Soon, Gene himself appeared on the second floor landing.His cheeks were flushed. He had a fine complexion, and he did not need help walking, not to mention that his back was sharply upright."Everyone, welcome to my charity auction. You may consider it a gesture of gratitude to all who showed concern while I was taken ill.""Hehe." He chuckled as he headed downstairs. "So many have come to visit me, bringing all kinds of presents, which is why it occurred to me that we should just put together a charity auction."On one hand, we'd all be contributing to philanthropy, which is a good deed. On the other hand, I can hold an event where everyone can gather—who knows, new partnerships might be forged, and there's money to be made."The hall applauded as Gene finished—the man could certainly give a speech.Moreover, he gave the perfect excuse for everyone giving him gifts, making a killing while using the auction to announce his grand return.Not only would he lose nothing, but he wo
Hugh chuckled. "Since so many are watching, it's impossible for Mr. Pearce to stay his hand—not when he's suffering such blatant slander while one from his subordinate's family has been assaulted! When that happens…"Dennis was clapping and laughing even before Hugh finished. "Frank is a dead man, and my son will be avenged!""Exactly!" Hugh nodded smugly—Frank would never weasel his way out of this one.No matter how strong he was, did he stand a chance against the richest man of the east coast?Gene had all the money and connections he needed. He just had to hire a couple of guys, and Frank would be dead as a doornail.Even as Hugh and Dennis hatched their plan, they were leering at Frank sinisterly.Frank sensed it too, but he could not care less since he was preoccupied—his jade fox sculpture was broken.It was likely that there was contact when he fought the security guards earlier in the men's room, and the sculpture was slowly cracking. If the jade marrow was extracted
"What? A pure jade vase from ancient times?!""The Turnbulls really are rich!""That has to be worth billions…"As the guests went abuzz, Hugh announced, "With this gift, on behalf of the Norsedam Turnbulls, I wish Mr. Pearce good health and prosperity.""How kind of you! Thank you very much." Gene smiled and nodded.He was close with the Turnbulls, and they were tight as business partners.Although the main family did not come, a branch family was here and brought such a precious present, so it counted.And it was a grace to be remembered."That pure jade vase dates back to an ancient civilization? That's why the Turnbulls are the top philanthropists of the country, willingly donating such a treasure.""They really are generous!"Hugh was smiling smugly as he basked in the praise, feeling immeasurably smug.It did hurt spending so much money on the vase, but being praised and making a good impression on Gene made up for it.Moreover, getting into Gene's good graces and get
Hugh pointed at Frank as he snapped, "Who do you think you are, Frank?! Every item presented here would've been appraised by a specialist. There is no way my vase is a fake! Or perhaps you think you're better than the appraiser Mr. Pearce invited?!""Hmph."An elderly white haired man snorted audibly from the front row.He was the appraiser Gene invited and a famous magister on the east coast.Since he appraised every auction item before it was brought on stage while he stated an estimated value, Frank's loud protest was undoubtedly a slap to his face."Son, I'm Tet Boran of Ysalin, and everyone addresses me as a magister. I have seen that pure jade vase with my own eyes—there's no faking it! If you're trying to cause trouble, you've picked the wrong opponent!""What?! That's Magister Boran?!""That's Gene Pearce for you. He invited a magister!"The man in white's words left everyone in shock—the man knew his antiques and modern articles, and was himself an elite martial artist
Could the young man have created new heights with his martial arts and already risen among the best of Draconia?!Tet was shocked by his own hunch, especially by the half-millimeter crack Frank mentioned.No average Joe could have peered into it and would struggle even with a magnifying glass!"Grafting, huh…" Tet murmured as he beckoned at his apprentice to bring a high magnification magnifying glass.On the stage, Hugh started to panic a little as he saw Tet about to appraise his vase again.Frank might be his enemy and Sif Lionheart's murderer, but Hugh still had to admit that Frank was skilled when it came to appraisal. He already proved himself back at Jade Dragon, noticing flaws that even collectors could not see."Bastard…"At that moment, Hugh realized that Frank must have kept quiet when he bought the vase and waited until he presented it to point out the flaw, just to humiliate him!There was no doubt about it—the man's cunning was sinister!However, his blame was
That was why Tet had been exceedingly humble.For someone like Frank to be so accomplished at his age, Tet scarcely dared to imagine the influence that backed him.Bowing his head to Frank, he said earnestly, "Apologies for trying to pull rank earlier, Mr. Lawrence. Please forgive my indiscretion."He had his dignity too, which was why he did not kneel and beg.For Frank's part, he was no bully—he nodded as Tet apologized, accepting the apology.Around them, the guests' jaws dropped as they looked on. Many of them could still remember Hugh claiming that Frank was just Vicky's sugar baby!"Is that man really just some manwhore? How could he be so knowledgeable?""Yeah… Could Hugh Turnbull have been lying?""Hah! The magister himself confirmed that the pure jade vase is fake. Isn't that a slap to Mr. Pearce's face?""The way I see it, Hugh is just some frivolous character who yaps a lot to make himself look important.""He's just a member of the Turnbulls' branch family.""Bra
The people who had the social standing to be invited by Gene certainly would not care about money.The way they saw it was that the vase was proven to be a fake, and everyone in the hall knew it.In that case, this was no longer a question about money, but a question of whether they could afford the embarrassment.If word got out that one of them bought that fake vase, they would be made a laughing stock. Forget selling it off to someone else—no one would buy it unless they had brain damage.That, or they would get off on being mocked and a willing clown. Otherwise, no one else would willingly buy that fake vase.Even Frank was shaking his head in disappointment. "You could use it as a cup to drink from, but its value…"The vase was now a poisoned chalice no one would touch, as anyone who would willingly do it was basically a sucker.And since every guest present had a reputation to maintain, they would certainly not buy the fake vase willingly.Hugh himself understood Frank ri
Frank then turned to Gene. "I present this painting to Mr. Pearce on behalf of Vicky Turnbull and the main Turnbull family. Vicky especially sends her thanks for helping her immediate family establish a foothold in Riverton."Gene appeared surprised but soon smiled and shook his head. "Oh, that little lady. Why didn't she come by herself?""She has taken ill and couldn't make it, so she asked me to help.""Well, I'm most grateful for her present."Gene and Frank's exchange left the guests puzzled—why did it feel like both men were close in private?Dennis was watching from a distance.He frowned as he remembered what Frank told him before—that he should not set Gene against him, or he would bite off more than he could chew.Turning pensive just then, Dennis mused, "Could it be…?" Hugh noticed that and could tell what he was thinking, and so quickly said, "Don't worry about it, Dr. Jackson. Frank Lawrence had brought two presents that looked valuable, but it just means the Turn
As it turned out, the white-clad geezer did not return for revenge.People change as they age, along with their mindset, and develop a longing for their hometown.In fact, the white-clad geezer had returned to make peace with his family, and died in their company.Naturally, he was furious to hear that someone was using his name to bluff their way out and abduct his niece, the hag.And so he came with the rest of them, looking for Frank.After all, if Frank was not sent by the white-clad geezer, the only other person would be…-Back at the present, the white-clad geezer growled icily, "Where is my niece?"Frank smirked. "She paid the price for her crimes. What, do you want revenge?""A life for a life," the white-clad geezer growled. "That's the one rule that has never changed since olden times!"His entourage roared in approval. "Don't get so full of yourself, brat! He is different from the rest of us, and he can kill you anytime!""Really?" Frank simply snorted nonchalant
As the geezer spoke, he opened the rosewood box and put an ashtray in it. "I actually don't have any abilities—everything I make is produced from this box. With its help, I can imbue any object with an enchantment beyond human comprehension. See for yourself!"He closed the box and held it by its sides as the box glowed in a rainbow gradient.Frank felt a sense of familiarity as he watched, as the energy signature resembled the spiritron vein, but one different from the meteor.So what the heck was going on?While Frank was left surprised, the geezer stopped and opened the box, handing Frank the ashtray.As Frank held the ashtray, he saw that it really was altered—it could carry more now!The geezer then passed him a yellowed old book. "This is how you can use it!"Frank frowned. "Why are you giving it to me? I can't take it, or people would just say that I stole it from you when they find out."The geezer smiled in wry amusement. "It's yours either way, kid! And after you've d
To be honest, the hag really had not considered that question and was just playing along to her own whims, never once considering why she was such a philanderer.Frank then pressed his advantage. "Your so-called love is but a manifestation of your lust. It seems noble, but it has no warmth or color, and the world has no way of determining if it exists."If I want it, I can do what you do too. Heck, I'm sure that's the same for everyone else—they're just kind people who know that they shouldn't hog the limited resources of mental asylums.""Insolence!"The hag lunged at Frank as she realized that he was mocking her, but Frank was already prepared and pinned her to the floor with his telekinesis."Alright, you can quit hollering now. The more you do, the more you're just proving that you've lost!"Crouching in front of the hag, Frank growled coolly. "Did you think I'd only rely on brute strength to force your compliance? You're kidding—I don't even need to do that with someone like
It was just as the geezer had said—the hag had been pampered for so long that she could not tell right from wrong.In fact, in her mind, everything she did was never wrong and was even reasonable!That was what frustrated the geezer the most, and he simply stopped arguing and started whipping her with his belt.Pain really clears the mind, and the hag was no exception. In fact, she thought for a split second that she might have made a mistake.However, it only lasted for that split second—a little whipping was never really going to correct a lifetime of distorted beliefs!"I don't get it!" she cried. "Why do you treat my love with such disdain?! You don't have to love me, but you have to respect me!" The geezer laughed coolly and continued to whip her as he snapped, "That's true! But now, what I say goes—that's all there is to it!"That was when Frank suddenly reached out and caught the belt.It stunned the geezer, who quickly checked Frank's hand, and sighed after seeing that
It had been so long since he had seen his enemy, that the geezer almost fell out of his lounger.If he were to be honest, he really did not hold out much hope since it had been years, and no one lasted more than twenty strikes against the hag.However, while he was convinced that his revenge was futile in this life, Frank suddenly appeared.While he looked like he had nothing but his looks going for him, he brought the hag like she was some harmless hatchling."H-How did you do it?" the geezer exclaimed, presuming that Frank must have pulled some cunning trick.However, the geezer was once again reminded of the hag's conceit as she snorted. "How, you asked? With just a wave of his hand, and I lost!"Turning to Frank, she snapped, "There, he had his justice. Can you tell my uncle to show his face now?"Frank rolled his eyes. "I don't know your uncle. I only brought you here because of him!""No… That's impossible!" The truth was starting to dawn on the hag, but she still refus
"H-How did you do that?!"While the cabal was left flabbergasted, the hag was much calmer for some reason.After all, her father had told her about an uncle of hers, who had left the family because they kept abusing their earthbending ability.It was rumored that the uncle eventually cultivated a superior ability, fusing things that would otherwise not be just like what Frank just did.As such, she told her cabal as much, but Frank shook his head. "I learned your technique by directly observing you when you used it. And by doing so, I found a fatal flaw, which I adjusted for."He certainly did not have anything to do with the hag's uncle—he was just that quick a learner and that gifted to wield earthbending in an instant.Naturally, the hag was not about to believe that.No matter how gifted a person could be, there was no way anyone could learn earthbending instantly and even perfect it. In the end, someone must have taught him!As such, she was starting to get impatient with
Before the cabal could react, molehills appeared beneath their feet and sent them flying.Most passed out when they hit the ground, while the rest were barely holding on."W-Who the hell are you?!" The cabal had grown conceited since they did not have many rivals in a remote corner such as this one, and they therefore presumed that no one could challenge them.And now, they could not win with numbers against Frank, let alone one against one.Could anyone bear the shame?"What a bunch of mooks. I told you kids to stay on your training, but none of you listened. And now you're acting surprised?"A hunched hag appeared on a nearby alley, looking very much affable.Surprised, the cabal exclaimed, "What are you doing here, ma'am?""Do you think I'd miss the tremors?" the hag snapped coolly before wheeling on Frank. "Impressive physique! I certainly didn't expect you to hurt those boys."The cabal quickly warned her, "This isn't the time, ma'am. He knows earthbending, and he could
Frank's tone was calm, as if he was merely stating a fact. "What's there to deny? Even if I spilled my guts, do you stand a chance against me? See, no one does!"The man was furious—he had met plenty of conceited individuals, but Frank definitely took the crown!And seeing that Frank was not even in his thirties and was definitely small fry, he did not hesitate to slam his palm on the ground, which promptly started to move! "Interesting!"Frank stood his ground instead of leaping away, staring cooly at the molehills that streaked toward him. Even as the molehills were reaching Frank's feet, the man was left wondering why Frank did not dodge when the unexpected happened.The molehills struck the brat, but he remained unscathed!Earthbending was their cabal's signature technique, capable of causing seismic tremors—even if it was no match for real earthquakes, most people would still have trouble dealing with it.They were either torn into pieces by the shockwave, though the mor
Frank waited for a taxi and headed to his destination. Soon, the taxi stopped outside a dilapidated apartment.As Frank alighted and stared at the cracks on every block or the shaky foundations, even he could tell that it was in such a bad state it must be demolished. Shaking his head, he sighed in exasperation and entered the fifth unit on the sixth floor of Block D.He knocked on the door, and a smiling geezer opened it as he studied him. "What can I do for you, sir?"Able to tell right away that he was special, Frank asked, "Let's just call it a visit. I heard you could craft mystic items?"The geezer laughed right then. "I knew it. The nail that sticks out really gets hammered! I just want to keep my head down and live out my days, but you found me anyway.""Please don't misunderstand, sir," Frank quickly said. "I'm no robber, and I'm not going to steal from you. As long as you assist me, I can do anything for you.""Let's talk inside." The geezer stepped aside to let Fr