Eden Gardens was a special spot on Memphis Island.Closest to the Spirit Stones mines, it had the highest density of Spirit energy in the entire city.Spirit energy in Eden was so dense that it materialized as fog in the air causing the place to be a paradise for Cultivators as one could casually cultivate by just taking a breath while it was poison for those that weren't as their body would be unable to handle the excess energy.Due to the spirit energy, Eden Gardens was more of a forest with tall trees and dense vegetation with a variety of incredible wildlife to feast one's eyes on which was why it served as the perfect location for whatever the Five or rather, now Four Coalition children intended to do once Melinda arrived.It was in this exact spot that they had defeated her the last time and now again, they would do the same thing.Geraldine, Isaac, Trisha, and Pascal were all gathered in a wooden building built using wood from the forest.The place was large enough to fit more
The tension in the conference room was palpable as everyone waited for the other to start.After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Trisha decided to take the helm. “We called this conference today because the date for the main decision is close by and we haven't yet decided on who would serve as the leader.”Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Vance was closest to that position but with him gone, his points have naturally moved to you… Melinda.”“Is that so?” Melinda inquired, feigning ignorance which further caused the others to regard her with displeasure.Naturally, she ignored them.Seating behind her, Richard busied himself using his black phone covertly to take a picture of each person in the room to get a preliminary understanding of them.Lolita on the other hand served as a distraction as those who should have had their eyes on Richard ended up fixing their attention on her.Meanwhile, Trisha remarked. “We considered carrying out a set of trials today which would serv
“This is great.” Pascal couldn't help but mutter aloud as he chased after Melinda's group.At first, when the news that Vance had been sent home was given, he had been completely out of his wits.He had suffered defeats several times at the hands of Vance and so, held an innate fear for him.This was even why he had bullied those in Vance's camp so much today.It was precisely because he was looking to vent some of his frustrations of always losing to Vance.However, imagine his shock upon finding out that his rival had been defeated by some girl who wasn't even meant to be a threat in the first place.Their parents had given them the go-ahead to push aside all differences to ensure Melinda would be taught a good lesson for the madness the Dawsons showed.It was meant to be a little payback but imagine now, that same bitch that was meant to be gone came back and what's more, with a bang.It was enough to shake Pascal's resolve, however, Trisha was quick to bring things back on track.
It was more than 3 hours later before the herb-gathering competition came to an end.Trisha walked back to the wooden building with a triumphant step, having already acknowledged that Melinda would stand no chance against her.She'd dreamed of leading the group since the start of the conference but because of that fool Vance, she was unable to do so and had to make do with second place.But now, nothing was stopping her ascent to the peak.Her parents had told her; that under no circumstances should she come back a loser.Their ambitions were different from the other families, they wished to assimilate them into their own, and to do that, Trisha had to play her part.She already expected a big celebration to welcome her return after all, she had done as instructed though not completely considering Melinda was the one who helped her deal with Vance.In any case, she was thankful to that bitch.At least she was useful for once.“Now, I'll take care of the rest.” She muttered as she step
As the trial was about to begin, murmurs began to float amongst the spectators.“What if Melinda wins?... What are we going to do?... I mean, we bullied her so much, what if she comes for revenge?”“What are you saying?... How can Melinda win?... Trisha is a better potion maker and she even has created a core, what does Melinda have?”“I agree. So stop saying such nonsense. Trisha would win and once she does, she would surely deal with Melinda to ensure she doesn't come back again.”It wasn't even hidden that instead of Melinda, most people were scared of the mysterious man that she had brought.Before now, she wasn't much of a threat but once Richard arrived, everything was turned in on its head.Of course, now that it was Trisha and Melinda competing, they believed that no matter what, Trisha would surely come out victorious.***Potion-making was similar to cooking.After the cauldron was turned on and some water was added, the herbs were tossed into the boiling water one at a time
The exclamation caused Trisha to pause in her tracks just as a soft radiance emerged from the other side of the room.Struck by terror, she glanced at the origin to find that it was the flower Geraldine used to test Melinda's potion.‘How?... How is this possible?... This doesn't make any sense?’ Unable to accept this, Trisha exclaimed. “Impossible!... You cheated!... You must have cheated!” “How can you be so sure?” Richard inquired, feeling rather amused.“You must have tampered with the flowers!”“But you checked them yourself, are you saying you doubt your capabilities?”“... That, I don't agree with this. Use that flower on my potion and you'll see.”Richard shrugged as he moved to Melinda's cauldron while Geraldine moved to Trisha's own.Performing the same thing, the results came out the same with Richard's flower glowing with an effervescent glow.“No…” Trisha muttered as she realized that had indeed lost.“But how?... You haven't even created a core yet?... I poisoned the c
“You two take Melinda back to the estate while I try to divert the attention of the attackers,” Richard remarked causing Melinda's expression to immediately darken.“Richard, no!... You can't do that, it's too dangerous. You already risked yourself once, why are you trying to do so again?”“Look, we have no choice. Both of us running together would put us both at risk. I have my ways to get out unscathed, but not you.”“Richard stop, please. You might be able to resist a few bullets but those people are using explosives and projectiles, please, just come with us.” Melinda pleaded.Richard shook his head. “I'm sorry, Melinda. But it's for your good.”Using a simple technique, Richard knocked her out and handed her over to the escorts.“Now, make sure to take her back to the estate unharmed. I'll divert the attention of the attackers.”“Alright, Mr. Smith, please be careful.” “Mn, you too.” With that, the guards quickly picked up Melinda's unconscious body and ran in a certain directi
A gunshot echoed in the forest as Melinda subconsciously shut her eyes and took a sharp breath.Simeon had a sinister grin on his lips as he expected the bullet to pierce Richard's knee and send him sprawling to the ground.His employer had told him not to touch Richard as he wished to do so himself but it was unavoidable now so he had to ensure that didn't do too much damage.What Simeon hadn't revealed was that his gun was a spirit-infused pistol that was handed to him by his employer.It had a limited number of bullets but each was lethal enough to destroy a normal jeep if aimed right.So how could a man like Richard possibly defend against it?Simeon expected Richard to fall and cry out in pain, at least, that would cause Melinda to realize the gravity of the situation, however, that never happened.Instead, Richard stood upright, his gaze trained on Simeon as his expression took a dangerous turn.Simeon frowned as he glanced at Richard's leg only to realize that it hadn't penetra