When Charlie and Vera arrived at Entrell Airport, a private jet was just taking off, heading to Eastcliff.Many private jets and charter jets from provincial capitals flew to Eastcliff every day, so this plane didn't attract any special attention. The Wades’ Gulfstream jet had been waiting there for a while. After Charlie and Vera passed the security check and boarded the plane smoothly, the pilot immediately requested takeoff clearance from the control tower and headed directly for Aurous Hill.As the plane took off, Charlie was still twirling the agarwood bracelet around. After a period of silence during the ascent, Charlie suddenly asked Vera, “Vera, besides advising me to turn back, did the abbess you met today mention when I could return to Mount Tason?”Vera shook her head, saying, “The abbess only said that Mount Tason is too dangerous for you to venture into, but she didn't mention when you could go back. Perhaps, for safety's sake, you should never go there again.”Charl
Vera asked in surprise, “The Apocalyptic Book is so powerful yet there isn't a single mental cultivation method in it?”Charlie sighed and said, “That’s right. The Apocalyptic Book is more like a beginner's guidebook to the world of cultivation. It contains so much information, but a large part of it isn't directly related to cultivation. Instead, it's deeply connected to martial arts. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of complete martial arts mental cultivation methods listed, but there isn't a complete mental cultivation method in it…”Upon hearing this, Vera couldn't help but say, “It's like cramming all the knowledge from elementary school, middle school, and even some college-level content into one book. For elementary and middle school students, this book is unparalleled, but for college students, its usefulness isn't significant at all.”Charlie nodded and continued, “Exactly. The thing is, I only know about freshman year of college, and my perspective only extends to the en
To Charlie, activating his pineal gland was his top priority at the moment.Not to mention what fierce beasts lurked within Mount Tason, just dealing with Fleur alone made him feel inadequate. Now, even though Fleur had temporarily retreated, it didn't mean she wouldn't come back in the future.Moreover, she was his mortal enemy, and even if she never returned to Oskia in the future, he still had to seek revenge. Therefore, he had to quickly find opportunities and activate his pineal gland.So, he spoke to Vera, who was beside him, saying, “Once I settle all my affairs in Aurous Hill, I will take the opportunity to go out and explore more.”Vera asked, “Do you have a general direction in mind, Young Master?”Charlie shook his head, “Since it's about finding opportunities, it should be spontaneous. I will go wherever I feel like going.”After saying that, Charlie couldn't help but sigh as he said, “But the more random it is, the less I know where to begin. After all, I have family
Stephen said respectfully, “Young Master, I see that this is the satellite phone from the Wades' private jet. Are you on the plane?”Charlie replied, “Yes. I'm on my way to Eastcliff, and I will land in about two hours. Please arrange for a vehicle to pick me up at the airport.”Stephen hurriedly said, “Okay, Young Master. I'll arrange for the convoy and go to the airport to pick you up personally. I'll also inform Lord Wade and the others.”Charlie said, “There’s no need to make a fuss. You're the Wades’ butler, so it's too ostentatious for you to come pick me up in person. Just arrange for a car to be parked at the airport for my convenience. You may inform my grandfather about it, but there’s no need to notify others.”Stephen said without hesitation, “Okay, Young Master. I'll inform Lord Wade right away. Will you be staying at the old mansion tonight or will you be returning to the manor?”Charlie hummed and said, “I’ll stay at the old mansion. Prepare two guest rooms. I have
The fake abbess wasn't surprised by Stephen's words and said, “Mr. Thompson, Madam has already guessed what you're talking about, and that’s why she asked to meet you at Harmony Temple. Can you make it in time?”Stephen replied hurriedly, “Yes, I can. Young Master is used to keeping a low profile. Since he doesn’t want me to pick him up at the airport, I just need to wait for him at the old mansion. The old mansion is very close to Harmony Temple, so I will have plenty of time.”The fake abbess said, “That’s good. Let's meet at Harmony Temple in an hour.”Stephen said respectfully, “Understood!”The fake abbess then hung up the phone and reported to the woman, “Madam, Mr. Thompson said that Young Master will go to the old mansion tonight.”The beautiful middle-aged woman was slightly startled, and her beautiful eyes with fine signs of wrinkles at the corners were moist. She suppressed the tears and smiled with relief as she said, “Charlie has been away for so many years. It's time
At this moment, he was waiting in the main hall of the courtyard. When Ashley and the fake abbess came in together, he hurriedly greeted them at the door, respectfully saying, “Hello, Madam! Hello, Madam Sun!”Ashley nodded slightly, pointed to the chairs in the hall, and said to him, “Please have a seat, Stephen.”Stephen bowed and said, “Thank you, Madam.”Ashley waved her hand and sat in the main seat in the hall while the fake abbess, who was wearing a hat, stood beside her.Although the fake abbess was still wearing a hat, Stephen could still tell that she had shaved her head. He asked in shock, “Madam Sun, why… why did you…”The fake abbess smiled faintly, took off her hat, and said, “I played the role of an abbess on Mount Tason today.”Stephen asked anxiously, “Madam Sun, did you see Young Master?! Does he still remember you? Please don't make Young Master suspicious!”The fake abbess shook her head and said, “Don't worry, I didn't meet him directly.”“That's good!” Ste
When Charlie and Vera arrived at the Wades' old mansion from Eastcliff International Airport, Stephen was already waiting there with Jeremiah. Stephen was the one who had brought Jeremiah here. After leaving Harmony Temple, Stephen went to the Wades' family manor to bring Jeremiah back to the old mansion.Jeremiah had always wanted to find more opportunities to bond with his grandson, Charlie, and deepen their relationship. However, even though Charlie had become the head of the Wades, he rarely came to Eastcliff. As a grandfather, Jeremiah hardly saw Charlie a few times throughout the year.When he heard that Charlie was coming to Eastcliff this time, Jeremiah naturally felt very happy. He arranged for the chefs to prepare a banquet to welcome Charlie home even before Charlie arrived at the old mansion.When Charlie arrived at the old mansion, Jeremiah even went to the courtyard with Stephen to greet him. As soon as he saw Charlie getting out of the car, he became somewhat excite
Stephen, who had been silent the whole time, stepped forward and said respectfully, “Young Master, Lord Wade has already prepared a banquet to welcome you. Please go in with Miss Lavor and have something to eat first!”Jeremiah also came to his senses and hurriedly said, “That’s right, Charlie! You rarely come to Eastcliff. When I heard that you were suddenly coming tonight, I quickly had some food and drinks prepared. You can accompany me for a few drinks later, Charlie.”Charlie nodded lightly and said, “Okay, let's go in and eat while we chat.”Charlie felt both familiar and strange now that he had returned to the old mansion where he had spent several years of his childhood. Although the mansion remained the same as it was before with no major changes, when Charlie lived here in the past, the mansion was always bustling with activity and voices.Back then, Charlie's father, Curtis, was highly regarded in the Wades. Although Jeremiah had not formally passed on the position as th
Pausing, Charlie then said, "I'll call Steve to drop by later too. I'm sure folks in Aurous Hill won't know him, but your potential troublemaker might.""I-Is that really fine?" Yolden blurted."What's not fine about it?" Charlie chuckled. "He has been treated like a tool ever since he came to Aurous Hill, and now that he has a chance to strut about, he wouldn't ask for more."Yolden appeared slightly relieved at that, and Charlie asked, "By the way, where's Paul, Matilda, and Autumn?""Getting their makeup done," Yolden replied. "Paul's my best man while Autumn's the maid of honor.""Good," Charlie nodded with a grin. "Don't worry—the wedding's going to be a success."As they spoke, Matilda stepped out of the dressing room in a stark-white wedding dress, flanked by Autumn and Paul.Seeing Charlie, Autumn nodded politely, "Good morning, Mr. Wade."As Charlie nodded in turn, Paul started, "G-Good morning… Mr. Wade…"Seeing that he was nervous and tentative, Charlie knew that he
As Yolden and Matilda were remarrying after living abroad for years, the wedding ceremony was much simpler, skipping Oskian customs and having a simple wedding reception for their guests at the hotel hall.There weren't that many guests either—aside from their children and close friends, only a handful of Yolden's colleagues at Aurous Hill University were invited.As the celebrant, Charlie didn't have much to do and was mainly the emcee.He brought along his jacket as he headed out to Shangri-La, not wearing it immediately so that Claire wouldn't guess that he was attending Matilda's wedding.Arriving at the Hanging Gardens before the guests were supposed to arrive, he found Yolden working with the staff to finalize the preparations.Seeing Charlie, Yolden approached him and said, "Thanks for coming this early, Charlie."Noticing that he was a little tired, Charlie asked in concern, "Had a bad night?"Yolden nodded, sighing, "Paul's uncle caused a huge mess. Both Matilda and I a
Tarlon nodded. "How do you suggest we find them?"Fleur scowled. "There's no rush. There are things which I'm still confused about, so just keep a close eye on the Ackers and the Wades for the time being. Report to me right away if anything important comes up—don't afford our enemies any opportunities to exploit.""Yes, milady!" -The next day, more news outlets were covering the joint project between the Ackers and the Wades as word continued to spread.However, neither family revealed too many details, be it the name of the company, who was the CEO, or the scale of their business.While the public was dying with curiosity, nothing else was known.Still, Aurous Hill's officials were especially interested, with the town hall visiting the Ackers the next day and showing utmost sincerity by leasing a whopping 2-million-square-meter land along the southern highway. Still, the condition was for the Ackers to come true on their promise to propel the city's economy to 15 billion US d
Fleur had repeatedly mentioned the conspiracy theory of Ashley using a body double over the last twenty years.Tarlon had investigated from many different angles, but everything from the gender, age, dental records, to body figure pointed to the fact that the deceased was Ashley Acker.And yet, Fleur had never bought it, insisting that Curtis was prepared for them just because Curtis' son had gone missing soon after.There was no way Curtis would save his son but not his wife, and the disfigured corpse only added fuel to Fleur's suspicion.Thus, over the last twenty years, Fleur had kept a close eye on the Ackers, arranging for two 'scholars' to be embedded amongst their ranks as sleeper agents. She went that far all to determine if Ashley was dead or had faked her death.However, the scholars had since been killed in action, and they had no spies within the Ackers left.As for Tarlon, he still doubted Fleur's theory even now, but he remained respectful as he spoke, "Milady, I mu
Meanwhile, on the edge of the South Pole, Tarlon Griffin rushed outside of Fleur Griffin's room, knocking the door gingerly as he announced, "I have news, my lady!"Fleur didn't respond, but the thick wooden door between them slowly opened as if pushed by an invisible force.Tarlon entered to find Fleur seated on the floor with her legs crossed at the ankles. Her eyes remained closed as she molded her Reiki, asking, "What is it?"Tarlon quickly answered, "News from Oskia. The Ackers are partnering with the Wades on a joint venture into electric-powered vehicles."Fleur slowly opened her eyes, asking quietly, "And you're telling me because?"Tarlon quickly explained, "It just came out of the blue, so I thought I should report it to you right away."Fleur sighed. "After I tried and failed to wipe out the Ackers so many times, they wouldn't dare set foot stateside. If anything, they must have decided to seek asylum in Oskia by offering a substantial investment, and it's a base whe
Silent for a while, Matilda then asked Yolden, "Do you think I can do it?""Yes!" Yolden nodded without hesitation. "You definitely won't have any problems!"Matilda sighed, shaking her head. "We traveled far abroad to study while we were young, but we didn't return to Oskia to help the country's development. It's been thirty years since, and now that we have returned to the country at the same time, I definitely wouldn't turn down such an opportunity to help."Pausing, she then said, "That said, major corporations make it a point to not hire family members. Forget spouses—employees aren't allowed to date, and one of the two will be asked to resign if necessary."Don't you think it's inappropriate since we are legally married, having gotten our certificate and all? And if we set these precedents, we would have trouble asking other employees to follow that policy. You are going to be a CEO, so you need a very clear answer on this issue."Yolden shrugged. "In the first place, that p
Yolden nodded slightly. "He does.""My gosh…" Matilda murmured. "That's too much… Ashley's son? A member of the Acker family and the Wades?!"Pausing, she then asked in confusion, "Wait, if Charlie has so much power and influence, why would he permanently reside in Aurous Hill… No, why would he be content as Jacob Wilson's son-in-law? Does Jacob know who he really is?""Definitely not," Yolden shook his head. "There were some compelling circumstances, and his identity is a sensitive one. That's why I'm asking you to tell no one except Paul—and even then, you should only tell him if he can keep the secret."Matilda was sharp enough to pick up on the reasoning, too. "Charlie's hiding because of his parents' accident, isn't he?""Yes," Yolden sighed. "He has his plans, but I didn't pry since I can only do that much, let alone help him on that.""Got it," Matilda nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed… And you just said you're resigning? Are you going to help with this e
"That would be Ashley Layna Acker," Matilda replied without hesitation. "She was our age, as well as a major investor in Silicon Valley, while we were only starting to get our first clients. It's no exaggeration to say that she's the shining example in many case studies when it comes to business."Pausing, she then continued, "And she used to be your classmate, right? I remember you mentioning that in our conversations before.""Yes," Yolden sighed emotionally. "She was a classmate and the star of our generation."Matilda nodded but soon shook her head, "Wait, weren't we talking about Charlie's car company? What does that have to do with Ashley Acker?" "Here's where I let you in on a secret," Yolden said. "But first, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone except Paul."Matilda nodded without hesitation. "Don't worry—if it's a secret, I won't tell Paul either."Yolden scratched his head. "Actually, Paul should know. We are going to marry soon, and he's my stepson, lega
In fact, the legal department of major enterprises covered many responsibilities, the chief of which concerned intellectual property, which was why veterans were needed to lead.Additionally, Charlie trusted Matilda's accomplishments in the legal field, especially since she had worked in the United States for years.With Curtis Autos' intended expansion worldwide, that meant the legal department should also know the laws of countries abroad, ready to file or respond to lawsuits at any time. After all, competitors may use the law to impede their growth, along with the government applying unfair policies to impede their development and impact on local businesses.Moreover, Charlie considered Paul young and therefore lacking in experience, not to mention that it was not likely he would abandon his family's law firm. As such, the ideal solution was to poach Matilda for now.As for Matilda, she was still in the dark and had no idea what she was in for, asking Charlie in confusion, "Lega