Riker wavering, wondered if it might be better to back down for now, then settle things during the stone auction later. Once they competed there, even Thorne and Robert couldn’t object.But if he continued to push, having both powerful figures from Stormwatch and Golden Harbor against Paddy would be too much to handle.Riker nudged Paddy slightly, giving him a subtle nod.Paddy gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger."Mr. Pittman, if you insist, I’ll apologize to him out of respect for our past. But let me be clear—after today, whatever ties we had are over. From now on, we go our separate ways.”Robert snorted, shaking his head in contempt. Paddy’s words were foolish; the situation couldn’t be more obvious, yet he was blind to it."Fine, after this, we’re strangers. Now, apologize to Young Master Reynolds. And you must kneel.”“Kneel? Are you out of your mind? Why should we kneel?” Pete shouted in outrage.Paddy and Riker looked horrified, their faces twisting.Kneel, or not?It wa
Watching Riker’s group leave, Robert spoke anxiously: “Young Master Reynolds, you were too rash. The number nine rough stone is the highest quality among these stones. The experts in the field have examined it and confirmed that it can yield Jadeite Jade, far superior to the rest.”Eleanor immediately looked worried, grabbing Alexander's arm: “Alexander, this time you… you really acted recklessly."Alexander flipped through the auction catalog, stopping at the page listing the jade stones up for bid, and laughed: “Don’t worry, they can’t win.”Robert covered his face with both hands, unsure where Alexander’s confidence came from. After all, Robert himself had handled these stones and knew their quality inside out.“Young Master Reynolds, these stones all passed through my hands, so I know them well. Even though no one can entirely predict jade quality, certain clues from years of experience can help us judge.” Robert said, his tone anxious.Alexander nodded calmly: “I understand. Than
Phineas shot Alexander a vicious glare, then said to Eleanor: “Eleanor, if you like anything during the auction, just let me know.”“I don’t like anything.”Eleanor replied coldly.Valeria, dissatisfied, nudged Eleanor, whispering: “Why are you being so silly? If Phineas wants to give you something, just accept it.”“I don’t need anything. Why should I accept it?”Eleanor replied indifferently.Valeria sighed, knowing she couldn’t convince Eleanor. Any further words would just waste her breath.The auction began, drawing everyone’s attention as they turned to watch the stage.Riker led Pete’s group to the front row, observing the auction proceedings, muttering to one another, and frequently raising their paddles. They quickly won several jade items.After auctioning a few jade pieces, Riker murmured something to Rainer. Rainer stood up, looked toward Alexander, and gave him a middle finger, taunting: “Hey, pauper, if you’ve got guts, try raising your paddle!”Immediately, all eyes tur
Alexander smiled, raising his paddle toward the auctioneer.The auctioneer, desperate to regain order in the room, saw Alexander’s signal and immediately called out: “Bidder number 99 offers three hundred! Any other bids?”Riker snorted: “Finish it up already. Can’t you see I have things to do?”“Yes, sir.” The auctioneer shrank back and quickly struck the gavel.“Congratulations to Bidder 99 for winning this rough jade stone at three hundred.”Rodger and Valeria scowled, feeling Alexander was only bringing them more embarrassment. They didn’t want to see him humiliate himself any further.“Phineas, your uncle and I will return to the hotel. Look after Eleanor. If that idiot gets into trouble, don’t get involved—just take Eleanor back.” Valeria said.Phineas nodded eagerly: “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll take care of Eleanor.”With that, Rodger and Valeria left, and Phineas turned to Alexander with a smirk.“Hey, loser, it’s time to cut the stones. Just wait until you’re begging for mercy
Riker held his head high, confident of his victory."Pathetic loser, you’re done for. I’ve already prepared the blade for your self-stabbing, you fool."Rainer brought over a silver case and opened it in front of everyone, revealing a long saber.The blade featured a blood groove, and the spine was serrated, gleaming coldly as if to announce its deadly nature.Riker lightly ran his finger along the blade, smiling as he spoke: “You pathetic fool, you’re lucky even to touch this blade, let alone use it to stab yourself — you must have cultivated good fortune over eight lifetimes to deserve this.”“Is that the Asura War Sabre?”Robert looked at the long saber in the case, astonished. Being an antique enthusiast, he knew enough about weaponry to recognize the blade immediately.“The Asura War Sabre is a weapon crafted by a renowned Japanese master. They say it took three years to forge. Aside from its hefty price, it’s incredibly hard to come by. There’s even a legend that anyone injured
Riker glared at Alexander’s back with resentment, then looked down at the Asura War Sabre in the case.“Mr. Pittman, now that he’s gone, I don’t really need to stab myself, do I?” Riker asked, his voice trembling.“Robert, as the witness, you need to ensure they follow through on the bet.” Thorne said, pulling Robert along.Robert nodded: “If you agree to a bet, you must accept its consequences.”Riker closed his eyes tightly and, with shaking hands, grasped the cold hilt of the Asura War Sabre.
Stormwatch General HospitalPaddy and Riker were gathered in the recovery ward, both nursing serious injuries and recovering in the external trauma unit.Paddy looked in surprise at Riker being brought into the room, noticing the swollen, large bruises on him. He thought the injuries looked oddly familiar.“What happened to you? How did you end up like this?”Riker slouched, his face drawn with grief as he looked at Paddy, eyes misty with frustration.“We lost the bet! That guy Perkins teamed up with Pittman, and they both backed that worthless fool. We were cornered, couldn’t escape, and ended up getting beaten up.” Paddy’s expression darkened as he muttered, annoyed: “How did you guys lose? Didn’t you manage to secure the best stone?”“We did win the best jade stone, but the worthless guy ended up with a seemingly low-quality stone, yet when it was opened, it was an emerald green jade!”Riker gritted his teeth, and Paddy’s expression went through a series of changes—surprise, shock
“Elder brother, you know a lot of people in the banking industry; try to gather some information. We need to identify who’s behind this. If we can’t even find out who’s targeting us, finding a way to resolve this will be impossible!”Rolando nodded, pulling out his phone to call a few of his contacts in the banking world.Each time a call connected, he barely got two words in before the other party would abruptly hang up. Three calls—all the same result.“Elder brother, how is it?” Walden asked in a low voice.Rolando slowly shook his head: “They won’t say anything. All they’re telling me is to prepare the money; if we fail to pay by the deadline, they’ll proceed with legal action and auction off our assets!”“Hiss…”Walden drew in a sharp breath, shocked.“This is powerful—there are only a handful of people with enough influence to pull this off. But we’ve wronged no one!”Tommy’s face contorted with rage, slamming his hand on the table: “This must have something to do with that wort