She bowed respectfully to Charlie with shock and gratitude as she said with teary eyes, “Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Wade…”Charlie released his hand that was holding her and said calmly, “If you truly want to thank me, tell me everything you know in detail later.”Ruby immediately replied without hesitation, “Mr. Wade, please rest assured that I will tell you everything without reservation.”Charlie nodded without saying a word, then turned around and walked back.Ruby hurriedly followed and saw the beautiful girl standing in front of her as well.When she saw the girl's face clearly, she was shocked as if she had seen a ghost, and she exclaimed in astonishment, “Vera… Vera Lavor?!”“Yes, it's me!” Vera replied directly. She then looked at Ruby, blinked playfully, and said with a smile, “You are Miss Dijo, right? I've heard about you for a long time. People say you are beautiful and cool. Today, after seeing you in person, it seems as if seeing is believing.”Ruby’s dark
Charlie’s words made Ruby feel extremely excited. When the explosion occurred and she made eye contact with Charlie, she knew that Charlie was undoubtedly dead. However, Charlie, who had changed his clothes, was standing in front of her unscathed now. A punch from him, producing a burst of energy, was enough to support her falling body.His strength surpassed hers by more than one realm. Although she believed Charlie’s strength still lagged behind Fleur’s, the crucial point was that Charlie was just twenty-eight years old, whereas Fleur, the British Lord, was already four hundred years old. At this rate, Charlie would soon catch up to the British Lord! As she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit regretful because, in her opinion, she still had over two years to live. It seemed foolish to dream of witnessing Charlie overpowering Fleur within such a short time period. Charlie was unaware of the myriad of thoughts in Ruby’s mind at this moment. He brought the injured Rub
Charlie smiled and exclaimed, “Fleur must be in great agony tonight. Shortly after Mr. Chardon arrived at Willow Manor, I blocked all signals there. She definitely will not be able to sleep tonight after two great earls disappear at the same time.” Ruby nodded slightly. “At that time, I did not have a signal on my cell phone either. Fleur should be very anxious. With her personality, she will definitely send someone to Aurous Hill to find out the situation as soon as possible.”Charlie laughed. “Would she send the fourth great earl here as well?” Ruby shook her head. “Probably not. Mr. Chardon perished in the explosion, and I disappeared as well. Three out of the four great earls are now gone, so Fleur should be wary of Aurous Hill, so it’s impossible for her to send Mr. Zorro here.”Charlie asked her, “With her personality, would she come to Aurous Hill personally?” “No way!” Ruby shook her head. “Fleur is extremely cautious and would never personally intervene to solve probl
Charlie noticed that Ruby’s expression had turned grim, so he frowned slightly and asked, “What’s the matter? Tell me.” Ruby clenched her teeth and said, “Fleur originally said in the beginning that it was dangerous for the four of us to execute missions outside, fearing that we might lose our lives if we encountered powerful cultivators. So, she spent several years setting up an extremely secretive and powerful formation inside our pineal glands. She said that activating this formation at critical moments could preserve a strand of our souls, allowing our physical bodies to die but our souls to survive. When Mr. Chardon said he would change his physical body and look for you to exact revenge, it was because of this…”Having said that, Ruby said bitterly, “But I didn't expect that it wasn't a formation to preserve our souls at all, but a highly powerful self-destructing formation instead…”After listening, Charlie nodded slightly. “No wonder Mr. Chardon was initially begging for me
Vera looked at Charlie and said, “Young Master, if Fleur really sends those three elders, I'm worried that you won't be able to handle them all. Young Master, it might be better to leave Aurous Hill for a while to avoid the limelight for your own safety.”Ruby also agreed, "Mr. Wade, Miss Lavor is right. With the three elders together, even Fleur would probably have a hard time winning. You haven't even activated your pineal gland yet. If you stay in Aurous Hill, once the three elders arrive, it'll be hard to escape!”After pondering for a moment, Charlie shook his head. “It’s simple for me to leave, but what about my grandparents? They're such high-profile targets, and there might even be insiders from the Qing Eliminating Society among them. The Qing Eliminating Society is bent on killing them, so no matter how they run, they won't be able to evade the pursuit of those three elders.”Speaking of this, Charlie suddenly asked Ruby, “How much do you know about my parents? Do you know
“Present a bold front to conceal your weakness?” Both Vera and Ruby looked confused after hearing Charlie’s words. They naturally knew the meaning behind Charlie’s words, but they could not figure out how Charlie was going to present a bold front to Fleur in order to conceal his weakness. Ruby was the first to persuade him as she said, “Mr. Wade, the strategy will only work if you can scare Fleur and make her afraid. However, to be honest with you, if you reveal your identity, even if Aurous Hill is full of traps, Fleur will definitely send those three elders to test your identity and background at all costs. She will only be wary of you if you’re hidden. I’m afraid that you will only be forced to fight her to death if your identity is revealed.”Vera could not help but persuade as well, “That’s right, Young Master. I feel that Miss Dijo’s words make perfect sense as well. The possibility of you being able to scare Fleur away at this time is close to zero, so I’d advise you not to
Ruby smiled and said in agreement, “Miss Lavor, you’re right. Over the past couple of years, Fleur has been noticeably more anxious than she had been before. For decades, Fleur had never worried about aging, as her appearance remained unchanged for hundreds of years. However, over the past two years, she has even started paying attention to skincare. Sometimes when walking past her, you can even distinctly smell the scent of skincare products. It seems she's afraid of aging.”Vera chuckled, “What's to come will definitely come. What's the use of being afraid?”With that said, she brought her thoughts back to the painting in front of her and suddenly seemed to understand Charlie’s plan.So, she widened her eyes instantly and was filled with joy as she asked Charlie eagerly, “Young Master, could it be… could it be that you want to use Master Marcius to present a bold front and conceal your weakness?”Ruby, who was aside, listened in surprise as she could not yet grasp the key points.
“Fleur has been monitoring Aurous Hill closely, right? Once this painting appears, she will definitely pay attention to it. At that time, she will surely have many questions in her mind!”“She must want to know who brought out the portrait of her master, and she must be even more curious about the relationship between the person who brought out the painting and her master. Could it be someone her master accepted as a disciple before her? If so, that person might be over five hundred years old by now and may have obtained extraordinary strength from countless cultivations!”“She must also want to know why her master's portrait appeared out of nowhere in Aurous Hill the next day after two great earls under her command died and went missing. She would definitely want to know if the person who brought out this painting and the person who forced Mr. Chardon to blow himself up are the same person. If so, why didn't that person die from Mr. Chardon’s explosion? She must also want to underst
Later, after Charlie told Jeremiah over the phone about the joint venture with the Ackers to establish Curtis Autos, the old man was awash with tears, especially after Charlie told him that it was Keith who suggested it. After all, Curtis was his favorite son whose death he could never really get over. Moreover, he once believed that only his family mourned Curtis while the Ackers never did, and he held a grudge over his son's passing. As such, he was surprised that Keith held such great respect toward his late son and didn't hesitate to say yes when Charlie invited him to Aurous Hill to sign an agreement with the Ackers.Still, Charlie wasn't in a hurry to arrange for a specific time, and he was going to let the Ackers sort out the human resources of Godot Autos over a few days. It still wouldn't be too late by then.Moreover, he was keen to allow the buzz to have time to grow so that the automotive industry would be astounded by the joint project between the Ackers and the Wade
Christian was the first to exclaim in approval, "Yes! Curtis Autos sounds wonderful! It has my vote!""Seconded!" Kaiden nodded, pumping the air with his right fist. "I've looked up to Curtis the most, and I absolutely agree with naming the company after him!"Jaxson was nodding too. "Me too!""Yes!" Lulu chirped.Yolden couldn't help agreeing as well. "Curtis Autos is definitely a good name!"Merlin raised his hand gingerly as well. "Quit it with your flattery already," Keith chuckled, and he turned toward Charlie solemnly. "In the end, Curtis is Charlie's father, and the final decision goes to him!"Charlie's eyes were welling up with tears—his parents had been gone for almost three decades, yet he had never thought of dedicating anything to their memory.As such, Keith's suggestion to use Curtis's name for the car company left him thrilled. After all, wouldn't his father's soul be honored if Curtis Autos rocked the country, maybe even the world?With that in mind, he nodd
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove