After the old man said those words, the clouds outside began to churn, and the clear sky suddenly turned dark. People on the street quickened their pace to seek shelter from the rain. Only a black motorcycle cut through the fog like a blade, heading straight for its deepest part. As Aria tracked Sam's energy, she stopped near a roadside café. It was a circular outdoor plaza with lawns and food trucks. They were colorful and beautiful. But despite the pleasant scene, Aria could smell blood hidden beneath the tranquility. This was different from anything she had smelled before. No ordinary bloodshed would draw so many wandering spirits from all directions here. The blood was mixed with Sam's energy. Aria had never seen such chaotic energy so exposed in all these years. She rarely worried about anything, but this time, she pulled the black chain from her waist. To others, it looked like a thin decorative waist chain. However, the other end held the Emperor Coins. Its cold yet fl
Noir and Blanc had not even reacted when she created a barrier with just a wave of her hand. Despite their official positions, they were still spirits at their core. They could not break through barriers created by someone stronger. But they never expected to see such powerful magical formations in the modern world. They had found her suspicious since the last time they met. Who was this young woman, and where did she train? Why was she even more powerful than Homer when angered? All spirits were kept outside the plaza, including those evil beings trying to take advantage of the situation. In these circumstances, even Noir and Blanc would not dare breach the barrier despite their doubts. After all, this barrier helped them do their job. Still, Blanc was worried. "Should we report this to the lord? Is it safe to let her go alone?" "Of course not. But can you even break through that barrier?" Noir tested it. An old lady who had been walking by glanced at him again, shaking he
Smelling blood, Sam could not hold back anymore. He threw down his black bag and leaped onto the wall, breaking nearby branches. His behavior was no longer human-like. With his eyes narrowed and fixed on one spot, his body wreathed in black mist. That once-innocent face was now unrecognizable. As he lowered his head to sniff something, he could barely think straight. Aria had once told him to chat with their neighbor Edith like a human. She said to stop killing Edith's fish, or he would have to pay for them. During his first bath, Aria stood outside and gave him rubber ducks and bubbles to play with. Georgina had made him chocolate cupcakes and declared it was his birthday on that day. He remembered all this. He knew he should not be acting like this now, but he could not control it. The scent was intoxicating. Sam's eyes turned completely black. With another leap, he pinned down an evil being as his pupils fixed on something in the distance. The two men in black whom he had co
The two men in black exchanged glances before splashing the beast of fortune's blood forward. Chaos was known for its violence and bloodlust, so this was the perfect way to provoke it. Once it was fully transformed, people at Mount Dracotigris would arrive. Then they could quietly take the beast of fortune while half the arcane practitioners from Mount Dracotigris fell! As for Chaos... The more havoc it wreaked, the better. It would be best if it crushed Farshya's fortune! Sam was indeed provoked. Moments ago, he could still remember Aria's teachings—like how the fundamental difference between humans and animals was not eating what should not be eaten—how Sam was human, so he should walk properly and behave well. But now, his mind went blank with only one thought. He was starving. He wanted to eat and to devour everything. Sam threw back his head and roared. His eyes and legs transformed. Nearby, arcane practitioners in robes all stopped walking. They turned to look with swords
"Caw!" The crow swooped down from Landon's shoulder to the ground. "You Krowonian priests are truly wicked. You're actually trying to pin this on Chaos!" Eyes darkening, the crow declared, "Your lives are worthless now. Caw!" In ancient times, crows were sacred creatures with iridescent black feathers. They possessed one innate gift—their death omens never failed. Especially now when it took matters into its own talons. The men in black drew their final breaths without knowing their killer's identity. Their hopes of reporting back to the master were mere wishful thinking. Their last sight was of the man approaching Chaos, reaching out to press his hand against its head. Then darkness took them. Through the black mist, Landon pressed his palm down and looked at Sam. "How can she keep caring for you in this state?" Already showing signs of transforming into Chaos, Sam snapped at him with open jaws. Landon caught him one-handed. When their eyes met, his pupils suddenly dilated.
Sensing it hit the right note, the crow quickly continued, "She absolutely pays attention to you! She's even offering you devotion. She must adore you to give something so precious to you!" Landon's eyes flickered. "Is that so?" "Definitely! Think about it, my lord. Devotion is priceless to arcane practitioners. She needed deviation back when she first practiced, which is why she took you—" The crow cut itself off mid-sentence! Caw! Stupid beak! How could it speak of things better left unsaid? The crow froze. He looked nothing like a primordial beast and more like a fried chicken with its wings splayed in panic. Landon's elegant face remained unchanged as he waved away the surrounding energy. Even if arcane practitioners had come here, they would have found no trace of what had happened. His fortune could perfectly mask and suppress Chaos' violence. Just as the crow started to relax, it found its wings immobilized. Imagine how ridiculous a bird would look when it was stuck
This had to be reported. Preparation would be needed for possible beast sightings too. It had been unusually rainy in Janovin lately. Their team checked the northwest this morning. The Dragonlock was indeed broken, but the seal remained. Strangest of all, Pahana showed no signs of showing up. Before returning to Mount Dracotigris, Homer had told them he would head to Janovin after going back home to grab something. Meanwhile, they were to watch the outer seals and report any anomalies immediately. They had told him about the northwest situation too. The seals had been weakening everywhere for the past few years. It was expected, but this was the first time there was a problem with a seal so close to Janovin. Now, with beasts and foreign practitioners appearing, things seemed more complex. Why were these practitioners here? What drove them to risk exposure by using magic? Who made them act? With nothing left behind after the incident, they had no leads except for one black feath
The Krowonian practitioners thought Aria would instantly fall even if she noticed something, which would save them trouble. But before they could touch her, they heard a loud whooshing sound. As Aria's Dreamweaver hit the ground, an invisible force surged upward.With three strikes, all those men flew back a few feet! Each lay writhing from the whip's strike. She was not just some ordinary young woman or a random passerby—they had realized far too late! Aria moved gracefully and fiercely at incredible speed. While dodging those men, she sent Dreamweaver straight toward the center! The envoy could not react in time. By the time he tried to dodge, the wind from the whip had already cut his face. Usually, he would not need to reveal himself. The beast of fortune lay behind him, exhausted after a three-block chase. It was trapped in his manifestation too. Yet this young woman whom he had never seen before split his Earthbound Manifestation with a single crack of her whip! The prac
Landon cast a glance at Aria, curious about how much she actually knew about the stock market. She had always been modest about her knowledge, but he suspected there was more to her than she let on. The only one oblivious to Aria's true capabilities was Jett. Yet, he dared not refuse any request she made. Without hesitation, he tapped into his social circles, pulling strings where needed.Less than an hour later, Orion received word. A slow, chilling smile spread across his face. "So, the Grisham family wants to dip their hands into real estate too?"Arlo handed him a report. "Just as you predicted. It's not just real estate—Ms. Carver's making moves in the stock market as well. Fortunately, you already set a trap for Mr. Jett in advance."For the first time in days, Orion’s tension seemed to ease. A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Fine. Let them struggle their way in. I don't care how they do it, but make sure the Carver family is crushed in the stock market.""Understood." A
Jett asked, "What exactly are you after? There's no need to bring down the Draycott family so quickly. It's not like you can win. Didn't you join the Chamber of Commerce to take things slow? You just arrived in Ludwiten. Why the rush?""Am I in a rush?" Aria asked. She wasn't after the mastermind behind the Draycott family. If she were, she would've tied Orion to the financial building and let people take pictures all day—no need for mind games.The situation was too tangled, too many people involved. The Draycott family had managed to cover up something as blatant as that incident at the bar. Someone had to be cleaning up after them.Finding a few scapegoats would have been easy, but Aria wanted more. She wanted to uncover everyone who had spread rumors about Fiona in the past.And for some reason, despite their focus on the Grisham family, it felt like they were up against the Carvers. Whoever was behind this didn't want the Carvers to regain control of the Chamber of Commerce.
Jett grew more agitated as he spoke, waving his hands as if he wanted to tear Owen apart. Aria promptly stopped him. Otherwise, passersby might think he was an escaped patient from Ludwiten's mental asylum.Owen had done many foolish things, which Aria only discovered after arriving in Ludwiten and conducting her own investigation. Warren carried guilt toward Clyde because of Owen. And while Jett was normally timid, his words weren't wrong.When Owen first came to Ludwiten, he thought he could make it big, recklessly using the Grisham family's funds and resources. But he had been deceived by several people and lost everything.Not only was he foolish, but he was also malicious—leaving behind a disaster for the Grisham family to clean up. "Jett, calm down," Aria said. "I know Owen dragged the Grisham family down. He's already been punished and won't be coming out anytime soon."You and I both despise him, but let's stop dwelling on the past. He's not worth it."Jett had never
With Landon monitoring the stock market, Aria could walk right into Orion's trap. This way, Orion would let his guard down. When people felt confident, they invested more. Aria, well-versed in the stock market, understood this all too well. She had never intended to get rid of Lily. However, things were different this time. There was a limit to how much one could withstand another's viciousness. Aria doubted Lily could predict the market flawlessly—it was impossible, just as it was impossible for her to know everything.The logic was simple. If something fell outside one's area of expertise, even the most attentive observer would only grasp the outcome, not the details. Thinking it over, Aria realized Lily only knew about major events. The smaller ones seemed to escape her notice.If she put herself in Lily's shoes, it was like remembering which lottery would have a winner but not the exact numbers drawn.After all, no one knew when they would be reborn. The only way to acce
Malcolm did not know why Aria was asking, but he remembered the details clearly. "It was after that day." Aria tapped on the desk. "No wonder the Draycotts suddenly changed their market strategy. I get it now." What was she talking about? Before Malcolm could ask, Aria continued, "Some people are trying to cheat the system. Keep an eye on things, but stay safe. If anything happens, come to me first. "Like you said, they've got deep connections. Don't bother with the police—just keep the evidence." "Got it." Before hanging up, Malcolm asked, "Should we still watch the stock market?" Aria smirked. "Yes. They're not the only ones who can play dirty." Lily had probably been reborn too. But whatever Lily knew, Aria knew as well. She had never thought to use that knowledge this way before since it hadn't seemed necessary, but things were not the same now. If her dreams were real, then in her past life, Lily had only made it to Janovin. She had played the star medical student at
After being together all this time, Aria suddenly had a thought. Were she and Landon too distant from each other? No, "distant" was not quite the right word. It was more like they did not know each other well enough. Landon always felt just out of reach, like there was a fog between them. Simply put, he was not being straight with her. The thought left her feeling uneasy. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It must be news about the Draycotts. It had to be something big for them to call so urgently. Aria glanced at the pair. Landon smiled. "If you have questions, Jett, feel free to talk with my manager, Ms. Virelle." Manager? Seraphina caught on quickly. "Mr. Grisham, shall we step outside?" Jett was still trying to process everything. "Wait." Balancing business and personal matters as usual, Aria held her phone up and said, "I heard Ms. Virelle used to work at the Draycotts' club. Let's have a chat later." Seraphina froze, glancing at Landon. Seeing his bl
Seraphina could not let her mind go there. Maybe she should've stayed in Netherrealm for a few more years. It was not so bad down there anyway. Landon barely spared her a glance, keeping his eyes on Jett with polite interest. "Won't you sit, Jett?"Sit? Jett could barely remember why he had come in the first place. Landon's voice snapped him back. "I... Mr. York, excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with Ms. Virelle?""She works for me." Landon glanced at Seraphina. "Ms. Virelle? That's a new title."Jett stumbled over his words. "She works for you?""Yes," Landon said casually, like it was the most obvious thing. "Isn't it obvious?"Jett could not imagine the Yorks being in that kind of business. From Jett's expression alone, Landon could guess what kind of mess his people had made in Ludwiten. Since he had been dragged into it now, he figured he owed the Grishams an explanation. "I planted her in the Draycott family. The Yorks need a foothold in Ludwiten."So
Getting out of there wasn't going to be easy. Aria did not waste any time. She moved fast behind the suite divider, her laugh carrying a different note than usual. "What a shame."Landon's hand paused as he fixed her hair, his voice as smooth as ever. "I could have them leave.""Bad timing. My cousin's out there." Aria glanced at him, taking in that perfect collarbone of his. No wonder they used to call him the untouchable one, with all those socialites dying for just a smile.She had never given much thought to that kind of thing before. All those times working with patients, she had kept things strictly professional. But things felt different now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Her gorgeous fiancé had a way of making her lose her head.Landon pulled his hand back while looking down. "We should meet with your cousin. I hear the Grishams like to evaluate their in-laws.""Huh?" That had not crossed her mind. He did not seem like someone who would care about app
Aria felt something wild coming off him. It was not hatred, but something close. She was too caught up to figure out what it was. She had never felt anything like this before; it was like she was floating. Her eyes were open, but she could not focus. Even his breathing felt like an invasion, starting at her ear and spreading through her whole body. When his fingers pressed into her waist, instinct made her try to push him away. That was a bad move—it only made things more intense. He lit her up like a match, heat spreading from her neck downward till she had to tilt her head back just to breathe. It reminded her of that hazy dream, the one in which she had been caught between sleep and waking, her pulse racing and her skin on fire. But it did not feel exactly the same because what she was feeling now was real. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of the river through the massive windows. The view was blurry, but it was enough to remind her where she was. Unable t