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
Aria kicked the envoy straight from mid-air. With her long leg extended and foot pressing his wrist, her tone was cold. "You're quite the performer." Nobody could blame her mockery. Whether trained or not, Aria never wasted words or relied on borrowed power through talismans whenever she acted. Her eyes bore into his as she grabbed his collar. "Where's this beast you mentioned?" "B-Beast?" The Krowonian envoy froze, surprised she had believed his lie. However, they had indeed been followed by someone earlier. He had realized the gap between them. Blood dripped from his mouth as he spoke, "It escaped. Our people are still in pursuit of it. It went east." He hoped to distract her. But everyone knew Aria was not easily fooled. "East?" Aria's eyebrow raised as she slammed him hard against the ground. The danger to Sam had awakened something unknown within her. "If he went east, what are you hiding behind you?" With another strike, the envoy's face was nearly embedded in the g
Hearing this, the Krowonian envoy knew he could not hide anymore. He then moved to signal for help. Aria would not even let him use his poison needle, let alone call for reinforcements. She merely kept his face unbruised for photos as they needed records of these spies. The envoy thought she had dropped her guard since she was using her phone. Just as he nearly completed his signal, Aria struck his Frontal Acupoint. Instantly, the envoy collapsed. The others tried running, but Aria waved her right hand. Having released the southern barrier, she unleashed countless evil beings. They had nowhere to retreat. What was this Farshyan's background? Why was her magic so unorthodox? Why did these evil beings obey her? The Krowonian practitioners' eyes widened, but they could not outpace the surrounding spirits. With each step, spirits dragged them down as if saying, "You like earth-diving, don't you? Come join us underground!" Though both borrowed power, Aria's method differed compl
Back in the Clearwater Alley of Southbury, this young boy named Simon Barnes had been with a group of rough but decent kids. A man named David Simmons had stopped her and tried to teach her a lesson. Back then, Simon had stood silently in the corner. Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you the beast of fortune?" She had sensed his uniqueness even then. Simon was found in the same garbage heap as Sam, though Sam was slightly younger. One could not speak, and the other could not walk. Simon recognized Aria. Despite his poor light sensitivity, his intelligence remained striking. When he saw Aria, he simply greeted, "Boss." His voice was incredibly weak. He was drenched in cold sweat, and his white hair was plastered to his fair face. He looked oddly pitiful. Since he had called her boss, Aria could not ignore him. She examined his wounds by first pressing several acupoints. Then she noticed needle marks on his wrists and ankles. One arm even bore beast-binding chains, which
Simon wasn't so much obedient as overly clever. "I'd follow even if you refused, boss." Lately, his pursuers had multiplied. He did not want to trouble David and the others. Raising him and treating his leg was hard enough already. He didn't seek employment at Heartbound Hall for the promise of wealth, though that had been David's initial reason for bringing him there. But after days passed with no word from David, Simon ventured out in search of him.He had planned to trade with Aria, who surprisingly refused his blood. Anxiety showed on his face. Aria glanced at him. "Is something else bothering you?" "Uncle David's missing." Simon felt indebted for the first time. She had saved his life, yet he was here asking another favor. But who else could he turn to? "Dr. Carver, could you help find him?" Simon's eyes shimmered gold. "I'll do anything if you find him." Aria's memory proved remarkable. "Are you talking about David Simmons?" "Yes!" Simon finally showed emotion fitt
On the other hand, the elderly spirits admired Aria's style. Maybe it was because of age or zodiac signs, but other arcane practitioners always hesitated with enemies. Not only that, they would constantly call upon divine powers. The spirits hated it when practitioners summoned powers against them. Right now, they even had to watch these Krowonians who dared disturb their people's peace! They had not bitten them to death only because Aria said turning them in would count as merit. Usually, merit meant nothing to evil spirits. But they could brag about this particular merit in the Netherrealm forever, so it was worth it! Though the evil beings did not show it, Aria sensed their good mood. Wasting no time, she took Simon's hand. "Your proposal works. The one I'm searching for is essentially like you." She placed the glass marbles she had found earlier in his palm. "Sense his location." Clever as ever, Simon did not question her comment and just closed his eyes. They were surrou
Parents exchanged glances, and many of them were already frowning. Miguel couldn't figure out how his young mistress had shown up here. This would destroy his career! He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Who told you to come? Go home now!" Then he straightened up and called out loudly, "Ma'am, you've got the wrong person. Please take your child away." The artsy-looking woman started to realize there might be some misunderstanding. Normally, she wouldn't appear publicly in front of so many parents. Miguel had warned her that if she wanted a good life, she couldn't interfere with his career. But from the message she'd received today, she was clearly told that he wanted her to bring their son over. Being quick-witted, she tried to leave once she sensed something was wrong. She pulled the boy's hand.But a spoiled sixth-grader as he was, he wouldn't budge without getting what he wanted. "Dad, why are you pretending not to know me and Mom? Is it because of that old wo
Everyone turned to stare at Aria, their faces filled with disapproval. Eden caught some of the heat too; she wasn't looking so great in their eyes either. "She's so dumb to throw away such a golden opportunity." "She just doesn't get it. Her family's dirt poor, and everyone knows that." Aria heard the whispers around her. She stood her ground, eyes cool at the edges, but her expression never changed. She even let out a soft laugh. "Nice move, Mr. Sonder. A few words and everyone forgets your wrongdoings. Don't worry, though. I've brought you a special gift." As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. "It should be here any minute. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Ms. Carver." Miguel snorted. "I couldn't care less what your name is." In his anger, he'd completely forgotten about the scandal that had been the talk of Ludwiten lately. Aria made a small sound as she hung her helmet on the bike. "I figured since you and Mr. Draycott were so tight, you'd be keep
The way Aria looked at him made Miguel feel like she could see right through him. It really got under his skin. Miguel walked over, putting on his responsible educator act. "Ms. Bohmer, I heard about your situation. It's fine if you need more time to consider, but please have your friend move her vehicle. School grounds aren't for just anyone off the street to enter whenever they please." Eden started to object. But Aria let out a soft laugh, stepping in front of her. "You're Mr. Sonder, right?" Before coming, Aria had reviewed this principal's file. His rise to this position had been swift, with an impressive résumé showing no academic fraud. But Sam wasn't just anyone—he could dig up dirt nobody else could find. This principal valued his son above all else—a son born from an affair, no less. Miguel nodded with formality. "That's me." Aria's smile didn't fade. "No wonder you looked familiar. We must have crossed paths elsewhere. Your younger son is starting middle school thi
Miguel had worked so hard to climb out of being just another underpaid teacher. Most people would have been thrilled to land a principal job, but Miguel got greedy. He never cared about shaping young minds. As he often said, "It's just a paycheck. Only losers pass up money to preach about education." That mentality might fly in small towns, but in the big city, these kids wouldn't stand a chance based on merit alone. Miguel wasn't exactly looking down on his students—he just knew the situation in each class best. Students with or without local residency permits would face different college admissions standards. Rich families already had their children's overseas education lined up, so there was no sweat required. Even if they had bad grades, it wouldn't be a problem. They could still go abroad and buy themselves a fancy degree. Money talked, and that was the harsh reality. Miguel needed that Department of Education position to set his son up right. It was pretty ironic for a
Aria would definitely have the principal of Oakvale Academy detained eventually, but not now. The moment Miguel was in custody, the people pulling his strings would smell trouble. Based on past cases, they'd likely cut all connections immediately. All their carefully gathered leads could vanish in seconds. So Miguel needed to stay free for now and even remain in plain sight. Aria said, "Don't tell your principal about what happened today." She looked at Eden. "When you go back, just attend classes like how you normally do. If Mr. Sonder asks about you, tell him you're still thinking it over. "Show how nervous you are about this, but also hint that you're eager to go abroad. You're just not quite ready yet. "Don't tell anyone about our conversation. I've added you as a contact. If anything seems off, text me immediately. "Someone will be protecting you 24/7, and your family too. So don't be afraid." As she spoke, Aria stood up. "Let's go. I'll take you back to school. They
"I don't know what Judy meant by that," Eden said as she looked up. "She never talked like that before." "Got it," Aria said, zooming in on the photo. By looking at the brand of the chocolate drink and the surrounding buildings, she could nail down the exact location. Without hesitation, she sent it to Sam for analysis. Something about this "interview" smelled fishy. She had to see firsthand what kind of meeting would change a simple and positive girl like Judy. "About those selected applicants—do you know exactly who they were?" Aria dug deeper with her questions. Once she had names, she could connect the dots between the students. These patterns would reveal what the buyers were looking for. Human trafficking was a high-stakes criminal business, and Aria did not believe this was just about exploiting young girls. The bar incident had been her wake-up call. She needed the full picture before making her move. She would just spook them if she jumped in too soon. Their oper
Aria needed to identify all the "buyers". Missing even one buyer could mean one more student was sold. "Do the selected applicants have anything in common besides their family situations?" Aria asked, and Eden shook her head. But she then added, "Everyone had good grades, so nobody ever questioned why they were chosen for scholarships. Nothing seemed fishy about it." Aria made a mental note about the good grades, then scrolled through Judy's Facebook feed. This kind of investigation was pretty straightforward for her. Even without being accepted as a friend, she could hack in easily. From her posting habits, Judy seemed like an optimist. She was a nice girl who rarely posted anything negative. But one post made Aria scroll back and look twice. The post was cheerful, with a sunny photo and a cup of chocolate. But the text caught her attention. It read, "About to start my new life! All my hard work has paid off. The interview was kind of weird, but no big deal. Let's go!" Ar
The person on the other end of the call didn't speak. He just nodded with a pouty little face from behind a computer screen. It was actually Sam. He'd been working behind the scenes all along, especially when investigating the Wagner situation. Having him tail Philip was the least suspicious option. Simon was available too, but his presence would definitely attract unwanted attention as a beast of fortune. Since they were dealing with an arcane seeker, bringing Simon would be like handing them a treasure. So Aria made the call to have Sam follow Philip, while Simon stayed with Landon. Aria was not worried about her handsome fiancé being in danger. It was only because Simon would be safest with him. The Yorks carried heavenly fortune. As long as there was no fated ordeal in play, anyone who tried to harm Landon would likely meet a bad end. After all, that purple energy surrounding him wasn't just for show. With Simon staying near him, Simon could mask Landon's aura while also
"Yeah, that's right," the rest of the burly men chimed in. The whole scene was painfully forced and fake. In reality, they just wanted to leave. But Aria wasn't about to let them off so easily. She figured she would return the favor since they'd been asking about her. She asked, "Oh, so the Draycotts owe your company money? Which company is that?" Viggo had not expected this question. He froze momentarily, then quickly replied, "Our company is small, so it's not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to yours." "It's admirable how your company can sponsor students despite being a small one." Aria's compliment was delivered flatly. Viggo's scalp tingled with unease. "It's actually our investor. He doesn't just fund us but many companies. He came from a small town himself and wants to help these students get better learning conditions." "Now that's a rare and kind soul. I'd love to meet him sometime." Aria said casually, "Since we've had such a fortunate encounter, let's exc