"What did you say? Kidnapped?" Sebastian's expression turned grim, his brow furrowing deeply as a tense air filled the room."What's going on?" Sebastian asked coldly.Hans quickly explained, "Mr. Ballard, I don't have all the details yet, but our intel indicates that Ms. Sutton was abducted by a gang tied to a casino.""A casino?" Sebastian frowned, confused. When did Whitney get involved with people from a casino?"Where is she?" Sebastian asked urgently.Hans replied, "We're still looking. I've sent out teams to find her, but Steinberg is big. It might take a while."Upon hearing this, Sebastian's expression turned cold. Rage surged through him.Despite his divorce from Whitney, Sebastian couldn't remain indifferent to her abduction. "Find Whitney's whereabouts as soon as possible. Use any means necessary!" he commanded."Yes, Mr. Ballard."After Sebastian ended the call, James rose with concern. "What happened, Mr. Ballard?""Whitney has been kidnapped," Sebastian repli
Seeing Dante's hesitation, Crystal snapped and started hitting him with her fists while yelling, "You idiot! That's your sister! Tell me where she is, now!""Mom!" Dante shouted, grabbing her shoulders to hold her still, his eyes wide with desperation. "Listen, she's safe, I swear. I just hid her for a bit, just to keep her out of the way. It's not what you think. I just need to take control of the company… I need to prove myself!""Mom, please help me, help me do this!" he pleaded, hoping to sway her. "If I can run Frostwave Corporation, I can make it bigger and better than ever! I can make the Sutton family one of the most powerful families in Steinberg!" Crystal pushed him away, tears streaming down her face. "How could you be so stupid, Dante? She's your sister! How could you do this? No, I'm telling your grandmother everything. Don't worry; I'll ask her to go easy on you. I won't let you get into too much trouble," she said, turning to leave.Dante panicked and dropped to his
"I told you to get it!" Sebastian barked angrily.Mabel flinched, her face going from white to red. "Oh, you think you can yell at me, Sebastian? Fine! I'll get it. But if you don't find Ms. Sutton today, I'm not letting this slide!" she snapped back. She stormed off in a huff, but within five minutes, she'd found what Sebastian needed—a handful of protective charms and some blessed pens."Here's what you wanted," she said with her arms crossed, glaring at him. "Now, what's this all about?"Sebastian took a quick glance at the items and replied coldly, "Leave me alone.""Excuse me? Hey, I went through all that trouble to find this stuff, and now you want me to leave?" Mabel was fuming.What the hell was Sebastian up to?"Do you wanna find Whitney or not?" Sebastian asked, his voice as cold as ever.Mabel's expression shifted, and she hesitated for a moment before saying, "I… fine! I'm leaving! Let's see what kind of mess you can make without me!"With a huff, she turned and s
Fergus hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright! I'll head over there with a team. We'll see what we find!"He hung up and turned to his bodyguard. "Gather a dozen guys and get to the junkyard, pronto!""Yes, Mr. Cobb," the bodyguard replied, ready to move.…The junkyard in Steinberg's western district couldn't have been more desolate. Located around 30 miles from the city center, it was a long drive, about an hour under normal conditions. The area was mostly barren land waiting to be developed. It was the perfect hideout for anyone looking to stay off the radar.At the heart of the junkyard, in a large, empty warehouse, Whitney sat bound to a chair. Her hands and feet were tied, and a gag kept her from screaming. She could only manage muffled groans through the cloth. Not far from Whitney, two tattooed young men were lounging. They drank beer, munched on beef jerky, and watched short videos on their phones."Bro, this chick is a total smoke show. Ain't it a waste just
Instantly, the scrawny man's arm froze in midair. He let out a blood-curdling scream while clutching his arm. Dropping to his knees, he writhed in pain and yelled in agony."Who's there?" the other man shouted. He grabbed a machete and glared at the rusted iron doors. A figure emerged from the doorway, each step slow but deliberate, radiating an air of menacing aggression."You two are dead meat," Sebastian said coldly, his voice dripping with murderous intent. The air around him seemed to vibrate with sheer malice. Even Whitney could feel it as she shuddered at the intense atmosphere.She stared in shock at Sebastian, who had appeared like some kind of hero to save her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was overwhelmed by relief. She never expected him to be the first to find her.Sebastian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you okay?"Whitney nodded furiously, tears streaming down her cheeks as she said, "I'm fine… I'm okay…"Whitney suddenly felt so wronged and aggrieved
The scrawny man's face turned pale, and he dropped to his knees. "I'll talk! Our boss ordered us to do it. He said we had to kidnap that woman and hold her until we got further instructions.""Why?" Sebastian asked with a frown.The scrawny man trembled as he replied, "I-I don't know. Our boss tells us what to do, and we just do it. He doesn't share anything else with us."Sebastian's frown deepened, his voice growing colder. "What's your boss's name? Where is he now?"The scrawny man hesitated, and his expression changed."Not gonna talk?" Sebastian said with a cold laugh, raising his hand to reveal three silver needles. "If I use these, you'll suffer a fate worse than him," he warned, pointing to his convulsing partner.The scrawny man flinched, trembling uncontrollably. "He's Leonardo Cobalt. We call him Leo. He's in charge of the underground casino in the downtown west. He's probably at the casino right now…""Casino?" Sebastian muttered with a frown.Hans wasn't wrong;
Leonardo's face darkened instantly upon hearing the question. He frowned and stared across at Sebastian with a cold gaze. "Who the hell are you?""Does it matter? You just need to answer me. Were you behind Whitney's kidnapping?" Sebastian asked coldly.Leonardo snorted, laughing derisively. His eyes were filled with contempt and mockery. "Kid, you come into my place talking big. Are you looking to get yourself killed?""Yes or no?" Sebastian repeated, his tone unwavering.Leonardo's expression turned grim, his eyes gleaming with irritation. He turned to Milo and asked sharply, "Where's the woman?"Milo was already in a state of shock as he collapsed to his knees with a cry. "Leo, h-he saved the woman!""What?" Leonardo roared, his anger erupting. His eyes locked onto Sebastian, his voice turning ice-cold. "Kid, are you here to start trouble?"Sebastian replied calmly, "Trouble didn't start with me. It started with you."Leonardo's rage boiled over. "You're fucking dead!" Wit
Leonardo let out a furious roar, and the guards hastily reloaded their guns, ready to shoot Sebastian from above. But before they could pull the trigger, Sebastian dropped to the ground and dashed forward at a high speed. Within a few quick moves, he had taken down all guards, leaving them clutching their broken arms and screaming in agony on the floor.Leonardo was dumbfounded, his heart pounding with fear. This guy was insanely strong, far beyond anything he'd ever seen."W-What do you want?" Leonardo stammered, his voice trembling with fear.Sebastian turned to him, his tone cold and emotionless. "Tell me, who ordered you to do this?""You wish!" Leonardo shouted defiantly. In his line of work, the first rule was to keep his mouth shut, or else he'd never survive."No? I've got a hundred ways to make you talk," Sebastian replied coldly as he stepped toward Leonardo.Seeing Sebastian coming at him, Leonardo shivered in fear and tried to scramble away. But with a swift fli
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
As the car started, the two burly men kept close behind it.Rowan looked back at them from time to time and saw that the two burly men were keeping a fixed distance from the car. He couldn't help gasping.Weren't they walking inhumanly fast?"My lord, they—"Rowan pointed at the two burly men behind them."Don't ask about things that you shouldn't ask about," Sebastian said, looking down at Nina, who was still in a coma.He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her complexion was becoming rosy once more.After arriving back in Mount Klane, Sebastian checked into a five-star hotel at Joaquin's insistence. Once he had settled Nina in, Sebastian called the two Devora to his room."Do you have names?" he asked.The two Devora shook their heads slightly. Like Hugo had said, they had been born of Dragon Energy, and they caught beasts in the mountains for food every day. Why would they have names?"Well, you've got to give me a way to differentiate between you, right? You even
Arran and Rowan asked in confusion, "Aren't we going to look for the Ballard Estate anymore, my lord?"Sebastian turned to look at Arran. "We'll die before we reach the Ballard Estate!"Arran didn't know how powerful Nina was, but Rowan knew better than anyone that Nina was a top expert. If even she had gotten severely injured, Rowan and Arran would have no chance of entering Mount Quiln at all."Arran, trust in Mr. Ballard. Leaving Mount Quiln is the right thing to do!" Rowan said. He held Joaquin safely and asked Sebastian, "What do we do with him, my lord?"Sebastian turned to look at Joaquin. He said impassively, "Joaquin, I should execute you on the spot!"Joaquin immediately knelt and groveled. "Mr. Ballard, I'm willing to be your servant too. Please, if you don't kill me, you can tell me to do anything!""I don't have to kill you, but you mustn't let anything about what happened tonight leak out. Otherwise, I'll kill your entire family!" Sebastian said coldly.Joaquin s
"Do you think it's worth losing all your training to save her? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Hugo couldn't help asking bluntly. Sebastian smiled slightly. "I'm scared! However, she only got into this state because she was trying to save me. How could I just abandon her? We may just be master and servant, but our fates are related!"Hugo couldn't help shaking his head. "Young man, I can only save you this time. As we move forward, I may have trouble even protecting myself. Therefore, take these two items and go home!" Hugo reached out with one hand and dropped the Devora in front of Sebastian. He had been tortured half to death.The Devora was panting heavily. Although he understood that Hugo couldn't kill him, the endless torture was worse than death."Bite the tip of your tongue and wipe the blood on his brow!" Hugo instructed blandly.Sebastian held Nina up with one hand and did as Hugo had said. "Now say, the servant dies with the master, and heaven and earth bear witness!"