Only then did Landon look at Cooper. His exquisitely handsome face stood out against the dilapidated hospital. "How did you escape if the criminal was as evil as you'd said?"Lysander thought that Landon had a point. "The manifestation hasn't been dismantled yet. Why is it that you can go anywhere as you please?"Could this guy be another man favored by the heavens? Were there really so many of them?Lysander, who hadn't seen much of the outside world, went with his instinct to call for Homer. Homer had no time to pay Lysander any attention. He quickly dashed toward the second floor, where the densest concentration of vengeful energy awaited.Upon noticing that, Cooper attempted to run away again. However, Landon stopped him. "Which room is the criminal in? Lead the way.""There's a murderer inside the room!" Cooper was flabbergasted. Did Landon not understand human language?Landon said, "And that's who we're looking for.""What do you mean?" Cooper paled instantly.Landon s
Your fortune." Aria put a hand on the stair rail behind Landon and kissed the corner of his lips.They looked perfect together, and Landon gladly let Aria kiss him. They were both beautiful, albeit in different ways—his regal coldness and her devilish allure made for a pleasing sight.This was what Lysander saw when he came here to apprehend Carlos. His eyes were wide open—he didn't expect the man favored by the heavens to use his fortune in this manner. Shocked, Lysander exclaimed, "Mr. Bond!""Stop yelling. Take good care of Landon." Homer was busy thinking about how he should dismantle this manifestation. "Make sure the evil spirits don't get close to him."Lysander yelled, "What if one of them is kissing him?"Kissing? Homer had found Lana and was about to perform a spell when he heard Lysander's words, which led him to doubt himself. Did he target the wrong person? Was there a more powerful evil being downstairs? Who would dare to kiss Landon, of all people?While Ho
Aria took the Charm Coin back. Purple energy swirled in her palm. "Some parents only want sons but not daughters. To them, daughters can be sold or abandoned as they please. A father would even push his daughters down the stairs because the woman they had an affair with said she wouldn't get together with him unless his two children died."If the Divine Laws are genuinely effective, the gods should see what's unfolding with their own eyes instead of incessantly dictating laws for the mortal world. The sisters only want justice. They shouldn't be called evil spirits. Who do you think has committed evil, Mr. Bond?"The white-haired Homer was rooted on the spot, seemingly deep in thought. If someone could slash open the doors to Heaven with a sword, then it was possible to thoroughly understand the Divine Laws overnight.Homer didn't go downstairs and merely sat on the floor. With that, he'd basically given Aria an answer.…At the same time, Carlos opened his eyes. When he saw two s
The emerald pendant was forged in the image of Maelis, the goddess of mercy. The pendant unleashed a blistering light that seared the twins. They felt as though they had been cast into a vast inferno, the searing heat causing them to instinctively cover their faces with their hands.Aria was faster. She seized Carlos by the scruff of his neck and yanked sharply on his pendant."You refuse to regret your wrongdoings." Aria put her hands around his neck, her gaze dark. Carlos' face turned purple as his feet lifted off the ground. It looked as though he was on the brink of death. He knew that Aria was really serious about killing him, and so he said fearfully, "I'm sorry, I—""Too late." As Aria uttered those two words, the cloud of vengefulness in the corridor became more potent.Suddenly, a young girl's voice could be heard. "Let it be, Aria."Aria loosened her grip and looked down, only to see a young girl pulling on the hem of her shirt. "If you kill him, you'll end up going to
Lysander said, "A word of advice, seeing that you're a fellow practitioner. If you always carry spirits with you, you'll be impacted as well.""I'm not a practitioner," Aria said as she dragged Carlos out of the dark corridor.She intended to fulfill the twins' final wish, ensure Carlos faced legal consequences, and use edited footage from the variety show to reveal the truth.Lysander hesitated before jogging after her. "Are you serious? You're a natural! It's a waste not to harness your potential!"He continued, "This is the first time I've seen a spirit willingly choose a human as its master. Also, isn't that a wraithling on your shoulder? Why didn't it hurt you? Hello?"Aria didn't want to answer his question, so she prodded on his acupoints to shut him up.Lysander was amazed. He planned to tell Homer about meeting an acupuncture expert. …Landon was right outside. He knew what Aria had done but did nothing to stop her. He was managing the aftermath, preparing explanation
Just as Leon was about to say something, a group of reporters swarmed toward him, asking, "All the other guests told us that they witnessed some phenomena they had no scientific explanation for. What can you tell us about this?""The screen faded to black several times during the filming. What happened?"After that, the reporters flocked toward somewhere behind Leon, seeming to have set their sights on a more valuable target."Player No. 5, congratulations on winning Best Player this episode. You did amazing!""You tackled all those riddles so efficiently, and you were so accurate!""Do the twins really exist? The NPC actress seemed out of sorts.""All the other guests were spooked. I heard that arcane seekers from Mount Dracotigris have also come here. Is this true?"The cameras weren't just pointed toward Aria but also Landon, who gave the reporters a sweeping glance. "All of you—" he started."Compared to other rumors, shouldn't you focus on the truth?" Aria fiddled with her
Homer rose from his seat, deep in thought. Lysander said in shock, "Mr. Bond, that's… That's—""The Grand Pilgrimage," Homer interjected, a sudden smile lighting his face as he glanced downstairs. "The malevolent spirits have been transformed into holy ones capable of saving humanity in crucial moments. Excellent, excellent! This apprentice of mine is truly a prodigy in the arcane arts, as expected!"Lysander, still confused, responded, "Your apprentice? But she said she isn't a practitioner, Mr. Bond."Homer paid no heed to that. If he were determined to make someone his apprentice, nothing would stand in his way.…To maintain order, the HOU had already asked the reporters to leave.The celebrities, who had been revived by the chilly wind, began waking up one by one. As soon as Lulu opened her eyes, she grabbed her assistant's arm. "Issue a statement denying my abortion and make it public. Do whatever it takes, no matter the cost."The assistant hesitated. "The show was alread
Lily's mind whirled. This couldn't be the end. She decided to call Evelyn to confirm everything. Lily then dialed Evelyn's number but was met with the disheartening sound of a signal tone—Evelyn's phone was off.…Meanwhile, Evelyn was still reeling from the shock of the day's events. She glanced at Lulu, who was verging on hysteria and regretted ever participating in the show. She had tried to tell everyone that the ghosts were real and that Aria could genuinely communicate with them, but no one believed her.The crew insisted that everything was scripted; they had to maintain this narrative, or the show would be done for. Anthony and Chandler trembled whenever they saw Aria, and Evelyn was no exception. Beside her was Helen, who had a coat draped around her shoulders. She looked pale when the HOU came over to ask her some questions.Just when they thought everything was over, they were faced with the prospect of further interrogation.Aria spotted Chandler. Her lips parted i
Everyone in the café had been enjoying their afternoon tea when they heard the commotion. They turned to look. "Where's the server?" Nisa called out. These rich ladies were all regulars who paid hefty annual membership fees. At their summons, the manager appeared with a smile before any server could respond. "Mrs. Guetta, how may I help you?" "Jonah, perfect timing. I was wondering when this place started letting country bumpkins like her in," Nisa said, her gaze sweeping over Lily. Without hesitation, Jonah Marx kicked Lily out. At that same moment, Aria arrived for their appointment. Traffic had been terrible. She had only agreed to meet Nisa because she needed to uncover something important. In her dreams, there was still one voice that hadn't appeared. The owner of that voice had harmed her mother, Fiona. She would never feel at peace until she dug out the person behind it. Aria was never worried about threats from others. For instance, she knew about Lily's wild accu
Dorian was grinning from ear to ear, showing none of the dignity expected from someone of a prominent family. He had less class than a common street hustler. The members of the Chamber of Commerce had good reason to look down on him. Dorian didn't believe that Neval, who was addicted to gambling, wouldn't return to the country for at least ten years. Once they took down the Grisham family, he'd be calling all the shots in the Chamber of Commerce! Dorian truly took after Magdalene in this aspect. The latter embodied all the worst traits of her generation—a twisted mindset and was always scheming something. Also, she was arrogant and had a superiority complex. Magdalene didn't want Neval to return, which explained why she'd readily given him money. She thought that Waymond would soon be arrested. Then, the Grisham family would go from riding high to crashing and burning, and Aria would pay the price. These were already set in stone! The prominent families' joint effort to targe
In the Fitzroy family, only Neval saw things clearly, despite being a screw-up. Everyone else was blinded by their own arrogance. Laura, of course, never saw it that way. Perhaps too much time had passed, which made her forget how she had married into the Grisham family in the first place. She had also forgotten what it meant to be grateful. Without the Fitzroy family's involvement, Orion's long-standing attempts to sabotage Waymond would have failed. This had been an unspoken secret between the two families for years. Magdalene had always been the head of the Fitzroy family. The best thing about her younger son, Dorian Fitzroy, was that he would always follow her orders. Neval wasn't her biological son, but Dorian was. As a child born in her later years, Dorian was showered with love. Now, he sat at the meeting place where several families had agreed to gather. "How do you plan to deal with Aria?" The Guettas were the ones who had organized this meeting. They used to keep
Magdalene said, "In the past, our family had helped the Grishams to survive. But now..." She took a sip of her tea. "They're digging their own grave, and we can't help them anymore." Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in. When Magdalene saw him, her brows immediately furrowed. Her eldest son, Neval Fitzroy, was her least favorite child. He had brought nothing but shame to the Fitzroys. If he hadn't developed a gambling addiction, the Fitzroy family wouldn't have fallen this far. She asked, "What are you doing here?" Neval rubbed his hands together and snickered. "Mom, I'm a little short on cash lately. I mainly came because I missed you, but I'm also here to ask for a little money." Before Magdalene could respond, Laura stood up. "Neval, Mom just gave you 20 million last month. You shouldn't have spent it so quickly." Magdalene had been in a good mood, but now her face darkened. "Did I raise you to leech off me? How could 20 million dollars be gone so
Orion slammed his fist hard on the table. He'd been played by someone who looked like nothing more than a trust fund kid. Yet he had no choice but to let Aria manipulate him. Because no matter what he said, someone would show up to "take care of" him. At this point, he could only make everything look like a simple financial crime in order to protect himself. Aria had calculated this perfectly and planned accordingly. Even now, most people saw Aria as just some young hotshot who made money but didn't understand the bigger picture. They thought because she came from a small town, she was naïve enough to believe taking down the Draycott family would solve everything. In reality, she would be dragging herself down as well. Unless she didn't plan to stay in Ludwiten at all! Most people who thought this way were driven by pride and jealousy. They wouldn't admit they wished they were in Aria's shoes. The Carvers had raked in so much money from the stock market this time around. The
"Yes, I'm sure," Gabe said, having checked everything carefully. The old man thought for a moment. "Find a way and get someone else to tell Orion what he should and shouldn't say. If he's smart enough, he should understand." "Alright." Gabe pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry; everything will be handled." The old man's eyes were deep and calculating. "To achieve great things, some people must be sacrificed. If necessary, offer the Draycott family some benefits. Go take care of the Bellebrook situation." Gabe chuckled. "They're just some greedy, low-class people. They only succeeded because of you, yet they always think they made it on their own." "Gabe, mind your words." The old man had a kind face. Looking at him, one would think he cared for all people. Judging from his simple lifestyle, he did not seem like someone who would do bad things at all. Even the cup he used was bought from the supermarket for just over ten dollars. "Go now. As I've always said, anyone can l
Aria's question made Orion freeze right away. The scholarship program was his secret lifeline. He simply couldn't figure out how she knew so many details about everything! "You've been setting me up in the stock market all this time. How did you also find out about the scholarship program?" Orion felt genuinely scared now—everyone had really underestimated Aria. When had she done all this research? She'd dug deeper than he ever imagined. The scariest part was that neither he nor that person had noticed anything. They all thought she was just helping the Carver family restore their former glory. Keeping the Chamber of Commerce out of the Carver family's hands was that person's strict order. That was why the Draycotts had climbed so quickly within the organization over the years. They all assumed Aria had come to Ludwiten to target the Chamber. But now... Orion looked up again. "The scholarship program is weird business. I only handled recruitment. I don't know where those peop
Orion said, "I don't know much, honestly." He looked at Aria with hesitation, as if he was afraid to name that person. He made a gesture instead. "That person is the lieutenant governor of Ludwiten, who has many achievements to his name. "If you're brave enough to investigate, I can tell you about the deals I handled. But I don't know about the rest." Aria raised an eyebrow. Her expression said everything—she had already kidnapped him, so did he seriously think she would be afraid to investigate this further? Orion took a deep breath. "I just handle the money. That person wants something bigger—he wants to make history, but he's been in poor health lately. He needs me to keep certain people in line, but I can't give you details since I really don't have proof." "Which people does he control? And how does he do it?" Aria asked casually. Orion glanced upward, his eyes slowly losing focus. "I have no idea which people." "Mr. Draycott, I thought you would have learned by now.
"Who the hell are you?" Orion shouted as he couldn't hold back anymore. He gripped the armrests hard, almost jumping out of his chair. But Aria barely glanced his way. "I brought you here, didn't I? Who do you think I am?""Y-You're..." Orion remembered a rumor from a business dinner about a Special Missions Unit that operated outside normal chains of command. They could investigate anyone without going through regular channels.Their authority even topped the Regular Missions Unit. Orion had laughed it off back then. Every group had to answer to someone higher up, so there couldn't be a unit with that kind of freedom. In Ludwiten, everyone answered to that one big shot. But now he realized such a thing actually existed!Orion's face turned ghostly pale. "Are you… a part of the Special Missions Unit?"Only that could explain everything! With all her digging and investigating, that person would have noticed what she had been doing. But Orion did not understand something. "