"Shut up." Evander was still thinking about the tools he needed to start a fire.Benedict was still in pain but continued, "I don't mean evil. Don't you remember how afraid we were when we traveled back? It was barely an hour ago. They asked us so many questions and almost thought we were spies."She just came here and doesn't look a bit afraid, nor is she concerned about whether she can head back. She's going to pick herbs in the mountains and even ordered you guys around. Dude, can you wake up? This is a war, a part of history."It's not like we can change history. Why are we making such a huge deal out of it? It's nothing we need to care about. There is something wrong about that woman!"Evander couldn't take it anymore. He threw down what he was holding. "You're the one who has a few screws loose. Don't you think you look like a spy? I feel embarrassed enough not to be able to answer the questions just now."Dude, you're also a man. If you don't have the guts, then shut up. I
Astrid giggled. "Right. I also think you have quite a refined temperament. Miss, it was just a misunderstanding. There are only a few of us that came, but we'll do whatever you tell us to do."Aria glanced at her. "I told you to shut up and stop talking." Immediately, Astrid went silent.Aria's tactics could control those who were fearful of their own lives. She passed the knife in her hand to Evander. "Heat the blade until it turns red. Until I come back, you can help Ingrid.""Okay!" Evander didn't understand why he chose to follow her words despite her being younger than them. Aria then turned to Ingrid. "Believe in yourself. You can do it."Ingrid was not confident about her professional abilities. After all, she was still a student. Although she learned some clinical knowledge, she wasn't even placed on an internship yet. That was why she claimed she was a nursing student. However, Ingrid wanted to give it a try right now. What if she could save one martyr?Seeing Aria wa
Aria clenched the newspaper with a dark look. Barron had something he wanted to give her.When she entered the manifestation last time, she had mentioned to Barron she was from the future. Thus, the thing he referred to was most likely in the present world.However, Aria was puzzled why Warren didn't tell her that Barron left something for her. Although Warren had shown her some family heirlooms that included Barron's belongings, none of them were to be specifically handed to her.A thought suddenly popped up in Aria's mind. The Earthbound Manifestation might be related to Barron. Every item in the manifestation was there for a reason. Plus, the entrance of the Earthbound Manifestation was placed near Ian's villa. Ian had been under the ancestral's protection too.When she thought of that, she carefully put the newspaper away. Although the others didn't understand why she cherished a newspaper so much, they didn't dare to ask and continued on their work.Although there was no si
The strangest thing about Grief Peak was that one couldn't hear another's shout from the other end. The mountain only had electricity in 2017, yet some professional adventurers remained fearful of challenging it.Plus, the woods were filled with poisonous snakes, insects, leeches, black bears, and a persistent miasma that wouldn't fade. Thus, despite the numerous stories about Grief Peak, people were kept from going inside.The most famous tale about it was the Everett family's treasures. It was rumored that countless treasures of gold and silver were hidden underground in their house.There were even some weird-looking patterns in their courtyard, which might be the map to start the treasure hunt.However, none of these tales had been verified. The historical records were more credible, and archaeological findings suggested that this area was once home to a multi-ethnic kingdom known as the ancient Grief Kingdom. However, due to the terrain, it had been extremely difficult for a
When Landon entered the spot with the most spiritual energy, the crow perched on a branch and cawed twice.Their calls pierced through the mist and rang through the entire Grief Peak. It was as if telling all the unborn spirits that their true owner was back.The "king" that the evil beings referred to was pacing around anxiously."He's back? Is he really back? Did he say why he's back? Go and send him the wild yarrows in the mountain. Wait. I think he doesn't like yarrows…"The evil being who came to report saw through its king's panic and tried guessing, "Perhaps he just came back to take a look. Chaos is also here. You should know him."Of course, he knew Chaos! The latter almost devoured him back then!"Chaos likes to eat staghorns. Go and send everything we have to him. We can't let him go hungry."Although the king's requests were reasonable, none of the evil beings wanted to be in charge of sending it.A while later, another evil being came to report, "The lord seems to
Aria knew the situation was more complicated than it seemed. If Simon felt uneasy, it surely signified something bad. Although Aria didn't insist on going alone, someone had to send the herbs back.There were many injured soldiers waiting for the antibiotics, and some injuries couldn't afford to be delayed treatment. Plus, Aria couldn't disguise herself with all the herbs she had.After thinking for a moment, she took out her amethyst pendant.The twins immediately appeared. Angie still looked a bit scary despite her soft and respectful tone. "Ms. Carver, do you need our assistance?"After filling them in about the delivery of medicine, Abbie ducked behind Angie timidly. "Ms. Carver, I'm afraid we might not succeed. What if they're afraid of us?"Aria pinched their faces. "Go and find Xander. Tell him you're with me. Don't worry. A soldier like him wouldn't be afraid of you all. Didn't you say only those who did bad things would be afraid of you all?"Abbie clutched the package
Looking at Angie's disheveled spirit, Aria reached out to ruffle her hair. "I'll find him. Go with Abbie to deliver the herbs first."Although this is just an Earthbound Manifestation, everyone here is a heroic spirit. I'm sure you and Abbie want them to not have any regrets. Leave the rest to me. I'll find out who he is and bring him to you all."Angie's soul had been soothed. Although there was still resentment in her, the twins would listen to Aria unconditionally and treat it as the most important task. This was usually how spirit vassals reacted. While other souls might not be willing to be controlled, the twins allowed it as Aria had been taking care of them.If the twins couldn't do something as simple as delivering herbs, they would be useless to Aria. Thus, the twins exchanged glances and nodded obediently. In their true spirit form, they didn't have much strength, so they would often use their resentment to help.Albeit their obedient appearances, the twins were famou
Just as the twins wondered what to do, Xander thought for a moment before asking Benedict, "Where are they? Here?"Benedict suppressed his fear and replied, "A little bit further."Xander stretched his hands forward. Upon coming into contact with Angie, he could see the twins before him. Abbie was particularly looking at him shyly.Paggie once said ghosts didn't exist; only guilt would trick one into believing it. Growing up in the village, he had heard various stories from his household.However, Xander wasn't concerned about any kind of soul. All of them were Farshyans. Xander's sister would be about the same age as them if she were still alive. Since he arrived there, he rarely had any relatives visiting him.However, he would often dream of his sister, but he woke up to the sound of gunfire and bombs."Don't be scared. If you guys are hungry, I'll go and take a look to see if there is any canned food we managed to seize." Xander turned around.Angie didn't touch him, only
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
The three men Aria had knocked to the ground were hurting all over, yet she had the nerve to talk about following the law. Viggo knew his men were losing their cool. After all, they'd never been humiliated like this in Ludwiten before. He quickly moved to block them, forcing a smile. "Yes, you're absolutely right. "Well, they say you never really know someone until you trade a few punches. You look unfamiliar, though. You're not from Ludwiten, are you?" Viggo was fishing for information about Aria. He needed to know who she was and why their operation had suddenly derailed today. But someone as shrewd as Aria instantly caught his meaning, so she smirked. Since things had already escalated this far, it did not matter whether she revealed her identity or not. Whoever was behind these men would investigate her anyway. It was better to draw all the attention to herself now while her senior and the Public Integrity Task Force gathered evidence behind the scenes. That way, they cou
Viggo tried to explain, "You've got it all wrong—we don't mean any harm. We were just told to pick Ms. Bohmer up for paperwork. "Ms. Bohmer's a top student, and her school recommended her for study abroad. Just ask her if you don't believe me." Viggo shifted the spotlight to Eden. He figured a student like her wouldn't know how to speak up. Indeed, Eden was terrible at lying. Under Aria's watchful gaze, she nodded. She then added, "But something about them felt off. Maybe I was just being paranoid when I asked for your help." She couldn't very well tell this stranger that everything was based on a hunch, that these people gave her the creeps. They hadn't crossed any lines yet, but something felt wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on what. Eden struggled to explain, but Aria cut right to the chase. "So are you saying you need eight beefy men to escort a girl like her just to fill out some study abroad forms? Can't the teachers or the proper agencies handle it? "Looking
Hearing this, Viggo frowned. The burly men exchanged glances too as they sized up the person in front of them. They'd been in Ludwiten so long but had never met anyone as bold as Aria. They all figured that she must be some out-of-town wealthy heir who didn't know the rules here. She was practically asking for trouble when she blocked their way. These people didn't follow the stock market much. If they had, they'd know that a certain young lady had arrived in town not long ago. And she was someone who was good at dealing with those who crossed her. "You should ask around about who runs things here before acting so cocky. Since you like it here, stay right here with your bike!" As they spoke, one of them walked toward Aria aggressively, raising his arm to throw a punch. The rest moved in at the same time. But before the man could touch Aria, his hand was suddenly caught. Aria moved fast. With one leg braced against her motorcycle as a pivot point, she lunged forward and droppe