Oasis Vale was isolated from the rest of the world. Few knew that in this peaceful valley lived a group of extraordinary people, including the overlords of the criminal underworld, business magnates with net worths that rivaled countries, and even core government officials of various countries.It was noon, and Gideon Snow walked out of the cottage with a basket in hand."Sir!"Ajax Bale, a burly, heavily bearded man, scrambled up to Gideon as he herded the goats around him. "As per your punishment, I have tended to the goats for a month. Today is the last day. What should I do next?""You can start harvesting the wheat next.""That's my job, sir! What am I supposed to do if Ajax takes over?" Donald Ingleson, Cherony's minister of defense, asked with a pitiful expression."You can be in charge of cleaning up the dung.""You got it, sir."Gideon had only taken a few more steps when someone approached him and reported, "Sir! Justin Mugler, the military commander of Magaria, and P
"I knew it! It's just as I thought. I knew you didn't die, you old bugger! You tricked me for three years!"Gideon hadn't found a body in the grave, but he had expected as much. Titus had been an enigmatic figure who possessed extraordinary abilities. Why would someone like that abruptly claim to have come to his life's end and decide to bury himself? It was unthinkable.Nevertheless, Gideon couldn't disobey Titus, his mentor, so he had to do as told and guard the grave for three years."If I don't get a treasure that's to my satisfaction, Titus, that means you wasted three years of my youth. I'll make you pay for that at some point," Gideon grumbled.Alas, even after combing through the entire grave thoroughly, he found nothing other than a letter."You old con artist," Gideon ranted before opening the envelope with a scowl on his face. He found two pages of a letter.After he read the first page, his scowl of dissatisfaction was replaced by a moved expression. According to the
"No!" the crowd screamed, but the suicide operative merely cackled evilly.Yet, all was silent. There was no explosion.Even the suicide operative was stumped. He kept spamming the red button, but nothing happened. He had no clue that a silver needle had been shot into the controller, cutting off the circuit.At the same time, Benny and Derek shot down the two armed operatives, while the bomb-strapped one was hit in all four limbs and fell onto a pool of his blood. The airport police swiftly swarmed in to subdue him."Let go of me! This is impossible! Why didn't it explode? Why?" the suicide operative screamed at the top of his lungs."This proves that fate favors Dasovia and me," Lavinia declared icily. "Tylland has committed many atrocities and will surely come to a terrible end. Take him away and interrogate him."Slowly, peace returned to the departure hall. The passengers, who were still reeling from the ordeal, came up to Lavinia with looks of awe and respect."It is truly
"Dominic Zeller?" Gideon repeated. Frowning, he remarked, "The name sounds familiar to me.""He's a good friend of Hercule's, sir! Hercule mentioned that to you before.""I remember now."When Gideon first captured Hercule and brought him back to Oasis Vale, Hercule claimed that Dominic would be coming to save him.Dominic had indeed turned up, but it wasn't Gideon he faced. Paul, Ajax, and a few others had given him a thorough thrashing, and he fled with his tail between his legs.Smiling, Leopold explained, "Somehow, Dominic heard that you'll be coming to Goldspire, so he dared not stick around to act like a big shot here. He came to me and offered Beaker Island to be your residence."Gideon chuckled. "He's quick-witted and amenable, I see. Did he mention anything about wanting to save Hercule from Oasis Vale?""He said he wouldn't dare to and that it would be good for Hercule to undergo some training at Oasis Vale," Leopold replied. "In fact, he said that if given the chance,
"How is he not good enough for you?" Arnold fumed. "Your grandfather was a farmer, too! He built the family business from the ground up, and that is how our family's wealth came to be! "He doted on you the most before he passed away. I don't want to see you disobeying his dying wish! This marriage is going to happen. I won't let you back out of it!""Mr. Seymour."Gideon had arrived.Arnold hurried through the door and greeted with a smile, "Gideon! You're finally here. We've been waiting for you. Do come in!"Gideon didn't expect Arnold to be this welcoming. As Arnold ushered Gideon into the house, he called out, "Ella, hurry up and head to the city hall with Gideon to get the marriage registered. I'll pick a good date for you guys to have the ceremony.""I don't want to, Dad!""If you don't listen to me, I'll freeze your bank account and cut off your allowance! I'm not letting you have your way with this. You're going to do as I say. Anyone who protests will suffer my wrath
"How dare you hit me, Gideon? How dare you call me a lackey?" Eric shrieked in fury as he clutched his face."Why not?""Do you think you Snows still possess the prestige you once had? Do you think you're still Gideon Snow, one of the Four Elites of Goldspire? I'll show you the price you'll have to pay for hitting me and humiliating us Grosses!"Eric wanted nothing more than to rip Gideon to pieces, and he swore to take Gideon down."I'll be waiting," Gideon retorted condescendingly. "You'd better not disappoint me. Also, pass your family a message for me. Tell them to be prepared for when I buy out Gross Group."Eric was flabbergasted, but after a moment, he mocked, "You must've gone mad, Gideon. To think you'd say such ridiculous things. You want to buy out our company? With what? Just wait, all of you! It's over for the Snow family!"And with that, he stormed out of the Snow residence.Only then did Cormac bellow, "Look at what you did, Gideon! The Grosses will surely join fo
After leaving Gideon at the city hall half an hour ago, Elara had been in such a foul mood that she went to a bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol. By sheer coincidence, she bumped into Matthew Carter.He was the handsome and talented son of the Carters of Goldspire, and they had been classmates at college, too. Over time, they became great friends who confided everything in each other. In fact, she considered him her bosom friend despite him being a guy."Why are you upset, Ella? Tell me what happened," Matthew asked in concern as he patted Elara's hand."I don't even want to talk about it. I got married.""What did you say?" Matthew exclaimed in shock. Frowning, he asked, "You're joking, right? Why would you have gotten married out of the blue? This is my first time hearing about this."Elara replied in frustration, "It was my dad who arranged this marriage for me. He made me marry a stinking farmer! We even got our marriage license already."Matthew's expression turned dark.E
"Thanks to you, Matthew, we get to share in this honor, too! I never even dreamed of being able to partake in such precious wine.""I have to take a photo of it and share it on my feed!"While everyone else showered Matthew with flattery, he was utterly confused as well. The Carters were merely a run-of-the-mill wealthy family without much prestige. Meanwhile, the owner of Twilight Bar was a big shot in the criminal underworld.They belonged to two entirely different social classes, so why was he being given such expensive wine?"Hey, Matthew. Is this a sign that the Carters are about to make it big? Why else would the owner of Twilight Bar give you this wine?""Well, about that…"Matthew didn't know what to say, but after a brief moment, he came up with an idea. Straightening up, he said with a smile, "Since this has happened, I won't try to hide it any longer. A few days ago, I had the honor of receiving the recognition of the chairperson of Avila Group. "She said she was int
Jake let out a terrified scream. He quickly adjusted the fighter jet's course, but just then, a tentacle burst forth from the dense, poisonous fog. The tentacle was black and moved with alarming speed, reaching the jet in mere moments as if intent on tearing it apart. "Fire!" Jake activated the attack system, and over a dozen missiles were launched. The attack was successful, as the tentacle was blown into a gruesome mess. In the distance, a thunderous roar echoed, shaking the heavens and earth—the Shadowgnaw Overlord had felt the pain. Suddenly, more than 30 black shadows emerged from the toxic cloud."Damn it!" Jake swore. He struggled to continue operating the fighter jet amid the overwhelming number of tentacles. Their firepower was no longer enough. Desperately, he called out, "Sir!" At that moment, Gideon sprang into action. Rather than destroying the tentacles, he reached out and seized the one lunging at them. With a powerful yell, he unleashed the strength of
Luckily, Gideon's fighter jet was a state-of-the-art model, so flying through the poisonous haze wasn't a significant problem. Suddenly, a piercing scream reverberated inside the jet, making it shake violently. Kori's face went white as he yelled, "This is bad! It must be the Shadowgnaw Bug. They're venomous creatures that can survive in this toxic fog. An adult Shadowgnaw Bug can reach the size of a lion or tiger, and the Shadowgnaw Overlord is even scarier, being as big as an elephant." Just as he finished speaking, another high-pitched cry sounded. The fighter jet shook uncontrollably and began to dive. Jake did everything he could to keep the jet stable. If the jet had been a regular aircraft, it would likely have broken apart by now. Kori looked deeply concerned. "Based on the strength of that cry, it seems we've run into the Shadowgnaw Overlord." "What's the big deal about one bug? Can it really be that dangerous?" Gideon scoffed, signaling Jake to open the cockpit door.
Gideon trusted Kori completely, as Kori's life depended on him, leaving no room for hidden agendas. The fighter jet soared eastward at high altitude. Gideon was immersed in studying the Book of Medicamentum. He vaguely remembered Titus once mentioning the pure-essence physique and other rare physiques, such as the pure solar physique. These were subtly referenced in the Book of Medicamentum. His current task was to uncover information about the pure-essence physique in the latter part of the Book of Medicamentum. If successful, he might learn how to harness the methods concerning the pure-essence physique himself, enabling Elara to fully awaken and transform. Silence enveloped the entire fighter jet.That evening, the jet touched down on the summit of a large mountain. The pilot, Jake Clythe, was weary from hours of flight, was instructed by Gideon to take a one-hour break. Gideon and Kori also disembarked from the aircraft.The landscape was filled with overlapping mountains
Kori was overwhelmed with fear. "What are you doing? What have you done to me?" he exclaimed. Gideon smirked. "Don't worry. I've just set up three 'fuses.' As long as you behave, nothing will happen. But if you try anything funny, I can make your head explode with just a thought. And don't think about removing the golden needles. I won't be responsible for what happens if you do." Kori's expression flickered between anger and resignation. It was deeply humiliating for someone who had traveled the world all his life to be treated as such in his later years. However, he had no other options. Taking a deep breath, Kori calmed himself and dismissed his hostile thoughts, turning his focus to assess Elara's condition. Gideon observed from the side. No one could tell what secret method Kori was using, but gradually, the air temperature rose. This was due to the contraction of pure essence energy. Half an hour later, Kori wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "It's done. The
"Do you want me to be honest with you?" Kori prodded. "What? Can't you solve it? Then, you're destined to fail." A fierce, murderous intent flashed in Gideon's eyes. Kori quickly responded, "The pure-essence physique is extremely rare. If it were a martial artist with a robust constitution, I could safely help them awaken it. But your wife is just an ordinary person. Her body is too fragile, and I can't take that risk. "Though your medical skills are impressive, you can't guarantee her safety. The only solution is to find Mr. Ruggeweyn or Mr. Warth. They possess secret techniques that can awaken the pure-essence physique without risk. "However, I'm not entirely helpless. I can use a secret technique right now to suppress the essence, preventing any leakage of pure essence energy. This could safeguard your wife's body and possibly help her regain consciousness. Do you want me to proceed?" Gideon asked, "Where are Mr. Ruggeweyn and Mr. Warth? If you can reach them, do so qu
"Who on earth are you?" Kori asked. His face twisted with fury as he ran desperately, with Gideon relentlessly pursuing him like a hawk after its prey. It was both insulting and disgraceful! "Argh!" Eventually, Kori couldn't bear it any longer. He stopped and bellowed, "I'd rather die than be shamed. Kid, I'll fight you to death!" Kori spat out a mouthful of blood, unleashed a secret technique, and launched a powerful attack. Gideon's expression turned serious at that moment. He calmly extended his fist and declared, "Doombringer Knuckle!" The brilliant glow of his fist surged forward with determination. Kori's attack was instantly destroyed, and he was sent flying, his body nearly breaking apart. He crashed hard into a dirt pit and couldn't rise again. "Sir, watch out!" Harper yelled with all her strength just then. Gideon raised an eyebrow. More and more advanced weapons were being launched. Several missiles sped toward them. In fact, the high-tech weapons had been re
On this night, all three conditions aligned perfectly. The violent wind and rain combined with the heavy losses in battle, where blood flowed like a river, gave Gideon the chance to execute his technique."Break! Break! Break!" Kori attacked with desperation.The Blood Moon Tempest was riddled with holes and eventually succumbed to the onslaught, exploding with a thunderous crash.The bloody water transformed into blood-swords, shooting in all directions.It was another sweeping attack, resulting in numerous casualties among the Moblathos members, leaving many dead or wounded.Kori was also struck by the blood-swords, with over a dozen bloody wounds on his body, leaving him soaked in blood.It was a tragic sight. Truly, it was profoundly tragic."You brat!" Kori's voice was raspy, his eyes shining with fierce hatred and malice.Gideon, clutching the valuable sword, moved forward deliberately, his face devoid of emotion.He spoke with a detached tone, "I promised to conquer Mob
Kori looked at Gideon with the intensity of confronting a formidable foe and spoke seriously, "You've demonstrated your strength, earning you the highest respect from Moblathos. However, we're not easily intimidated. "Many influential members of our organization have yet to reveal themselves, and we have a significant arsenal of advanced technology at our disposal. If this turns into a battle to the death, you won't emerge unscathed. "You've already eliminated the four guardians, releasing some of your fury. Let's discuss this peacefully now.""You have no right to speak to me!" Gideon bellowed, his voice booming like thunder, sending chills down their spines. "Moblathos has committed numerous atrocious acts. You've lost all moral compass, bringing harm to countless young men and women! You vile leeches! Everyone should have the right to wipe you out! "Kill!" Gideon was not a saint. He had journeyed across the globe, his hands tainted with the blood of many. He was a fierce
"Captured your wife?" Kori furrowed his brows, momentarily unsure how to reply.This was because Moblathos often seized women from outside, and it was difficult to determine which one of those women belonged to Gideon.However, Gideon assured him, "Don't worry about it. I've already rescued her.""That's wonderful!" Kori laughed heartily.He descended the steps, approached the front of the square, and met Gideon's gaze directly. "Since your wife is safe, it seems this was just a misunderstanding. Please, calm down. Let's sit and discuss this thoroughly. "As for an apology, Moblathos won't overlook it. We will ensure you're satisfied.""There's no need for an apology. I've traveled a long way specifically to conquer you," Gideon stated."How dare you!" Kori erupted in anger.He realized that Gideon wasn't going to drop the subject easily, so he quickly shifted his tone and snapped, "Do you really think you're untouchable, kid? The idea of taking down Moblathos is utterly absurd