The mother and son conspired to bring misfortune upon happy families. The old woman believed a daughter-in-law from a fortunate background would be ideal.There were no real demons, only the darkness that lurked within human hearts, twisting desires into temptations, which led to the manifestation. Only a single object remained with the Earthbound Manifestation shattered and vengeful spirits trapped within a Charm Coin by Aria. It was a simple candle jar, a customary offering to Gaia in times long past. However, this practice had become increasingly uncommon with waning faith in Gaia.Ever the pragmatist, Aria retrieved the jar, recognizing the value of even the most ordinary loot. As the remaining trapped spirits surged toward the surface, one among them cried out, searching for her daughter.Stepping forward, Aria inquired, "Is your daughter the seventh in line with the surname Carver?"The spirit, its consciousness fading, confirmed, "Yes, she was abducted. She wore a tiger ha
A lone candle jar on the east side of Daemon Grimlock's study exploded.His face contorted in shock, a stark contrast to his previous composure while studying the fortune. He stared at the shattered glass in disbelief. A violent cough erupted from his lungs, expelling blood as his blood pressure spiked.The commotion alerted the secretary outside, who attempted to enter. "Mr. Grimlock?""It's nothing!" Grasping his cane for support, Daemon clutched another candle jar tightly. His voice, aged by a decade in a mere moment, rasped, "Send someone to check on Owen. I need to know what he's doing right now.""Yes, sir!" The secretary promptly complied.A sinister glint flickered in Daemon's eyes.He struggled to understand what was happening. The Carver family's fortune, which he had painstakingly amassed, was inexplicably slipping away, trickling back to its rightful owners."Wait," he croaked, halting the secretary. "Ask Blake if Owen still trusts him implicitly, like before."Daem
The manager nodded."I've read about it in martial arts novels. It's pretty impressive!"Aria said calmly, "That man's robes are from Mount Dracotigris."Upon hearing this, the manager froze. "What do you mean?"She raised her chin and stated, "He's a real cultivator. Whoever kicks him out will be unlucky."The manager's jaw dropped. "No way, Ms. Carver…""Bring him back quickly. Cultivators aren't just in novels," Aria said casually. "Haven't you seen the videos online? There was even a recent cultivator conference.""What conference?" The manager jerked his head up, unsure if such fantastical things existed in reality."It's true," she said, showing him a page on her phone. "It was an academic conference. Judging by his attire, he likely holds a high position among cultivators."The manager immediately rushed to stop Homer from being ejected."Sir, I apologize for the misunderstanding!" the manager exclaimed hurriedly. "You're here for the cultivator conference, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Homer's eyes lit up. "Take me there quickly!"He was confident that this Mr. York was the apprentice he'd been searching for. However… "It's you?"Disappointment creased Homer's face as he stared at Landon in the posh hotel suite. "Why are you staying here instead of York Residence?"Aria watched the scene with amusement. When it came to York family gossip, most of it was true. For instance, Landon was blessed with such good fortune that even the esteemed wise sages of Mount Dracotigris were envious.Landon coughed awkwardly a few times, maintaining his composure. "Mr. Bond, it's been a while. You seem to be as vigorous as ever."Homer rolled his eyes and turned to Aria. "So this is the Mr. York who supposedly borrowed the fortune from the heavens?"She nodded. "He's practically Heaven's favored child. He has no need to borrow fortune at all," Homer said. "Mr. Bond, you exaggerated," Landon said with a chuckle, pouring Homer a cup of coffee.Then he glan
The ease of online exposure these days kept Homer, a recluse, hesitant to leave his mountain sanctuary.Even the Carver Group's PR department was caught off guard by the sudden publicity. Their hotel had skyrocketed to the top of trending topics, an unexpected stroke of good fortune that left them bewildered. Three of the top trending topics were all about their establishment!The most popular one read, "Shocking! I won the lottery! The wise sage's words are true! Hurry up and get a room!"Prior to this, the hotel's rating had dipped to a mediocre 4.3 stars. Worse, business conferences had dwindled at the ageing five-star establishment. Comments were rife with complaints about guests frequently falling ill during their stays, encountering rude and passive-aggressive staff, and experiencing inexplicable bad luck after their visits. Some even dismissed any chance of good fortune and accused Homer of being a fraud hired by the hotel for a publicity stunt.Learning of this, the hot
Mindy, ever understanding, offered, "Aria's drastic measures were likely intended to boost hotel business. Don't be too hard on her."Owen shook his head repeatedly, looking defeated. "She just returned, and Dad has already let her take over the hotel? It's too soon. I won't hold it against her as her father, but the hotel has many other shareholders to consider. "If things go south, I'm worried there will be trouble. Even though our family owns the biggest share, we can't ignore the other owners' opinions." His phone rang, interrupting him. "See, another stockholder calling, pressuring me to take back control."Mindy noticed the call and interjected, "Dad, other issues can wait, but public perception is crucial. If we don't address it, things will only spiral out of control and become even harder to manage."He acknowledged her point. "I just worry that if we hold Aria responsible, she'll become defensive.""Then you should apologize on her behalf," she replied instantly. "Not o
"Let's discuss this later, after we've resolved the issue. Get the press release ready quickly," Owen said before hanging up the phone.Mindy's eyes flashed with anger as she glared down the hallway from her room.When a nurse arrived, Mindy laid back down and reached for her phone.The social circle's group chat wasn't as lively as when Moses and Philip were around, but news about the hotel was still being discussed. Someone tagged her."Mindy, is this your family's hotel?""Why use such a bad marketing strategy? If I hadn't already been at your hotel, I would've believed it.""Who is the new person in charge? Tell Uncle Owen to fire them now. This is so humiliating!"Mindy couldn't contain her grin, but the answer she typed out was more modest. "Don't be so harsh. My sister just came back and isn't familiar with the market yet. It's understandable that she might make some mistakes."The group chat lit up with responses."Sister? You mean the one who just returned to the Carv
"You can't say that! Leon's stage performances are excellent. If you take a picture with him and upload it, it will become viral in minutes.""Well, the Carver family is viral now. Leon only cares about his biological sister and never cares about Mindy. Sooner or later, that bumpkin will take him down as well."Mindy, seeing this, said, "Kylie, it's no surprise Leon doesn't care about me. After all, I'm just someone the Carver family sponsored.""What do you mean just a sponsee? You were there for the Carvers when Mrs. Carver lost her mind. Who knows where they'd be now if it weren't for you? Now that this bumpkin has returned, the Carvers want to disown you, and she's even making the hotel ratings drop.""Kylie, Dad has always been kind to me. He's trying to mend things now. Let's not discuss Aria's situation anymore."Kylie Wagner was Philip's cousin. She had been close to Mindy since they were little. They were also schoolmates. Despite different courses, they were well-known o
"But he does look familiar." This was the first time Morwenna had such a feeling. It was as if the man from the York family was even more noble than her. Before him, she felt like a nobody. The idea of that provoked Morwenna. She was a deity from Krowo, so who was he to make her feel this way? "I think you should find a chance for me to meet that guy from the York family sometime." Morwenna met the old man's eyes. "The Yorks are the true noble family when it comes to protecting the nation. They've just been focused on commerce for the past century, which made us overlook them. The Yorks might be helpful to us." "I'll look into it." The old man glanced aside. "But why haven't you completed the tasks I assigned?" William stepped forward and said, "Sir, I came to bring good news. We've located the celestial essence you sensed earlier. Rest assured, we'll present it to you soon." "Good." This was the first time the old man showed satisfaction in days. "Before you bring it, inve
The child's fate was not merely at odds with his own—it actively threatened it. On that fateful day, the old man had been plagued by dreams from a distant past, visions long buried in the sands of time. It became clear that his unnatural existence, suspended between life and death as a half-human, half-ghost, was tethered to the very essence of that unborn child.A shadow crossed his eyes as he clenched his fists. "Perhaps I should have altered my perspective earlier. It's time to take a proper look at that child... the one I couldn't read, no matter how hard I tried."Morwenna's voice, filled with venom, cut through the silence. "The Carvers have always been a thorn in our side. They were a problem then, and they remain one now. We should've eliminated that woman before she could interfere."The old man shot her a sidelong glance. "You need to keep your presence hidden in Farshya. Stop drawing attention by appearing in their churches. I've told you before not to provoke the Farshya
Something had fallen to the ground, and a small shadow began to stir behind the curtains."She's not only hindering you but me as well," came a voice that sounded like that of a little girl. Yet, it carried an unsettling, unnatural tone, more akin to the mechanical chatter of those dolls."How could she return?" Behind the curtain, the shadow's long hair seemed to extend at an unnatural speed, growing longer by the second.The entire mansion was cloaked in an eerie atmosphere. The butler at the door stood trembling, yet William appeared almost euphoric as he bowed low and said reverently, "Morwenna, you've finally regained yourself!"The wooden doll named Morwenna let out a mocking laugh. "Regained myself? Is this what you call recovery?"The shadow behind the curtain trembled, and the lights overhead flickered ominously."We anticipated years ago that she would disrupt everything, that the Carver family's plans would crumble," Morwenna hissed. "And yet, you let her return!"A l
Furrowing his eyebrows, the old man moved his fingers as if counting something. "That's weird, then."It was the same issue as before—he couldn't predict anything about Aria. If she had some ties to Homer, he should at least catch a glimpse of it. At best, she would only be Homer's apprentice. Yet, she remained an enigma beyond his foresight, shielded from even his most refined techniques.If someone was backing her, how did they conceal her from his visions? And why?The recent downfall of the Daley family was equally perplexing. It had been executed so seamlessly that no one even noticed until it was too late. The Daleys had served the country well, earning enough merit to secure the higher-ups' protection. But despite this, they were wiped out overnight.This incident triggered a memory—the old man recalled an organization he had encountered in passing—the Special Missions Unit.The unit was not affiliated with any government, yet it was always a step ahead in hunting down spie
The old man glanced at William and spoke sharply. "What went wrong with the seal?"William bowed his head, unable to provide a clear answer. "The rumors about the Daley family emerged from nowhere. We tried to suppress the information while investigating the source, but all efforts were futile."Nobody knew who the Daley family had provoked, only knowing the higher-ups were the ones giving orders. Plus, the entire case was executed quickly and privately. It was as if someone was targeting the Daley family. "The case wasn't investigated using normal procedures at all. I can't reach out to the Daley family without risking exposure. I'm afraid someone might recognize me. "If I'm identified, all our hard work over the years will unravel. And now, the matter has already been brought to light online, putting us in a precarious position."They had used a lot of energy and time to ensure their plan was executed perfectly. Their actions had gone unnoticed for the past few years. Howeve
Sam had always been by Aria's side during her bouts of self-doubt. That was why she had always prayed that Tobias' ominous prediction would never come true.Before he vanished, Tobias had warned her that if Chaos reemerged, it would wreak havoc across the world. And when that moment arrived, Aria would need to steel herself and eliminate it.But Aria disagreed. To her, Sam was like family. He would happily carry out her every request as long as he was rewarded with a bit of food. How could such an earnest and loyal companion be a threat?Sam was undoubtedly righteous, just somewhat slow to react. How could he possibly bring chaos to the world?Aria could only dismiss the grim rumors as baseless. Either that or Sam had been misled by someone else.Pahana had once told her that Sam had a previous master. He was still young then and couldn't yet distinguish right from wrong. It must have been that previous master who failed to teach him properly.The notion that Sam could be a dange
It was a rare, honorable opportunity. If Pahana's worthless father could witness him now, he'd surely regret abandoning him and his mother.Pahana understood Aria could have chosen not to give him the merits. She could have chosen to continue enslaving him like the other fortune tellers. Yet, she chose to honor her promise, compensating him for his efforts.If all humans kept their promises like Aria, creatures like Pahana wouldn't harbor such deep hatred that they'd want to devour them.Approaching Aria, Pahana was ready to repay her generosity by renewing the blood pact. However, Aria stopped him. She wasn't interested in complicating things further. Who knew where she'd be a century from now? There was no point in binding herself to a lizard—especially when the river was so polluted.Her eyes darkened. "No need. Just stop eating humans and keep an eye on the river. You saw how I handled things. If you don't want to end up as grilled lizard meat, behave.""Ms. Carver, don't worr
With a thud, Pahana fell flat on the ground. He was utterly speechless. Why did Aria suddenly lash out at him?Aria regarded him with a calm yet piercing gaze. "You had a sly look on your face just now. What were you scheming?"Pahana was still far from being fully obedient. Since she had taken him in, it fell upon Aria to teach him the proper order.Pahana blinked, bewildered. This was simply how he looked—Aria couldn't blame him for appearing sly just because of his natural features."I'm merely admiring your skill," he ventured carefully, trying to appease her. "Your mastery of the Decatorian way is impressive." He was referring to how she used Landon's heavenly fortune to sever the binding contract.Aria could sense the subtle disloyalty within Pahana. Cunning was second nature to lizards like him, but with a contract binding them, it was of little concern to her. She glanced down at Pahana, who was sprawled at her feet and spoke coolly, "That's not all I'm good at. I'm also
Back then, those fortune tellers were blind to Landon's true identity and insisted on sealing him away underground. Landon must be seeking revenge for what happened back then.That explained his pursuit of Aria.To Pahana, Aria was an enigma. Her skills were average, yet she possessed undeniable talent and a unique approach that defied the traditional Decatorian methods he knew.Fortune tellers were rarely bound by the conventional, their minds trained to think in ways others could not fathom. Pahana could also feel the hidden strength within Aria, a power she kept buried deep.Landon must have noticed that and sought to consume her soul.Yet Pahana found no trace of a binding contract between Landon and Aria.There were rumors, however, that Landon had once made a pact with a woman who was as infamous as she was beautiful. She was a woman of no redeeming qualities, a heartless temptress who reveled in tormenting others. Her disrespect for people was unmatched, yet Landon had