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
All the HOU officers looked at Aria, who smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bond, but I already have a mentor."Homer's dramatic demeanor faltered, replaced by a deep frown. His voice, tinged with a child's stubbornness, responded, "A mentor, you say? Your haphazard dismantling of the formation speaks otherwise. You barely grasp the Divine Laws! I question the existence of such a mentor!"Aria's fingers brushed the surface of her Charm Coin. "This isn't my passion. I merely recall snippets of what my mentor once shared."Homer deflated like a punctured balloon. "Do you really have a mentor?"His eyes snapped up with sudden intensity. "Where is he? I wish to challenge him to a debate!""I've been looking for him as well," Aria replied, her smile enigmatic. "When the time is right, you'll meet him."Homer still couldn't handle such a blow. "Give me a moment, my apprentice."This was his first encounter with the gnawing regret of lost potential."I'll return for you!" Homer vowed, h
Leon froze in the middle of his tirade as if struck by a bolt of lightning. His mouth opened and closed, yet no sound emerged, the words trapped in his throat. Landon's revelation echoed in his mind, "She's Rainbow, your sister."The screen displayed the scene where he had admonished Aria to be mindful of her words. Leon realized he had just rejected his own sister in front of a national audience.He gripped his hair in frustration, his usually composed visage cracking. His handsome features, often idolized, now appeared disheveled and human, a stark contrast to his public persona as a popular celebrity.Leon paced the room, his thoughts a chaotic storm. How could he have told Aria not to harbor feelings for him, dismissing her so thoughtlessly?Why hadn't Warren mentioned anything about Aria filming the show alongside him?Leon wanted to go to Aria but was uncertain how to face her after his careless behavior. He continued pacing around aimlessly, but his heart was bursting with
Lily scoffed at the notion that Aria could commune with spirits. Under Georgina's tutelage, Aria had merely scratched the surface of basic medical knowledge, leading Lily to think that Aria's supernatural ability was merely a farce. After all, if Aria had any real skill in the esoteric arts, she'd have demonstrated that back in Southbury. Lily was unconvinced by Aria's skills because she'd asked Marshall about them. Marshall was doing quite well in Janovin. Thanks to Lily, he'd gotten to oversee many construction projects.Marshall said on the phone, "You're saying Aria's skilled in some esoteric arts? Hardly. She failed every subject when she was at school. As if she'd be any good at that stuff!"Marshall's voice rose in disbelief. "Did you say that she's also here in Janovin? How dare she show up in front of you!"Marshall and Lily had transformed since their days in Southbury. Lily, especially, had ascended into the ranks of Janovin's elite society.In contrast, Marshall initi
Did Leon not fear the possibility of his biggest fans turning their backs on him?Leon didn't care about that. His fans could do as they pleased. Nothing mattered more than his sister.In the aftermath of his declaration, the atmosphere among his fans shifted. Someone released a series of images online, urging, "Look closely, Leon's fans. Don't let yourself be misled by those with dark intentions. Player No. 5 was the true star of the episode, wasn't she?""From start to finish, she held the narrative together. Without her, the truth would have stayed buried. She stands on her own merit, needing no borrowed fame.""You're right! As someone who isn't a fan of anyone, I gotta say that Yoyo seems suspicious. Why is she suddenly bringing Player No. 5 down through these ambiguous photos? Something doesn't seem right.""It's not just that. Her claims are so biased. We could all see that Player No. 5 carried everyone else in that show.""Player No. 5 spent a lot of time talking to that
"Everyone wants to meet Aria, but they're not exactly friendly about it," Keith reported honestly. "Some have seen her as a country bumpkin from the start and think she's not sophisticated enough for their socialite gatherings."Warren's expression darkened. "Yonah called me just now. While he sounded congratulatory, he was actually implying that Aria would embarrass herself at these banquets.""Aria doesn't try to ingratiate herself with them, so they're behaving this way," Warren mused, then suddenly had an idea. "Let that scheming York kid know about this.""Are you referring to Mr. Landon?" Keith asked cautiously.Warren nodded, frowning. Landon was set to marry Aria in a few years, and Warren wanted to ensure that Landon was genuinely committed to protecting her. Despite his many years of experience, Warren still found Landon difficult to read and wanted to be certain of his intentions.…After all the celebrities finished recording their statements, they were taken home by
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. "