Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Secretly Rich Man: Kabanata 1841 - Kabanata 1850

“I appreciate the reminder, Mr. Bates, but we still have an important mission to accomplish. Since the sooner we locate the territory of the Phangrottom Clan the better, we’ll only be staying the night! We’ll leave at dawn!” replied Gerald in a gratuitous tone as he looked at Mr. Bates. Upon hearing that, Mr. Bates said nothing. Even so, if one paid close attention to his reaction, they would be able to see his face twitching slightly in response… It was late into the night before Gerald and his party finally decided to sleep. To ensure that they wouldn’t get sneak attacked in the night, Gerald suggested that the four of them take turns keeping watch. After agreeing, Gerald was elected first to stay on guard whereas the others headed to bed. Thankfully, even after his shift ended and he swapped places with Rey, nothing much really happened throughout the night. The party of four awoke early the next morning and instantly began packing up. Gerald himself walked over to the doo

“…Alright then!” replied Rey with a nod. Hearing that, Gerald then said, “It’s decided then, Mr. Bates. Both of us will be entering, so please open the portal for us in advance!” Upon hearing that, Mr. Bates said nothing. Instead, he walked over to the largest stone pillar in the middle of the ‘Stonehenge’ before pulling out a small knife from his sleeve… After making a small cut in his hand, he placed his bleeding palm onto what appeared to be the symbol of a ghost eye on the pillar… and seconds later, the pillar began shaking as the other surrounding pillars began glowing in hues of blue! Shortly after, a blue portal appeared before Gerald and his party… “That’s the portal. Head in now, and remember. Only three days or you’ll never be able to leave!” reminded Mr. Bates as Gerald and Rey nodded. “Got it! Don’t worry, Mr. Bates! Also, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of the two of them in the meantime. Thanks for everything!” replied Gerald in a determined voice as loo

Gerald himself soon came across a white-haired person donning a long, grey robe… “Hmm… I can see that you’re half human and half ghost!” said the robed person as he stared at Gerald from head to toe. Naturally, this momentarily startled Gerald. To think that this person would be able to tell that easily! “…And you are…?” asked Gerald. “I go by Torme, and I’m the phantom emissary in the most feminine place. In simpler terms, I’m responsible for interacting with outsiders. It’s the reason why I was so easily able to discern your origins,” explained Torme. “…I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I go by Gerald Crawford, and just as you’ve said, I’m half human and ghost. However, do note that I’m also a cultivator!” replied Gerald, not feeling the need to hide that fact. “That would explain why there’s such a massive cocktail of spiritblade and holy spirit within your body… Still, the spiritblade you own is simply astonishing. If this continues on, something will definitely

“Pain, happiness, money, and family... all those are just small parts of life. In the end, what really matters are the choices one makes as they slowly proceed through the cycle of life… While I’m not sure what experiences you’ve undergone before, I do know that life isn’t constantly filled with grief and pain. Enjoyable parts of life definitely exist, and once individuals realize that, they’ll surely live better lives instead of constantly complaining about life’s injustices…” explained Gerald. While Gerald hadn’t really grasped what the test was about in the beginning, after thinking about all this, he was now sure that he was being tested on how well he understood life. What more, Gerald had noticed that the scenes playing on screen were simply Torme’s experiences when he was still alive. With that in mind, Gerald was sure that the test was also done to help Torme resolve his inner issues. Whatever the case was, Gerald was now sure that in order to have a good life, one had to

Just as Gerald was bracing for death to hit him, he stared wide-eyed as his surroundings reverted to how they had previously been. “Congratulations, Gerald! You’ve passed the fourth test!” declared Torme with a smile as he walked toward Gerald. Surprised, Gerald couldn’t help but mutter, “I… passed the test…?” “Indeed, you have!” replied Torme with a nod. “Then… was self-sacrifice the answer to that test…?” asked the confused Gerald. “Not really. Rather than testing your willingness to sacrifice yourself, it was a test to see whether you’d choose your desires over your friends’ lives. Now that I’ve seen that you’re clearly one who cares greatly for your comrades, I can safely say that you’ve passed this test!” explained Torme. After hearing that, Gerald realized that had he chosen any other option, he would’ve surely failed the test! However, the even bigger shock came when Torme added, “Also, had you chosen any of your three friends earlier, they would have died for real!