With just one look, Russell could tell that this was not the painting he gave Mr. Clarke. This was a counterfeit! So, who gave this painting to Charles? It was even displayed in Civil Gallery, and it seemed like everyone here thought it was an authentic piece. While Russell was lost in thought, Charles started to talk about this painting ceaselessly, including an explanation of its origins. “Master Russell, this painting is a birthday gift from Addy. It’s a priceless piece. Would you like to appraise it?” Addy? Aiden! Russell stared at Aiden, who was smiling to his eyes with an odd look. The latter seemed full of himself. This was the man who was rude to Mr. Clarke earlier! With this, Russell now had a plan formed. Aiden, you’re dead meat! I will teach you a lesson in place of Mr. Clarke! Russell walked over to the glass display earnestly and started examining it. Everyone felt the air become tense and mysterious as they watched on. After all, this was Master Russell, a famous
A fake! The crowd in the gallery burst into an uproar. It was actually a fake! “Impossible! How could this be a fake? We’ve all seen it before. It’s a genuine piece.” Charles quickly explained. “Although I’m not as famous as Master Russell, I can still tell a painting’s authenticity. How could this be a fake?” Russell knew that Charles would be in denial, so he analyzed the painting on the spot. “This painting could be said to be mistaken for the genuine piece. It’s not surprising if you guys can’t tell. But if you all take a closer look, the lines on these few figures are not full enough. There is an obvious gradient shown on the lines and color. This is a defect caused by machines, and it’s very subtle so many people can’t actually tell…” As the crowd listened to Russell’s explanation, they finally realized the truth. “So, it’s a fake! Charles Johnston, you’re too much!” “Yeah! After a whole day of suspense, you ended up showing us a fake instead! What gives?” In an insta
“Of course,” answered Aiden proudly. Russell already knew that Aiden would say this. Hiding a smile, he continued to ask, “May I know which friend did Mr. Grant buy this from?” Upon hearing this, the delight on Aiden’s face grew. Could Russell want to be acquainted with that friend of his? This was an excellent opportunity for him to befriend Russell. “President Field, his name is David White, the owner of an antique market. He’s quite famous. I can call him over this instant.” Aiden smiled. “There’s no need.” Russell waved then took out his phone to say smilingly, “I’m acquainted with David White.” Of course, Russell knew David White. The man was a famous antique market owner, but at the same time, he had a notorious reputation within the community. The reason was that David was an expert at selling counterfeits and forged pieces. He often sold off his fakes to people who did not know better, and it looked like David had tricked Aiden. However, Russell did not feel an ounce
“Master Russell, please let me explain.” David was anxious as large drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. Aiden was confused as he asked, “Mr. White, what’s wrong with you?” David was troubled. He now knew why Russell had called him over, so he quickly said to Aiden, “Mr. Grant, I’m sorry. The painting that I sold you last time was a fake. I’ll refund you the money as soon as I get back.” “A fake?” Aiden shrieked. The crowd of people standing behind him all gasped, looking incredulous. Charles looked especially shocked and was utterly stunned. “Mr. White, what do you mean? What do you mean by ‘a fake’? I’ve spent two million to buy it!” Aiden was getting flustered, feeling his body alternate between hot and cold. “And Master Russell had said earlier that that painting is an authentic piece. Are you drunk?” David was now like a cat on a hot tin roof. Upon hearing the words ‘authentic piece’, he rushed over to the glass display and looked carefully at it before exclaiming, “
This news came like a bolt from the blue! Philip was stunned for a few seconds before he finally digested Lynn’s words. His tone instantly shot up a few decibels. “Mila’s missing?! Where are you?” This was urgent! Philip felt like someone had kicked him hard on the chest. His back was now drenched with sweat. “Brother-in-law, I’m at Millennium Amusement Park, I only…” Lynn sounded distinctly flustered over the phone. Her background was noisy with sounds of people frolicking about. “Wait there. I’m coming!” Philip roared. Mila was missing! He no longer had time for the people in the gallery as he hurried outside. Behind him, Russell called out to him a few times, but Philip did not respond. Charles added words of contempt, saying Philip had no manners and that he was rushing to his death. Philip did not dare to tell Charles that Mila was missing, thinking that the old man might not even care for Mila’s safety at all. To them, Mila’s birth was a humiliation to the Johnston fami
Lynn glanced at her friends, looking aggrieved, then finally stuttered, “I… I accidentally… left her alone. This was all because she kept fussing about wanting to go home and kept running around, so I taught her a lesson. Have I done anything wrong?” Lynn was still filled with grievances at the start, but as she spoke, she ended up getting more agitated, as if unwilling to admit that this was her fault. “What’s more, Mila’s your daughter, not mine. Why should I have to look after her? If she’s missing, that’s her fault!” Lynn refused to take this responsibility. This had nothing to do with her. It was all Mila’s fault! It was because that little b*tch, who was an embarrassment to the family, was such an eyesore! Philip was really furious. He never expected Lynn to be this unreasonable but still so proud of herself. “Lynn Johnston, I’m warning you. If Mila is not found at the end of today, I will make you regret this for the rest of your life!” Philip pointed at Lynn and admonished.
A group of people barged in with the leading middle-aged man looking to be very powerful. He was wearing an expensive suit and had the air of an authority figure as he bellowed the moment he stepped into the room, shocking the staff inside the control room. The staff quickly greeted, “Mr. Hill, what brings you here?” Harold Hill was the supervisor of Millennium Amusement Park, in charge of the facilities, workers, security, and operation within the park. In summary, other than the owner, Harold was the second in command at Millennium Amusement Park. Harold nodded slightly. With a sharp gaze, he asked again, coldly, “Who is Philip Clarke?” Philip mildly frowned and took a step forward. “I am.” The few youngsters behind Harold rushed into the room and blocked the exit. The young boy Philip had slapped earlier, Jeremy Hill, was now pointing arrogantly at him as he said, “Dad, it’s him. He’s the one who slapped me earlier. You have to teach him a tough lesson!” So, they were here
“My name’s Theo Zander! Now take your people with you and scram!” Theo roared. This was the first time he felt humiliated, and it even happened right in front of Mr. Clarke. Would Mr. Clarke suspect his capabilities because of this? “Theo Zander? What’s that? I don’t know it.” Harold was a short-tempered man. He was the manager of a huge amusement park and had stayed in that high position for so many years now, so it was only natural that his temper was a little shorter. “Stop talking nonsense and quickly apologize to my son, or else, don’t even think about leaving!” Theo Zander? Why does that sound a little familiar? Forget it! Can he be more powerful than I am? I’m the manager here, the king! Theo was fuming with anger. With a reddened face, he pointed at Harold and roared, “Just try to even f*cking move!” Sh*t, this guy really thought he was a small fry! “What are you standing there for? Get them! Or do you all want to get fired?” Harold bellowed at his stall. The workers
“Wow, I feel so good as if I just had a massage.” Jeff praised Philip in his mind. After taking the pill, he recovered instantly. Even the ailments he had been suffering from in the past were healed. He was in such good shape that he could face Hogster with no problem. He even felt that he could resist Hogster’s attack this time. Philip nodded. Jeff was quite good. He had thought that Jeff was already defeated and would not even be able to move. However, Jeff forced himself to take out a pill and swallowed it. “He’s quite good at persevering and has a bright future. You can consider grooming him,” Philip said to Jamie. Jamie was surprised to hear such a high assessment from Philip. Jamie attached great importance to Philip's suggestion. Since Philip said so, he would develop Jeff properly. “Aren’t you very full of yourself? Keep going.” Jeff rushed forward and started beating Hogster up. Hogster was already dying and could not put up a fight at all. “Stop!” Hogste
The Hexa Guild had lost the earlier match, so Hogster was upset about it. Their guild should be undefeatable. They should have made a name for themselves by now, but everything was ruined. Although Hogster did not know why the Celestial Palace was so powerful, he had a feeling that they were cheating. “I’m the pride of the Hexa Guild while you’re just an ordinary member. Don't even think about resisting me,” Hogster said calmly, clearly looking down on Jeff. Of course, Jeff was not to be outdone. “My favorite hobby is to beat someone while they're down. Your guild's reputation is so bad anyway. Why bother holding on to it?” His remark struck the Hexa Guild’s sore spot, and all the members scowled at him. Indeed, the Hexa Guild had a very bad reputation. They could only recruit ordinary people who could not join other guilds but yearned to practice. “Hehe, cut the crap. We’ll know the outcome after a fight!” After saying this, Hogster charged at Jeff with a weapon in han
It would do the Hexa Guild no good to keep Vanna alive, so they would not allow it to happen. Although the members of the Hexa Guild were angry, they quickly cheered up. There would be several matches with the Celestial Palace to go. They could not lose their fighting spirit because of this trivial matter. “Let’s see how powerful the Celestial Palace is. I refuse to believe that we’re no match for them.” Hogster decided to take the stage because the upcoming opponent was just an ordinary member of the Celestial Palace. They were not very strong. In his opinion, an ordinary member could not be very strong. It would be easy to win this match, and it would save him a lot of trouble too. It would be bad if he faced a dark horse like the previous match. The hooded man saw the performance of the Celestial Palace and was surprised by their extraordinary strength. However, he did not notice anything unusual. He simply thought that it was their usual strength. Since they were so str
“This is interesting.” The hooded man glanced at the people discussing this matter and felt expectant. He could not wait to meet Philip. On the other hand, Philip was watching the competition and had no idea what was going on. “Oh, I see, you’re the young lady of the Celestial Palace. I thought you were very powerful, but this is all there is to you.” Vanna’s opponent was an ugly woman who was very upset with her beautiful appearance. Vanna looked at her mockingly. “The outcome has yet to be determined. I don’t think you’re any better either.” After saying this, Vanna looked at the other party, waiting for her to make the first move. The ugly woman was furious at Vanna’s provocation. “Very well. Since you don’t know what’s good for you, let me show you what I’m capable of!” After saying this, she attacked Vanna as if she were ready to get rid of her. She had received an order from the guild leader to deal with Vanna properly. The Hexa Guild had initially planned to qu
The Hexa Guild also claimed that they would kill anyone from the Celestial Palace. Although upset, no one dared to say anything in the face of the other party’s strength. It would be embarrassing if they could not live up to their claims if they retorted now. Moreover, the battle was a matter of life and death. Everyone was risking their lives. The Celestial Palace had the confidence to face the Hexa Guild now. They believed that they could turn the situation around with their strength or at least show them what they could do. There would be a battle between the two parties in the afternoon, which was the best time to show off their strength. The young lady of the Celestial Palace would be the one contending. After improving her strength, Vanna was full of confidence and vowed to give her opponent a fatal blow or at least let them know how powerful she was. Ronan was nervous. He was not worried about his wife but worried that the Hexa Guild would take things too far. Those
It could be considered returning the favor. Jamie shook his head helplessly. He knew Philip’s kind intentions, but this matter was not so simple. “I know that your wine can improve someone’s strength, but it’s no help to us right now!” The overall strength of the Hexa Guild had increased so much that it went beyond anyone’s comprehension. Carlos turned up at this time. He wanted to talk to Philip about this matter, but Jamie beat him to it. “My friends just told me that the Hexa Guild is hellbent on dealing with everyone, not only us. Anyone up against them will be killed. They must be insane to face any guilds without fear!” Philip was intrigued. They could not be so confident for no reason. They must have encountered an opportunity. “Maybe they encountered an opportunity. I can't be sure about this, but I can at least provide you something to ensure that nothing happens to your people.” After saying this, Philip handed Jamie some pills. Philip was very confident about
It was very suspicious that a bunch of losers became so strong all of a sudden. “Philip, don’t you think something is wrong? I have a feeling that the Hexa Guild did something,” Jamie asked bluntly with mixed feelings about it. There was clearly something wrong with the Hexa Guild. Philip nodded. He had been watching the competition carefully. He could see that these people’s strength had just been improved, and their foundation was not very stable. “Don't think too much. There is a problem with them, and it’s not small either. From the looks of it, they must've taken something that can quickly improve their strength. However, their skills and combat experience can't keep up, so they can only barely manage it.” Philip shook his head helplessly. At this rate, even the members of the Celestial Palace would suffer. Moreover, the Hexa Guild held a big grudge against the Celestial Palace. Once they met, it would definitely be a life-and-death battle. “What should we do? All th
“You should prepare for the competition.” Philip turned and left after saying that. Everyone felt angry at his domineering appearance. Some people had ideas about Philip. “Which guild does Philip belong to?” a man with a sinister face asked angrily. He wanted to know which guild Philip belonged to so that he could go all out to target Philip's guild. Others shook their heads. No one knew much about Philip. At this time, a spy from the Hexa Guild stepped forward. He looked at the man flatteringly and provided all the information he knew. “Philip doesn't belong to any guild, but he’s an honorary elder of the Celestial Palace!” The fact that Philip became an honorary elder of the Celestial Palace had not been made public. Only people keeping a close eye on the Celestial Palace knew about it. The Hexa Guild had always wanted to deal with the Celestial Palace, so they had been keeping a close eye on the latter. They knew all the minor details. The man scowled as if he did
“I can explore the secret realm on your behalf, but why do you think she’d appear there?” Although Philip could not figure it out, maybe the old monk had his reason for saying that. “I’ll explore the secret realm after the guild competition is over. If I can find the woman you’re looking for, I’ll think of a way.” In fact, Philip would rather take the old monk with him. He did not know what the woman looked like, so it was better for the old monk to do it himself. “Sure!” The old monk smiled brightly, surprised that Philip would agree so decisively. The secret realm was full of dangers. He knew that he should not let others take risks for him, but Philip did not ask any questions and even agreed to his request without any hesitation. “I’ll think about it and see if I can find a way to bring you in,” Philip said off-handedly. He still preferred to bring the old monk with him. The old monk was dumbfounded and thought he had heard it wrongly. “What?” The old monk gaped at