LOGINOnce it was time to leave port, every berthed vessel promptly weighed anchor and steered out to sea, all of them bound for the South Pole.Even if every vessel was bound for Antarctica, they were all taking different routes.Most research vessels traversed the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, and very few ships went to the Antarctic continent, where the climate was harsher. Therefore, after leaving the port and sailing just a few dozen nautical miles, all the ships changed vectors and spread out.In contrast, the Elliot was heading straight for Antartica, after which they would pick up the researchers from the Norwegian research bases around the islands before returning to Ushuaia. After that, everyone would be flying home, while the Elliot would spend another month at sea before reaching her home port.Still, as they arrived at the Drake Passage on the second day of their voyage, the infamous Roaring Forties lived up to their name; winds here typically reached
Barlin nodded. "In that case, I will take the north and the south."-While the three high elders eagerly left seclusion, it was dinner time at the Elliot.Captain Tracen had gathered everyone at the mess hall as asked, suggesting that he would introduce Charlie's group to them.No one found it suspicious, as it was a typical sailor tradition. Even for the research, since everyone was going to be stuck with each other for two weeks or so, getting to know each other would make life much easier.In fact, as Charlie's group just arrived at the mess hall, everyone aboard the Elliot was waiting in the mess hall.The Norwegian crew had stacked the ship's dining tables into a single long dining table over thirty feet long. Dishes—primarily Norway's specialty seafood including smoked salmon, various sausages, shrimp, and crab, were the main courses.Captain Tracen, still under Charlie's mind-bending influence, remained compliant and respectful, smiling at everyone as he called to the cr
Upon hearing Fleur's suggestion for them to leave in search of providence and natural treasures, the three elders naturally agreed to it without the slightest hesitation. Prolonged seclusion was a process of building momentum, but it also inevitably weakened over time. If one were to remain in seclusion until opening their pineal glands, time would pass in the blink of an eye amidst endless cultivation. However, being interrupted at the crucial moment made it extremely difficult to re-engage and regain that state of mind. And with Fleur having interrupted them before, going back to seclusion saw little progress. And they had grown increasingly impatient since. Fleur knew very well that if she were in their shoes, she would massacre a village to quell her frustration, after being interrupted just as she was about to open her pineal gland. Therefore, she decided to set the three elders loose, partly to help ease frustration, and partly to see if they might encounter providence.
Moreover, the three high elders had much to complain about their progress on unsealing their pineal glands. After all, they had mostly stayed in seclusion for a century, and if they had just gritted their teeth and persevered for another ten years or so, they might have opened their pineal glands one after another. And once they did, they'd live over 200, if not more.However, Fleur kept interrupting. As their enlightenment progress kept being set back for decades, catching up would take just as long and that was another few decades wasted.Still, Barlin was quick-witted enough to keep his mouth shut and his mind clear.He knelt on one knee and bowed his head, answering, "No, Lady Griffin—we will never presume to demand rewards for servitude. But you just need to say the word, and we will carry it out to the letter. We only humbly request that you grant us permission to leave the island and search for Vera Lavor!"The other two high elders quickly caught on—their minds must hav
Fleur was painfully aware that the Griffins' loyalty came with ulterior motives.It was her decision to keep them split into five different military governorates, like a feudal king would keep his five princes divided, governing five different principalities.But even if they were meant to be loyal to their father the king, they would still grow discontent with the king hoarding more power and wealth than the rest of them.That was why the five different military governorates might not be all that motivated to find Vera—from their point of view, they had no reason to care where Vera was, or if she was alive.Even if they were basically family to Fleur and owed everything they were to her, they knew full well that their comfortable lives were all thanks to the five governorates.Hence, even if Fleur died, they would still live like kings thanks to the governorates.In contrast, Fleur's being alive posed a threat because of how she ignored the consequences of her actions, and her w
Having no ingredients but only the recipe would be all the more troublesome—would she even be able to gather everything she needs? And even if she did, did she have the cultivation to cook the Infinite Pill?Every single question that they faced seemed to trim down Fleur's chance of success on every other turn, not to mention that the Qing Eliminating Society still had a mysterious enemy on their hands—a ticking time bomb that could blow up at any moment.Considering all those issues, Fleur actually wasn't sure she could live another five hundred years.The thought of the mysterious enemy left Feluer fuming, and she promptly summoned Tarlon Griffin, her most trusted confidante."How is the investigation in Morocco going?" She asked. "Any clues on where the dead soldiers and armed cavalry guards went?"Tarlon shook his head, pursing his lips in embarrassment. "I'm afraid not, Lady Griffin. I've even sent additional personnel, but none of them found anything—it's like the entire g
"Don Albert… is giving up on Jacob Wilson?!"Mr. Bay exclaimed in shock. "B-But he was so respectful toward Jacob just the other day when we had dinner at the Heaven Springs… He gave us the best private room and even offered his best wine, filling our glasses personally…"Mrs. Bay waved him off. "
The lawyer then finished, "To be honest, cases of regretting a donation and seeking a lawsuit to get the money back? Law firms usually won't even get one per year, and that makes it especially newsworthy for the press."Also, court records are always public. That means anyone can access the verdict
Meanwhile, once Raymond had briefed everyone about the rules, he opened the door and invited everyone into Treasure Measure.It was not that wide but appeared spacious since the interior was mostly empty—it was not really crowded even with thirty-ish people.Then, locking the door from the inside,
In reality, Helena would rather she didn't dine with Harrison.She understood that Harrison's position was supernaturally powerful and one in a billion, and therefore, she kept sly old foxes like him as far as she could.Still, it was Charlie's idea to invite Harrison to the palace. As the world's







