Who was that?The once peaceful atmosphere in the courtyard was instantly disturbed by the intruding voice, which drew everyone’s gazes. At some point, a young man with a folding fan in his hand appeared. He opened the door and walked over with a sneer on his face and a shake of his head. "I heard Mr. Faulkne found a chess master recently and brought Miss Autumn over for some guidance. I thought he’d be a senior master, but I’m so disappointed now that I’ve come over to take a look.”It was obvious that the young man was blind to the change in atmosphere caused by what he said. Either that or he just did not care at all. He continued to say whatever he wished. Conrad frowned at that. The young man was Francis Havisham, and he was the adored grandson of Jax Havisham, who was Conrad's senior.He was a frivolous and none-too-pleasing fellow, but Conrad never said anything to save his senior’s face.Who would have thought that his bringing Autumn to Fred's place for a game of c
Lloyd did not pay him any heed at all and instantly gripped his wrist tighter. Francis' features immediately contorted at the grip. He then fell to the ground on his knees and screamed.Without uttering any nonsense and without the slightest pity, Lloyd immediately looked at Fred and asked, “Great One, how would you like for me to deal with him?”Since Fred snuck into the capital, Lloyd had not dared disrupt his plans by doing anything rash. Not only that, but Francis also seemed to be acquainted with Conrad and Autumn. If not for all this, Lloyd would not have even asked. Since Francis dared go before the revered Great One, who he viewed as a god, and attack him, Lloyd wanted to immediately rip him apart limb from limb. "He lacks etiquette, so teach him what he should know,” Fred said without even sparing him a glance as he continued packing up the chessboard. “Yes, Sir.”Immediately after Fred said that, Lloyd nodded. Suddenly, there was a crack.The sound was crisp. Lloyd
"How… How dare you lay your fucking hand on me?"Silence befell the courtyard due to Conrad and Autumn’s shock. It was not long, however, that a hysterical roar cut through the silence. Conrad sighed, thinking to himself that this matter would now be an endless problem. Since Lloyd had been so swift and fierce with his actions just now, Francis was immediately stunned.However, the pain in his wrist, nose, and everything else finally woke him up from his astonishment. Now, he was furious.He was Francis Havisham!Although he was a well-known dandy, his grandfather, Jax Havisham, was an incredibly prestigious man with connections that spanned far and wide in Capital City. After all, he was a national chess player.It was also because of this that even though Francis was a dandy, he rarely ever suffered any disadvantages.Today was different.He had only reached his hand out to grab Fred's collar when Lloyd had broken his wrist and nose. He had not even touched Fred!Franci
Standing to the side, Conrad had been silent when he suddenly said, "Girl, since Mr. Hoffman wants to give you more guidance, just play a game with him."“Huh?”What Conrad said was beyond Autumn's expectations, but when she caught her grandfather’s affirmative gaze, she could only nod slightly before picking up the chess pieces."Calm yourself. You shouldn't profane the game of chess," Fred said lightly.Autumn nodded immediately at that. She understood that Fred was referring to her feeling unsettled because of what had happened with Francis. She quickly took a deep breath and stabilized herself.However, as smart as Autumn was, she failed to follow all of what Fred said and used their game as a means to talk to him. After putting down a piece, she said slowly, "Mr. Hoffman, a powerful enemy is approaching your lone chess piece now. Isn’t it better to make a strategic retreat than charge up toward it?”Autumn was obviously referring to the current situation.Francis' grandfath
Jax Havisham was a well-known national chess player from Capital City. Although he had retired from the professional chess world like Conrad, he often played with dignitaries in Capital City due to his superb skills. Because of that, not only had his prestige remained the same as before, but his network had also grown.It was also because of this that anyone in Capital City who had heard of Jax would stay away from the dandy that was Francis as offending him was equivalent to kicking the hornet's nest.Jax simply adored Francis, the only child of the family. Those who provoked him usually did not meet the best of endings. "What was supposed to come has finally come!"Standing at the side, Conrad had been clear about all this and had tried to be a peacemaker from the start to calm things down.However, Fred had been too decisive with his order just as Lloyd had been swift and ruthless with the execution. Including the tension between Francis and Fred, Conrad knew then that his s
General Wolfe?Fred said nothing when he heard Jax’s call. He just smiled lightly.On the other hand, Conrad’s expression instantly changed. Although Jax had become more and more domineering over the years, which had put a wedge in their relationship, Conrad still knew a lot about him since they were in the same circle.This included General Wolfe.General Wolfe held a special seat within the Capital City government. This issue would be turned into a huge deal once Jax went to him."Jax—” Conrad tried to dissuade him immediately, but Jax immediately frowned and cut him off after he ended the call. "Conrad! I’m not even done with you yet! Are you not aware that I only have one grandson?”Conrad was immediately pissed when he heard that. "Your grandson came to Mr. Hoffman's house and provoked him of his own accord and yet you blame me? Would the situation have devolved into this if he hadn’t gone looking for trouble on his own?” He scoffed. "So what if he did that? He's my gran
He was about to step forward and help Jax to his feet. However, right after taking a few steps, he saw Llyod, which stunned him a little. Then, his gaze slowly fell on the figure in front of him that was playing chess. He was so surprised that his expression froze while his entire body shook uncontrollably."General Wolfe of Capital City. I thought it would be you,” Fred said without even looking up the moment Wolfe was frozen in place. He was still fiddling with the chess pieces as he had been before.It was him! It was actually him!He found it hard to believe what he was seeing due to how astonished he was. He even instinctively thought that he had gone blind, but it was then that he heard Fred’s voice. He confirmed it again with his eyes. It was definitely Fred who was in front of him!At this moment, instead of supporting Jax like he had wanted to, he just abandoned him and went up to Fred.Jax felt a moment of misery when that happened. He did not understand what was happeni
There was fear and panic!As a former national chess player, Jax had always thought of himself above most even after he retired because the people he often played with were prominent dignitaries from illustrious families.He would not have come up to Fred’s door and hurled threats at him otherwise. If Fred had not behaved so differently from regular people upon his arrival and had someone like Llyod by his side, Jax would not have been confused about his identity. He would never have thought to call Leonard over to get rid of him.At this moment, however, he was terrified. Leonard, the general of the Six Ministries' headquarters of Capital City, could be considered to be the most prominent and extraordinary of all the dignitaries Jax was acquainted with. Yet, this man actually knelt before Fred after Jax called him over.Seeing this happen, how could Jax not feel torn apart? How could he not be terrified?Just then, Fred spoke up again, "What's the punishment for trespassing on
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he