Vera then continued, "So, regarding this trap, I think there are two possibilities. One is that the trap has a time-sensitive trigger, meaning it must be activated while Master Marcius is still alive for it to work. However, the Master himself might not have expected the trap to be delayed for so long. By the time he died, he still hadn't found anyone to trigger it, and it only activated when your father discovered the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book. If this is the case, Mount Tason shouldn't pose any real threat to you." She paused, her tone growing more serious as she added, "The other possibility is that the Master knew the trap could be triggered at any time, and it didn't matter when—just as long as it was triggered. If that's the case, Master Marcius... is most likely still alive!" "Still alive?" Charlie frowned and asked, "If he's still alive, he must have found a way to extend his lifespan beyond a thousand years. And if he's still alive, he should be many times stronger t
Charlie exhaled heavily and suggested, "So... what he needs is a body of the Ascended Dragon Fate, right?" "That's right!" Vera nodded swiftly. "I believe this logic is very reasonable, and it also aligns with what the fake nun said. She mentioned that anyone could go to Mount Tason except for you, and she also said that the person there is far more terrifying than Fleur. Now, it seems that the person she was referring to is Master Marcius, and he has been waiting for you in Mount Tason!" Charlie accepted this speculation, gritting his teeth and saying, "Good old Marcius! I've seen people use black magic before, but using a drifting bottle as a black magic vessel? This is the first time I've heard of it!" He then added, "Since we've figured out his plan, does that mean that as long as we never go to Mount Tason, he'll have to wait there indefinitely?" "I think so too!" Vera agreed and said. "Alright, then." Charlie heaved a sigh of relief and said, "From now on, I won't go an
At this time, Charlie looked at the photocopied contents of the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book and sighed. "If our hunch is correct, then the fake nun saved my life."Vera nodded gently, then held her chin and muttered, "I think the fake nun should be following someone's orders, and the one who helped you should be the person behind her." Charlie fully agreed with her point but was somewhat puzzled. "This person can see through Master Marcius's meticulous plot, and they were able to stop me at a critical moment. Their background must be extraordinary. But I can't understand it. If this person is willing to help me and knows all about me, why are they unwilling to show their true face? If we meet face-to-face, perhaps we could cooperate and fight against the Qing Eliminating Society together." Vera said with a smile, "Perhaps everyone has their own secrets to protect, just like me. If you hadn't saved my life and if my father's ring hadn't brought me here, I would never have revea
Vera nodded knowingly and asked, "What do we do with these photocopies?" Charlie thought for a moment and said, "I'll leave them to you. You can put them away or burn them." "Alright." Vera nodded. "I'll take care of it." Vera saw Charlie out and asked Logan to arrange for Marilyn to drive Charlie to Champs Elys. She then went back to the top-floor courtyard and sorted out all the photocopies of the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book. Initially, she planned to throw these papers into the stove and burn them. However, after meditating for a few minutes, she suddenly stood up determinedly, grabbed her backpack, stuffed all the papers in the bag, and then walked out of the courtyard with the bag on her back. After going down the stone stairs, she said to Decan, who was standing guard, "Ask Logan to prepare a car for me. There's a place I need to go now." "Alright, Miss." Decan asked hastily, "Would you like me to accompany you?" "No." Vera waved him off firmly. "I'll go by my
Ashley suddenly remembered something, her expression turning slightly anxious, and she said, "There's a chance that Vera might come here to see you. To be cautious, I'll leave Aurous Hill and head to Mount Pantro for a few days later today. You should stay here for one more day. If Vera hasn't come by this time tomorrow, meet me at Mount Pantro. If she does come and is alone, find an opportunity to meet her. Confirm whether Charlie has any intention of cultivating the Apocalyptic Heart Formula. Also, inquire about what agreements Charlie reached with the Rothschild family during his trip to America." "This morning, I received news that several Silicon Valley companies waiting for Nvidia to supply GPUs have had their deliveries inexplicably delayed. I can't shake the feeling that this is somehow connected to Charlie." With a puzzled expression, Suzanne asked, "Why do you suddenly feel that Vera is coming here to see me?" Ashley replied, "Last time, when you intercepted her in Moun
Meanwhile, Vera, as Ashley had predicted, drove her car onto the elevated road leading to Qi Temple. Her thoughts aligned closely with Ashley's reasoning. She believed that since the fake nun had been constantly monitoring Charlie and even stepping in to protect him at critical moments, it was likely that these individuals were still keeping an eye on him. There was a possibility that they were currently in Aurous Hill. If that were the case, they would surely be tracking her actions as well. By suddenly heading to Qi Temple alone, she expected that they would interpret this move as her desire to meet with them. Of course, Vera was also aware that the situation might not be as she had guessed. It was entirely possible that all of this was just her wishful thinking and that the other party wasn't monitoring her at all. However, Vera didn't mind. After all, trying this approach wouldn't cost her much. If nothing came of it, she could simply drive back home. The traffic at n
"Good to know that." Suzanne heaved a sigh of relief and said, "At this moment, as long as he doesn't go to Mount Tason and stays away from the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book, he can basically avoid the crisis." "The crisis you're talking about is Master Marcius, right?" Vera asked. "Yes." Suzanne nodded. "It's Master Marcius." Vera asked again, "Is he really not dead?" Suzanne thought for a moment before answering, "He died, but not completely. Once the right moment arrives, he can be reborn." Vera nodded. "It seems he really is trying to cultivate an Ascended Dragon Fate body for himself to be used for soul possession." "That's right," Suzanne replied, not surprised that Vera could see through this. She nodded and explained, "Although Marcius managed to survive for a thousand years, that was the ultimate limit of all his opportunities. Even if he were to be reborn ten times, he would never surpass a thousand years of life. If he wants to reach the peak of the Heavenly Pa
Originally, Ashley believed that if Charlie went to America and rescued Biden, he would inevitably obtain the Four-Sided Treasure Tower. Even if he didn't claim the treasure tower for himself, he could at least keep it for some time to gain some insight from it. However, she never anticipated that after acquiring the treasure tower, he would immediately have Janus send it back to Oskia as quickly as possible. In such a short period, it was naturally impossible for Charlie to comprehend any profound teachings or techniques from it. This was something Ashley found deeply regrettable. She did not necessarily wish for Charlie to claim the treasure tower as his own. However, considering its rarity and the great effort he expended to retrieve it from New York, she felt he should have kept it temporarily to gain insights from it. After obtaining valuable understanding, it wouldn't have been too late to return it to Oskia. At this moment, Vera smiled and said, "Mr. Wade has his own
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