found out that within Elliot's martial arts sect, there's a guy named Geraldine Brown, who is the top disciple of the grandmaster, Mr. Malcolm Duchanes, in Jerose! He's reputed to be the leader of Malcolm's Seven Protectors, possessing extraordinary martial arts skills!""Geraldine?" Sebastian furrowed his brow. "The Seven Protectors under Malcolm? Are they formidable?"Hans replied in a hurry, "They're not just formidable! It's said that Malcolm's overseas reputation was built on the accom
At Sebastian's words, the whole room was stunned! To suppress a grandmaster with just one hand? Such arrogance seemed too much to bear."Mr. Ballard, please don't joke around. After all, he's still a grandmaster," Joseph said awkwardly, reminding him. He thought Sebastian was being overly confident due to his youth.However, Sebastian just smiled faintly and turned to Hans. "Mr. Wagner, if they come tonight, give me a call."With that, Sebastian bid farewell and left.Hans was left somewhat dumbfounded, standing in the living room with Joseph, both staring at each other in disbelief."Mr. Zimmer, do you think Mr. Ballard was speaking the truth? Suppressing a grandmaster with one hand? What kind of martial prowess is that?" Hans asked, partly skeptical.Joseph furrowed his brow, watching Sebastian's departing figure. He replied, "Mr. Wagner, to suppress a grandmaster with one hand, one must possess strength surpassing that of a grandmaster. "It's known in the martial world as
The old man nodded slightly and said, "That's right. My name is Solomon Jackman. If you think things through, you can come to Townsend Clinic. We can discuss the price!"Solomon bowed to Sebastian before squeezing out of the crowd. Cliff's eyes reddened as he watched Solomon leave. Solomon was a prominent figure in Acorn City. Not only did he have exceptional medical skills, he was also skilled in martial arts. However, neither of those were Solomon's true specialty. What he was most skilled at was antique appraisal! Any antique that Solomon appraised was sure to be a treasure among treasures.Noticing Sebastian and Unus turning to walk away, Cliff immediately became agitated. "Stop!" he shouted.Sebastian turned to glance at him and said, "A deal's a deal. No returns or refunds. You said that yourself. It's the rule of the antique industry!"Cliff ignored all of that. He came out from behind his stall and grabbed Sebastian's sleeve. "I'm not going to sell that emerald pendan
"I don't think that you've seen the original form of this emerald pendant, either," Sebastian said, smiling coldly at Cliff. Cliff looked disdainfully at him. He felt that Sebastian was just unhappy about being tricked and was trying to provoke him. "Stop putting on that mysterious act. Why wouldn't I know about something that belongs to me?" Cliff demanded with a scoff. "You might really not know," Sebastian replied. He closed his palm slightly and exerted a slight force. The layer of stone on top of the emerald pendant peeled off. While everyone looked on, dumbstruck, Sebastian opened his palm once more. The crowd gasped.There were two clouds of energy on the emerald pendant, chasing each other like a pair of fish. One was black, while the other was red. The emerald pendant had been square-shaped originally, but it had now become a round emerald buckle. In the middle of it, a pale yellow energy was rising slowly. Everyone cried out in shock. It was clearly a rare trea
Some people just didn't know what was good for them. Even if Cliff had wanted to laugh, he should have waited for Sebastian to leave before doing so. How could he call a buyer a fool while they were still there?"It may be a little crude, my young friend, but it doesn't change the fact that you were hoodwinked!" Cliff said, guffawing gleefully.Since Sebastian had already paid, he could no longer take it back. After all, it was a rule never to accept returns or refunds. When Cliff thought of how he had charged Sebastian more than ten thousand for something that had only cost him about 300 to 400 dollars, he became even more smug. "You'll just have to bear with it, my young friend. Not regretting your purchase is the rule of the antique industry. Even if you've now found out that you were deceived, you can't get your money back!""That's right. The work on the emerald pendant that you're holding is so shoddy that it was clearly just done last week. It's a new item!" "Watch out
Sebastian laughed at the reluctant expression on the stall owner's face. He weighed the emerald pendant in his hand and asked, "Mister, are you sure that this emerald pendant is worth 210 thousand?"With that, he tossed it onto the counter and turned to leave."Huh?"The stall owner immediately ran around to the front of the stall when he saw that Sebastian was about to leave. He grabbed him and said, "Don't be in such a rush to leave, my young friend. Let's negotiate. If you're sincere about buying it, I'll sell it to you at 150 thousand, and I'll be making a loss. Let this be the start of a friendship between us!"Sebastian smiled slightly and said, "Mister, even a layman can tell that this emerald pendant is a fake. I just like the patterns on it because it's quite trendy. That's why I asked about it on a whim."Describing the patterns on the antique as trendy only served to show how obvious it was that it was a fake.The stall owner turned beet red, then white. He cursed hi
However, the more famous something was, the more imitations there would be. Antiques were no exception. In Boren, streets filled with antique stores were abundant. From Klane City to the smallest town, they were omnipresent.There were stores and stalls of various kinds that had everything, but all of them had one thing in common. All the antiques and trinkets that they sold were a mixed bag of authentic and fake. Buyers had to rely on their own judgment. There was also an unspoken rule there. Once a deal was made, no returns were allowed. If a buyer had paid for an item before realizing that something was wrong or recognizing that it was a fake, they would have no choice but to accept it. There was a saying about how the golden age of antiques was during times of chaos. Although they were now in times of peace, many members of the upper class were still very interested in them. Both experts and laymen liked to have a few collector's items in their homes. There were plenty of we
"Watch him closely! If you lose him, I'll have your head!" Anton said before hanging up. A malicious grin spread across his face.As the son of the head director of Boren Martial Arts Court, many were eager to curry favor with him. If it came to dealing with Sebastian, there were plenty of people willing to do the dirty work for him. Acorn City was the second largest city in Boren after Klane City, and Anton knew just who to call. About two weeks ago, the Lynch family of Acorn City had sent gifts to him. However, as the Lynches were a third-rate elite martial arts family, Anton had dismissed them. That was why, despite searching frantically, he couldn't find Colton Lynch's name card."Damn it! Where did that asshole's name card get to?"It was the first time Anton had been so anxious about finding the name card of an heir from a third-rate family. After rummaging around for a while, Anton had a sudden flash of inspiration. It was in the trash can!He suddenly remembered that
Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head at Nina's words. "Nina, you're staying behind so everyone thinks I'm still here. Rowan and Arran will stay here with you so that no one will become suspicious!"Nina frowned. "But I'll be worried about you being with Unus. It's still just a beast whose rational capabilities aren't fully developed yet. What if it—"Sebastian smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. Hugo has subdued them completely already, so nothing unexpected will happen. Honestly, there isn't much in Boren that worries me. However, if the Yome Sect enters Steinberg while its defenses are down, we'll be put in a difficult position."Though reluctant, Nina finally agreed.That night, Sebastian quietly brought Unus out with him. As soon as he walked out of the hotel doors, two thugs hiding at the side of the road who had been watching them stealthily immediately reported his movements to Anton."Are you sure it was Sebastian?" Anton demanded sharply."Positive! He looks e
"Kneel!" Joaquin yelled at Anton the moment he entered the room.Anton immediately dropped to his knees with a loud thud in front of Sebastian."My lord, my son is worthless. Everything that happened before was his doing. He has been a disgrace to our family. Please have mercy on his crimes," Joaquin said. He looked up at Sebastian and was puzzled to see how terrible his complexion was.Nina had been injured the day before, so why was it now the other way around? She had a rosy complexion, while Sebastian looked as white as a sheet."Alright. The important thing is to learn from one's mistakes and change. Don't forget the oath that you made. If you break it, I won't have to punish you. The law of heaven will act accordingly!" Sebastian said coldly."Yes, of course! I would never dare to break the oath! But…" Joaquin looked at Sebastian with a troubled expression.Sebastian frowned slightly and asked, "But what?""I can see that you don't look very well, my lord. Should I prepa
After resting for the whole night, Nina's complexion had almost returned to normal. Even the wounds on her body had almost healed.In stark contrast, Sebastian looked worse than ever.It was the aftereffect of losing too much blood essence. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the legacy of the Sacred Medicine Society, he might have already been half-dead. Even so, Sebastian felt weaker than he had ever felt before. His legs felt like jelly, and he was unsteady on his feet."My lord…"Rowan blanched with fear when he saw Sebastian. Sebastian was as pale as a sheet. Even his lips had lost all color."My lord, how did you get into this state?" Rowan asked, clearly confused. Sebastian had seemed fine when they returned to Mount Klane the night before. Waving his hand slightly, Sebastian replied, "I'm fine. I'll get better after some rest. Why are you up so early?"Rowan grew even more worried after hearing how frail Sebastian sounded."My lord, did you get severely injured o