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.
“Mandalay?” Charlie frowned and asked, “Is the information accurate?”“Absolutely,” Isaac affirmed. “Currently, the flight plan submitted to the Australian Air Traffic Control Department is indeed for Mandalay. They will probably land at Melbourne Airport in about four hours and then expect an hour or so of rest after landing before continuing to Mandalay. It’s about an eight-hour flight from Melbourne to Mandalay, so they won't arrive in Mandalay for at least another ten hours.”Upon learning that the other party wasn't coming to Aurous Hill, Charlie's first feeling was relief. He thought his strategy to put on a bold front to conceal his weakness had been discovered by the other party.However, he was also puzzled and did not understand why the Qing Eliminating Society would suddenly send a plane to Myanmar. So, Charlie called Vera and relayed Isaac's report to her.Vera was surprised to hear that the Qing Eliminating Society's plane had gone to Myanmar. She said, “Why would Fleu
“You're right, Young Master!” Vera said confidently over the phone, “I'm heading to Yorkshire Hill right now!”Charlie was puzzled and asked, “What are you going to do in Yorkshire Hill?”Vera sighed lightly and said with a touch of melancholy, “Young Master, ever since the Mother of Pu’er Tea met with catastrophe and I departed from Yorkshire Hill, I haven't returned there in the past two to three hundred years. I was afraid that Fleur would have set up a trap there, waiting for me to fall into it.”She continued, “Fleur's Five Military Governor Offices should have entered a state of silence by now. Even if she still has spies in Yorkshire Hill, they should have withdrawn to the location of the Central Military Governor Office or stopped all surveillance and waited for orders. It’s a good time for me to return to Yorkshire Hill now!”Charlie cautioned her, “Miss Lavor, please don't take it lightly. You are more important to Fleur than anyone else in this world. If she still has tr
Charlie chuckled and said, “It's a bit risky, but if we really encounter Fleur, it might turn out to be a good thing.”Vera was even more puzzled and asked, “Young Master, what exactly are you planning?”Charlie replied earnestly, “I don't have a specific plan. My main concern is that it's too dangerous for you to go to Yorkshire Hill alone. If you're going, then I'll accompany you. If we don't encounter Fleur, that's naturally the best outcome, but if we do meet her, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. As long as we can avoid being noticed by her, we might be able to find out where she and your father studied under Master Marcius Stark!”He further explained, “At this point, I increasingly feel that the Apocalyptic Book, the Preface to the Apocalyptic Book, and my parents are all connected. They also seem to be closely related to Master Marcius Stark. If we can find the place where he practiced back then, maybe we can find something he left behind or some records. In that case
Ever since Charlie followed the clues and found out about the Qing Eliminating Society's shipping company in Singapore, he realized that civilian airplanes were an easily overlooked loophole.No matter how wealthy or powerful someone was, as long as they needed to fly across international borders, they had to truthfully report all flight information to every country they passed through.This was because no individual could control the entire aviation system. Governments around the world considered aviation security and airspace security their top priorities. Apart from drug traffickers in Mexico and Colombia, no one dared to fly illegally in the sky.And in this world, no individual had the capability to create an invisible aircraft that could evade all radar detection.So, whether it was the world's richest person or the Qing Eliminating Society's leader, once they boarded a plane, their whereabouts couldn't be hidden.Fleur and the entire Qing Eliminating Society had always thou
On the other end of the phone, Lulu's husband, Zekeiah, answered the call almost immediately. His voice sounded anxious as he asked, “Lulu, is that you?”Lulu hummed in response, “Yes, it's me.”The moment he heard Lulu's voice, he was overjoyed and blurted out, “Lulu, it's such a relief that you're okay! I've been trying to call you these past two days, but I couldn't get through at all. I was so worried!”Lulu's feelings at this moment were extremely complicated. She didn't even know if her husband was the undercover agent arranged by the Qing Eliminating Society in their own home.She naturally didn't hope that this was true, but when it involved the life and death of the entire Acker family, she dared not take it lightly. So, she continued according to Charlie's instructions and said, “Honey, you almost missed out on hearing my voice anymore…”Zekeiah exclaimed, “Did something happen?!”Lulu replied, “A few days ago, a very powerful expert suddenly attacked Willow Manor. That
After saying that, Zekeiah yawned and said, “Ah, I haven't slept for two or three days. After hearing that you’re fine, I suddenly feel so sleepy that I can't keep my eyes open. Honey, I'll take a nap for a while. I really can't hold on any longer.”Lulu pursed her lips. She had a weary expression, but her voice was very caring as she said, “Okay, Honey, go rest now. Remember to turn on the 'Do Not Disturb' mode on your phone.”“Okay!” Zekeiah agreed, then said to Lulu, “Honey, I'm hanging up now.”“Okay then, go ahead.”As the voice call ended, Keith said with a serious expression, “There’s no need to think about it anymore. There must be a problem with Zekeiah.”Lulu instinctively said, “Dad, isn't it okay for Zekeiah to care about us and want to know what's going on? Asking more questions shouldn't be a problem, right?”Keith coldly said, “Asking more questions isn't a problem, but there's a problem after asking them.”At this point, Merlin also agreed, saying, “I support Lor
Ruby was somewhat puzzled. She looked at Charlie, astonished, and asked, “Young Master Wade, why would you and Miss Lavor take the risk of getting close to Fleur? Isn't that too dangerous?”Charlie calmly replied, “It sounds pretty risky, but actually Miss Lavor and I don't intend to get close to Fleur for real. Miss Lavor's idea is to create a time gap. According to her analysis, where Fleur goes, the members of the Qing Eliminating Society would have probably already withdrawn, especially now that the entire Qing Eliminating Society has entered a silent phase. So, as long as this time gap is played well, wherever she wants to go would actually be safer for us.”At this point, Charlie couldn't help but sigh and say, “She is the biggest enemy I've encountered in my life, so I need to know what this person looks like. Besides, her purpose for coming to Oskia this time is likely to go to Mount Tason. I also want to know the location of where Master Marcius Stark closed himself off for
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