"I—" Helena's words made Julien wince. If the earlier statement had been a warning to him, the last remarks were a threat, through and through! Just a few words, and he could feel the intense intimidation! Julien was no fool. Figuring out the gravity of the current situation, he mumbled to himself, "Now that Dad has experienced a miraculous recovery from the elixir, he'll inevitably develop a strong dependence on it. The next time he gets sick or faces a life-threatening situation, he'll stop at nothing to get another one to extend his life." "Once he is in that 'at all costs' mindset, any rules will become meaningless to him." "Take the last incident with the treasure tower, for example. He didn't even consult me before issuing a decree—whoever finds the tower and brings it back would become the next heir. That was downright outrageous!" "With that precedent set, it's obvious that if he ever needs an elixir and can't obtain it, he'll make a similar decree—whoever brings him
Julien said rather respectfully, "Then, Your Majesty, I won't be accompanying you back to Canada." Helena gave a slight nod and responded with a graceful smile, her every expression exuding elegance, and her royal demeanor evident in every gesture. Seeing this, Julien felt a shiver in his heart. It wasn't that he was moved by Helena's beauty or poise, but rather, the more dignified she appeared, the more sinister she seemed in his eyes. She was only in her twenties, yet every word she spoke carried a murderous aura—this wasn't something just anyone could possess. However, Julien dared not show any dissatisfaction. He watched Helena board the helicopter and only breathed a sigh of relief once it had flown off into the distance. As he turned around to head back, he ran into Royce, who had come looking for him. "Dad!" Seeing his father, Royce hurriedly said, "Grandpa said for you to head straight to the conference room after seeing off the Queen. The meeting is about to start."
Royce felt very hurt. Despite that, he chose to purse his lips shut and not say another word to the angry Julien. Thus, Julien and Royce came to the meeting room one after the other quietly. Nearly all the family members had arrived at the meeting room, which resembled a medieval European palace. However, Harrison had not yet arrived. Everyone knew that today was the day when Harrison would pass the throne to Julien. Once Harrison made the announcement, Julien would officially become the head of the Rothschild family. Therefore, despite their agitated grimace, they were all thinking to themselves that they must find every possible way to flatter Julien as much as they could. From now on, all their resources, income, and their future would be in Julien's hands. As soon as Julien and Royce arrived, everyone, without exception, rose from their seats. The coordinated movement felt very much like the solemnity of military leaders standing at attention when they saw their comma
Royce, who was standing nearby, witnessed a textbook fence-sitter. Earlier, his uncles had surrounded Julien so tightly that he couldn't squeeze through. But now, they went to Harrison, and Julien stood there alone, which made him look a little lonely. Harrison couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw his sons running up to him in excitement. He was already moved by Julien's filial piety when he was in the medical center. Now, when he saw that his sons cared so much for him, he was moved and smug, thinking that he was a successful father and that his sons were devoted. So, with a fatherly smile on his face, he announced to everyone in a deep voice, "I want to deliver some good news. I have fully recovered." Upon hearing this, his descendants were excited, even though they didn't know how the stroke could be cured so quickly. Devin asked curiously, "Dad, did you call us here just to give us a surprise?" Harrison chuckled. "More or less. This time, I used some extraord
As soon as Harrison said this, the whole scene erupted in applause. Except for Julien and Royce, all the members of the Rothschild family almost jumped up and applauded wildly at the same time. Devin even involuntarily shed tears of excitement. None of them wanted Harrison to step down, let alone Julien to succeed him. Maintaining the status quo was their greatest luxury because it could ensure that their current interests would not be greatly affected. Perhaps in the future, if they made great contributions, they would have the chance to prove themselves, replace Julien, and become the new heir. Originally, they thought that maintaining the status quo was an impossible dream, but they didn't expect that dream to come true. Julien was beyond devastation. He had expected this outcome, but hearing Harrison say it out loud so promptly, he was pissed. However, the good news was that Harrison had listed him and Royce as the first and second heirs, so his chances of inheriting
Since Fleur was in the United States, when Charlie returned from Canada, he decided to take an inconspicuous business jet back to Oskia rather than the flashier Concorde, thus, his return journey was much longer. The plane's speed was slow, and it stopped in the middle of the journey to refuel, so he had yet to reach his destination despite being in the air for ten hours. Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Helena. Charlie guessed that she was calling to deliver the good news, so he answered the call with a smile and asked, "Helena, have you left New York?" "Yes," Helena answered respectfully. "I've returned to Canada, and I'm calling to tell you what happened when I met Harrison." "Go ahead, I'm all ears." Charlie chuckled. Helena began to illustrate her meeting with Harrison in detail. When it came to the payment, she lied, "The price we finally reached was that he would pay 110 billion dollars in cash plus a complete AI model to be built in Northern Europe incl
It was already ten in the evening when Charlie finally arrived at Aurous Hill. After passing through customs and completing the entry procedures, Charlie went through the VIP walkway inside the airport. He would then take the private jet prepared by the Acker family and fly to Eastcliff. Because of his concern that Fleur's underlings would monitor his entry information since Keith was publicly conducting in-depth investment cooperation with the Oskian government in Eastcliff at the moment, Charlie decided to fly to Aurous Hill from the States. By entering the country through Aurous Hill and going to Eastcliff from there, he could bypass Eastcliff's international terminal and customs. There were hundreds and thousands of domestic flights coming in and taking off in Eastcliff every day, and these passengers would not be the target of the Qing Eliminating Society's surveillance. Charlie's only purpose for going to Eastcliff this time was to meet with Keith, update him on the situa
Christian then added, "Dad has been indulging in spending recently. The various collaborations he's been discussing have already totaled over a hundred billion dollars. They're all promising domestic industries with a very wide coverage. In a few days, Kaeden and I are heading to the south. We've invested in a lithium battery company and are planning to build a top-tier R&D base for power lithium batteries in the south, specifically for the high-density batteries needed for new energy vehicles." "Next, Kaeden plans to launch a new energy vehicle brand, leveraging the country's top-tier supply chain in the field of new energy to directly engage in vehicle manufacturing." Charlie asked curiously, "Grandpa doesn't seem to have been involved much in manufacturing before. Why jump straight into vehicle manufacturing this time? This industry has a long investment cycle, requires a lot of attention, and the profit margins aren't exactly promising." Christian smiled and explained, "New e
With this thought in mind, Charlie silently decided to spend more time at the villa in the future, where he could focus on studying cultivation. Perhaps he might discover a breakthrough path based on his current foundation. However, the thought of Holly's family living in the villa next door posed a dilemma. If he went there every day to practice in seclusion, he would inevitably have to pass by Holly's house. Out of courtesy, it would be impossible not to greet them. But once he started exchanging pleasantries, his efficiency would naturally decrease. Moreover, it would eventually cause a misunderstanding if Nanako were to go there every day as well. Thus, Charlie felt an eagerness to find a new place for cultivation. After some thought, the lakeside mansion that Kathleen had purchased under the alias Kylie when she was in Aurous Hill came to mind. The Quinton family's villa, located in the Sonfo Valley far from the city, was nestled among mountains and waters, boasting exce
Nanako could also feel that the energy available for her to draw upon in her Sea of Consciousness had suddenly surged. Her sensory abilities, which had already improved significantly after achieving enlightenment, instantly leaped to an even higher level. The Reiki within her body became exceptionally abundant. With just a slight movement of her divine sense, the Reiki immediately dispersed from within her, making the entire office feel as if it was under her bird's-eye view, completely under her control. Moreover, this sense of control continued to extend outward. In just a short moment, eight nearby rooms also fell within her perception range. Charlie could sense the Reiki Nanako was releasing. Observing her closely, he noticed that her body was already brimming with Reiki, suggesting that it was no longer possible for her to continue taking the elixir. After a while, Nanako retracted the Reiki she had been using for perception and looked up at Charlie, saying, "Previously I co
Although Nanako had just attained enlightenment, she had already realized a critical problem: the Reiki available to her was very little, and there was almost no external channel for obtaining Reiki. For cultivators today, getting Reiki was the most difficult thing. There was no Reiki in the world, so the only external channels to obtain Reiki were elixirs, spiritual stones, or formations. If someone had a complete cultivation method, he could generate Reiki in his body by practicing the method, but for people like Charlie and Nanako who lacked such methods, this self-sufficient path was not feasible. Therefore, the small amount of Reiki that was generated in Nanako's body when she attained enlightenment was basically used up after she tried to sense Reiki. Charlie was slightly better than Nanako. The spiritual stones he accidentally obtained in the early days provided him with a lot of Reiki. Later, he relied on Cultivating Pills to barely make up for the gap in Reiki. Altho
Nanako giggled gently, thinking that Charlie was exaggerating. "You're so funny, Charlie. Who could possibly fail to attain enlightenment for hundreds of years? Those who haven't probably wouldn't live that long anyway, right?" Charlie smiled ambiguously. The matter concerning Vera was, of course, something he couldn't share with anyone, including Nanako. However, it was indeed a fact that Vera, despite taking the Eternal Pill and living for so many years, still hadn't attained enlightenment. Moreover, back in the day, Fumiko had served Marcius faithfully for an entire lifetime. From the paintings, it was evident that Marcius was genuinely devoted to Fumiko at that time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have returned to fulfill his promise after obtaining his opportunities. Yet, despite receiving Marcius's wholehearted support, Fumiko still failed to achieve enlightenment. In contrast, Nanako had managed to attain enlightenment so effortlessly, merely through the guidance of a monk.
Caden didn't know what kind of gifts Charlie was planning to give everyone, but from his perspective, since each of the over 400 people would receive one, it was likely something that could be bought with money. Caden was as rich as a king and wasn't particularly interested in things that money could buy. However, since Charlie had mentioned it, he naturally wanted to show his support. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "Despite your busy schedule, you're still thinking of us. I'm truly honored, and on behalf of everyone, I thank you." Charlie chuckled. "You're welcome." Caden respectfully replied, "If there's nothing else, I'll go ahead and ask Miss Ito to come over." "Okay." Caden retreated and went back to the martial arts hall. He called Nanako over and said in a low voice, "Miss Ito, Mr. Wade is at the manager's office right now. He wants to see you." "What?" Nanako squealed in pleasant surprise. "Mr. Wade is here? Oh my, I'll go over now! Thank you, Master Howton."
After that, Charlie asked, "Has everything been going well here lately?" Caden clasped his hands respectfully and replied, "Everything has been going very well. With the follow-up mental techniques you provided from the Taoist Sect Hanbloom Method, everyone's foundations are very solid. This batch of students has made the fastest progress I've seen in all my years of teaching." Charlie remembered his disciple, Sonia, who had previously taken the entire Taoist Sect to Oskia on her own initiative, effectively becoming part of his sect. Since he didn't have time to manage them, he had left everything under Caden's supervision. Curious, he asked, "How are the Taoist Sect disciples doing in their training?" Caden responded, "These disciples' training progress has been much faster than when they were in the United States. Sonia is now like a workaholic, training all day, every day, and her progress is astonishing—beyond my expectations." He continued, unable to hide his admiration, "
"The Rothschild family members?" Hearing Albert's remarks, Charlie frowned slightly and said, "Oh! Are you talking about Edmund and his dad?" "Yes!" Albert nodded and laughed out loud. "That American bastard who poisoned Miss Young's father and caused his kidney failure. Didn't he and his dad always say that they were from the Rothschild family?" Charlie waved him off dismissively. "They're not part of the Rothschild family. Rothschilds wouldn't carry the surname 'Whittaker'." Pausing to think, he added, "The surname 'Whittaker' is likely of Jewish origin. They might actually be relatives of the Rothschild family by marriage." As he spoke, a realization dawned on him. "I think I've got it. Julien coming to Aurous Hill might very well be to look for this father-and-son duo. Harrison has just recovered and wants to remain the family head for a few more years—he's probably trying to strengthen ties with these branch families." Albert gasped, "If that's the case, that bastard i
Meanwhile, Charlie went down the mountain and arrived at the Champs Elys Resort. To avoid disturbing the students during their practice, Charlie informed Albert of his arrival by phone. Albert, being at the bottom of the martial arts students in terms of skill and treating it more as a casual interest, was asked to wait at the entrance of the resort. When Charlie arrived, Albert, dressed in his training outfit, was already waiting at the door. He quickly stepped up to the car, opened the door for Charlie, and respectfully greeted, "Mr. Wade, welcome." Charlie nodded and said, "Tomorrow, have The Heaven Springs temporarily closed to the public and prepare a table with excellent food and drinks. For any customers with existing reservations, make sure to provide them with appropriate compensation." Without hesitation, Albert agreed and asked, "Are you expecting some guests?" Charlie casually replied, "Not exactly guests—just someone coming from afar who's a bit of a fool."
Upon hearing that Charlie would host him, Julien was flattered and expressed his gratitude, saying, "I truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me!" Charlie smiled and replied, "We're good friends, no need for formalities. When do you expect to land in Aurous Hill?" Julien thought for a moment and respectfully responded, "I'll be flying in a few hours, with a flight time of about 15 hours. I expect to land in Aurous Hill around 10 a.m. local time tomorrow." Charlie said, "In that case, tomorrow at noon, I'll host a banquet for you at The Heaven Springs, the most famous restaurant in Aurous Hill. It's well-known, so your employees should be able to find it easily. You can just come over directly when you arrive." Although the Rothschild family didn't have personnel stationed in Aurous Hill, their Asian headquarters was located in Eastcliff with high-ranking officials as well as a large number of staff. Julien had already informed the administrative