As he thought about this, Cadfan picked up the phone and smiled as he said, “I’ll call Falco Xanthos now. If he can obtain Holden Harker’s cultivation method, I’ll give him another fifty million dollars.”After he was done speaking, he called Falco immediately.However, the prompt that he received from the other end of the line was: “Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in the service area. Please try again later!”Cadfan could not help but frown as he spoke up, “This Falco Xanthos is really asocial. I heard that he had been resting at the cemetery every day after going to Aurous Hill for the past few days. I cannot even reach him through his cell phone.”Henderson, who was aside, chimed in and said, “Lord Schulz, this kind of people are generally very eccentric. Besides, I heard that Falco Xanthos’s native parasitic worm lives by feeding on human brains. I estimate that it would probably be living more healthily in the environment at the cemetery.”As they were speaking, Cadf
As soon as Cadfan heard that Carvalho’s cell phone had also been turned off, he was so frightened that he was about to collapse to the ground.Falco had killed many innocent people everywhere. So, it would be fine even if he were to go missing. However, who would have thought that Carvalho, who was a hundred-year-old man who had never killed anyone in his life, would also have gone missing?Cadfan could not help but tremble as he said, “Could it be… could it be that that guy would not even spare a hundred-year-old man’s life?!”Arrington wiped off his cold sweat as he blurted out, “Lord Schulz, Falco Xanthos’s car had already been completely destroyed after getting struck by lightning. It is impossible for him to have escaped by sheer luck. As for Carvalho Mason, I think that there are only two possibilities. He is either dead, or he has already run away.”“Run away?” Cadfan frowned, and he thought for a moment before he nodded and said, “Since Carvalho is so good at calculating, p
“Yes.” Sophie spoke up, “I was planning to meet and have a chat with you about this matter, benefactor. In truth, I was planning to sell off the entire Schulz Ocean Shipping Group directly to liquidate it so that I can use the liquidated funds to do some other businesses…”“But after I thought about it, if I were to truly sell the Schulz family’s ocean shipping group, my grandfather would definitely hate me to the core, and the entire Schulz family would also see me as an enemy. In that case, I would never have the opportunity to become the head of the Schulz family in this life…”Charlie nodded and said, “You’re right. If you sell the ocean shipping group off directly, that would be equivalent to you breaking off all ties with the Schulz family after getting a huge compensation from them.”Sophie hurriedly asked, “Do you have any good suggestions then, benefactor?”Charlie spoke up, “I’m preparing to start up my own ocean shipping business. I currently have sufficient funds on han
Cadfan had originally thought that Carvalho had already sensed the danger in advance and so, he had already made his escape. However, he would never have dreamt that the caller would actually be the mysterious person he had been looking for for such a long time!It was one thing for him to look for the other party and try to kill him, but it was another thing to suddenly be known by the other party and to receive a phone call directly from the other party. At this moment, Cadfan was extremely nervous as he questioned, “You… what exactly are your intentions?”Charlie laughed out loud. “My intentions? No matter what it is, I’ve saved your grandson and granddaughter’s lives before. So, I can definitely be considered the Schulz family’s benefactor. So, what bad intentions could I possibly have? It’s just that I’ve heard so much about you, Lord Schulz, and I really want to find an opportunity to meet up with you and have a drink and chat with you.”“You…” Cadfan started panicking in hi
Charlie questioned him in return, “If you were an emperor in ancient times, would you dare to leave your country?”Isaac immediately thought of the meaning behind Charlie’s words, and he came to a realization as he said, “Young Master, I understand what you mean now. There must be many people eyeing Cadfan Schulz’s position as the head of the family. So, Cadfan Schulz certainly would not dare to leave Oskia under this kind of situation.”“That’s right.” Charlie nodded as he smiled and said, “Cadfan Schulz seems to have five sons. His eldest and second sons are both in my hands, so that means that he still has three sons left. The three of them must all be looking forward to inheriting the position as the head of the Schulz family from Cadfan.”As he spoke, Charlie said, “These three people might not have had such thoughts initially, but with the disappearance of their eldest and second brothers, these three people must have already had the illusion that they might actually have the
It was only then that Sophie understood that the reason why Charlie had called her grandfather to threaten him just now was actually so that her grandfather would be scared of her.Needless to say, Charlie’s action made her feel incomparably moved in her heart.She was originally still worried that she would not be able to hold onto such a large ocean shipping group. Moreover, she was afraid that after the limelight passed, her grandfather would try the same trick once again so that he could find a way to snatch this big piece of cake back.However, with Charlie’s phone call just now, Sophie believed that she would not have to worry about any danger anymore for a long time to come.So, Sophie stood up as she bowed slightly toward Charlie and said respectfully, “Benefactor… Oh, no, I mean Mr. Wade… thank you so much…”Charlie gently waved his hand and said indifferently, “I’m also helping myself by helping you. Moreover, the assets of the ocean shipping group that you have in your
Cadfan nodded as he sighed and murmured, “Sigh! It’s easy to leave Sudbury, but where should we go after we leave?”Arrington hurriedly said, “Lord Schulz, why don’t we just go back to Eastcliff, then!”Cadfan was a little depressed as he said, “We might not necessarily be safe even if we were to go back to Eastcliff. After all, he really has unpredictable strength. Previously, he could quietly kidnap Steven even under Henderson’s watchful eyes. Who knows if he would do the same thing again and kidnap me too?”Speaking of this, Cadfan then said again, “It’ll not necessarily be safe for me regardless of where I go now. Even if I were to escape to the South China Sea, he’ll be able to find me with just a three-hour flight.”At this point, Henderson, who had not spoken for a while, said, “Lord Schulz, why don’t you go to Maldives first to avoid the danger and lay low while relaxing for a few days? Sudbury has not been warm during these few days, and the weather in Maldives is really g
Cadfan understood very well in his heart.The only person who could stop that mysterious top master right now was his own granddaughter, Sophie.He said to Arrington and Henderson, “If Sophie is willing to put in a good word for me, she can certainly make that person give up or delay the thought of hunting me down, then…”Arrington nodded repeatedly and said, “I think that mysterious top master must have deep feelings for the eldest young lady. Otherwise, he would not have chased after her all the way from Japan to Aurous Hill to protect her. If the eldest young lady is truly willing to put in a good word for you, it might indeed be possible for you to turn this big problem into a minor issue or no problem at all…”Cadfan sighed and said, “I cannot win this fight, and I cannot afford to hide. So, the only solution I have left is to beg for mercy…”Henderson could not help but ask, “Lord Schulz, I understand Miss Sophie’s personality very well. I’m afraid that it will not be so eas
As Zachary agreed to do a favor for Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane in passing, he and Jacob agreed to meet up at 7pm at the car park by Antique Street.He first took Jacob back to the Calligraphy and Painting Association and called Billy, one of his boys whom he thought was smarter than the rest, giving him the gist of the plan and telling him to familiarize himself with the script.Then, he took the sculpture back to Heaven Springs and met up with Billy in office, telling Billy what to do in finer detail and making sure he committed everything to memory.Zachary's strength as a judge of character certainly proved itself—Billy had never done anything like this before, but he took to the plan like fish to water. He committed the script to memory soon enough, and he was flawless.Once he made sure that Billy was fine, Zachary called Mick.As soon as Mick answered, he immediately asked, "Hello, Mr. Evans. How is that thing we talked about going?"Zachary chuckled. All the arrangements
Zachary continued, "Why do you think casinos are always making a profit? It's exactly because no matter how unassuming a guest is the first time, they would be allowed to win a couple of hands, making a little profit.""And suddenly, they would think that they are the chosen one, destined to win against all odds and always come out triumphant! Once such radical, blind confidence hits them, every last bit of his money would be lost to the casino!""At that point, you can get anything from them—their house, their wife, their children… hell, they'd be willing to die if you'd just let them gamble again!"Turning toward Jacob with a grin, Zachary then asked, "So, with all the points I made and that sculpture you're holding… Do you still think Raymond wouldn't fall for it?"Jacob laughed out loud. "Oh, talk about a plan within a plan! No one would ever see it coming! Raymond Cole is so screwed!"Zachary smiled and nodded. "That's why there's no reason to rush—I'll arrange a man to get r
As soon as they drove out of the village, Jacob asked Zachary eagerly, "So, when do you think we should make our move? I can't wait!"Zachary didn't hesitate, "Let's do it today. It's better than waiting! I'll get someone reliable to bring this to Treasure Measure and get him interested. I'm sure that since he has just returned to Antique Street, he'll need a hot deal to generate hype and make himself known. That's why I'm sure he'll take this sculpture."Jacob nodded repeatedly as he chuckled. "I think so too. Today is definitely best since I'll be going to Dubai soon and probably leaving once I'm done with this. Once you get this settled by the end of today, I'll get tickets for the flight tomorrow!"Zachary grinned. "Don't worry, chief. We will definitely get it settled today…"He trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Still, you should be a little patient. We should do this in the evening—at the second just before Raymond Cole closes shop.""But why?" Jacob asked in curi
Jacob was naturally gleeful that he could get the late medieval bronze sculpture along with its base. Right after he wired the agreed upon ninety-eight grand to Mr. Cardensky, he was already imagining how Raymond would buy it from him for several hundred grand.On the other hand, once Mr. Cardensky received the transfer, he saw the name on the account: Jacob Wilson.He was left perplexed—wasn't that man's last name Montague? Who was this Jacob Wilson?Still, he didn't worry about it too much since most antique hustlers preferred to work with anonymity and therefore, using a different name was perfectly normal.He then carefully wrapped up the bronze sculpture before passing it Jacob, asking politely, "Would you happen to have any other requests, Mr. Montague? I have plenty of other items here if you'd permit me to give an introduction."Jacob shook his head, "Just this sculpture will do. I'm not fully confident in your work either since this is our first deal, so I'm just trying i
Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate.""How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked."Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,
"Okay!"Mr. Cardensky smiled and pointed at a nearby farmyard. "There's our workshop—the good stuff is all in there. Allow me to take you there!"The farmyard seemed uninteresting at first glance, but Mr. Cardensky soon led them to the stables and brushed off the straws covering the floor, revealing a plank laid flat on the ground.Mr. Cardensky then lifted it, revealing a passage below—they had dug a cellar into the ground beneath, with the stables as an entry point.As Jacob followed Mr. Cardensky down the cellar, he exclaimed in awe, "Your operation is definitely big, digging such a huge cellar!"Mr. Cardensky smiled humbly. "Anyone working in the business would have sustained their losses before. In the end, we're all folk of humble origins, starting out with raiding tombs or excavating artifacts. Just digging a cellar is really nothing."As they conversed, they cleared the stairs and arrived at the main hall.It was certainly a hall as it was around a hundred square meters,
Zachary nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Montague? Very well!""Yes!" Jacob grinned smugly. "Longer last names are simply better—it just sounds so authoritative."With that agreed upon, both men alighted, where the master was waiting nearby.Seeing them get off, he hurried over to them, smiling, "Please, follow me."Zachary looked around and huffed, "Honestly, Mr. Cardensky, isn't this way too far from the highway? The road is narrow and terrible, and I have to park my car all the way out here. Just coming here is taxing."Mr. Cardensky smiled in turn. "My friend, that's exactly why we picked this place. Do you remember seeing a couple of cars parked by the road, occupying half of it?""We arranged for them to be there. Anyone coming by car would have to slow down that way, buying time for us to see who they truly are. If it's cops, our watchers would quietly text us while we clean the house and bail."Zachary exclaimed in realization, "You boys really run a tight ship!""For sure," Mr.
After working in Antique Street for years, Zachary's connections and influence were naturally special. And yet, though he was acquainted with some of the more impressive individuals, he was not that close with them either.For example, the forgery masters who worked specifically to deceive experts only accepted jobs from major clients, usually antique traders high in social status and wealth.In contrast, they wouldn't ever be interested in frivolous people like Zachary. Even if he could reach them, they might not look at him twice.If one would describe them as the cartel boss, then Zachary would be a low-level enforcer, managing night joints or goofing off.But now, Zachary had turned over a new leaf—he worked under Don Albert, so one of those masters was pleasantly surprised when he called one of them, inviting him to his own workshop for a visit and further discussion.As such, Zachary picked up Jacob and went over to the master's hideout where the latter worked on his count
Zachary was naturally shrewd enough to read Jacob's intention.In reality, he wasn't offering to pay just because he wanted the profit. He merely wanted to get in Jacob's good graces. After all, wouldn't Jacob be even more grateful that he wasn't just helping his revenge but also helping him make money?As such, he didn't hesitate to tell Jacob, "Well, chief—since you'll be paying, I will make sure that you will get every cent of profit that you deserve."Jacob was grinning ear-to-ear, but he said, "Oh, you don't have to! If we really are making a profit, there's no way I would let your good work go unrewarded!"Spreading his arms, he continued generously, "How about this? I will pay the full cost while you get twenty percent of the net profit!"Zachary laughed. "Now, that can wait, chief. We need to pay as soon as we decide on the item we want, and there's no time for buyer's regret. But if Raymond doesn't take the bait, all that money will go down the drain, and whether we can s