Chris stepped into the guest room and looked at Oriana. “Oriana, my wife has already agreed to let you stay here. To find your sister, she nearly flipped out on me. The price I’ve paid for this is just too much.”
Oriana shot him a glare. “If it weren’t for you, how could my sister have gone missing? I haven’t killed you yet, which is already showing you a lot of mercy!”
Chris was speechless.
What did Emily’s disappearance have to do with him?
He hadn’t asked Emily to find him-it was Emily who wanted to see him.
And now Emily’s disappearance was somehow his fault? Unbelievable!
“You’ve managed to collect all nine fragments of the Dragon Emblem?”
Suddenly, Oriana held up the Dragon Emblem and asked.
“What the hell!”
Chris looked down and realized the Dragon Emblem was somehow now in Oriana’s hands.
Chris’s face darkened. “That belongs to me. You’re staying in my house and taking my stuff without permission-how is that any different from stealing?”
Oriana smirked dismissively. “A mere Dragon Emblem. Do you think I’d care about something like this? But having it in your hands is a complete waste!”
She tossed the Dragon Emblem back to him and said flatly, “Keep it safe. If someone else sees it, it’ll only bring you trouble-possibly even death.”
Hearing this, Chris frowned.
The way Oriana acted, it was obvious she knew the origins of the Dragon Emblem.
The Dragon Emblem was a priceless treasure for martial artists, yet Oriana appeared utterly indifferent to it. Who exactly was this woman?
“Enough!” Oriana said coldly. “I’m going to sleep. Now get out.”
Chris rolled his eyes. “Excuse me, this is my house. Is this how you talk to the host? Hey, what are you doing? Put the sword down!”
Oriana had drawn a longsword and placed it against Chris’s neck.
Chris sighed in frustration. “Why do you always have to pull out your sword? Put it away already. What if you scare the kids? By the way, my room isn’t far from here. If you need anything, just come find me-”
Bang!
Before Chris could finish speaking, he was sent flying out of the room.
He stumbled to his feet, glaring at the closed door in frustration. “Damn it! Living in my house and still daring to lay hands on me? Where do you even get the nerve?”
—
A few days passed.
During this time, Chris mobilized all his connections to search for Emily.
Initially, he had planned to look for Aethelgard’s entrance, but Emily’s disappearance forced him to put that on hold.
In the end, Chris assigned the task of finding Emily to Lynx while he spent his days bored, sipping tea in the courtyard.
Oriana stormed over. “Chris, didn’t I tell you to go look for my sister? Why are you sitting here drinking tea?”
Chris lifted his teacup and rolled his eyes.
Swish!
Before he could reply, a longsword was once again pressed to his neck.
Looking down at the blade, Chris sighed. “Miss Silverstone, why do you always have to draw your sword? If you want to act in a movie, just tell me. I own an entertainment company. I can invest in a production and cast you as the lead actress-a sword-wielding heroine. How about that?”
“You’re asking for it…”
Oriana’s face darkened with rage.
Hmph!
She snorted coldly and sheathed her sword.
Suddenly, Chris remembered something-Lord Valerian had recently gone to Mount Cinderfall to search for Aethelgard’s entrance.
This Oriana, clearly an Aetherbinding practitioner of extraordinary strength, not to mention her mysterious background-could she know anything about Aethelgard?
“Miss Silverstone,” Chris began, “do you know about Aethelgard?”
Oriana’s expression remained icy. “Obviously. As an Aetherbinding practitioner, how could I not? Why? Are you planning to go to Aethelgard?”
Chris nodded. “That’s right. I’ve already sent someone to Mount Cinderfall to locate the entrance to Aethelgard. Do you know where it is?”
Oriana sneered. “Chris, if you’ve managed to collect the complete Dragon Emblem, you probably know about Aethelgard. But let me warn you-Aethelgard isn’t a place just anyone can go.”
“With your strength, you might be a top-tier fighter here on Earth. But in Aethelgard, where everyone practices Aetherbinding, your abilities are nothing. You’d be in constant danger.”
Chris already understood the risks of going to Aethelgard.
Ever since the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Alexandre Leite and Elias Dorneles of the Jefferson family, he had sworn to rapidly improve his strength.
But now, Chris had hit a bottleneck.
To break through, he had to go to Aethelgard.
“I’m aware of the dangers,” Chris replied, frowning. “But I still want to go.”
Oriana scoffed. “Chris, it’s not that I’m underestimating you. Aethelgard is a world of Aetherbinding practitioners, filled with sects and clans. The entrances to Aethelgard from Earth are controlled by three groups. Two of them are held by the Jefferson family and the Flower Clan. If you want to enter Aethelgard, you’ll have to pledge loyalty to one of them.”
The Jefferson family and the Flower Clan controlled one entrance each. To enter through them, one had to join their ranks.
For someone strong, that might mean becoming a guard for the Jefferson family. For someone weaker, they’d likely end up as a servant.
Even so, countless people still tried to enter Aethelgard.
Despite its dangers, Aethelgard’s abundant spiritual energy offered unmatched opportunities for growth.
However, joining the Jefferson family or the Flower Clan was out of the question for Chris.
That left only one option-Mount Cinderfall!
“What about the Mount Cinderfall entrance?” Chris asked. “What would it take to get in that way?”
Oriana replied, “Entering Aethelgard through Mount Cinderfall doesn’t require joining any faction. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. If it were, everyone would be doing it. I won’t tell you how to get in-at least not until you find my sister.”
With that, Oriana turned and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Chris muttered a curse under his breath.
According to Oriana, if he didn’t find Emily, he might never gain access to Aethelgard.