Episode 17

When James Drake heard what his assistant had said, his bitter laughter was uncontrollable.

"The War God's status towers far above our own, and they are not easily vanquished," he stated.

"Furthermore, this is a female war deity. We don't even have the slightest clue about her likes or dislikes!"

James paused when this point was raised. He then proceeded, "I fear all the influential families desire nothing more than to sweet-talk the War God upon her return. Fortunately, we've dug deep enough to secure the flight schedule for that day. It appears that the other families truly want nothing to do with this!"

The middle-aged man before him nodded and asked, "Did the War God Lana accept the gift we sent?"

"Hehe... not bad at all. She accepted the hospitality we arranged for her. But when it comes to money, she showed no interest whatsoever!"

James chuckled, "Lana seems to dislike flattery attempts. We are even more in the dark about the proper way to sway her."

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment. Then his eyes gleamed as he spoke, "Sir, so what you're suggesting is that since Fane is quite close to Lana, all we need to do is draw near to Fane. In turn, this could be an indirect way to curry favor with the War God. So, should the future War God grant favor only to the Drake family, wouldn't that stabilize our business?"

James nodded slowly and replied, "Yes. That rogue child managed to board the same flight as Lana on their return. What we need to do is assist Fane for it equates to flattering Lana!"

"Splendid, Sir!"

The middle-aged man's nickname was Ghost Face. He was one of the three main guards of the Drake family.

With a smile etched on his face, Ghost Face then said, "Hmm, this War God happens to be a woman. I think she's no longer young..."

Upon hearing this, James frowned, "Ghost Face, tell me you're not considering Lana as a potential partner for yourself? You'd better keep such thoughts to yourself. If you offend Lana and incur her wrath, not only will our Drake family meet its end but the whole Central Province could become a river of blood in just one night!"

Ghost Face let out a bitter laugh as he said, "Sir, how could I dare harbor such thoughts? Besides, I, Ghost Face, am not one to play with a woman's affections for my own benefit, right? A man who uses women to boost his reputation is the first I would look down upon!"

After making that statement, Ghost Face clarified, "What I mean is, Fane isn't Lana's lover now, is he? But there's a chance they have an intimate relationship! Especially since they've known each other for a long time on the battlefield and they meet quite often..."

"Hehe...highly unlikely. Judging from their behavior, they seem quite indifferent toward each other. Their facial expressions are rather cold. Could such a thing spark a romance?" James chuckled.

James continued, "Regardless, dig up more information about them. It doesn't matter if Fane is merely Lana's staff. We still need to approach him. This is our chance to forge a bond with the War God!"

"No problem. Recently in Central Province, many military veterans have been retiring. Among them are numerous high-ranking and accomplished soldiers. Visit them and have someone check out this Fane,"

Ghost Face nodded with a lively face, "Now that you've mentioned it, I'm starting to take an interest in this lad named Fane! I hope he doesn't disappoint!"

"Haha, excellent! I await good news from you," James spoke while chuckling.

***

In a room within the Clark family home, Ken fumed.

He stared angrily at Dan Jameson standing before him and yelled, "What is this, Dan? Why didn't you teach that bastard Fane a lesson? Not only that, you asked the guards to escort me away. Do you understand how humiliating that was for me?"

Speaking, Ken pointed to his own mouth and said, "Look, my teeth have been utterly smashed. That damn rogue! Never have I suffered such humiliation!"

"Young Master, that kid is not as simple as you think. He's out of my league!"

Dan frowned and spoke with a very serious tone, "Fane has killed Black Dragon. I've been informed by eyewitnesses at the scene. They didn't even notice Fane's multiple actions at the time!"

"That can't be true, can it? Don't we have surveillance cameras? Why can't we get a clear recording of how Fane acted?"

Upon hearing Dan's comments, Ken's expression turned incredulous.

"I've examined the footage and even slowed it down. All to no avail!"

Dan let out a bitter laugh and added, "Still, we know that Black Dragon was pierced directly between his brows. From a distant pillar, we found an incredibly thin silver needle. Astoundingly, this silver needle completely penetrated the pillar. Only one or two millimeters of it visible from the hole in that pillar!"

Ken Clark took a deep breath and said, "You're joking, right? You mean to tell me that after penetrating someone's head, the same needle also went through a stone pillar, with only a small fraction visible from the outside? Such astonishing speed and truly insane strength!"

"This finger of mine, well, I lost a bet to Fane and cut it! That kid is terrifying! Young Master, never confront Fane. Understand?"

Dan raised his hand and said, "Arm-wrestling him made me feel like an ant in comparison to Fane when it comes to the strength between us!"

"That can't be possible, can it? Is there someone that strong in this world? You're already so strong. How powerful is he to have defeated you?"

Ken was utterly astonished. If so, was winning over Salena merely a pipe dream for him?

"Well, it was also a first for me, meeting someone this strong!"

Dan lamented as he quickly left the room.

After Dan departed, Ken Clark sat on the floor. Thinking of the beautiful Salena, his heart filled with immense dissatisfaction.

"Dammit. I refuse to believe this. This is Central Province, and the Clarks are a second-class noble family. Is it really so difficult for us to get one woman?"

Ken Clark clenched his fist while a spark of resolve flashed in his eyes. He said, "Salena Taylor, I will do everything in my power to have you lying obediently in my bed!"

***

Fane, Salena, and the others had left the Taylor family home.

"Fane, those words you said earlier are your own responsibility. Anyway, I don't care. If you don't give me 10 million dollars on Grandpa's birthday, your chance to stay in our circle is over!"

As they just stepped out the door, Fiona could not help herself and said angrily, "We've always seen our Selena ready for the taking as usual. Even Young Master Wilson himself said all Salena had to do was nod, and the 50 million dollars wouldn't be a problem for her,"

"Don't worry, Ma. Whatever I've said, I'll easily fulfil,"

Fane laughed bitterly while looking at his in-laws. He then added, "That's right, Dad and Mom. You've both lived a hard life for the past five years. So now, let me take you out shopping for some new clothes. Just a small present from your son-in-law!"

"Forget it. I worry the clothes you'd buy would be so embarrassing in public. Better not buy me anything unless it's top quality. I only want to wear branded apparel!"

Fiona then noticed the shopping bag containing clothes that Salena was carrying. She promptly snatched it, walked towards the nearby lake, and threw the package into the water.

"You can't debase yourself like that, child. You are a respectable woman from the Taylor family. We must maintain our dignity even in poverty. Counterfeit goods like that are not fit to wear!"