“I hastily settled my father down temporarily, and he gave me an unknown pill, instructing me to take it obediently without asking any questions.” “I didn't know the effects of this pill, but I couldn't defy my father's orders. So, I took the pill. After taking it, my father told me what pill it was and its effects.”As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she said in a soft voice, “As for why my father didn't take it himself but gave me the Eternal Pill, it was because he said he didn't want to witness the day when he, as a father, had to watch me grow old and slowly die before him. My father also said that if there was a pill that allowed a father to live on, watching his daughter gradually age and die, that pill is not an elixir but a poison.”“My father said he had to die before me to be at peace, and since I was still young, unmarried, and had no worries, after taking the Eternal Pill, I could live well for five hundred years.”Charlie suddenly thought of something and blurted o
When he heard the name ‘Fleur Wiley’, Charlie widened his eyes in shock and asked, “The leader of the Qing Eliminating Society is a woman?”Vera nodded, clenched her teeth, and said, “She’s not only a woman, but she’s the most ruthless woman in the world!”Charlie asked in surprise, “If she’s your father’s sworn brother’s sister, doesn’t that mean that she has also lived for three to four hundred years as well?”Vera pondered for a moment and said, “Fleur is one year younger than my father, and she’s twenty-three years older than me. She is already four hundred years old now.”Charlie said, “She should have taken the Eternal Pill as well, right?”“Of course,” Vera said emotionally, “The Eternal Pill was given to my father and Fleur by their master. He originally left one pill to each of them, hoping they could continue the cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. In addition to one Eternal Pill each, their master also entrusted the ring on your hand to my father for safekeeping. Wh
“In the following two years, my father and Fleur recruited some determined patriots who aimed to restore our country. They continuously engaged in battles with the Qing army, but due to their limited strength, they couldn't alter the Qing army's gradual unification.”“In the year 1662, the notorious traitor, Sanguine, killed the king in Yorkshire Hill. My father was filled with sorrow and was extremely aggrieved. He joined forces with Fleur and led the righteous men from the Qing Eliminating Society to assassinate Sanguine. Unfortunately, their mission failed.”“My father and Fleur were pursued by tens of thousands of troops from the Qing army, and with the inland regions already under the Qing army’s control, they decided to flee to Taiwan to seek refuge there in order to continue resisting the Qing army. Unexpectedly, shortly after their departure, news arrived that the Taiwan leader had suddenly passed away. With no other options, they returned to Mount Tason, seeking their master
Vera was startled by the name blurted out by Charlie. Charlie was the one who had been constantly surprised tonight, while she remained calm from the beginning to the end even though she was a little sad when she spoke of her late father. However, when Charlie mentioned the three words ‘Marcius Stark’, Vera was suddenly extremely shocked!She instinctively exclaimed, “How did you know of the master’s real name?! It has been more than three hundred years since he passed away, and he had been cultivating in seclusion on Mount Tason during the thousand years when he was alive. Very few people knew about him even when he was alive…” Charlie couldn't help but sigh and say, “Marcius Stark, whose name was originally Martin, was born in Coleham. After cultivating, he was called the Longevity Master and renamed himself Marcius Stark.”Vera was even more shocked, “Young Master, how did you know so much about my father’s master? My father once said that his master focused almost entirely on
Charlie laughed in a self-deprecating manner and nodded as he said, “So, living for a thousand years doesn't even count as anything before God. It's not worth him sending down thunderbolts at all.”Vera nodded slightly, “It seems that way.”After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh, “However, you and Master Marcius Stark did have some connections by chance. Although Master Marcius Stark had already passed away for more than three hundred years when you were born, you still had some contact with him during his first five hundred years and the later five hundred years of his life…”At this point, Vera suddenly asked with curiosity, “May I ask, how did you start cultivating, Young Master? Who was the venerable elder who guided and led you into cultivation?”When Charlie saw that Vera already disclosed all her past and secrets, he no longer concealed anything and said, “I happened to obtain an ancient book called the Apocalyptic Book which recorded a lot of information related to c
Although Charlie secretly coveted Vera’s Thunderstrike wood, he felt hesitant to ask for it outright. After all, Vera had cherished this item for over three hundred years, and it held a significance that was undoubtedly extraordinary for her. However, Charlie knew that there was no need for him to be overly anxious. In the current situation, even if Vera gave him the Thunderstrike wood, he wouldn't have the ability to refine it at all.So, Charlie looked at Vera and asked a question that piqued his curiosity, “Miss Lavor, I'm very curious to know how you've spent these three hundred years?”Vera shrugged and laughed in a self-deprecating manner, “I’m not proficient in Reiki like Fleur, so I couldn't compete with her. Over these three hundred years, I've been constantly on the run.”After saying that, Vera continued, “The first two hundred years were relatively fine. At that time, transportation was inconvenient, and communication was not well-developed, so it wasn't so easy for Fl
Initially, he thought that Vera might have been living in remote places to avoid being hunted after being on the run for so many years. However, he never expected that she had always been at the forefront of the world. Surprisingly, even during her fugitive journey, she thought about contributing to Oskia, aligning well with Elijah’s ideals. She was truly just like her father.Vera continued her story and said, “When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I established contact with the Oskia Revival Association through some previous connections. However, just as I was preparing to meet with them, I fell into an ambush by assassins from the Qing Eliminating Society. I only managed to narrowly escape at the time.”Charlie asked, “Was there a leak of information at that time?”Vera nodded and expressed her sentiments, “Yes. I didn't know at that time that Fleur’s people had already infiltrated the Oskia Revival Association.”After saying that, Vera added, “After surviving that life-threateni
Charlie listened in amazement and couldn't help but ask her, “Back in Northern Europe, you had an old man accompanying you. You referred to him as ‘grandfather’ in front of me, but was he actually another orphan you raised?”Vera smiled faintly and said, “The old man you mentioned is called Mr. Raven, and he is the last abandoned infant I adopted in Eastcliff after the July 7th incident just before heading to the United States.”After pausing for a moment, Vera continued, “In fact, the majority of such children would establish businesses themselves with my assistance after reaching their twenties. Some assets might be entrusted to them for management purposes, but it's essentially a gift from me. In these more than two hundred years, I have given away countless fortunes.”“Only a very small portion, such as Mr. Raven, who has deep affection, will willingly stay by my side. I will keep them by my side as well. After all, being just a woman and lacking self-defense skills, when I’m on
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach
With the last stroke, Raymond got on a ladder to reach the old signboard, pasting the banner over the old shop sign.Then, he added a notice by the entrance: We buy all antiques and measure all treasures.As soon as the makeshift sign and notice were up, Mick was the first to arrive with a fruit basket to celebrate the occasion.The instant they met, he greeted Raymond warmly, "Ah, Mr. Cole! You sure are efficient—you just came back yesterday evening, and you're already setting up shop today at noon!"Raymond smiled, "Doing a small business by myself is naturally much quicker."Mick shook his head disapprovingly as he put the fruit basket by the door, "Now, now. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Cole—almost everyone in Antique Street is a friend, but you didn't tell the gang when you opened the shop! It'd hype things up when everyone comes bringing you gifts!"Raymond quickly shook his head. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if this humble trade will last. It's better to keep m
To not lose three months' worth of rent on top of that, Donald called over the owner at top speed while getting some of the friends in the antique trade to appraise what merchandise he had left.Taking losses had always been the hardest pill to swallow, but once the decision was made, there really was nothing that couldn't be given up.The owner was plenty pleased as well since that meant someone was picking up on his rental. He promptly had Donald sign the agreement transferring the last three months for the rental to Raymond while signing a new rental contract with Raymond.Raymond didn't have to pay up immediately either—he just had to start paying rent to the owner once Donald's three-month rent was up.Once the agreement was signed, every stall owner as well as owners of businesses resembling the Pearl House swarmed the premises.After all, they loved to take stock from people in the same line of business. Once a business owner decided to close shop, they wouldn't be bothered
If Donald had to maintain his business under such circumstances, the next three months would be even worse.Hence, instead of doing that, he really wanted to stop this business altogether.As for what remaining merchandise, he'd just get some fellow in the same business to take them off his hands at a lower cost while he gained his freedom sooner.Hence, he stopped Raymond, "Wait, my friend! Let's talk about this… if the hundred fifty grand transfer fee is too much for you, why don't I cut it down even more—say, a hundred grand instead?"Raymond turned and told him solemnly, "I'm not paying a transfer fee at all."Frustrated, Donald blurted, "At least give me ten grand for my troubles! My shop is good—you'd definitely make bank once you take it off my hands!"Raymond thought about it and eventually said, "How about this—if you can clear up the place by the end of the day, I will pay you five grand on top of the forty five grand that is your remaining rent, but not one cent more."
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would
Elaine thought that it would be fine even if Jacob couldn't put aside his pride so soon.Right now, she had become more considerate of Jacob and could understand that men valued their pride. As such, she could just wait until they went traveling together, and they'd definitely be staying in the same room. With that, it would be more natural for them to share a room together again when they return.-Early the next day, Raymond arrived at Antique Street, coming over from an express hotel nearby.Although he had asked Trippy to look for a shop, he knew that Trippy might not really help him—he had to rely on himself for everything.But during his stroll yesterday afternoon, he had noticed plenty of shops that were being offered on rent or sublease. Business in Antique Street was likely poor, so Raymond came early to make inquiries about the rented properties.When Oskia's antique market was at its peak, Antique Street too enjoyed its golden age. Even now, the eyes of any antique p
Gratitude showed on Elaine and Jacob's faces as soon as they heard that Charlie was giving them a hundred grand too, with Elaine clapping and cheering, "Oh, what day is it today? All the good things are happening in one stroke! I heard Dubai is heaven for shoppers, so it'd definitely be a thrill!"Then, turning toward Jacob, she asked, "Do they need a visa over there?"Jacob thought about it. "I don't think so.""Great!"Even more excited now, Elaine quickly told Jacob, "Say no more—I will pack right now, and we can leave tomorrow!"She was ready to head to her room and do just that too, but Jacob quickly stopped her, "Calm down—we can't leave just because we want to. There's so much to plan: booking our flight, doing our research on the more interesting places to visit, getting a hotel that makes traveling convenient, as well as deciding how long we'll be there.""Right! Right!" Elaine nodded in realization and exclaimed in praise, "In the end, it's my hubby who thinks things th
Elaine was beside herself with joy at those words. "Oh, wonderful! It's been so long since I went traveling! I never really had time to enjoy myself before in the US anyway, and I even got screwed over before I left."Then, she turned toward Jacob and grumbled, "You really didn't give a shit back when we got married. Not only was our wedding so discreet, you didn't even take me on a honeymoon!""You were already heavily pregnant," Jacob chuckled awkwardly. "Where would I have taken you…?"Then, he quickly added, "Well, since dear Charlie has said it, you should pick a place you like. We will treat it as our honeymoon!"It wasn't just Elaine—it had been a long while since Jacob had gone traveling. He had thought he would find success in both love and career during the Korean exchange trip, but he had been left blinded by the blinding presence of Yolden Hart, and his love had basically ended there. That was why there was nothing pleasant about that trip at all.There was also no q
"Hah!"Elaine pursed her lips as she huffed. "It hurts to keep that money? That's the first time I've ever heard that crap. Forget two million US dollars—I would keep two gold bullions in my pocket even if it's burnt red-hot!"She then quickly added, "If it hurts you to keep it, then wire it to me and I'll keep it for you. When you and Charlie have a kid, you can use that money for their university fees!"Charlie was at once amused—only Elaine would have the audacity to say that when the two million would definitely have been spent to the last dime even before he and Claire had a child.Claire was aware that she couldn't count on her mother in regards to money and hence said, "Let me think about it… for now, my plan is that I will stay involved with the project to the end. Should it prove to be a success, I will keep the money. If it doesn't, I should at least return it to Miss Fox."Elaine quickly pressed, "If you're going to return it, you should at most return half. Let me have