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Chapter 257
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 258
"Not bad." Stephen even showed George the story, and George also nodded in approval. With that, the two immediately started promoting the risotto restaurant as a traditional specialty of Celestial City.The restaurant quickly partnered with influencers and online promoters to recommend their risotto online. As people learned about the risotto's backstory, they were deeply moved. "They met and regained their memories because of risotto. I'm in tears! I must try it out!" "It's not far from my place, so I'll check them out first!" "This story is so touching! But that old priest is so wicked for erasing their memories."The risotto restaurant became an overnight sensation. Many people came, attracted by the news, all eager to taste the risotto that was said to have been shared by the priest and the troll. Seeing the demand, the restaurant kept raising the risotto's price until they were fifty dollars a plate, with each plate barely containing any protein. Moreover, the taste
The Guardian's Return Chapter 259
James understood now was the best time for the food hall to generate revenue. Every day, they were raking in millions. If they were to lower the prices or shut down a few stalls, it would upset other businesses and lower their revenue. Everyone knew the vendors were using top-quality ingredients, so most people were willing to put up with the higher prices. After all, James said it himself. Stephen and George had personally checked everything. If those two had signed off, it had to be legitimate. Moreover, Stephen was involved. Who was he? He was the Grand Marshal's mentee and the legend who brought peace to Riveria. Since the businesses could pass through his inspections, there was no doubt everything was above board. Stephen and George watched as the food hall’s profit grew, grinning ear to ear. George said, "This is just the beginning. Once the other businesses get going, we'll earn even more." Stephen nodded. He really wanted to show Ethan how much progress Celestial Cit
The Guardian's Return Chapter 260
"You should get Michael to ask the other villagers about it, and I'll call James over," Stephen said to George.Stephen could not help but feel relieved. Having a partner to work with made things a whole lot easier. If it had just been him, he would have not thought of such a clever solution. While Ethan might have been able to outsmart him before, he had George working with him now. Even if Ethan were to step in, he would have to leave in defeat! Soon, James arrived.Stephen asked sternly, "I just received complaints from the villagers saying that the compensation you gave them was too low, only 6,000 dollars per square meter of housing and 30 thousand dollars per 666 square meters of land. Is that true? James immediately refuted, "Who said that? Such accusations! I gave them 10 thousand dollars per square meter of property and 50 thousand dollars per 666 square meters of land." Stephen narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Is that so?""I swear it’s true!" James answered.Steph
The Guardian's Return Chapter 261
"You're lying! The mayor clearly gave us 6 grand, and we were never a criminal organization," one of the villagers protested."Our children sacrificed their lives to protect Riveria!" another added. "Those weapons were meant to fight our enemies."Having already given his warning, Michael did not want to deal with these people anymore. He spat dismissively, "Just leave. Everyone's busy. Don't act entitled after getting what you were given."Lucas was thunderstruck, unable to believe the outcome. The mayor had taken their village away, and now Stephen Quinn refused to meet them. With this, it meant that they no longer had a place to live.Warm tears rolled down old Lucas’s cheeks. He never imagined that after all the sacrifices their entire village, including his own family, had made for Riveria and Celestial City, this would be their fate."Children, everyone, I've failed you!" Lucas cried out. Then, in full view of everyone, he slammed his head against the wall.Bang!Blood i
The Guardian's Return Chapter 262
Michael panicked. As someone close to George Lowe, he knew very well whether these stories were true or false.If the lies were exposed, it would be a massive blow to the tourism industry around Azure Cloud Mountain and Crystal Lake! It might even affect the food court.He hurriedly called for security to disperse the crowd, then rushed off to find Stephen Quinn and George Lowe."We have a problem!" Michael burst into the office.Stephen and George frowned. For over a month, they had been receiving streams of good news. Celestial City's GDP had recovered to 2 trillion dollars, which was not far from its peak of 2.5 trillion.Hearing "we have a problem" now seemed like bad luck."What's all the fuss about?" Stephen said coldly. "Calm down and explain."Michael was nearly out of breath. "The village chief of those villagers who came seeking justice... He just slammed his head against the wall outside!"Stephen's heart skipped a beat, but then he thought about how these villages u
The Guardian's Return Chapter 263
Taking advantage of the crowd, someone shouted, "Did you make up the legend of Crystal Lake?""Did you really take away their village and leave them homeless?""Aren't you the Grand Marshal's mentee? Aren’t you aware of those who shed blood and sweat for Riveria?"Stephen felt his face burning with shame.Each question was like a sword piercing his heart, or a slap across his face.He could not bear to look at anyone. He could only hurry back to the office with George, seeking refuge.Stephen sat restlessly, taking out his phone to browse the web. Online, he saw that Celestial City's affairs were already trending.[Shocking: Village chief who has shed blood and tears for Celestial City, whose wife and children all sacrificed themselves, is driven to suicide by Stephen Quinn!][Breaking News! The legend of Crystal Lake is fake!][Riveria's biggest scam: The Crystal Lake legend!]Clicking on these posts, he could see many on-site videos of villagers kneeling and revealing the t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 264
Many who had eaten at the risotto restaurant immediately went to the hospital for check-ups, fearing they might have fallen ill."Compensation!""Refund!""Execute them!"The entire internet was enraged. Everyone had been deceived, moved to tears by a recently fabricated story, and even swindled out of a significant amount of money.Tourist numbers in Celestial City dropped by 30% in just one day. The decline did not continue only because all plane and high-speed rail tickets for that day were sold out. Many people could not leave immediately.Numerous food businesses approached Stephen, saying, "What a massive scam. You've played us all for fools.""A Celestial City like this isn't worth staying in!"They all wanted to pull out of Celestial City!Companies that had reserved office space in the business district demanded refunds. However, since the mayor had transferred all the money out, where would they find the funds to issue refunds?The food court's customer traffic also
The Guardian's Return Chapter 265
Celestial City's population began to decrease, and its reputation started to deteriorate.However, Stephen and George did not notice any of this yet. They were still overwhelmed by Lucas's suicide attempt. They sent people to investigate the truth.The results showed that everything the villagers said was true. Not only were they not criminals, but they were also heroes who had made great sacrifices for Celestial City years ago.However, they had slandered these very heroes, calling them criminals and leaving them homeless!This was an extremely grave issue!"Where's the mayor?" Stephen demanded. "How did he conduct his investigation to cause such a mess? We can't let him escape!"The assistant replied, "We've been watching him. So far, he's been staying at home with no signs of leaving. He can't run away."Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. If the mayor had not fled, it meant he was not trying to deceive them. He must be thinking of ways to resolve this too."Let me report thi
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 820
They discussed the plan together until the evening. When it was time for dinner, Daniel and Caleb also arrived.“Perfect timing!” The South Regent immediately greeted them.Daniel was surprised. “What a coincidence. You're all here too?”“Yep,” the South Regent said. “We came to wish Lord Rivers a Happy New Year and discuss how to deal with Stephen. You should be here for the same thing, aren’t you?”Daniel and Caleb's families had been doing well before, but Stephen's arrival caused them to lose everything. They ended up being despised by everyone and finally had no choice but to leave Breeze City.They both nodded at the South Regent's words. They already had a grudge against Stephen. Just the fact that he imprisoned Ethan was enough for them to hate him, not to mention how he had thrown Breeze City into chaos.He even allowed the people to consume contaminated food, causing widespread illness with some even suffering permanent complications.In their eyes, Stephen was simply
The Guardian's Return Chapter 819
Boom! The men felt like they were struck by lightning. The fog in their brains instantly disappeared.“We can definitely do that!” Jason exclaimed. “Why didn't I think of that?”The South Regent muttered, “Instead of us providing proof, we force him to provide the evidence. However, he has no substantial evidence, so he has to keep making things up until all his lies are exposed. We go from being passive to being active because he has no idea what we're going to question!”They might not be familiar with Stephen and what he had done before, but they knew that he had been tortured by Ethan for many years.They could ask Stephen anything about the battles they fought and everything that Ethan had done for Riveria. There were plenty of things that Stephen and Simon had no idea about.If they tried to prove Stephen was not the one managing Riveria, Simon could just label their evidence as rumors.Instead, if they could make Simon and Stephen come up with lies full of weaknesses, Simo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 818
Jason frowned. Now, just hearing Stephen's name made him angry. Not only did Stephen fail his sister, but he was even starting to slander Ethan.Sensing the atmosphere, Hugo quickly said, “That was in the past. I'm not his psychologist anymore. I came here today to thank Mr. Rivers.”He looked at Ethan and fell to his knees on the ground.“Mr. Rivers.” Hugo lowered his head, saying sincerely, “Please forgive my past recklessness and ignorance. I really didn't know Stephen was hiding so much. I was wrong for helping him...”Now, he deeply regretted three things. The first was disrespecting Ethan in the past. The second was failing to protect Natalie, and the third was saving Stephen.“Hmph.” Jason snorted coldly. He could also tell that Hugo was a victim of Stephen’s. Everyone around Stephen would end up suffering.Ethan looked at him. “It's not too late to make amends. What do you plan to do next?”Hugo paused for a moment, thought about it, and said, “I'll go to the media and e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 817
Hugo waited until Natalie fell asleep before leaving the hospital ward with the South Regent. He said in a low voice, “Please take me to see Mr. Rivers.”From that moment onward, he also addressed Ethan as Mr. Rivers.Ethan did not only save his life but also Natalie’s. He would repay that debt with his life.“Are you sure?” the South Regent asked. “If you take Natalie and her grandfather back to Metropolis now, you can stay out of all of this.”Natalie’s grandfather’s health had also stabilized after treatment.If Hugo wished, he could take them back to Metropolis, where the medical treatments were better. Furthermore, Hugo had worked as a psychologist for many years and even treated Stephen, so he had saved up over a million dollars.If he managed his finances well, he would not become rich, but it was enough for Natalie to grow up safe and healthy and ensure that her grandfather retired peacefully.Hugo did not hesitate. “I’ve made up my mind.”He played a part in how things
The Guardian's Return Chapter 816
“Stephen has always lived in Riveria. He is the Grand Marshal’s sole mentee and the one who brought three years of peace to Riveria. Ethan is a corrupt criminal.”Scrolling further down, there was also an apology video from Stephen. He claimed that the statement was true and expressed regret that he caused an outcry and wasted public resources.Hugo fell completely silent after watching it.How could this be? Others might not know whether Stephen truly was the Grand Marshal’s mentee or not, but he did.Victor had told him about Ethan’s achievements. Even assassins feared Ethan. Stephen had also admitted in front of him who Ethan really was.Only Ethan could save Riveria.In the past, Hugo thought that Stephen was just being misled and used, which was why he wanted to help him.However, now, Stephen insisted that he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and that he was the one who had managed Riveria in the past.As a psychologist, Hugo could tell from Stephen’s expressions in the vide
The Guardian's Return Chapter 815
The doctors told Hugo what happened.“Back then, you had already lost too much blood. You’re lucky that there was a young man with the same blood type as you when you were brought in, so he gave you a transfusion. Then, our family head sent us to take care of you. If not for our excellent medical skills, you probably wouldn’t have woken up.”Hugo was confused. “Family head? Did Simon send you?”The two doctors suddenly froze, their expressions turning dark.“Watch what you say. Simon didn’t send us. Ugh!”They were so angry that they stopped the examination.Hugo was stunned at the sudden change in their attitude. They were not sent by Simon? Furthermore, why did they react so strongly to the mention of Simon’s name? If not Simon, who else could be the ‘family head’?“Who sent you?” Hugo asked in confusion.“We’re from the Ledger family,” the doctor said coldly. “Who’s Simon? We don’t know him. Don’t lump us in with that filth.”“Huh?” Hugo was still bewildered. “The Ledger fa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 814
Tyler frowned. “What happened?”“It’s about Riveria.” Nolan handed his phone to Tyler. “Simon and Stephen have completely lost all shame. I can’t believe they said something like this.”After reading the news, Tyler’s expression darkened. “Although I know they’re shameless, I still underestimated them.”In the past, they had slandered Ethan and stole his achievements. Now, after being exposed, they fabricated evidence and worked with headquarters to deceive the public.“Tyler, what should we do?” Nolan asked. “I can’t stand by while they slander Mr. Rivers like this.”Tyler said, “Let me think.”To them, Ethan was their savior. Without Ethan, the Spencers would never have made it out of Riveria alive. It was thanks to Ethan stepping in that they had a chance to start over.However, Simon was shamelessly going further to distort the truth and rewrite history. They could not watch this happen. The truth had to be exposed!A moment later, Tyler said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ri
The Guardian's Return Chapter 813
The netizens had mostly been deceived by the internet trolls.When they saw Simon and headquarters both speaking out, they fully believed that Stephen was innocent and that everything was part of Leo and Ethan’s schemes. Even the few who had firmly believed in Ethan began to doubt themselves.Online, the uproar gradually died down. At that moment, Simon took the next step! He had someone publish the recording of the gala and instructed the trolls to guide the audience in revisiting the highlights.With that, both he and Stephen were completely safe.When people reviewed the gala recording, it also boosted Riveria’s popularity. It was killing multiple birds with one stone!Simon did not rest. Instead, he took the official statement and the trending discussions online and headed to the jail to meet Leo.“Has he confessed yet?” Simon asked the staff.After Leo was imprisoned, he had been questioned who the mastermind behind this was.“No. He keeps saying there’s no mastermind.”S
The Guardian's Return Chapter 812
“Yeah. I’m from Breeze City. If Stephen is driven away by all your insults, what are we supposed to do?”“All this is part of Ethan’s scheme. He’s deliberately trying to frame Stephen!”This was the next phase of their attack. They accused everyone of being too extreme and then created a victim narrative to gain sympathy. Finally, they flipped the story. Stephen was the pure-hearted and selfless one while Ethan was the true villain!While the internet was being flooded with manipulated narratives, Simon was not idle either. He felt that fabricating transaction records and hiring internet trolls alone was not enough. Ne needed more fabricated evidence.Thus, he had several people in Riveria publicly claim that Stephen had been the one managing Riveria all along.Ethan Rivers? Never heard of him!After a day of work, Simon was drenched in sweat. He felt his heart pound as if it might leap out of his throat.After all, he had not rested properly for days because of the gala. Furthe
