Charlie dropped the formalities and said, "Thank you very much then, Miss Fox." "You're welcome, Mr. Wade," Kathleen said. "It's my honor to serve you." After reaching an agreement with Kathleen, Charlie then called Doris. Doris hadn't received a call from Charlie in a long time, so her voice was filled with excitement as she said, "Mr. Wade, what can I do for you?" Charlie replied, "Are you familiar with the situation at Sonfo Valley? I want to acquire the entire area, but I can't do it too conspicuously, so I can't offer a price that's too outrageous to avoid drawing attention. Do you think that will be difficult?" "Sonfo Valley..." Doris thought for a moment before speaking, "Sonfo Valley is an older residential area. After I took over Emgrand, I reviewed the company's previous documents. That land was actually something Emgrand considered competing for initially, but later, they gave up because the surrounding area lacked supporting infrastructure. It's located in the mou
The next morning, Charlie met up with Nanako and drove to Champs Elys together. He wanted to send Nanako to the villa halfway up the mountain so that she could concentrate on improving her control of Reiki while he himself would take the oral fluid and distribute it to all the martial arts students. At the same time, Julien had already crossed the Pacific Ocean in a private plane, getting closer and closer to Aurous Hill with only a few hours left. While Charlie was on his way, Caden said to over 400 martial arts students who were doing morning training, "Guys, I have good news for you. Master Wade will come to see you later with gifts. He will give them to you personally." The students were excited upon hearing this. Aurora, Rosalie, the Harker family members, and the members of Ten Thousand Armies all knew that Charlie had a special medicine that could enhance the cultivation of martial arts. Although Sonia wasn't familiar with this, ever since she had arrived in Oskia, she c
The people in the audience answered in unison, "Yes!" Some even said loudly, "Not only that, but it is extremely beneficial!" "Yes! The improvement is indeed very significant!" "My personal understanding of martial arts has also become much clearer!" Among the crowd, Sonia gathered the courage to say loudly, "Since coming here, cultivation has truly been twice as effective!" Charlie recognized her voice and curiously asked, "Miss Letterman, you trained under Master Howton too when you were in the United States, and it is the same here. Why does this place make you feel that way?" "I... Uh..." Sonia was taken aback as she did not expect Charlie to direct a question to her, so she stuttered nervously. "I speak only the truth and am not exaggerating. The reason I feel it is twice as effective lies mainly in three factors." With that, she paused briefly, gathered her thoughts, and continued, "The first reason is that when the Taoist Sect was in America, Master Howton was not
Albert then selected a few students to help him distribute a bottle of oral fluid to everyone. Even Caden, who had already reached the Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm, got his share. After the distribution, Charlie said, "What you're holding in your hands is a special supplement for strengthening the body and the meridians. After you take it, it will help your cultivation. If you happen to be at the critical stage of a realm breakthrough, you might be able to complete the breakthrough with this bottle of supplement." Everyone was especially excited when they heard that it was a medicine that could improve cultivation. For martial artists, the most valuable things were complete internal capabilities and supplements that could improve strength. Many martial artists spent their entire lives in arduous cultivation without ever receiving the assistance of any medicinal elixir. At times, they could feel that they were just one step away from breaking through to the nex
At one point, Sonia thought about summoning the courage to go to Charlie and beg him for mercy. But upon the thought of her previous arrogance and outrageous remarks, she resisted the urge. Thus, she became even more depressed and sat cross-legged, staring at the floor. Charlie only needed a glance to notice Sonia's dejection. After all, in a crowd of people cheering excitedly, she sat there silently, looking completely out of place. Charlie knew very well that Sonia's frustration was undoubtedly because he had sealed her meridians. On her own, she no longer had the possibility of further advancement. Recalling her earlier disrespectful remarks, he chalked it up to the personality of a young martial arts fanatic. It wasn't that Charlie was petty or unwilling to let go of past grievances, but the key issue was that he had already opened all of her meridians in one go. If he were to seal them back up, she would instantly become a master at the Great Perfection Realm of Illu
Before Sonia could fully understand the meaning behind Charlie's words, he had already reached out and gently tapped her shoulder. In that instant, Sonia felt her previously sealed sixth meridian completely open! Her cultivation immediately broke through into the six-star warrior rank. Every advancement in a small realm brought a refreshing feeling, and Sonia clearly sensed the changes within herself. She was instantly overwhelmed with excitement, unable to control her tears of joy. Just a few minutes ago, she was feeling frustrated and desperate about her future cultivation, but Charlie had so generously opened her sixth meridian for her. To be clear, even if Charlie hadn't sealed her three meridians, she still wouldn't have reached the stage of breakthrough to a six-star warrior yet. Even though she was in the late stages of becoming a five-star warrior, it would have taken at least a few more years to make a breakthrough. What Charlie did not only removed the shackles on
At ten o'clock in the morning, a private jet converted from a Boeing 747-8 landed at Aurous Airport. Once Julien, heir of the Rothschild family, and his entourage had arrived, customs clearance was completed as quickly as possible. The family's staff stationed in Oskia had been waiting for his arrival. Although it was unknown when Julien would be in power, for them, he was the second-in-command of the family, so they treated him with great respect. As Julien left the airport, a Cadillac convoy was parked outside. These vehicles were all ordered by the Rothschild family from the United States, featuring the same models as those used by the president. Although they didn't appear as extravagant and luxurious as Rolls-Royce cars, each of these vehicles costs much more than a Rolls-Royce Phantom. In fact, the old money families had already abandoned Rolls-Royce a long time ago. Nowadays, Rolls-Royce wonders were more often young second-generation rich individuals or those who su
After the convoy pulled into the parking lot, more than a dozen bodyguards in black suits came down immediately and surrounded Julien's car with a professional stance as they looked around vigilantly. One of the men walked toward Heaven Springs, and Albert walked out to meet him at the same time. The man scanned the surroundings like a CIA agent and whispered into the microphone of the walkie-talkie he was wearing, "Everyone, stay where you are and stay alert!" Albert had already stood in front of him by the time he finished speaking. The man looked at Albert and asked, "Are you the manager of the restaurant?" If Charlie hadn't informed Albert about the guest today, Albert would probably have been intimidated by the man and his posture. However, Albert already knew Julien's identity and his next trip to his dog kennel, so he didn't take the man seriously at all and sneered contemptuously, "Manager? Hah! I own this place!" After that, he raised his eyebrows and asked the man
Julien had made up his mind—Charlie had already dragged him into this anyway, and he certainly wouldn't stay as a slave who bemoaned his fate every day.He had boarded Charlie's ship, and the ship had sailed—he just had to come up with a plan so that he could stay on it without any problem.After all, the chances for him to become the next Rothschild head or how long he would get to live were banked entirely on Charlie's decision.If Charlie didn't want him as head, he just had to ask Helena to be his broker and sell some pills to old Harrison, and Julien would be forced to stay as the heir apparent to their empire until he expired.And since the decision was made, he must first show some sincerity by investing into Aurous Hill—it was the ideal way to bring in both capital and human resources.With Julien having indicated his position, Charlie smiled. "Aurous Hill is a land of wealth and prosperity. As a local, I keenly await your investment, Mr. Rothschild."Julien was worried f
Julien shook his head and gingerly asked, "Jordan Fox likes his granddaughter?"Charlie smiled, shaking his head. "And your father doesn't like you as his eldest? Admiration is no guarantee of inheritance. And if we're talking about love, is it not a gesture of love that he provided you with endless cash and a life of privilege that only the world's top one percent can enjoy?"Julien also noticed the flaw in his logic. "Then, do you perchance know why, Mr. Wade?"Charlie nodded. "Jordan granted his position to Kathleen because that was the condition I proposed to him in return for prolonging his life. No succession, no pills—no matter how much he was willing to pay me for it."Then, Charlie looked Julien straight in the eye as he continued solemnly, "If the day comes and I find you more reliable, I will choose you as the sole broker for your father's pills. Just think about it—if the day comes that you're the only person your father can get his pills from, would he say no if you as
Charlie chuckled. "You might think that I'm screwing you over, but in reality, I'm indirectly solidifying your place as heir apparent. From what I've learned, your family has not confirmed who it would be."Julien chuckled awkwardly. "You're right, but I am now. With the pills you've provided, however, my father might live longer than me…"Charlie nodded. "Since we have the fortune of meeting over drinks, I shall cut to the chase—to me, it doesn't matter who between you or your father lives longer. My priority is with whom I could hope for a better partnership."And right now, your father has shown more sincerity than you have, which was why I asked Helena to provide him with my pills."Pausing, Charlie then asked, "Are you aware of your father's recent activities? In Northern Europe?""A little," Julien replied. "A data center or something along those lines."Charlie nodded again. "See, I've asked Helena to make him a new offer—I will provide him with one pill should he build an
Charlie had actually invited Julien over to bring him aboard his metaphorical ship.While not particularly down-to-earth, Julien was still the second most important figure in the Rothschild family, and having him on board wouldn't hurt.Moreover, just having drinks with Charlie and Raymond here basically told everyone they were friends. If Harrison knew that Julien was meeting the son of Curtis Wade as well as 'Biden Cole', who had taken the Four-Sided Treasure Tower from the Rothstchilds, he just might have Julien shot.While Julien may not become the head of the Rothschild family anytime soon, he would prove very useful.With Helena basically controlling Harrison and Charlie himself controlling Julien, traveling Stateside would be no different from going home."It seems I must reevaluate my opinion of you now with that attitude."Charlie smiled at Julien and raised his cup, "Come, let's have a toast—to friendship."Julien nodded, picked up his cup, exclaiming cheerfully, "To f
Pausing, Julien then said, "I mostly drink wine and the occasional whiskey.""How much are those, usually?" Raymond asked.Julien thought about it. "If it's table wine, 10,000 to 50,000 USD. For bigger occasions, it'd be something over a hundred thousand."Raymond nodded and pointed at the bottle of Oskian vodka he had bought. "Guess how much that is?"Julein shook his head. "I don't usually drink Oskian alcohol, so I'm not too sure…""Come on," Charlie chuckled. "We're not asking if you know—we're just asking you to take a guess.""Then…" Julien quickly said. "I'm guessing, three thousand?""Three thousand?" Raymond chuckled and shook his head. "That's way too flattering. It's around 7 USD.""Seven bucks?!" Julien exclaimed, and he blurted, "You usually drink something that cheap, Mr. Cole?""Well, not stateside," Raymond smiled. "But I liked it after I ordered one from a diner yesterday. It's cheap, and it has quality."Julien gulped as he stared at his own cup filled to th
Julien flinched and promptly threw his hands up. "No, no, no… please don't say that, Mr. Wade! That's not what I mean—as a son, it's only right that I hope my father lives long and prospers. Why wouldn't I want him to?"Charlie pointed out, "Then why'd you say that I've screwed you over repeatedly?""Oh. I, uh…" Julien wasn't sure how to respond to that, and he groaned unhappily, "I was not being mindful with words. I take that back…" Charlie nodded. "Then, I'll give you another chance.""Huh?" Julien was left confused, and he quickly asked, "Another chance… for what?"Charlie clapped him on the shoulder again, smiling, "We're old friends, aren't we? Why would I screw you over? Anyway, your turn."Julien was left utterly aggrieved as he read through Charlie's intention—that was precisely the definition of screwing him over!If his father knew he had come to Aurous Hill to hang out with these two, especially Biden Cole, he would definitely be removed as heir! And yet, Charlie
Having seen a sliver of the common folk's plight, Julien turned back to the journey at hand.Soon, his MPV arrived at Aurous Hill's Antique Street.As it was closing hours, the place appeared bleak, almost as though it had been completely abandoned. It was only during opening hours and the few hours before closing that the place became most alive anyway.Most of the time, the vendors and employees outnumbered the guests, and during closing hours, it would get very quiet. One wouldn't even find strays here as there weren't scraps around.Still, Julien had no idea what the hell the place was, even as he arrived outside Treasure Measure following the location Charlie had sent.Once he was sure he was at the right place, he called Charlie, immediately sounding respectful and flattering, "I'm here, Mr. Wade. If you don't mind opening the door…""Alright, just hang on," Charlie said and put down the phone while turning to Raymond, who was putting the food on a folding table, "Our frien
The lawyer then finished, "To be honest, cases of regretting a donation and seeking a lawsuit to get the money back? Law firms usually won't even get one per year, and that makes it especially newsworthy for the press."Also, court records are always public. That means anyone can access the verdict, and there's no hiding anything. So, if you want the lawsuit, you'd better be prepared."Jacob was already left in despair.All he wanted was to get his money back, but he didn't think that it would end up as public knowledge.And Mr. Bay had just told him over the phone that he would try to quell the scandal's pressure and try his best to protect Jacob's place as vice president.If Jacob's name was suddenly mentioned in a lawsuit attempting to reclaim an 'accidental' donation, even Mr. Bay couldn't save him at that point.Hence, after thinking long and hard about it, Jacob realized that he was not getting his 300 thousand back.The thought crushed him, and he burst into tears, "What
At this hour, most of the employees at Talbot Associates had already left.However, there were several lawyers who had just finished a meeting regarding a certain case, and they were just leaving when Jacob arrived.Seeing that they were packing up their bags and ready to leave, he asked, "Excuse me, are you still able to take cases?"The leader smiled, "Yes, but it's a little late now. Why don't you come again tomorrow morning?"Jacob shook his head impatiently. "This is very urgent—please help me and hear me out, then see if it will work. 300 thousand banks on this, so I'll give you twenty percent whether or not I get it back!"300 thousand was really neither here nor there.However, if it were an easy civil case, that twenty percent commission would still mean sixty thousand.The lawyer thought about it. "Fine. Tell us what your problem is, and we will assess the situation first. If it's easy, we can give you a general strategy right now. But if it proves difficult, we'll hav