Mag-log inVera's persistence paid off—just before the Oskian New Year, the red blip representing Claire's cell access suddenly lit up at the cell tower near Qi Temple! Vera smiled as she watched, and she officially designated the third black piece on the board as Qi Temple. And now was the time to find out more details revolving around the red piece: Who did Claire meet at Qi Temple? Was it the fake abbess? Stephen? Or someone else entirely? That was when another name occurred to her—when Charlie told her about Jeevika, whom Ito Nanako met by chance at Qi Temple, offering guidance that helped her enlightenment. Considering that black side always appeared near temples, she quickly decided that Jeevika was on black's side. Hence, putting the third red piece below the third black piece, she cracked a small smile. "Guess this one would be Jeevika." She hence googled any information she could get on Master Jeevika. As it turned out, the priest was genuinely an enlightened figure in Budd
Vera remembered then that when she and Charlie first arrived in Eastcliff, Stephen had disappeared after delivering Charlie's parents' old photo album to the Wades' house. It was at that moment when she noticed Stephen was acting strange.Furthermore, when Vera had traveled to the Qi Temple, she met the fake abbess from the Quiant Monastery exactly as she had hoped!That made the Qi Temple all the more suspect!Even as Vera felt she was getting closer to the truth, she quickly reached for her phone to call Emmett Sandsor."Ms. Lavor," he greeted her at once respectfully. "What can I do for you this late at night?"Vera asked, "Do you have any access to all telco operators' encrypted data?""Of course," Emmett promptly replied. "What would you like to access?""Mrs. Wade's access records," Vera said solemnly. "Any access to the operators over the past few months, with specific locations down to the closest cell tower. Then mark her location on a map according to the timeline."
Vera and Charlie hadn't known each other for that long, but as far as she knew, the mysterious faction helping him in secret first surfaced at the Quiant Monastery.At the time, she and Charlie were traveling to Mount Tason, when they unexpectedly encountered the fake abbess waiting for them there at the Quiant Monastery, at the fringes of Mount Tason.The fake abbess not only knew their intended trip to Mount Tason, but also that Mount Tason would be fraught with danger for Charlie.Hence, on her checkers board, Vera placed a red piece under the first black piece.The black piece above represented the Quiant Monastery, and the red piece below represented the fake abbess.Then, the two flew directly from Mount Tason to Eastcliff.So, she took out another black piece and placed it behind the first black piece.Initially, in her mind, the second black piece represented Eastcliff, when she remembered the time she and Charlie first arrived in Eastcliff. Stephen had delivered Charl
Charlie himself was undoubtedly the life knot—so who exactly was this person in the middle? The fickle fence-sitter?Still, Vera told Charlie despite her confusion, "I can only ask for your patience while I meditate on the connection. I will inform you right away when I have something.Charlie nodded.If the likes of Merlin Lammy asked for years to track down Claire, he knew he couldn't expect instant results from Vera no matter how much of a miracle worker she was.It just couldn't be rushed.Then, remembering the letter Claire had left for him at home, Charlie suddenly felt a strong urge to head home, so he told Vera, "It's late now, so I shouldn't impose any further. Just call me right away if you have something."Despite being reluctant to see him go, Vera smiled and nodded without asking him to stay. "Of course. I'll walk with you."-Once Charlie left Scarlet Pinnacle Manor, he promptly rushed home to Thompson First. Everything in the house was exactly as Nanako had sho
Even as Vera stared at the nine coins and the formation they formed, her confusion only grew—she never divined an outcome this ambiguous before. Four of the nine coins were aligned with the life knot, four with the death knot, and one stayed at the center, where it could be aligned with both. Naturally, the knots weren't dependent on each coin—but whether the coins, when dropped, could form a single solid alignment that could be interpreted as the death knot or the death knot. But in this case, Vera could see alignments to the center coin that would both form life knots or death knots. It was as if, during a war between two nations, a child of mixed nationalities was born unto the world. With both nations having equal strength, the baby was the single force that could shift the balance of the war, whether he chose his father's faction or his mother's. Vera had performed divination for hundreds of years, and this was the first time her divinations showed her such a strange o
Vera meant to say Charlie would live for centuries, if not millennia should he succeed in unraveling the mystery of her father's ring.In the grand scheme of things, a few years really were nothing to one who could live a thousand years strong. However, Charlie had a different interpretation—to him, three to five years was nothing to scoff at.If he still couldn't get Claire back, he feared each day would feel like an eternity. He couldn't care less about gaining Reiki from kombuc tree—he really doesn't know how he would survive years without Claire.Ever perceptive and seeing his worried face, Vera asked in concern, "Is something troubling you?"Charlie nodded, sighing softly as he told Vera everything about Claire and her family's abrupt departure.As he finished, Vera was surprised for a moment, but soon nodded in understanding. "Stephen Thompson was always there to protect you over the years, so he'd know you best. Once he decides to leave, he stands a better chance at kee
Vera shook her head. "No, I actually studied archaeology…""Archaeology?" Merlin chuckled before saying earnestly, "Ms. Lavor, I really think you should study criminology at UCI. Their criminology department is the best Stateside, and I think you have a flair for it."Somehow, Vera smiled at Merli
The Tokyo Commissioner nodded at Yoshitaka, as there was no better option. "Alright… In that case, we won't intervene in your family matters."Then, turning toward Tanya, he nodded nervously, "Ms. Sweet, on behalf of the police force, allow me to apologize for our negligence."Tanya shook his head
Penny really couldn't argue against that, and she immediately became furious and tense, seeing how Charlie completely dismissed her as a threat.Her tone was suddenly a lot less confident than earlier, and she was barely able to hide her nerves as she asked, "Then, what do you want from me?"Charl
At that moment, Tanya absolutely regretted messing with Charlie or trying to 'reason' with him.Just Claire and Loreen's support would have been enough material for her, but now, she was embarrassed with so many watching.Seeing that Tanya was volunteering a ceasefire, Yoshitaka quickly stepped in







