Vera nodded, “According to the Book of Changes and the Eight Diagrams, for lives that haven't passed through catastrophe, it’s true that Reiki doesn't exist anymore, but after passing through catastrophe, Reiki will appear.”Charlie asked in confusion, “That sounds somewhat unrealistic…”Vera smiled and said, “I thought so too at first. I even thought I might have misunderstood the Book of Changes and the Eight Diagrams, but after World War II, I encountered modern technology with radio waves. Suddenly, it all made sense to me. Reiki might be like radio frequencies. Ordinary people can't perceive it with their bodies, but once they have the conditions to receive radio waves, they can continuously tap into the contents of those waves. Reiki might work similarly.”Charlie opened his eyes wide in shock and exclaimed, “So, does that mean the Degenerate Age of Dharma might not actually be the end?”Vera explained, “The Degenerate Age of Dharma is just a term coined by later generations.
Charlie hadn't done much research on the study of destiny.In the Apocalyptic Book, there was a wealth of miscellaneous knowledge, but it notably lacked explanations about destiny. He used to think that destiny might be like India's caste system, where a high destiny equated to a high caste, meaning a person of high caste only had a high social status, but they didn't inherently possess great strength. People of high caste could still get sick, age, and face various accidents just like anyone else. However, Vera's words suggested that destiny was far more complex than he had imagined.So, he asked Vera, “If my father had the fate of the dragon, would he not have been killed by Mr. Chardon?”Vera asserted confidently, “That’s right! The power of destiny lies in their absolute hierarchy. As long as a person with the fate of the dragon doesn't seek death, how could Mr. Chardon, who merely had the fate of the tiger, kill someone with the fate of the dragon? Young Master, you have the fa
Vera nodded and smiled, saying, “Young Master Wade promised earlier to grant you an opportunity, and he specially came today to fulfill that promise. Hurry up and express your gratitude!”Upon hearing this, the three men exchanged glances with one another excitedly and immediately knelt.When Charlie saw the three men, totaling almost three hundred years in age, kneeling before him, he couldn't bear it. He quickly tried to rise to help and stop them, but Vera suddenly reached out her fair and slender hand to stop Charlie and said earnestly, “Young Master Wade, there's no need for you to stand up. Their bowing to you is only right.”Charlie hurriedly said, “Gentlemen, you're all elderly. You shouldn't perform such a grand gesture. It's not appropriate…”Vera firmly said, “Young Master Wade, rest assured, there's nothing inappropriate about it. Their gesture is not only to thank you but also for their own sake!”She continued, “These three have been raised by me since they were youn
Charlie looked at the three elderly people with snowy hair in front of him, and he couldn't help but glance at Vera beside him, who seemed to be still youthful. He felt a bit confused for a moment.The three elderly men were indeed very old and even with limited interaction. It was evident that they were very experienced and wise.However, in front of Vera, these three seemed like children being scolded by their parents, obeying her every command without question. Although Vera herself looked like a child, her attitude toward the three elders remained stern, making him feel particularly awkward.Nevertheless, he quickly pushed aside this discomfort and politely said to the three, “Please stand up.”The three didn't stand up but raised their heads to look at Vera.Vera seemed indifferent to the elderly men kneeling before her, and she nodded casually before she then spoke up, “Since Young Master Wade has spoken, you may all rise.”Only then did the three men help each other up. Ch
Logan took the tea knife and quickly expressed his gratitude while intending to cut the pill in half directly. At this moment, Charlie spoke up, “Mr. Carrick, there's no need for you to do that.”Logan was slightly startled and instinctively looked at Charlie. Charlie then took out another Rejuvenating Pill and handed it to Logan, saying, “This one is for your wife. Could you please pass it to her on my behalf?”Not only was Logan stunned by this, but even Vera was also taken aback. She never expected Charlie to produce another invaluable Rejuvenating Pill to give to Logan's wife, whom he had never met before.Charlie had visited Scarlet Pinnacle Manor several times, and Logan's wife had always avoided him, never meeting him in person.This was also the first time Charlie had given a Rejuvenating Pill to a stranger. His reason for doing so was solely out of gratitude for Vera saving his life.To Charlie, these three elderly men were all orphans raised by Vera. Logan's wife, pres
Vera was deeply moved by Charlie's actions. After that, Charlie earnestly said to the three elderly men, “Gentlemen, after taking the Rejuvenating Pill this time, your lifespan will exceed one hundred years. To avoid arousing suspicion from the outside world, Mr. Carrick should consider investing in a medical research institution. This way, when people question why you don't age, there will be a reasonable explanation.”Logan replied without hesitation, “Mr. Wade, you can rest assured that I will definitely invest in several similar enterprises and institutions.”Charlie nodded and then said to Emmett, “Mr. Sandsor, as someone in a high position, sudden changes like this should be handled carefully so as not to arouse too much suspicion.”Emmett responded without hesitation, “Mr. Wade, I have already decided not to return to Eastcliff. In the future, I will stay by Miss's side with Mr. Raven to attend to her needs.”Mr. Raven also smiled and said, “I have always been by Miss's side
Charlie frowned, “Then who do you think is on the plane and where could they be going?”Vera replied, “I dare not speculate on that.”After that, Vera added, “Regardless of who is on board, as long as their final destination isn't Australia, they will surely apply for the next segment of their flight route before reaching Australia. Flying from Buenos Aires to Australia takes at least twelve hours, so the most important destination of this plane will probably become clear in about eight hours.”Charlie nodded slightly, “It seems we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out.”Vera smiled gently, reassuring him, “Young Master, there's no need to worry too much. Based on what I know about Fleur, she won’t come to Aurous Hill again. This plane might be carrying other people to execute other missions elsewhere.”Charlie hummed in agreement, “Thinking too much now won't help. We'll know where the plane is headed in eight hours. If it's coming to Aurous Hill, I'll still have ove
After bidding farewell to Vera and returning home, Charlie's mind was preoccupied with only two things.The first thing was to seize time and refine the Thunderstrike Wood from the Mother of Puér Tea given to him by Vera into a Thunder Order.The other was to wait eight hours and see where the Boeing 777 from the Qing Eliminating Society was headed next. If it was heading to Aurous Hill, he needed to prepare accordingly as soon as possible.With eight hours to spare, Charlie immediately began refining the Thunder Order upon returning home. For Charlie, refining the Thunderous Order was already a familiar task.When he returned to his room and infused Reiki into the segment of Thunderstrike Wood, he thought everything would be as simple as it was before. However, he soon found that his Reiki, which used to be unstoppable, had difficulty advancing within the Thunderstrike Wood.Previously, refining the Thunderstrike Wood was like carving an ordinary piece of wood with a sharp knife.
Still, Jacob soon clenched his knuckles and pulled himself together. "It's fine—I'll just find another way of revenge. Whatever happens, if Raymond Cole dares to return to Aurous Hill, I'm not going to spare him. If I can't fight for my honor, how would I ever show my face in Antique Street ever again?"And without another word, he turned and left the dining room.Claire turned in exasperation toward Charlie then. "Please keep both eyes on my dad, dear. Don't let him cause trouble out there."Charlie nodded slightly. "Don't worry, I will."And with that, both of them cleaned up the dining room and stepped out together to find Jacob on the drawing room couch, sipping tea while watching TV.As for Elaine, she had a rare smile on her face as she sat beside Jacob, constantly refilling his cup.Then, seeing Claire and Charlie, she promptly beckoned, "Come, children—sit and have a taste of my tea."Claire and Charlie shared a look and sat down on the couch while Elaine poured them tea
Charlie, who hadn't spoken, had plenty of ideas in mind.He definitely didn't want to see Raymond humiliated in a rotten place like Aurous Hill's Antique Street—not when the man was a qualified hero, putting his life on the line to meet the Rothschild family and trade for the Four-Sided Treasure Tower.That was why Charlie's first thought was to call Don Albert and ask him to keep a close eye on Antique Street, preemptively killing the issue in the cradle before any saboteurs reached Raymond.However, Charlie also knew that Raymond would most likely refuse protection as the latter had seen action and was brave enough to fight the Rothschilds—and this was Aurous Hill they were talking about. He would be quite adept at resolving issues, especially one as simple as a handful of saboteurs.Hence, after some thought, Charlie decided to not get involved for now. Instead, he would watch quietly while letting Raymond deal with Aurous Hill's locals. As long as said locals—including Jacob—di
"What?!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, suddenly on his feet. "That prick is really going to start a business in Aurous Hill? What, did he get sick of living the good life elsewhere?"In Jacob's mind, there were only two reasons why Raymond had returned to Aurous Hill.The first was that he had gotten so rich that he had come back to open a shop on Antique Street, to salvage some dignity after he had been fired from Vintage Deluxe. The other was the complete opposite—he had screwed up elsewhere too and had no choice but to return to Aurous Hill to make a living.If it was the former, he certainly wouldn't have hope for his revenge.But that was not the case if it was the latter!Meanwhile, Zachary replied, "Truth be told, I haven't seen the man in the flesh. But judging from my tip, he definitely wasn't doing well elsewhere, since the business he's planning now that he's back is quite modest."Jacob immediately laughed. "Hahaha! I see… He must have messed up out there and had no ch
Claire pursed her lips, grumbling, "Like you said, I won't tell Mom for the sake of peace. But you know very well that you shouldn't do that ever again!"Jacob nodded repeatedly as he promised. "Don't worry—I'll never do it again."As he finished, his phone rang on the table, and he looked down to see that it was Zacahary."That's weird," he murmured in surprise. "He's been hiding from me for the longest time, but he's calling me now?"Charlie was surprised too.After Zachary left Antique Street and started helping Don Albert's more unsavory business, he shouldn't have any reason to contact Jacob.So, why call him now?Jacob was confused too, but he ultimately answered the call.On the other end of the call, Zachary greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Wilson? It's me—Zachary. Do you still remember me?""Nonsense," Jacob snorted. "Why wouldn't I remember you after we've spoken so many times? I also couldn't reach out to you when I had all that good stuff before, but you're contactin
Meanwhile, at Thomson's First, the family of four was peacefully having dinner for the first time.While Charlie and Claire never argued, Jacob and Elaine were always either bickering or dissing each other, leaving the air around the table tense and awkward.But this time, neither of them argued, and they didn't seem to despise each other.The table was not just peaceful either—Elaine was a lot less bossy, even helping put food on Jacob's plate, having him try this and that, almost as if she was suddenly the best of wives.Jacob used to regard Elaine with disdain in every way, constantly lamenting how a great man like him didn't have a good wife.But with him being the way he was now, he utterly resigned to himself.It made sense that Matilda wouldn't be interested in him given his current state, and it was amazing that Elaine willingly stayed with him. That was why he no longer regarded Elaine with unconcealed disgust and disdain like before and was instead gentle and emotiona
Mick was left gritting his teeth. "Shit, that's true. It's going to be hard to pull the wool over Raymond's eyes—it has to be the best to actually trick him."Then, he sighed. "If there's someone who can do that, it'd be Zachary Evans! The man was a God back in the day!"The employee nodded. "Well, it's true that his replicas were impeccable… But the man has made it big time working for Don Albert, and we won't be able to ask for his help!"Mick shook his head. "No, it's fine. We're quite close—let me call him right now."With that, he whipped out his phone to make the call.While Zachary used to be humble in Mick's presence before, Zachary was now way above him on the pecking order.Afraid of being remotely disrespectful, he promptly greeted Zachary politely as soon as the latter answered, "Hello, Zachary! It's me, Mick Crane!" "Uh-huh," Zachary replied noncommittally before asking in curiosity, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"Ever since Zachary had started working for Don A
Raymond may have worked abroad for years and was a veteran in antiques, but he was still lacking when it came to reading between the lines.Taking Mick's words at face value, he promptly shook his head, "No, you really shouldn't. I wasn't planning to come back here to work, so you mustn't mention me to Ms. Moore either."And unlike Mick, he really meant what he said, while Mick was saying the complete opposite of what he was thinking.Naturally, Mick didn't believe Raymond, even presuming that Raymond was a liar like himself.The more Raymond said he didn't want to return to Vintage Deluxe, the more he thought he was.Hence, he asked despite knowing the answer, "Well, what are you planning to do now that you've returned to Aurous Hill?""It's been years of traveling for me, so I was just getting a little tired," Raymond admitted. "I'm planning to set up a small business in Aurous Hill, most likely here in Antique Street. That's why I'm visiting—do be neighborly when I set up shop
Meanwhile, Raymond had no idea that he was being targeted as soon as he returned to Antique Street.He had reached the middle where rows of three-floored buildings stood, the largest on the street, and where Vintage Deluxe was. It was not closed yet as tradition on Antique Street was for stalls to open in the morning and close in the afternoon. In comparison, shops opened later and closed later.With the difference of two to three hours, they could afford to have customers who had lower purchasing power or were just window shopping to stroll through the outdoor stalls. Then, when they were gone, customers with actual purchasing power would come on their own time.As Raymond arrived outside Vintage Deluxe, Mick just finished his meeting with his employees, summing up, "So, does anyone have anything to do tonight?"They all shook their heads, answering as one, "No!!!"Mick nodded. "If there's nothing else, stay back for overtime. Ask for some spicy crayfish and beer for dinner."
However, Raymond had accomplished the assignment Curtis had given him years ago, so he had no intention of staying at Aurous Hill and remained unrepentant despite Jasmine's pressure. That was why he could ask to resign without hesitation, even urging her to let him go despite the pain.That was why Mick was now worried that Raymond would return to reclaim his position as manager."Keep an eye on him for me," he told Trippy. "Tell me if anything comes up right away—I will make it worth your while.""Alright!" Trippy agreed to it. "Don't worry—I'll call right away if anything comes up."Once Trippy hung up, Mick gathered the handful of Vintage Deluxe employees.They were all his close allies he had groomed after he took over Vintage Deluxe. Even if Mick hadn't been succeeding in his business, he was succeeding in building his own forces. Anyone who didn't obey his orders had since been removed, and the remaining ones were basically his co-conspirators, embezzling a considerable am