Touched by Raymond's patriotism, Charlie nodded and promised, "Don't worry. I'll bring the treasure tower back to Oskia. You have my word. I happen to know someone who has quite a diverse network. I can bring back the treasure tower through him." The person Charlie was talking about was Emmett, Vera's adopted son. He had no right to keep the treasure tower since it was a national treasure. Returning it to Oskia through Emmett was the right thing to do to honor the treasure. Excited to hear this, Raymond beamed, "Thank you, Mr. Wade. I can call it even after the treasure has returned to Oskia and I serve my fifteen-year sentence." Charlie cleared his throat and said in a solemn tone, "The British and the Rothschild family have looted so many historical relics from China. They belong to Oskia no matter how hundreds and thousands of years have passed, and that's the truth. Sooner or later, they will all be returned to Oskia. I won't let you stay in this hellhole for fifteen years.
Raymond's passion was so intense it overwhelmed Charlie. Truth be told, Charlie's father had already predicted and planned everything for him. At that moment, Raymond's eyes were filled with heightened excitement as he continued, "I've been waiting for the day when you were ready to rise from the abyss ever since your parents passed away. I've been waiting for twenty years!" "Old Master Lennard went to Eastcliff about five years ago. He departed from the United States, and I happened to be in the States as well. When he took off from Los Angeles in your family's private jet, I stood by the fence at the end of the airport runway and watched the plane fly into the sky. "At that moment, I knew that the moment when you reached the fate of the dragon would come soon!" "After arriving in Eastcliff, he spent several years and used his lifetime's knowledge to finally solve the dilemma of the dragon-stranding predicament in Mount Wintry. I was so excited when I heard the news, I could
"But why?" Charlie asked, bewildered. "How could my father, who was much better than me, not have the fate of the ascending dragon? Why me? An orphan who lost his parents at the age of eight and a loser who was a laughingstock in Aurous Hill! Why? I don't get it..." With a long sigh, Raymond lamented with a tearful hint, "Oh, Mr. Wade... You have no idea what the fate of the ascending dragon means. It isn't a fate that people are born with, but a fate that is changed artificially. Your father had the fate of the dragon, and your highest destiny is a dragon. To become an ascending dragon, you need the combination of two dragons..." As he spoke of this, Raymond choked up, tears flooding his eyes, "The reason you have the fate of the ascending dragon is because your father took away his destiny and gave it to you! "That combines with your own fate of the dragon, and you eventually acquired the fate of the ascending dragon!" "What? W-What did you just say?!" Charlie's heart skipp
At that moment, Charlie could no longer compose himself. He lowered his head, covered his face, and wailed aloud. His parents had been murdered when he was young. For many years after that, he often had survivor's guilt. If it weren't for Mrs. Lewis's decades-long care and guidance, he would have become depressed and disturbed, and at one point, he would have even committed suicide. Ever since receiving the Apocalyptic Book, he had been able to discover some of the hidden secrets behind his parents' death. When he learned it was his father's meticulous arrangement that enabled him to grow up safely in the orphanage, his sense of guilt and shame had intensified. And now, he learned that his father had left the Apocalyptic Book for him, and it was his father who had sacrificed himself so that he could have the fate of owning the book. The truth was so harsh and heart-wrenching that he felt immensely remorseful. Raymond's final remark was the last straw. He said that strippin
Charlie murmured, "I want to know what my father went through..." "I understand." Raymond nodded, asserting, "But too many attachments will only become your burden. Besides, I don't want to reminisce about the cruel and devastating past. I'm sorry..." Charlie pursed his lips and nodded gently. Raymond quickly changed the subject, "By the way, I hid the treasure tower in the same place. After you leave this hellhole, you must retrieve it and bring it back to Oskia as soon as possible." Charlie nodded and asked, "Where did you hide it?" Raymond chuckled and replied, "I hid it outside my family mansion's gate in New Jersey." He cleared his throat and continued, "Outside the gate is a pair of majestic lion statues. There is a secret compartment in the base of the male lion. That's where I hid it. It's easy to open the compartment. You just need a crane or forklift to lift the body of the male lion, and the base will open. You'll find the compartment there." "Huh?!" Charlie ga
Noticing the firm determination in Charlie's eyes, Raymond earnestly persuaded him, "Please don't get into a direct conflict with them for my sake. It isn't worth it, and it may affect our strategy." "Don't worry." Charlie nodded and reassured him, "They don't know who they are up against. It's easy to attack them when we're in the dark." As he said this, he looked at Raymond and said, "I still have some questions. I would like you to answer them for me." "Of course," Raymond replied hastily. Charlie swiftly asked, "I want to know how my father came into contact with the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book and the Apocalyptic Book. Also, how did he get involved with the Qing Eliminating Society?" With a sigh, Raymond illustrated, "Your father had similar experiences to you. The process by which he obtained the Preface is very similar to the process by which you obtained the Apocalyptic Book." Thinking of something his uncle had said, Charlie asked in surprise, "Did he also get
"There were several palace collections that the Qing court recorded, and their prices were even more expensive." "Such a large number of highly valuable cultural relics could easily reach 200 million dollars even in the lowest bid, and that was 20 years ago." "Although my family business was on a relatively large scale at that time, the antique industry is capital-intensive. Our family's assets might be tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars, but a large part of it was inventory all around the world. It was hard for us to come out with 200 million right away." "Also, in the antique industry, you can't expect to liquidate inventory quickly. The more inventory you have, the more patient you have to be." "Because the antique industry is similar to the stock market. The worst thing that can happen is a concentrated sell-off that crashes the market. I can buy ten pieces of 14th-century porcelain at once, but there is no way I can sell ten pieces at once. The more I
Charlie hastily asked, "You must have read the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book, right? What exactly does it say?" Raymond replied, "The content recorded in the book is all-encompassing, but its real core is a map that needs to be deciphered from the text bit by bit. Back then, your parents were very interested in studying and deciphering the Preface. Thanks to your father, I studied it briefly too, but I wasn't good at the Oskian language because I was born and raised in the States. The content was too difficult and obscure for me to understand, and I soon lost interest in studying it." "After that, your parents left the States and returned to Oskia. I heard that they went to great lengths to search for the place mentioned in the book. Thankfully, they found the place after going through so much hardship. That place was where your father took the Apocalyptic Book." "Really?" Charlie gasped, astonished. "What's the place's name? Is it called the Longevity Haven?" "I don't know."
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his
Naturally, Jimmy couldn't care less about Julien's suggestion, even looking at him pointedly from head to toe while smirking in contempt, "What, do you think I'd just do what any nutjob tells me to do just because they're claiming to be the Rothschilds' heir apparent?"Julien nodded, still smiling. "Good point, but don't worry—it's the same whether you call him or he calls you."Jimmy laughed. "I was offering you a way out, but you want to keep pressing your luck? Since you don't care to back off, let's see how you're going to finish this fight."Then, he shrugged while pointing at Yolden. "Well, it's the perfect chance to measure Matilda's husband, I guess."Based on what he saw of Yolden, there was no way he would buy Julien's claims, and thus labeled him an impostor in his mind.An ordinary lecturer in Aurous Hill, being friends with the Rothschilds' heir apparent? Not to mention that there had been plenty of fraudulent cases outside the States where the Rothschild name was use
Jimmy was taken aback since he didn't recognize Julien at all, mainly because the Rothschilds had always kept out of the public eye.In fact, it was basically impossible to gather genuine information about the Rothschilds online, as it was a mix of press releases and gossip. Most online biographies would only be about the older generations or certain frivolous figures. Any information about key members like Steve would never be searchable online.Matilda was confused as well, not quite understanding who Julien was since he wasn't on the list of guests invited.Seeing that she was confused, Julien turned and smiled at Yolden, "So, Professor, shouldn't you introduce me to the bride?"Yolden finally remembered that and quickly nodded, "Sorry, it slipped my mind."Turning toward Matilda, he smiled, "Darling, this is Julien Rothschild… A friend of mine from the states…"Julien's full name left everyone within earshot gaping as the Rothschild name was way too famous across the globe.
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved as he could see that Charlie really wasn't trying to make things awkward for him, and he straightened his collar as he said, "Actually, I didn't mean to cause trouble—I'm pleased that Matilda has found true love once more, and if we can be friends, I can set aside my claim and stay for the rest of this wedding, offering the newlyweds our best wishes as a representative of my family."Still, his expression showed contempt as he turned toward Yolden. "Also, I'm really curious and looking forward to seeing what connections Professor Hart might have that you say could be better than Bill.""You'll see soon enough," Charlie smiled and nodded.Jimmy remained skeptical and scoffed, "I really do
If Charlie really did get Jimmy to stay, who knew what other rubbish Jimmy would spout.As for Jimmy, he was actually surprised Charlie was asking him to stay, and his instincts told him that Charlie definitely didn't mean well.Not only that, he was on foreign soil—wouldn't he be defenseless if Charlie called in his friends to beat him up?Hence, he shook his head without hesitation as he said, "I'm sorry, but my sister-in-law is quite keen for me to leave, so I have no reason to stay and add to her problems. And it is her big day. I can afford to let her save face instead of spilling the beans on her all at once.""Oh, but you were complaining about the lack of important people just now!" Charlie quickly interjected. "It just so happens that we have a big-shot on his way here, and he's a good friend of the groom. When I told him about you over the phone, he said to keep you here no matter what it took, since he would like to talk to you face to face."Jimmy frowned. "What, are y
And with those words, Jimmy turned to leave.Despite threatening Matilda, there was no such agreement, and he knew that Matilda was well aware of that.Regardless, the only strategy he had in mind when he came to Oskia was harassment. As such, he simply came up with a lie to make Matilda look bad in public. All it took from there was just for one person to relay what he had said—even if it were all lies, Matilda's character would still be called into question.He made himself very clear so that Matilda would understand that if she didn't give in, his family would keep hounding her to take their two pounds of flesh. Even if she wouldn't surrender the stateside estates and human resources of Smith Group Corporate Law, they would still claim a sizable chunk.But if that failed too, they would just have to destroy Matilda's reputation along with Smith Group Corporate Law.Either way, they were not letting her off easy!And reading that much from Jimmy's behavior, Matilda snapped co
Jimmy didn't expect Matilda to break down the share ownership of Smith Group Corporate Law to such detail, and he hollered as he was starting to feel embarrassed, "Now, you're just being irresponsible, Matilda. My father gave my brother a million to start the law firm in the first place, and they had agreed that the family would have a stake, albeit only at 49%, to not deny your decision-making as a startup. Or are you denying it?"Matilda immediately became furious and snapped, "Bullshit! That was just a loan of one million, and the agreed term was three years. However, your brother returned it in one! I even asked him to return the money with every single one of his siblings watching, since you might all get skeptical, yet suddenly, you're calling it an investment?""You said he's returned it? Well, what proof do you have?" Jimmy quickly shot back. "Our entire family can testify that the money hasn't come back to us!""So, this is how you're going to play it?" Matilda smirked. "Th