Finally, Silas revealed his request. Dragos was beyond the reach of society, and had survived on its own with its own clan laws away from the rest of the world. They never caused trouble to anyone… but that didn't mean they could have peace. The dragon's saliva was their clan treasure which blessed their land, but its rarity and value had brought them a lot of danger. Over the years, the number of greedy people that tried to attack the village had increased, each more scheming than the other. It was clear that the dragon's saliva brought them more trouble than blessings, so the villagers of Dragos had to find something to protect them if they wanted to survive. Silas had been worried sick about such things until he met Stefan. Although Stefan was rude, he was different from the others who had come to the village. Silas could tell he was a refined person, and that had given Silas hope. On that day, the guards at the memorial chamber had caught Stefan, tied him up, and left him in the
Hence, the negotiation helped both parties reach a compromise, and they were no longer at odds with each other.Silas fished out a contract, and both Quinton and Xavier put their thumbprints on it. It meant that they would cooperate to protect Dragos and help the ancient village thrive. "Okay, we've agreed to your request. Can you let him go now?" Xavier asked impatiently as he wiped away the red ink on his thumb."Gentlemen, come with me." Silas led Xavier and Quinton to the memorial chamber, the most sacred place in the village. Generally, only men of the village could enter it, and outsiders could not approach it, but an exception was made for Xavier and Quinton since Stefan was locked up in the innermost part of the memorial chamber."Ugh… This place is so strange!" When Xavier entered the memorial chamber, he saw the large stalactite statues using the dim lamp Silas had given them, and marveled at the extraordinary craftsmanship of nature. It amazed Quinton too. "I've seen
"He escaped?" Xavier was initially confused, but when he walked over to where Quinton was standing and looked up, he saw an air vent around seven meters above the ground in the dark room. It was about the size of a well, and though it was quite small, an agile person might be able to escape through it. Additionally, there were some footprints on the wall."Those look like Stefan's!" Xavier observed the footprints, realizing they were from a pair of hiking shoes Stefan had worn before leaving home."He escaped from here?" Silas looked up at the narrow air vent incredulously. "No, it can't be. This air vent is so small, and it'd be hard for someone to crawl out of it. Plus... it's a straight cliff beyond this passage without anything to lean onto. If anyone tried escaping, they'd surely fall to their death!" "What... What did you say?" Xavier's eyes grew wide, and he quickly crawled into the passage and punched open the iron grill on the air vent. Dim light entered the room, making i
"We don't know what happened, and there's no point in fighting. We need to find him first!" Quinton sighed. "Nothing's confirmed yet. I was supposed to die at sea back then, but I'm standing here in front of you, aren't I?"Xavier glared at him, but gradually calmed down. "You're right, nobody knows what happened to him. He's an amazing person, so I'm sure he's fine!"After he had calmed down, he discussed the situation with Quinton and the villagers, and they started looking for Stefan around the mountains. They must see him even if he was dead. If not, it meant that there was a chance that he was still alive.-A week had passed.Renee took the medicine on time every day in Beach City. She was getting better, and could now get out of bed on her own and eat. She could even walk up and down the stairs. Owen gave her a check-up and smiled happily. "It's good news, Ms. Everheart! Your body mass index is back to normal. If everything goes smoothly, you won't even have to take the m
Both Leia and Renee walked to the back garden, where the warm sunlight and fragrance of flowers seemed to make the world a better place.Leia finally decided to bring up Stefan when she saw Renee so gloomy. "Don't worry, Ren. They're probably not back yet because that place is far away. Since we haven't heard anything yet, it's probably good news. Plus, Stefan isn't an ordinary man, and Quinton and that dog Xavier have gone to help him. I'm sure they're fine.""I know... I know they'll be fine." Renee nodded and forced a smile. "I just feel like… the weather's so nice, and the flowers will wilt if he doesn't come back soon. It'll be a waste of good time.""It's okay. Flowers will blossom again even if they wilt. It's fine as long as you're happy and healthy when you welcome him home," Leia said brightly, hoping to cheer Renee up. She felt bad because Renee was sulky all the time. "Are you worried about Xavier?" Renee asked curiously."Why should I be worried about a dog?" Leia sc
Renee chuckled. "Of course I'm happy to have you with me. I don't find you annoying. I just feel that you guys have been taking care of me all the time like I'm a baby, and it made me rely on you. I don't want to keep on being like this. It's time for me to face the world alone." "What did you say? What nonsense is that?" Leia asked anxiously, frightened by Renee's words. Both Stefan and Quinton were not around, so Leia was responsible for taking care of Renee. What if something happened to Renee, or she became even more unhappy? If that happened, Stefan and the others might hack Leia into pieces, and she might even kill herself."Do you remember the last time I left Everheart Manor?" Renee asked Leia vaguely."Let me think about it..." Leia frowned contemplatively, and realized that it had been a very long time since Renee had gone out. "It was probably the time when Shirley's fans attacked us, but that wasn't your fault. I was careless, and it gave them the opportunity to attack
"Ah... it's not a good idea to go out now. Why don't you wait a little?" Leia suggested hesitantly, but in actuality, she couldn't say no to Renee when she asked her something so coquettishly. After a while, she agreed."I heard that Miss Band is coming to Beach City for a performance at Hill Pub. Let's go check it out!" Renee said excitedly, sounding like she had just been released from prison. Miss Band was an old band from Eliwern, and it was the band she and Leia loved the most during their college days. It was an old band from Eliwern. Renee, Leia, and Liam formed a band because they idolized them, and they had then become a legend in BC University and gained a lot of fans. But a few years ago, Miss Band had disbanded, upsetting many of their fans. After being low-key for a few years, the band had now started going on tours around the world with its original members. It was such a rare chance, and Renee didn't want to miss it."Yes, we can go there but... Why don't we just watch
The pub was overcrowded, and everyone was eagerly waiting for Miss Band to appear. Leia and Renee wore dark punk clothes with large sunglasses and dreadlocks. They looked like cool young women who loved rock music."Ren, it's cramped and stuffy here. Why don't we go back?" Leia held Renee's hand firmly the whole time, and the noise nearly drowned her voice. "Okay, let's go in!" Renee didn't hear Leia. She looked happier than she had been for a long time. She kept feeling things around her as she moved through the crowd, trying to get closer to the stage. As she did so, she accidentally stepped on the foot of a young woman."Hey, what are you doing? Are you blind? You stepped on my foot!""I'm so sorry!" Renee kept nodding and apologizing. "Do you think saying sorry will help? Have you never watched a performance before? Why do you keep pushing me? What's the rush?" The lady's friend demanded as she chewed her gum, trying to seek justice for her friend. Leia bristled and immed
Sophia was somewhat disappointed. After all, both families were competing against each other explicitly and implicitly. They should have fought against each other long ago, but nothing ever happened.Fortunately, both families were safe. After all, the Hunt family was not an easy target. Even if the Baldwin family attacked them with the Tiger and Dragon, the Hunt family probably had a superior backup. For example, they might possess a more elite mercenary army or a regular army. "I don't want to make things worse…" Justin paused, feeling complicated. "At the very least, I don't want to do that before I get to the bottom of things. I don't want it to end up unsalvageable." He just wanted to ensure that Renee was safe and get an explanation from her. "I know you've gone easy on her. Are you afraid that things might get difficult for her?" Sophia patted his shoulders. "Just do what you want. Follow your heart. You have my support, regardless of the choice you make." During the en
After listening to Sophia's words, Justin began contemplating. He wondered if he had misunderstood things and if Phoenix was in danger. As he imagined various kinds of situations, anxiety surged in him. Justin flexed his fingers and said solemnly, "No, I have to go to Beach City right away!""Go ahead. I'll go with you. You can't go alone. After all, Beach City is the Hunt family's territory. We have to bring some manpower with us…" Sophia glanced at Francine and said secretly, "Go and ask your grandpa for an army. We're going with an army. Even if Stefan is arrogant, he can't do anything about us since the army will protect us.""Grandpa already gave me the most elite army. This is the token." Justin fished the token out to reassure Sophia."Oh my gosh!"Sophia's eyes lit up when she saw it."This is Tiger and Dragon! Your grandpa trained them. Although there's only a hundred people in this army, all of them are the best among the best. They won't pale in comparison to the me
"I guess." After a pause, Alexander said casually, "My father and his father were best friends, so our families were close when I was still young. Your father and I were close playmates during our childhood."In the past, Timothy and Maurice retired from the battlefield and went to Beach City. They started their businesses and families. Their business went well as they kept competing against each other, and both families were close.When Alexander was born, both families stopped getting so close. It might be because of their different interests or some other reason. Both Timothy and Maurice still got together during festivals, but the younger generation rarely had anything to do with each other. When Stefan came, the relationship between both families grew more distant. There was even some secret competition and conflicts of interest."Really?" Quinton's eyes lit up, and he became less fierce. He asked curiously, "What kind of a person was he? Did anything interesting happen durin
"Of course not!" Alexander slowly drank his coffee, then said sincerely to Jack, "To be honest, I secretly called my son last night and asked if he did it. He told me that he didn't know anything. Plus, he was having a meeting at the headquarters when that happened. Later, I asked the several shareholders who had attended the meeting that day. They told me my son was in the conference room that day and never left. How could he take her away?""Really?" Jack looked at Alexander doubtfully. "Is it possible that the shareholders conspired with your son to lie to you? Who could it be if not him?" Stefan was the only one who had the motive to do so. Besides, he was the only one who was capable of doing so. Other than him, they couldn't think of any other person. Besides, the makeup artist was an eyewitness."Hey, I told you he didn't. I know him the best. If he had taken her away, he wouldn't have kept it a secret like this. He would have announced it to the world." Alexander felt that
"Let go!""No, I won't!""If you don't, you'll regret it!""Just go ahead! I'm not afraid of you!"Justin could hear the fierce argument in the yard of the guest area from afar. When he entered the yard, he could see his mother fighting against Francine. Francine and Sophia were gripping each other's hair, refusing to let go. They kept increasing their force, adamant on not giving up. "Your son took my daughter-in-law away and openly said such a nasty thing! I must beat you up today!" Sophia gnashed her teeth and fiercely gripped Francine's hair. She was still furious because of the news. After thinking it through, she couldn't accept it. Hence, she ran to the guest room to vent her anger on Francine. After all, Stefan was Francine's son. It must be Francine's fault that Stefan was so awful. Since Sophia couldn't beat Stefan up at the moment, she decided to beat up Francine instead. Unexpectedly, Francine was not a pushover. From a young age, she was famous in the rich ci
"I…" After a pause, Justin shook his head. "I honestly don't know what I want to do now.""Do you hate her?" Austin asked. "No…" Justin looked gloomy. "I'll never hate her. I'm just disappointed in her. Why did she abandon me again?" Seeing his only grandson being so gloomy, Austin heaved a long sigh. "Calm down. I'll get people now to catch her. I must make her marry you.""No!" Justin shook his head. "I can't force her. She'll never forget Stefan. I just flattered myself and thought that I could change her. Served me right! Things got this way because of me.""You're always so kind. You don't act like my grandson." Given his past character, Austin would have scolded Justin fiercely. But for the first time, he saw how gloomy Justin was. He couldn't bring himself to be harsh. Besides, he wouldn't attack the Hunt family just to do Justin a favor. He wasn't keen on making too big a mess."I'm sorry, Grandpa," Justin apologized solemnly. "I know I've always let you and my fami
Justin appeared casual and open-minded, but he was in truth a proud man who struggled to accept his failures. He also rarely failed in his life. He always did his best in everything and rose to the top. His only two failures were when Renee defeated him.The first time was during the Global Hacker Championship. Someone named Phoenix defeated him for the first time. The second failure was when she abandoned him. Suddenly, Sophia snapped her fingers and patted Justin's shoulders. "Oh, I've come up with a good method! Wait and see! I'll avenge you."Justin became confused and anxious. He was not at all happy when he heard that, and hurriedly asked, "Mom, what are you going to do?""Leave it. I'll deal with it my way."Then, Sophia said to the servant at the door, "What are you waiting for? Come in and clean up the mess." The servant held her breath in fear to see Sophia holding a blade. She kept her head low as she entered the room to clean up the mess.Justin was frustrated.
"How outrageous! I can't take this! I'm flying to Beach City now to kill him!" Sophia wasn't joking. She was trying to find a knife to kill Stefan because of this mess."Where's the Red Blade your grandpa gave you? That thing is sharp! We can chop off people's heads with it. Give it to me now!"Justin stood behind her, unsure how to dissuade her. He was afraid she might hurt him accidentally, so he whispered, "You asked me to calm down, but what about you?" "Calm down?" Sophia turned to him, her face flushed from anger. "He's already humiliated us openly. It's useless to calm down!""We can't see that. It's just news."Justin tried to make her calm down, as he knew that she had a bad temper too. When he got angry, he would just destroy his things at home. However, things would get out of hand if his mother got livid and informed Austin about the issue. "Don't take my words seriously. The Hunt family is trying to declare war on us. They're going to fight us. How can we do noth
Some people felt that Stefan's reply was friendly, and that he didn't want to fight the Baldwin family. Some felt that Stefan's reply was a provocation for the Baldwin family. As the culprit, he claimed that he felt sorry for them. It was a great humiliation for the Baldwin family. "He's outrageous!" Justin roared.When he read the report, he shared the same thoughts as some of the netizens. He felt that Stefan was openly mocking him. As the winner, Stefan mocked him for failing to keep his fiancee. Justin grew mad and smashed everything in the room."What's going on?" Sophia was carrying some soup for her dear son. When she saw that scene, she became worried.A servant was standing outside the door with her head low and carefully replied, "Mr. Baldwin got angry after reading the response from Mr. Stefan Hunt. We're too afraid to stop him. Please help us, madam.""The response from Stefan Hunt?" Sophia didn't pay attention to the relevant news and had no idea what it was