Sif stared at Frank as if he was crazy. "Is it that hard to admit that you're stupid? You had to pretend to be crazy, and for who?"The crowd around them was whispering among themselves too."The Lionhearts sole that hale pearl to the Leaf family for two hundred grand?""No way… Didn't Trevor Zurich buy it for 200 million?""What would you know? That's just how rich people are—they're stupid." While most of them turned to Frank because he was laughing so hard, most of them agreed with Sif—Frank had lost his head because he suffered a major trauma.That was why people always said that one must be ready to lose it all when making enemies of the Lionhearts!While everyone became even more wary as they glanced at Sif, she became even more conceited. "You hear that? It's not just me—everyone is mocking you now that they know! And still, you laugh… Don't you know it's embarrassing?""Is that so?" Frank adjusted his hold on the pearl while grinning. "Well, not many can see the true w
"Did you think you won't look dumb doing this? No, it'd just make you look even dumber! Hahaha…Huh?"Sif suddenly stopped laughing when she saw it—the tiny sprout that lay in Frank's palm after the hale pearl shattered.There was no doubting it… The sprout was growing inside the pearl!And though it was small, it was crystalline like a perfect gem. Its very shape was the work of a master craftsman, and the emerald luster was so bright that it hurt to stare at it for too long!Moreover, one could see the bright green sap flowing through the crystalline sprout and the abundant vigor it carried.Even an idiot would be able to see that it was special."I-Isn't that a Hale Marrow? Isn't it just a legend?!" Tavis shrieked on top of his lungs after a brief moment of shock, not caring about saving Sif's face just then.The auction hall was left in an uproar right then."Hale Marrow? What is that?""Shit, it's the Hale Marrow! There's only a fractional chance it'd grow in mountains fil
Sif could feel her guts squirming, especially when someone asked Frank loudly if he would sell the Hale Marrow for 50 billion dollars.Two hundred million for 50 billion—it went without saying that Frank had made a killing!She would have competed against Frank's bid to the bid if she had known the devilry growing inside that hale pearl, and she certainly regretted not doing it now!If she could, she would travel back in time to slap herself twice!Just then, Trevor was clicking his tongue gleefully. "How about that, Ms. Lionheart? To think that your family sold the Hale Marrow to the Leaf family for just two hundred thousand. All I can say to that is… Tut, tut."Frank was feeling buoyed too, and he was rarely happy about anything—the Hale Marrow was an extremely rare treasure, and much rarer than the Five Elemental Wonders.Forget healing himself—they would make a booming business in Mark Lane's farm with this!In fact, he had seen the sprout within the hale pearl from the star
Frank, however, had no intention to negotiate and refused bluntly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lionheart—I have great use for my Hale Marrow, and I'm not selling no matter what you offer me.""What?!" Sif did a double take, her temper flaring right then.It was the first time someone would refuse her, the heiress of the Lionheart!"I'm being nice here!" she snapped. "Know your place and give it to me right now! No one ever refuses me, and everyone will always hand over whatever I want to me on a silver platter!"Frank simply raised a brow and sneered. "Really? How on earth did you manage to describe daylight robbery with such righteous words? Or perhaps you own this place too? Surely you should know how to abide by rules too, Ms. Lionheart?" "Shut up! What I say is the rule!" Sif bellowed haughtily, glaring at Frank. "The Lionhearts will make this worth your while—you bought it for 200 million, didn't you? I'm now buying it for 2 billion dollars. It's no loss for you, so hand it over!"Seei
Really, what was the point of the Leaf family's auction? Why not just give away every auctioned item to the Lionhearts?!"Hmph. In that case, excuse me.""Yeah, well, the Lionhearts are too big for the rest of us to mess with anyway."Eventually, one of the bidders got up and left… and soon, there were groups of them."Huh… Wait, wait, wait, please don't go!" Jenny called out from the stage, but most of the bidders were packing up to leave anyway.After all, it was now clear that they had no reason to attend this auction anyway."What…" Sif was left stunned as she watched the crowd leaving the auction hall, never expecting everyone to leave just like that.But their reason was simple, with Frank being the precedent—if any of them chanced upon some treasure now, they could only leave with Sif's permission.If she said no, it was time to hand it over—or one would expect the wrath of the Lionhearts.And since no one present could afford to suffer the wrath of the Lionhearts, they
"Please be understanding."And with a polite nod, Jenny left without looking back.Sif was left standing there, shaking with rage.It was the most terrible day for her, ever!She paid a whopping grand total of 5.5 billion dollars for two pieces of junk. And worst of all, every bigwig attending the auction had seen the vindictive side of the Lionhearts, and as word soon spread, it would soon become the image everyone had of them.Forget Norsedam—even the main branch of the family in Morhen would be affected!"Bastard…" Knowing that she had messed up terribly, Sif clenched her knuckles even as her fury threatened to consume her.But she soon smiled savagely—since she had already messed up anyway, she just had to see things through to the end!She would make Frank pay even if all of Norsedam would talk—and most importantly, take the treasure he kept in his pocket. It was Frank's fault for messing with her, and if not for that little speech he made, the situation would not have f
Frank sighed. "Sif Lionheart is as despicable as she is… despotic."The Birthright rank goon leader paused visibly at the mention of Sif and snapped impatiently, "We have no relation to Ms. Lionheart. Hand over the Hale Marrow or die!""What, are you saying I'd live if I hand it over? Also, 'Ms. Lionheart'?" Frank snorted in disdain. "You slipped up there, brother."Realizing that he had been tricked, the Birthright rank goon leader gave up on all pretenses."Go!" he bellowed, gesturing for his men to attack Frank."Wait, you wanted this, right?" Frank casually whipped out the Hale Marrow just then."Stop! Don't break the Hale Marrow!" Some of the goons backed away when they saw it, afraid they would ruin it.The Birthright rank goon leader promptly strode up at Frank, demanding, "That's it! Give it to me!""Alright, take it," Frank replied and threw the Hale Marrow up into the air.In a split second, every goon's eyes were glued to the bright green sprout, while Frank sneer
Releasing streaks of pure vigor, Frank quickly projected a miasma before himself.Most people would not see it, but the goons could feel their movements slowing even as they charged inside. The weaker ones could not even move at all!On the other hand, Frank moved quicker while in the miasma.Pow!His punches landed rapidly, and five goons were left coughing blood, their bodies stiffening."What?! C-Could he have completed Birthright rank?!" The goon on the edge promptly withdrew his leg when he saw what was happening, his face turning pale in shock as if seeing a ghost.Frank's movement was smooth as a flowing river and inch-precise, even elegant in appearance.As he charged toward the edge of the circle of goons, he would strike with his palm, knuckles, or fingers while each goon still had their weapons raised, leaving them frozen in place.Then, when he left their encirclement, he sighed, and the miasma of pure vigor faded.The goons, who were all still standing, collapse
Frank was not only the smart guy out there in the whole right world. In other words, Mr. Creston had that in mind too!He was helping because he had felt insulted after Frank flexed on him earlier, and Dani was still useful to him—for now.When she handed over the company, however, he would not hesitate to kick her out! On top of that, he would make sure that she took the fall for all the dirty deeds they did together.In the end, she would not even be able to defend herself, while suffering lawsuits and public condemnation!Even so, she said, "I understand now. But it's never too late—I swear I'll change if you give me a chance!"Frank simply turned to Zein. "Actually, this man had the right idea—if he gave you a chance, who would give him one?"We're all adults here, so act your age. I'm sure you understand how a good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.""I get it!" Dani quickly said. "You don't have to keep me around, just—""No!" Frank snapped and crushed her left hand und
Dani was under the impression that even if the goons were not the best, they were on the cusp of reaching that level anyway.It turned out to be just her wishful thinking—when against the truly powerful, she was a lamb at the mercy of the butcher's knife, no matter how many people she brought! "To be honest, I'm curious as to what you're thinking." Frank snorted as he strode up to Dani. "Why dump a man who loves you dearly for some prick you don't even know? Being abused in that state and still thinking that you'd chosen wisely—do you actually have a brain?"Seeing her launching, he knew she was not listening, and he tore her ear off!The horrific pain jolted Dani to her senses, and she was left clutching what remained of her ear as she stared at the seemingly handsome man.She was under the impression that Frank would let her live even if she lost, but it was once again wishful thinking.He would kill her, and savagely at that!And she was certainly right, since Frank had ne
Drunken Moon quickly shook her head. "Don't worry about rewarding us. Nothing's better than getting you back on your feet. Did you know that you looked just like a zombie when I saw you again? You really gave me a scare there."Zein chuckled. "Can't help it—I really had no idea what I could do against them, so I could only flounder. But with this man recovering my mother's ashes, it's over for them."Turning to Frank, he nodded. "Don't worry, brother—I'm no ingrate. I'll definitely make this worth your while."Frank shook his head too.It was a simple thing for him to do, and he had volunteered in the first place. Why leverage grace for trinkets?Even as the thought crossed his mind, someone kicked open the door, and soon, a dozen goons stormed inside. With their black tank tops, machetes, and muscular figures, they were clearly not to be trifled with.And they were led by none other than Dani herself, striding inside like a queen, as if she had everything under control.Zein
"Argh!!! This place is haunted!!!"Horrified, Dani clung to Mr. Creston, eager to earn his comfort.Contrary to her expectations, Mr. Creston was much more knowledgeable and pushed her away, growling, "There's no such thing as haunting, only reckless brats. So tell me, who are you, boy?"Frank smirked. "I'm surprised you're that knowledgeable. But to be honest, who I am doesn't matter—what matters is that you're a subhuman piece of shit!"Then, as Mr. Creston and Dani looked on, the box of ashes vanished.While Dani screamed again, Mr. Creston was ready to call for help when he felt someone seizing his throat, and he could not make a sound."Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you—I'll just make sure your reputation would go up in smoke before you go to jail. That's the best either of you could hope for."As Frank's voice became distant, Mr. Creston could move again and promptly slapped Dani across the face.Amusingly, she did not get upset from that. In fact, she hung her head
It was superstition, as even fools knew that reincarnation was not real. But the richer they were, the more superstitious they got.Still, Drunken Moon said, "I'll get your mother's ashes back."Zein signed. "Thanks for the offer, but it's too dangerous. And she'd really do it if she's pushed too far."Drunken Moon would not want to bother Frank since this was her friend's problem and not hers, and he was not obliged to help. However, she honestly did not want to let people like Dani strut and leveled a pleading look at Frank.She simply did not know that Frank was always eager to help, and he had to agree that Dani was too sickening to be left at large.Putting a hand on his chest, he assured Zein, "Just tell me where the urn is. I'll definitely recover it for you."Zein was rubbing his brow as he said, "The people you're dealing with aren't as simple as they appear."Frank chuckled. "That applies to others too."And with those words, he disappeared.Zein—who had been lou
As Frank and Drunken Moon chatted, a thirtyish man opened the door. His tailored suit was draped lopsidedly, and stubble grew all over his chin.On top of that, there were wide dark circles under his eyes, both of which were bloodshot."Drunken Moon?" His eyes lit up when he realized who it was, but only for a second as his gaze soon dulled again.Drunken Moon turned to Frank. "Allow me to introduce you to a friend, Lugh Frankton. Lugh, this is my friend Zein Dunham. You can just call him Zein."After the men shook hands, Zein ushered them inside and made them tea.Then, he curled into himself as he sat on a couch, looking miserably insomniac."You don't look like yourself," Drunken Moon pointed out, puzzled. "Did you suffer some sort of trauma?"Zein smiled wryly. "You never know what could happen to you, I guess. Live and let live."Drunken Moon looked around and realized that all of Zein's wedding photos were gone.In fact, anything that had to do with Dani Farron, Zein's w
Damn their horrible luck! They would not be in this situation if Lanky Man was not eager to get himself a wife!Meanwhile, as Frank and Drunken Moon left, the latter giggled and asked, "Hey, could you come along while I visit a friend? It's rare that I can be out and about, so I'll just treat this as a holiday. That means I should properly unwind instead of going back right away."Frank nodded. He had nothing else to do anyway and followed Drunken Moon to a luxurious residential area.They could have entered directly, but since Drunken Moon did not know which house her friend lived in, she asked the security guard, "Do you know Zein Dunham? I'm a friend. Would you happen to know where he lives?"Though Drunken Moon was very polite, the security guard studied her from head to toe before scowling in contempt. "You can't go in without an appointment, lady, and I definitely can't give you any resident's address either—I'd get fired."Stepping out of the security shack, Drunken Moon ap
Lanky Man could not help flashing a thumb-up at Frank.However, the gesture changed just as Frank was not watching—with a flash of blue light, countless needles rained down on Frank!Nonetheless, Frank did not move.The needles continued toward him before clanging loudly as they came to a stop near him, as if striking a wall.Lanky Man could not help being stunned—that was his killing stroke, and he launched it at Frank when he let his guard down.However, the kid was somehow able to cast some barrier that nullified his attacks. What the hell was that even?!"Curious, aren't you?" Frank asked just then. "I'm sure the people you butchered would've been curious about your powers too. Now that the tables have turned, I must ask—has it ever crossed your mind that you're the same as them?"At those words, Lanky Man's knees buckled and he dropped to his knees.It was only natural that he imagined his defeat, but not one this pathetic.Frank never even broke a sweat, but nothing work
Despite Drunken Moon's agility, a needle struck her in the left shoulder after she dodged them multiple times.Gritting her teeth in pain, she smirked. "I'm surprised you're this strong."Lanky Man laughed. "It's not just you—I don't know why I'm this good either."Ever since I was a child, every person I've met, regardless of age or sect, could never win against me. It's really a pain being so strong—normal folk really wouldn't catch my eye, so I was hoping you'd change your mind, priestess."Drunken Moon sighed. "Then it's a shame that you've run into someone you shouldn't, or you might really have gotten your chance at showing off."And with those words, she chanted her incantation.Soon, blue light converged and formed a human silhouette.It was naturally Frank himself in the flesh!Even as Frank studied his own body, he actually found it interesting—in a way, he was able to teleport.In that case, would he not be making bank if he worked as a courier or pizza boy?"Who a