"It's certainly been a long time since we last met in Mr. Carver Senior's office, Mr. Watson." Xavier was trying hard to ingratiate himself with Keith, who he didn't even deign to shake his hand. Keith acknowledged Xavier with a brief glance, but Xavier remained unfazed and continued the conversation. "And what brings you here, Mr. Watson?""I'm here to pick up Mr. Lowe," Keith explained, aware of what Aria wanted him to do. He walked past Xavier and directly addressed Abraham. "Mr. Lowe Senior, Mr. Carver Senior learned about your meeting with an old friend and asked me to pick you up and drive you to the Carver residence afterward. He's been eager to see you after he left Southbury."A hush fell over the room. Keith's respectful demeanor toward Abraham was a slap in the face to Xavier, who was visibly stunned.Oswald, who'd been going on about how Aria and Abraham were lying to make themselves look good, was now flushed scarlet. Keith would deal with Xavier later. For now, Osw
Even Lily, with her exceptional acupuncture skills, couldn't heal every illness. There were bound to be times when her diagnoses were inaccurate.Xavier suspected Abraham was exaggerating Aria's abilities to facilitate her transfer to the Academy. He couldn't resist a sarcastic quip. "While I appreciate your attempt to bolster a young doctor, Abraham, there's no need to let Aria take credit for your work just to help her out.""You think I'm letting her take the credit? Mr. Watson is right here. As if I can do that!" Abraham said righteously, looking at Lily, who was trying hard to stay unnoticed, "Lily was Salome's student. She should know who treated Mr. Carver Senior."Abraham hadn't wanted to cause trouble for Lily, so he'd remained silent when he saw her. However, every word out of Lily's mouth seemed designed to sabotage Aria and paint her as incompetent. He'd had enough.He said, "Aria is the most skilled doctor in Southbury. It's baffling that her vocational background lead
Just then, a sense of unease gnawed at Cameron. Unbeknownst to him, Lily, who he thought was innocent, had publicly shamed his grandfather.…Given Abraham's stature, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to engage further. Continuing the argument would be unbecoming.Lily was confident that Abraham wouldn't continue the dispute. As a respected figure in the medical field, he took pride in his knowledge and reputation, which she leveraged against him. However, she overlooked Aria's tenacity."So, you're implying you were forced into becoming Salome's student?" Aria smirked. "Lily, I'm offering you a chance to come clean. Otherwise, the whole of Janovin Medical University Academy will learn about your association with Salome's misdeeds."Aria popped a piece of candy into her mouth. "By then, the shame won't be confined to this room. Remember, everything's on the internet. It just takes someone determined to dig it up."Lily, who was crying, suddenly got choked up. She glared at Ari
If Lily's reputation were ruined today, it would be difficult for the Layne family to continue manipulating the situation.That was why Dominic stood out. He glanced at Keith before looking at Aria. "If the Kent family did help you, you should at least show some mercy. After all, you should exercise some compassion as a doctor. You can't ruin another doctor's career just because you saved Mr. Carver Senior."Aria was sharp. The information she had gathered allowed her to recognize him.Seeing the Layne family's sudden anxiety, Aria found it amusing. "Here I was, wondering who had dared speak up for Dr. Gunther's student. It's the Laynes."Dominic's expression turned grim. "You must speak with evidence, young lady.""Lily's mother has the same surname as you," Aria said lazily. "She's already in jail for bribery. Isn't she your distant relative? Mr. Layne, don't tell me you forgot."Dominic had never met such a difficult opponent before. He narrowed his eyes and shot back, "There
Lily had always portrayed herself as an orphan in the circle. It was her way to flaunt her talent. Even when Marshall, who she introduced as a distant relative, came to find her, she maintained this façade. Marshall even managed to secure a reputable job by using Lily's name.Lily cultivated an image of a humble and polite woman, evoking pity from those around her. After all, surviving in Janovin as a young woman wasn't easy. This act convinced some of the older scholars to consider helping her.However, the truth was far from what anyone suspected. The Layne family was secretly backing her. Now, fearing entanglement with the Gunther family, the Laynes discarded Lily like she was trash. The scholars exchanged silent glances and began to distance themselves from Lily. Salome was still under investigation in Southbury. Galen, once influential in Janovin, couldn't even leave his courtyard now. The storm was far from over. The authorities were still investigating the case.A corrupt
Xavier elaborated, "Aria needs to become a peacemaker to convince the Layne family to let her off the hook. Eventually, the Carver family will tire of being indebted to her. When that happens, she'll be in a difficult position!"The scholars found merit in Xavier's argument.A scholar remarked, "Well, we need to regard her highly now. After all, she should be quite skillful to be able to save Mr. Carver Senior."Xavier disagreed. "It's just luck."Compared to Aria, Xavier was more concerned about getting his hand on the "Needle's Codex" in Lily's possession.Acquiring the book would solidify his position. After all, he witnessed Lily's inexperience during the needle insertion.However, the chances of Xavier acquiring the "Needle's Codex" seemed slim. Perhaps the Layne family had already secured it.Lost in thought, Xavier furrowed his brows.…Meanwhile, Lily's face was ashen as she hurried back to the university.She had tried calling Dominic multiple times, but he didn't pi
"Even so, it's best to avoid mentioning her and that man," Lily replied. "Public opinion is what truly matters.""I know that. I'm just saying this because it's a phone call between us," Evelyn sighed. "Her company issued a PR statement to warn people not to defame her, but the rumors online are relentless."Some media outlets are still waiting outside the hospital, eager to know if she was pregnant since she was hospitalized for so long. Even worse is that my friend's image has always been innocent and pure. She needs something to clear her tarnished name," Evelyn said, standing up straight.Evelyn quickly added, "If you can solve this, I'll reward you handsomely!"Lily, though moved, remained modest. "There's no need for a reward. I'm just helping you because of how stressed you are over it lately.""Lily, you're truly my best friend." Evelyn blew kisses at the screen. "Honestly, do you have a gift for fortune-telling? Everything you predict always comes true."Lily replied cry
Samuel's anger flared upon hearing it was another young woman. "Another one?"Fury flared in Samuel's eyes as he gripped his cane. "I don't care how you do it, Dominic, but get someone working on the birth certificates. We need those doctors too. They're the ones most familiar with hospital procedures."Samuel glanced at Dominic. "The customer's been asking for new stock recently. Hurry up and handle it. Your brother will be back soon, and we can't be caught unprepared."Dominic nodded. "Okay. Dad, how is Moses doing?""No change," Samuel replied, his eyes glinting dangerously. "I have someone investigating this young lady with Will. When we find her, she'll pay!"Dominic was puzzled. "Didn't they say she was Will's niece?""We need to clarify that with the Wagners," Samuel said through gritted teeth. "Philip's vanished, and Kenny insists he heard she was Will's niece. But Will was raised in Janovin. How could he have relatives in Southbury?"Samuel tossed an envelope to Dominic
"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