“You must be Felicia, right?” Stephanie smiled at Felicia. “You have such a sweet mouth!”
“I’m serious!” Felicia said earnestly. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Ivy and Orchid!”
“Hello, Ms Stuart!” Casey, Ivy, and the others bowed to Stephanie.
“Alright, everyone is doing well!” Stephanie smiled. “Thank you all for always accompanying Billy and never leaving his side!”
“Your words make us feel ashamed!” Ivy said with a smile. “We are all truly grateful to Billy. It is because of his unwavering support that we have achieved what we have today! If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have survived, let alone grown!”
“I’ve always heard that the princess of Secret Essences Sect is not only beautiful but also eloquent. Today, I can see that it’s true!” Stephanie responded with a smile.
“You flatter me, Ms Stuart.” Ivy blushed slightly.
“Mom, you even know Ivy?” Harleen said, slightly surprised.
“I not only know her, but I also know Casey and Night Orchid, all of them!” Stephanie nodded with a smile.
“Really?” Harleen was stunned again. “I was planning to introduce Casey and the others to you!”
“Haha, no need for introductions, I already know them!” Stephanie laughed again. After that, she briefly chatted with Casey and the others. As she had said, she indeed knew everyone, including Amber.
After greeting everyone, White Tiger and Rakshasa bowed to Edie Fennimore to express their gratitude. They hadn’t expected their benefactor to be so close to Billy’s mother.
“Miss!” Just then, Grand Ravenwood walked quickly to Stephanie and bowed deeply.
“Elder Grand, no need for so much courtesy!” Stephanie smiled. “Long time no see, how have you been?”
“Thank you for your concern, Miss. I’ve been well.” Grand Ravenwood bowed again. “How have you been all these years?”
“I’ve been good too!” Stephanie smiled in response.
As the conversation went on, she gestured to Sol Stuart, who was walking towards them. “Elder Grand, do you still remember Sol?”
“Of course!” Grand Ravenwood nodded and looked at Sol Stuart. “Big brother, long time no see!”
He was one year younger than Sol Stuart, so he called him “Big brother.”
“Grand, long time no see!” Sol Stuart smiled and replied. After that, he walked up to Billy and Harleen and bowed. “Greetings, Young Master and Young Madam!”
“Mr Stuart, you’re being too polite!” Billy responded.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr Stuart!” Harleen also bowed. “You can call me Harleen.”
At the same time, Elder Wood and the others quickly walked over and greeted Stephanie. After a while, James Reynolds and the core members of the city arrived.
“Greetings, Lady Stuart!” They all bowed to Stephanie.
“Mr Reynolds, no need for so much courtesy!” Stephanie raised her hand.
They had known each other for a long time and were familiar with each other, so they chatted for a while. Then, Billy introduced the Prime Minister of Aquilandia, Caruno, to his mother. After about an hour, Billy and the others, along with Stephanie, boarded the car and headed towards the Polar City in the east. James Reynolds and Ernest Shepherd stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
The next evening, Billy and his group returned to the city of Glavale.
“Young Master, do you have spiritual stones here?” After dinner, Sol Stuart asked Billy.
“Yes!” Before Billy could respond, Stout said loudly, “Mr Stuart, don’t you bring any money when you go out? You’re too… thrifty!”
He almost said stingy.
Sol Stuart choked and twitched at the corner of his mouth.
As Stout finished speaking, Ivy slapped him on the back of his head.
“Just kidding!” Stout rubbed the back of his head and then looked at Sol. “Mr Stuart, what do you want to buy? I’ll help you get it!”
“I’m not buying anything!” Sol Stuart’s mouth twitched again, and he continued, “Do you have enough spiritual stones?”
“What do you mean?” Stout was taken aback.
“Stout, Mr Stuart wants you to bring out your spiritual stones and refine them yourself, and then he’ll help you improve your cultivation.” Edie Fennimore smiled and said.
“Ah? Is that so?” Stout exclaimed.
“Stout, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and bring out all your assets!” Judge’s eyes lit up as he spoke.
“Alright!” Stout responded loudly and looked at Sol Stuart.
“Mr Stuart, I not only have spiritual stones, but also spiritual fruits. I’m not sure if it’s enough, but I can take you to have a look!”
“Good!” Sol Stuart nodded and then turned to Billy. “Young Master, you chat with Madam, I’ll help everyone look after things.”
“Thank you, Mr Stuart!” Billy responded gratefully.
After a while, Billy and Harleen led their mother into the room.
“Mom, this is tea brought from Glavale. Please try it!” After the three of them sat down, Harleen prepared a cup of tea for Stephanie.
“Okay!” Stephanie smiled and took the teacup. After taking a sip, she had a nostalgic expression on her face and said, “It’s been a long time since I tasted this flavor!”
“Mom, do you miss home?” Harleen asked softly.
“Yes! It’s been many years since I went back!” Stephanie nodded slightly. After a brief pause, she collected her thoughts and looked at Billy. “Billy, have you ever resented me for not looking for you even though I knew you were alive?”
“No!” Billy shook his head decisively. His words were not just to comfort her, but also his true thoughts deep in his heart. Being in his current position, he could understand the difficulties his parents faced, and there had to be compromises between personal and national interests. Just like how he and Harleen left Tasha in Ozin.
“Mom, is there any special reason?” Harleen asked.
“It’s because of the Golden Bloodline. From the moment Billy was born, his destiny was already determined!” Stephanie didn’t directly answer Harleen’s question. “A month after he was born, Elder Ether Mountain went to the Stuart family and talked with Billy’s grandfather for a whole day and night. Since then, Billy’s life framework has been mostly set. If it wasn’t for he leaving the Stuart family later, the old master of Ether Mountain would have taken him to Ether Mountain in the second year of his departure! But, we didn’t expect Chad Stuart to do such a thing. At that time, the old master of Ether Mountain was also in the Polar Domain. When we learned about the Stuart family’s situation, Billy had already left home.”
“Mom, did Chad Stuart know about Billy’s Golden Bloodline?” Harleen asked again.
“I don’t know!” Stephanie shook her head. “Before Billy went to the Ravenwood family recently, only six or seven people in Glavale knew about this!”
“Six or seven people?” Harleen was stunned. “Besides you, father, Grandfather, and the old master of Ether Mountain, who else knows?”