After a short but eventful drive, the duo finally arrived at Metal Gear where a variety of cars were being put up for sale.Getting out of the cab, Richard promptly paid the driver before helping Melinda from her seat.With that sorted, both made their way into the building, intent on leaving with a car.***Vance Felton was the heir to the Felton family, one of the five families part of the Five Coalition.A lecherous man at heart, he'd been one of those who pursued Melinda to make her his woman.He'd always fancied her and dreamt of one day pinning her under him and taking away her purity.Just thinking about it left him as horny as could be.Unfortunately, Melinda always rejected him, treating him as nothing more than a foolish man which caused him to grow even more crazy about her.He'd enjoyed watching her suffer since the start of the conference and after the last nail in the coffin that saw her lose her black card, He had thought that it was his chance so he sent an invitation.
“Hah, don't kid yourself, Melinda. This no-named fellow wouldn't even be able to measure up to a servant in my family talk more of being at my level.” Vance remarked arrogantly as he regarded Melinda, not even deeming Richard worthy of a glance. “Is that so?” Melinda intoned before glancing at Richard.She wished to get his permission to do what she had in mind so it wouldn't end up being that she pulled him into an unnecessary fight.Richard, however, was game to teach the fool a lesson and so, he nodded.“How about a little game?” Melinda inquired with a mischievous grin.“What game?” Vance asked.“Let's have a mini-auction, right here, right now, I mean, we are both here to purchase cars so I don't think it would deviate much from our intended purpose,” Melinda remarked causing Vance to burst into mocking laughter.“You can't be serious. After the disgrace you suffered last time, do you still think you can compete with me in an auction?... Come on, Melinda, don't be daft. Do you t
“Is he alright?” Melinda asked as the older attendant checked on the unconscious Vance.The man nodded. “He just passed out.”“Pathetic.” Melinda intoned before glancing at Richard. “You put him in his place.”Richard shrugged. “It isn't that big of a deal.”“Well, it is for me. Thank you.” Melinda remarked as she hugged Richard.Richard was about to say something when Lolita approached them.“Oh hello there handsome, my name is Lolita, daughter of the Minister of Levison. Nice to make your acquaintance.”As she spoke, she made sure to stand in a manner that accentuated her curves, radiating seductive vibes to the max.Richard gave her a perfunctory glance before Melinda detached from him to glare at her.“That's my man, get away before I beat you up,” Melinda spoke fiercely, not even bothering to hide her distaste.Lolita feigned a sad expression as she remarked. “I was only being nice.”“Be nice without showing off.” Melinda pointedly said.Silence reigned for a moment before Lolita
Unbeknownst to the people gathered at the gate, Richard, with the help of Melinda, had already gotten across to the head of the park and after a brief talk, had managed to shut down the park so that the two of them would have the entire place to themselves.It took some convincing and roughly 10 million but at the end of the day, the manager relented and closed the park.Of course, the idea of closing down the park was brought up by Richard with Melinda having no part of it.She was as shocked as the park manager when Richard suggested it and even pushed to ensure the manager accepted.Was this a date?... The thought caused Melinda's cheeks to turn as red as tomatoes from embarrassment.Richard, however, tried not to focus on her reactions as he drove to the park entrance and signaled for them to open it before driving into the awe of everyone present.“Whoa, what's going on?... I thought the park shut down?... Now it's opening for them?”“This makes no sense though I don't mind consi
“Are you sure about this?” Isaac Vaughn inquired as he sat around a round table with the children of the Five Coalition mostly in attendance.Isaac was the third son of the Vaughn family who just like the Felton and Vane families were part of the Five Coalition.He'd gotten the call from the Vane sisters about an important matter and on getting to the meeting point, found himself regaled with a fantastical tale that sounded unreal.“I guess that this Richard Smith is the one Melinda reached out to help her regain lost ground in the conference,” Geraldine remarked.Pascal Marlow, fifth son of the Marlow family and yet another member of the Five Coalition intoned. “I had no idea that bitch still had some fight in her. It's unexpected but I doubt this new man should be any problems to take on.”“Is that so?... Fine then, how about this, he owns a Gold Streak Black Card. Is that enough to make you fools take him seriously?”Silence immediately fell on the gathering as Pascal and Isaac sta
The date at the amusement park went better than expected.After hanging over the stuffed panda to Melinda, a gesture she found most endearing, Richard had led her to a carousel where he picked a white horse while she picked a pink one.Moving together in sync, he watched her enjoy herself without a single care in the world with a beautiful smile on her face.Richard did his best not to comment but Melinda noticed his eyes on her and so, shyly inquired. “Am I embarrassing you?... Sorry about that.”“No, not at all. It's nothing of that sort. Why would you even think that?”“Oh, I just thought…” Melinda trailed off as she seemed to ponder something before finally replying. “You know, when I was younger, they never really allowed me to go out much.”“Why?”“Because they were worried I'd get infected with what they tagged as mundane and useless people. People that struggle every day to make a living, my parents tagged them as a disease.”“Hmm.”“Yeah, only high-class events and the likes
Seeing as the armed men were gathered in front and there was no other path to take, Richard contemplated driving back only to realize that there were armed men behind as well with some tire spikes already laid out on the road.“Richard,” Melinda called out nervously. As an Alchemist, she wasn't in the slightest made for combat or anything of that sort.“Calm down, I'll handle it. You stay in the car, okay?”“Richard no, don't do it. Let's just try and get out of here.”“Mel…”“Richard, you don't understand. This isn't Intercity, these men are surely going to be cultivators with Spirit-infused weaponry. If you fight them, you'd get hurt or maybe even worse…” The panic in Melinda's voice was evident as she pleaded with Richard not to leave. Richard, however, knew that it would be difficult to drive away even if he were to enhance the car they were driving.Taking a deep breath, he reassured Melinda before going ahead to utilize [Midas Touch] to enhance the car before finally stepping o
Spending the night at the park, Richard and Melinda ended up leaving in the wee hours of the morning with the former now mostly recovered from the draining effects of the talisman he'd used.“Maybe we should report to law enforcement or something,” Melinda suggested on their drive back to the hotel they were staying at.Richard shook his head. “I doubt that would make much difference, remember, Melinda, this is their tuff. I doubt they'd get anything more than a slap on the wrist.”“So what do we do?”“Isn't it obvious?... We go after them ourselves.” “Richard, you can't be serious,” Melinda remarked while staring at Richard incredulously.“I am actually.”“Those guys are armed to the teeth and would stop at nothing to have us both killed. We can't afford to face them.”“So what?” Richard inquired. “We run away, maybe even run away from the island just because they are armed to the teeth.”“That…”“That's what they want you to do, Melinda. They want you off this island but that's not
Snorting derisively, Richard glanced at Queen Mother who was staring hatefully at him. “Due to your antiquated beliefs, you have allowed nonsense to remain, ensuring that progress is not made. Do you think that if this man rules, he would do a better job than his father?... I mean, at least the Emperor is sufficiently strong, but this fool?... Ah, well, what can I say?”Seeing as how everyone was silent, Richard continued. “My mother should have sat on that throne, she was the natural choice, but you all decided that because of her gender, she would not rule. Foolish. Too foolish. Now she lays dead, having tried her whole life to ensure that her family was safe and secure, a feeling she would have extended to everyone here had she remained.”The silence indeed deafening as no one knew what to say.The fact that Tabitha was dead was also quite shocking.“Regardless… I am here now and I plan to make changes. The first change I shall make as Crown Prince…”“You are not Crown Prince and w
Richard sat in his bedroom, already prepared for the bout that would bring everything to a natural conclusion.His expression is impassive, he sat before a mirror and wondered what he would do after he had won.It was a question he needed to answer before he could take the right to the Crown in good faith.He was no leader, so was he willing to become one all because he wished to avenge his mother?Letting out a sigh, he thought to call his beloveds only for someone to knock at his door.“Come in.” He calmly responded.Moments later, Gina entered alongside her father, Elder Wu, both of whom had their heads down as they found themselves unable to meet Richard's gaze.Seconds passed before Richard inquired. “Why are you here?”“... I… no, we are sorry, your highness. We were scared and…”“And so you decided as long as you survived, an innocent man paying the price would not be too bad.”“That…”“Sums it up nicely. If only you had stood your ground, I would have made sure you both got th
“Ahem, Princess Liliana.” An elder who could hardly control his curiosity any longer called out, drawing the attention of the first Princess. “Yes, elder?”“... Can you see me?” He inquired as it was common knowledge that the first princess had gone blind at some point as a result of her condition.Silence followed for a moment before the princess replied. “Of course, I can see you, older.”A flurry of gasps escaped the lips of everyone present as one exclaimed.“It's a miracle!”Soon enough, many more began to comment causing the hall to turn rowdy.“The princess is cured of her condition?... How is this possible?”“It makes no sense, the Princess couldn't have been healed just like that.”Just then, the Emperor erupted. “Silence!”Immediately, the hall went pin-drop quiet as everyone shifted their attention to the Emperor who had his eyes on Lily.“Are you truly cured, Liliana?” He inquired softly.Lily pursed her lips. “Yes… I am.”“But how?... Even your aunt Tabitha who was a pow
Eve could never have fathomed that Richard had anticipated her sabotage and carried out measures to make up for it.In her long life, she had never met someone who was able to match her cunning which was why even though Richard proved himself smart, she still considered herself superior.She had superior intellect, superior resources, and superior manpower and most importantly, Richard was on her home turf.There was no way he could pull a fast one on her yet here he was, doing exactly that.Her mind turned fast, trying to figure out how exactly she missed these drones but despite her efforts, she found herself pulling up repeated blanks with no end in sight.She'd made sure she destroyed all the drones after Richard had unceremoniously revealed that he had a network of drones currently spying on every portion of the capital.Of course, he hadn't said it outrightly but she had deduced it judging from what she had learned about his life so far.Which was why she had gotten her most tru
“It's not even been a week since he arrived yet he does something like this, so despicable.”“If he couldn't control himself, couldn't he have gotten a courtesan?... So cheap, utterly disgusting.”“I can't believe such a person is the Legacy. If he truly is the Legacy, he needs to have the Black Book stripped from him before he turns into a monster.”A lot of murmurs flew around amongst those Richard saw on his way to his destination, with many giving scathing remarks as they hurried past him.Whatever the first prince and Queen Mother were planning, its initial effect seemed to be quite good.They'd played an incredibly good card.Soon, he arrived at the courthouse where several elders both from the Right Hand and the Left Hands were gathered.Several looked upon Richard with scorn and absolute disgust with some even voicing their discontent.“I knew we should have never allowed him into the city. He looks like the textbook definition of a hooligan.”“To dare do such a thing and to E
Lily hadn't ever thought she'd be able to live a normal life again.From birth, she'd already been tagged as a child with little prospects and so was left to suffer alone for years.Few of her step-siblings ever showed any form of care, instead treating her as an opponent out of the race.That was the unfortunate thing.Every single member of the Royal family saw themselves as opponents to be defeated and not as a family.It was a situation born out of a desire to rule over millions.Very few were like Maverick, who didn't bother with anything and instead just tried to enjoy as much of their lives as they could.But here comes someone who has no connections to her, doing what no one else had ever deemed necessary to do.No, perhaps, she indeed had a connection to him.Hadn't he said it himself?... This was his attempt at finishing what his mother had started.Tears clouded Lily's eyes as she muttered softly. “Thank you.”Richard managed a smile as he reached out and cleaned a tear tha
The lady, having finished her heartfelt melody, took a deep breath before proceeding to empty her lungs, a look of satisfaction etched on her face.However, she soon paused with her expression shifting as she seemed to sense something, then she asked.“Who's there?” Her voice sounded hoarse, almost like it wasn't used as much as it was supposed to.Richard pondered on how best to respond before deciding to be straightforward.“My name is Richard Smith, I was attracted over by your zither playing. I must confess, it was incredible listening to you play, you are a genius.”The lady seemed to relax only for her expression to shift to curiosity as she inquired. “Smith?... You mean the man who claims to be the Legacy?”“I have been called that.”“I see, it would explain why I didn't detect you immediately. You carry a presence that despite being so immense, can be easily ignored… almost like a ghost.”Richard was unsure of how to respond and so, remarked. “Do you play this every night?”“
In a certain way, Richard had come to rely on the camouflaged drones as the best way to ensure he was never blindsided.If evidence couldn't be gotten from other sources, why not make your own?That was his understanding and so he didn't hesitate to apply it with necessary, hence the reason why he had already unleashed a good number of drones into the capital the night before.Ensuring they covered every corner of the city, nothing was happening in the capital Richard wasn't aware of.How he knew that Elder Wu wasn't doing as he had instructed and was instead meeting with his fellow Rights to discuss what he considered to be a potential disruption of the Order of the city.It seems he feared that Richard would cause chaos in his desire to get revenge.It was understandable why he would think that way but Richard was no madman and he had no desire to implicate innocents in his quest for justice for his mother.Regardless, that wasn't the point right now as he watched Prince Harry's exp
When was the last time he'd been so casually insulted that it felt like a compliment?Harry couldn't remember, perhaps because it had never happened.Those that had dared to look down on him had paid the price without question yet the man before him made him feel like that wouldn't be the case no matter what he did.Harry turned livid as he hated the fact that someone else, a nobody for that matter, would lead him to feel so wary.“How about we put that claim to the test then?” Harry inquired, unwilling to back down just like that.Richard raised a brow. “Wasn't this meant to be a party?”“Plans changed, let us compete. I believe it's a better way to decide if your words are true or you just have a big mouth, don't you agree?”“I see.”“Or perhaps, are you scared?” Harry asked in slight provocation.Richard shrugged. “Alright then, if you really wish to humiliate yourself, then sure, let's fight.”Harry snorted. “Good. We shall exchange three blows. Whoever can remain standing without