"You came for the bounty?"

"Yes. I am the person who caught Robert, and he is the one who made the crucial tip.

A man in an Aloha t-shirt and a person wearing a school uniform came forward, claiming that they caught Robert.

The receptionist made a strange expression.

"I haven't heard about something like this…"

"Cough. Is that so?"

While Dale made a trouble expression, Leo intervened.

"Director Kim han of the Personnel Administration Department… I mean, Team Leader Kim han. Maybe he will know. He is the person directly involved in the bounty."

"Team Leader Kim han…? Ah, yes! I understand. I'll check it straight away."

As soon as the name of the person in charge was mentioned, the receptionist was surprised and hurriedly made a call.

Dale's eyes widened as he saw it.

"Wah. How did you know that?"

"Didn't you hear that I deliver for a Chinese restaurant?"

"Yes."

"I heard about it during a delivery."

"You deliver here as well?"

"Yes. It is quite the famous restaurant."

"I see!"

Dale's  eyes shone. 

How delicious would the food be if even a large company ordered it?

A detective and his noodles had an inseparable relationship. He vowed that he would order from the restaurant to try it out one day.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting!"

The receptionist's attitude had flipped on its end. They bowed respectfully and guided the two people to a VIP room.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Team Leader Kim han who was waiting there.

There was a beautiful woman, so beautiful that it wouldn't be strange to see her on TV, sitting in a chair. 

"Hello."

The woman in the chair bowed her head.

She had neatly cropped, shoulder length hair.

"I apologize for greeting you while sitting down."

She pointed to the wheelchair next to the chair.

'Her legs are disabled.'

She was unable to walk, so it was natural for her to greet them while sitting down.

"I am Mary Louse. I hear that the both of you have caught Robert."

Dale was so nervous in front of the pale beauty that he couldn't speak for a while. 

Leo then pressed against his side and exclaimed.

"Ah! This schoolboy… Seo,i-I mean  Leo made a crucial tip that led to his arrest. I am Dale Woods of the City Lake's police station's 2nd team."

Dale pulled out his business card from his wallet.

The woman tilted her head in confusion. Even that small movement made her look beautiful.

"I thought that detectives would be more upright than this."

"Haha! I am a bit unique."

'He completely fell for her. However, Dale falling for her is a type of crime.'

At the most, she looked like a university student. The age difference between her and Dale  was at least 10 years.


'By the way, who is she?'

This was the VIP room of Sun Group, the largest corporation in the country. She definitely wasn't any ordinary woman.

The president's secretary? … I don't think so.

She gave off a strange feeling of elegance.

Mary bowed her head.

"Robert… Thank you for catching him. I want him to be judged by the law."

Dale made a pleasant smile when he heard her saying 'judged by the law.'

While she was still speaking calmly, Mary had strange emotions showing in her eyes.

Anger. Hate. 

He was confused over why she had such feelings.

Although he was just sent here, Leo had worked here as a security guard for two years. It was the first time seeing or hearing of someone named Mary Louse, however.

She was either unrelated to the company, or a super VIP that Leo could never approach.

Leo thought about the identity of the woman.

He might be able to find a connection.

'If a bounty was issued, then he must have leaked core secrets from the company. Either that, or he hurt a VIP. However, Robert wasn't someone who would have any confidential information to leak.

This meant that one of his victims was related to Sun Group.

Usually, the victim's identity wasn't exposed to the media, especially if the person was a big business owner.

However, Leo happened to be Robert's neighbour.

'Yes. He boasted about killing the daughter of a very important person. The name…'

At that moment, the name popped into Leo's head.

Currently, he was the president that oversaw one of Sun Group's divisions, and also one that would climb up to be the vice-chairman of the company in the future.

'Vice Chairman Joseph Louse!'

That reminded him, Mary had the same surname. Maybe…

"Are you perhaps President Joseph's daughter?"

Mary's eyes widened at Leo's words.

"H-how did you know?"

"I work at a Chinese restaurant. Sometimes he comes in to eat noodles. He has been a regular for 20 years. I noticed that you resemble him."

"My father and noodles… At any rate, I wasn't trying to hide it. I will greet you again. I am Mary Louse, the director for the 2nd Public Relations Support Team."

The daughter of a president of a large company. Dale 's mouth hung open from where he watching, while Leo nodded as if he already expected it.

'Well, because she got to her position at such a young age, most would think she was gliding off her father's success. That's why she hides it.'

"If Big-sis is involved then you must be related to one of Robert's victims…"

Mary  laughed at being called 'big-sis.'

Then her expression became cold and hard when she heard Robert's name.

"…Yes. My Big sister. Please don't tell this to the press. Of course, I'd obstruct you if you tried."

Mary's face looked like the manager of a big company.

Leo nodded.

Dale replied awkwardly like a broken robot.

"Yes. I will be careful."

"Then sit down and relax. I'll get to the point."

Leo and Dale  sat down as a tea set came out. There were also cookies prepared in advance.

"Please eat."

Dale instantly put the cookies in his mouth and swallowed hard without chewing.

"These are delicious."

"Ahaha. I made them myself. So please eat more."

"Ah, yep!"

"So, about the bounty. Leo Mastiford, who played a crucial role in catching him, will receive 1 million dollars. Of course, you won't need to pay any taxes since it is a reward."

One million!

That was enough to get a decent home in the area.

Leo received the bounty, but Dale  was the one who made a fuss.

"Wah Leo! Amazing. 1 million ! Let's see, with that money… You can get a  house!"

Leo bowed with gratitude and opened his mouth.

It was lacking.

"Big sister Mary . I'm talking to the director of the Public Relations Support Team, not a family member of a victim."

"H-huh?"

"The bounty money should be 2 million, not 1 million."

"No, it is clearly 1 million per person…"

Mary  stuttered due to her confusion. She had thought of him as a cute younger brother, and never imagined that he would insist on doubling the money like this.

"1 million per person is correct. But clearly, 'we' are two people. Surely there aren't any restrictions on a detective receiving a reward? There clearly wasn't one stated."

"T-that is correct but…"

Normally, detectives didn't receive rewards for catching criminals.

"Of course, the criminal was able to be caught due to my tip. However, he probably wouldn't have been caught if it wasn't for Dale big- brother. He believed in the report of a high school student and went to investigate.Dale  also threw his body to catch the criminal when he was running. So, did I catch him alone?"

"Certainly…"

"Ah. I thought I was talking to a director of a big company. So let's look at it from the perspective of the Sun Group. Isn't the Sun Group launching a new crime prevention business? Its concept is justice, which is why you put up bounties to catch criminals."

"You actually know so much."

"I accidentally heard the president talking."

"Ah, Father."

"At any rate, I don't think it would harm a company to support a detective who caught a criminal.Dale  bro is even appearing on this evening's news as the detective who caught the criminal. If Dale  bro receives the reward then it will be quite the picture. What do you think?"

Leo stopped for a moment.

Mary was watching Leo with wide eyes.Dale  was already half collapsed.

"The justice you have created. We will protect it with all our might."

The detective who caught the criminal had the whole country in an uproar. This was including the big company that was supporting him.

It was a chance to completely change any negative image about the Sun Group.

The money spent on corporate image making every year was in the tens of billions of dollars.

When looking at that fact, 1 million wasn't even a large sum of money.

Leo's words were strangely persuasive.

"Could you please wait for a moment? I will contact my father."

Mary's hands were shaking.

She picked up the intercom on the table and called someone. 

"Ah, Father. This is Mary. About the bounty for today? Because…"

Mary explained for almost 10 minutes.

"Yes, I understand. Of course, I will fill out a report. Yes. A high school student… that's right. I'm sure."

After finishing the conversation, Mary Louse slowly took a few deep breaths.

Then she smiled brightly and made the victory sign.

"Hooray!"

Dale looked like he was going to cry.

He had unexpectedly gained 1 million won.

Leo inwardly smiled with satisfaction.

Anyways, he had obtained a bounty of 1 million. It would be good to make the most of that, now that Dale  would completely become his protector.

He obtained a trustworthy person with someone else's money.

'It is all thanks to Vice President.'

The words he said about Joseph Louse were half true. 

Of course, Leo had seen him when working as a security guard here. 

Furthermore, it wasn't now but 20 years ago that he went to eat noodles. The chef still boasted about serving the president of a large company.

The manner in which he managed to learn about the new business was a lie, because he actually had memories of the future.

Mary didn't seem to have the personality to talk about her father's mistakes.

In the first place, her title was exaggerated. 

Her father had probably given it to her in order to protect her.

The evidence was that Leo, who had been working here for two years, never saw her.

Warak!

"Leo!"

Dale hugged Leo so tightly that it felt like his bones were going to break.

"Big-bro. I'm choking…"

"Brat. It is so touching. Really, thank you. 1 million, 1 million. I think I can get married if I have this much money!"

He would have to find a person first though ?.

Leo glanced atDale  but didn't say it.

"I'll contact you directly through the City lake police station. Ah. You might have to do some interviews or CF shoots for corporate promotion."

"I'll have to ask the chief first, but it will probably be a positive answer."

"At any rate, congratulations Detective-bro. You have received 1 million dollars."

"This is all thanks to my younger brother. Haha. Leo!"

Dale hugged Leo, this time pounding him on the back as well.

[Robbery has been used.]

-You have succeeded in stealing the opponent's belongings! 

"N-no!"

Leo couldn't resist crying out loud.

"…D-do you not like it?"

'That's not it! The crime skill was triggered!'

Additionally, this time it succeeded without any failures.

Leo searched through his pockets.

He touched a somewhat damp piece of cloth.

He took care not to be noticed by Dale and Mary while checking it.

His expression instantly became rotten.

'Crazy. Underwear!'

He managed to steal a piece of clothing that someone was wearing.

'Robbery' was scary!

Dale started dancing without being aware that his underwear was gone.

It was the joy of winning a lottery.

In fact, Leo was the same.

'1 million, a jackpot! Yes. I should obtain a house so I can surprise Big Sis.'

Obviously, it would help Dale as well.

"What will this mean for us?" Ves asked after he regained his composure.
"We'll always share an association. Even if you are not my apprentice anymore, the mech community will still regard you as a graduate of mine, so you will still enjoy a certain amount of protection due to your past association with me. That should be enough of a parting gift."
As if Ves cared about that. She already told him that he could stand on his own as a Journeyman.
"What about the stuff I've received? To be honest, I still feel that I owe you a lot. Mech designers ought to be fair to each other, particularly when it comes to these kinds of associations. So far, I haven't paid back your generosity."
Aside from her single tutoring session, Ves substantially benefited from her reputation while also receiving a gene boost elixir and a shield generator. Though she did not seriously register their worth, they were still valuable.
He would not feel comfortable ending his apprenticeship to Master Olson without reciprocating the aid he received.
Master Olson noticed his difficulty and offered a solution. "I've seen that you haven't checked with the Clifford Society lately. You still have some merits in reserve. In order to reinforce the separation between you and I, it is best to end your membership to the Clifford Society as well. You can relinquish your merits to me while you do that. I'll consider that acceptable payment for my past assistance."
Ves frowned. "I don't understand. The Clifford Society is a club founded by the Leemar Institute of Technology, which belongs to the Carnegie Group. Shouldn't it be okay for me to continue to be a member?"
"You are not a Leemar graduate. You have no ties to the Carnegie Group, and we have just put an end to our own connection. While you are interesting enough to remain as a member due to your Journeyman status, you are too different from the other members of the Society. Right now, it is more important for us to cut any ongoing connections to the Friday Coalition."
"Uh, what?" Confusion reigned in his mind. "Why insist on that?"
Though he hadn't made use of the Clifford Society, that did not mean it was useless. Membership to the Society offered him inside access to many of the Coalition's exclusive goods and services.
While he did not care too much for Society's voluminous libraries, Ves was loath to lose access to its extensive marketplace!
An intrigued smile appeared on Master Olson's face. "You don't have to hide it, Ves. I understand why you wish to leave your latest development out of this conversation, but it isn't as awkward as you think."
Ves wanted to scratch his head. What latest development?
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come now, Ves." Master Olson smiled. "My sources on Centerpoint have already relayed the news to me. I'm very happy for your new girlfriend! Although it's a pity that you fell in love with a Hexer, I must say that you have very good taste! The two of you are a great pair!"
WHAT?! Since when was Gloriana his girlfriend?!
"Uh, how did you know that?!"
"Your girlfriend has not been discreet about your new relationship. It's all she talks about whenever she shows up in public. You must have made her very happy when you met her at Centerpoint!"
This news astounded Ves so much that he felt like puking blood. Was this what Gloriana had been up to when he fled her company?!
He had to admit that it was a very devious move on her part. By crowing about her intimate relationship with Ves was a form of staking her claim on him in the public sphere.
If Gloriana was as determined to pursue Ves as she seemed, then she had definitely flaunted her supposed relationship with Ves all over Centerpoint by now!
Ves could hardly find another woman to date if it already became known that he was Gloriana's boyfriend! With this move, she ruthlessly cut off one of the possibilities that he could resort to in order to escape her clutches!
In his mind, he still thought he was merely exploring a relationship with Gloriana. They only shared one abortive first date and a rather tame virtual date so far. They only knew each other for a single month. That was hardly sufficient to call himself her boyfriend and vice versa!
Obviously, Gloriana thought differently. As far as she was concerned, they were already inseparable!
"So the reason why you want to end my membership to the Clifford Society is to avoid any possible conflicts of interests?" He asked after he recovered from the shock. "Is it also the real reason why you are ending my apprenticeship to you? So that it wouldn't look bad on you that one of your apprentices is dating a Hexer?"
Ves wouldn't be the only person to make himself look bad if he pursued a relationship with a Hexer while he remained apprenticed to a Master of the Coalition.
Master Olson herself would suffer a loss as well! The damage to her reputation for allowing one of her Apprentices to grow closer to the enemy reflected quite badly on her if it came out!
"Don't misunderstand. The previous reasons also apply." Master Olson nodded. "But yes, it is for your own good. It is too much of a controversy if a mech designer who maintained close ties to the Coalition is simultaneously growing closer to the Hegemony. You can't have it both ways. Between an insignificant apprenticeship to a Master that hasn't been much help and an intimate relationship to a very wonderful mech designer who is highly compatible to you, it is clear which one you should value more. Your future prospects are more important than your past ties!"
Although Ves knew that Master Mech Designers could be deceived, this was ridiculous! Master Olson truly believed that he and Gloriana had become a solid item! What had his blasted 'girlfriend' done to make her story so convincing?!
"I would not say that we are as committed as you think." Ves carefully replied, trying to tone down her misconception. "We barely met each other and we might break up after a while."
She shook her head. "You don't have to downplay your relationship. The matchmaking agency that has put you together thinks very highly of your pairing. Their conclusions are so optimistic that they are even advertising it as one of their success stories!"
Ves would have definitely spurted out a gout of blood if he had been able to! Callisto Professional Relations based their findings from completely inaccurate data!
Yet despite his protests, the damage had already been done. Even if he disavowed Gloriana, Master Olson probably wouldn't believe his word! Not if it totally went against the predictions of a famed matchmaking service associated with the MTA!
He hung his head. "I guess this is it, then?"
"As I've said, it is for your own good. Don't see it as a setback. You're free now. You can establish closer ties with the Hexadric Hegemony without embarrassing either of us. While I'm not happy that you chose to side with the Hegemony over the Coalition, your happiness is more important."
"Will the Coalition be okay with that?"
"Your allegiance is of no concern to the Coalition." Master Olson said factually. "Even if you are a Master, the fortunes of our state will not be affected."
That was true, to an extent. Master Olson and the Coalition believed that Ves was such a small figure that it didn't matter if he ran to the other side.
They might think differently if they knew about his secrets, but Ves obviously wouldn't volunteer that information.
"I see. I'm glad the Coalition won't hold it against me if I ever do so."
Though a part of him thought it was a huge blow to cut ties with Master Olson and the Friday Coalition, another part of him agreed with her prior reasoning.
Even without the impetus of Gloriana's actions, Ves already considered his apprenticeship to Master Olson to be redundant. Although they could still engage in mutually-beneficial transactions going forward, neither of them really required each other's help.
Still, just because he didn't mind cutting his existing ties didn't mean he was pining to become an ally of the Hegemony! He didn't even make up his mind whether he wanted to develop a serious relationship with Gloriana!
The Hegemony may be a powerful second-rate state, but it was run entirely by people who thought women were better than men! A significant part of the population, which happened to include his supposed girlfriend, also worshipped the number six for arbitrary reasons!
If he had a choice, he would rather continue to associate with the Friday Coalition. Most of the coalition partners such as the Carnegie Group and the Vermeer Group were quite decent and rational.
As Ves progressed his career, it was inevitable for him to dabble with second-class mechs at some point. He would rather do business with rational Fridaymen than crazy Hexers!
Since Master Olson had made her choice, she moved on to formalizing his separation. She pulled out a data pad and loaded it with numerous official virtual documents that legally confirmed his separations.
After skimming them over and signing all of the documents, Master Olson took the data pad back. "I'll file these documents to the relevant authorities. The LIT, the Society, the Coalition and the MTA will all confirm your separation in due time. Once that happens, you are free to pursue Miss Wodin without any worry of conflicting loyalties."
"Won't it still reflect badly on you for a former apprentice of yours to enter into a relationship with a Hexer?" Ves curiously asked.
"It will, but it is only a minor annoyance. It is ordinary for Masters to apprentice mech designers who turned out differently from their expectations."
In other words, Master Olson could diminish the damage to her prestige by regarding Ves as a black sheep.
While that didn't sound very flattering to Ves, it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. His reputation was already mixed, so becoming known for having strong differences of opinions with an esteemed Master who showed him kindness hardly bothered him at this point.
"It is a pity." She sighed. "I had plans for you before you left for Centerpoint. Oleg missed your company as well. Out of all of my Apprentices, he was the happiest when he heard you've advanced to Journeyman. He already made some plans to collaborate with you on a mech design to see if the two of you would make good partners."
"Oleg.."
"He already left to attend the Rimward Games a few months ago. Be sure to cheer for him when he competes. Although it's a longshot, I really do hope he finishes in the top thousand."
So many young mech designers from all over the galactic rim competed in the junior division of the Rimward Games that it was wildly unrealistic to hope for better! Forget about the top 1000, Ves did not think highly of Oleg's chances of finishing in the top ten-thousand! 
"I will be sure to wish him success. I still consider him a friend, if only distantly."
Master Olson smiled at Ves. "When you keep progressing, I hope you will keep in mind what you should value more. Mech designers who get too caught up in tribalism will never be able to realize the true purpose of our profession. We do not design mechs to advance the interests of a single state. We do so to advance the interests of the entire human race. Never forget this truth, Ves."
"I will remember your words, ma'am."
Her words carried a tone of finality in them. They had truly done it. They formally separated from each other. From now on, Ves was no longer Master Carmin Olson's nominal disciple!


Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

An acre was about 4,000 square meters, and 200 acres was 800,000 square meters. This sounded like a very big number but when it was carefully converted, it was actually less than one square kilometer. In a vast desert, such a small oasis like this was as insignificant as a coin in a plaza.
If it was close to a large oasis, then it still might have a lot of use value but if it was too far away from the large oasis, the high development costs and dangerous living environment would make it worthless.
Two hours after ending the call with the senior officer from the Department of Defense, Zhang Lisheng drove into such a small oasis, and that the federal government deemed to have no development value.
The jeep rammed over several small shrubs as the heavy tires with heavy grip ran over the green grasses and jostled its way straight to the source of all the miracles of life in the desert, before stopping in front of a small river flowing from east to west, with a south-north width of not more than two meters, that passed through the entire oasis.
The young man opened the door and jumped out of the car.
The breeze was cool and the water vapor was moist. He stretched his body comfortably and when he was about to speak, he suddenly saw a very old white man wearing dusty denim overalls and wide-brimmed cowboy hat rushing towards him from a group of 30 to 40 figures who were either busy working by the river ditch or building special sample room; or studying the growth of riverside plants while measuring water quality, or doing nothing staring in daze. That old man reprimanded him with anger incoherently, "My goodness! Did you know what you just did?! Those dwarf shrubs, those dwarf shrubs are the last barrier to protect this oasis from being desertified by the sandstorm! You actually ran across more than ten of them? I've hesitated for three days and I am still reluctant to carry out a destructive study on them but you just…"
"Well, I just made your wish came true, didn't I, sir?" Zhang Lisheng spread his hand and interrupted the old man before pointing at the shrubs scattered in the distance. "The juice of those shrubs that I've run across is still fresh and still maintains its basic activity. You can still collect it as a "test material" if you hurry up."
Upon hearing this, the old man's expression became even angrier. However, he no longer bothered shouting the young man but hurriedly shouted at the several assistants and students around him, "Darmin, start the generator! Emily, take the freezer! Donaldson, bring the sample-collecting vessels…" 
Then, he strode into the broken shrubs in the distance.
Looking at the back of the old man who was running, Zhang Lisheng shrugged and said to the representative next to him who was stunned, "Good afternoon, Charlie, is this the geological expert you looked for the farm? Judging from the friendly scientist 'academic dialogue' between him and me, his temper doesn't seem to be very good."
"Boss, Professor Carnegie is the best candidate we can find at present." Charlie said with a smile on his face. "Environmental and geological experts specializing in soil and water research now is very sought-after now so there's not many to choose from."
"You misunderstood me, Charlie. As a biologist, I admire such scientists who are devoid of human feelings and focus on academic research. You did very well," Zhang Lisheng smiled at Charlie and turned his attention to the LS legal officer next to him. "Edward, it's great to see you. Two hours ago I received a call from the director of the Logistics and Security Bureau of the Department of Defense who's called Philips Edwards and we've made an appointment to see each other at 9 am tomorrow in the lobby of the Ocean Empire Building. I hope you can be there tomorrow."
"Yes, boss." Edward answered respectfully. "I'll be prepared to make him untenable at any legal level, no matter what unreasonable demands he makes."
The young man nodded happily. No longer continuing the business talk, he looked around at the lively environment that was very different from the desert and said, "Speaking of it, this is my first time coming to this oasis. It's nice here, I can't tell that it's being desertified."
"I felt the same way when I first came to this oasis, boss." Edward said with regret. "Unfortunately, the water flow of the river on which the oasis depends is indeed decreasing. The federal environmental assessment predicts that this oasis has existed for more than a thousand years and has entered a 'decay period'. It's predicted that if the ecology was unchanged, it would still have a life span of 70 to 100 years. However, once the water consumption increases, the environment will deteriorate rapidly. "
The instant his best friend's words left his mouth, Charlie immediately explained from another perspective when he saw Zhang Lisheng frowned slightly, "Of course, we can also artificially excavate deep water wells, improve the quality of vegetation, and establish a more complete ecological cycle system to optimize the environment here. As long as we stop at no expenses, any miracle can happen, boss. "
"You have a point since we won't have any lack of money in the future anyway." Zhang Lisheng's frown eased away as he nodded. He lowered his head to look at the still river ditch under his feet and a curiosity suddenly rose in his heart, causing him to mutter to himself, "This small river has existed for so long but why is it going to dry up now…" 
Opening his hands wide, he touched the water surface.
All of a sudden, streak of ripples that seemed to be set off by strong wind rippled silently on the calm river.
More than ten seconds later, the young man's expression suddenly changed. His eyes became brighter as he stayed for a long moment of silence before asking in a low voice, "Charlie, I remember you said that the company has invested a total of 20 million dollars in this oasis, then how much did it cost for you to buy it from the government?"
"Boss, most of the 20 million-dollar investment has been used to build farmhouses and agricultural machinery, and to order advanced automatic irrigation systems. The land price is only 370,000 dollars, which is equivalent to the total value of all the wood in this oasis."
"Does it mean that if there was no tree at all, just the land itself wouldn't have cost so much anymore?"
"Yes, boss. This oasis that we bought is closest to New Washington A and under the new Constitution's Charter amendment, it belonged to the Washington State Government. It's stated in the Washington Public Land Use Act that all lands in the state that cannot be reasonably used by the government can be paid in advance by the US citizens or companies at a guaranteed value of ten cents per acre as an application for purchase. After the land has been applied to be purchased, the state government must make an announcement within 15 days. Within one month after the announcement is issued, if there's any other purchaser who is willing to compete for the land, the government will determine the ownership of the land by public auction within one week. In the case where there's no competition, the land will be owned by the applicant of the purchase after one month. If we don't take the value of land attachments, that is the wood, into calculation, the reasonable land price of this oasis would have been about 800 to 1,200 dollars." Edward replied in a very professional tone on behalf of Charlie.
"Ten cents per acre? This is too cheap, Edward! Are you pulling my leg? how is that possible?" Zhang Lisheng asked in surprise.
"In fact, this price is already considered high, boss. Ten cents per acre, which is equivalent to 1,000 dollars per square kilometer. The prices for public sale for a desert area that has also been marked by the government as unavailable in Louisiana or Nevada did not even exceed 100 dollars more than ten years ago during the peace times. To the government, when a wasteland that has been idle for a hundred years that will not bring even an ounce of profit at all is sold out at a low price, no matter what kind of development is carried out by the private sector on that land, it would still mean a steady stream of taxes and job opportunities. Even in the worst-case scenario, the land would just continue to be left idle. Even then, the government would still be able to cash out a public fund using that 'waste' and the buyer must also pay a land tax to the government every year, so why wouldn't the government be happy to do so?"
"You have a point, Edward. It seems that until now I haven't really learned your American pragmatic way of thinking." The young man opened his mouth and found that he could not refute so he just shrugged and said, "Oh yeah, is the annual land tax that you mentioned that we have to pay to the government expensive?"
"It's very cheap, boss. Different states have different laws. If the land is continued to be deserted, the highest tax imposed will only be one percent of the land purchase price. If the land is successfully developed, then there'll be various tax deduction mechanisms."
"Oh, looks like we're lucky." Zhang Lisheng smiled excitedly and lowered his voice. "Charlie, apply to the Washington State Government to buy all the public land around this oasis. Buy all that is available."
"All? Boss?" Even though Charlie had already foreseen his thoughts from the questions raised by the young man, he still continued to ask, "The New New York City lies about 350 kilometers northwest of this oasis. And a part of the desert in the distance belongs to the New York State, the southeast ... "
"Alright, Charlie. Don't care about the small money. Take down all the land that can be bought around it regardless of its state." Zhang Lisheng's face became taut as he interrupted his representative's words solemnly.
"Understood, boss." Even though Charlie did not know the intention of the black-haired young man in front of him, he still responded respectfully and immediately when he heard his resolute tone.
Zhang Lisheng nodded silently and no longer said anything standing by the river. It was not until a few minutes later that the old man who had collected the broken branches and leaves had walked towards him with a gloomy face that the young man finally took the initiative to extend his hand and said, "Good afternoon, Professor Carnegie, my name is Zhang Lisheng."
"Professor, Mr. Zhang is the founder of the LS Group and the owner of this oasis," Charlie hurriedly added, lest the old man would continue to contradict his boss and the god that he had faith in.
"I know who he is, Mr. Charlie." Carnegie glanced at Charlie and stretched out his dirt-covered palm and shook the young man's hand before saying bluntly, "A geologist who studies soil and water conservation must also be a qualified biologist. There's no biologist here in the US who doesn't know who Zhang Lisheng is. However, to be honest, Dr., your attitude towards science is not proportional to your academic achievement." 
"Professor, in order to rush here to meet you as soon as possible, I've driven for two full hours in the desert and almost gotten a 'desert-blind sickness' so when I saw the oasis, I was too happy that I just barged straight right into it. I'm sorry about those shrubs."


A young man from the Miaowei Tribe brought up by his strict father, suddenly turned into Rank 1 Wizard on the day he was orphaned. He then obtained the ability to control giant worms. 
Soon after, he found his mother who was in a faraway foreign land by accident. From a small mountain village, he managed to jump into the amazing arena that was a global metropolis.
Thus far, we have a young man who inherited the legacy of mastering ancient demons from an ancient country. 
From Western civilization to other worlds, a fascinating saga is born.

The SK briefing session has ended. Those who are assigned to do outdoor assignments quickly spread out of the SK office. I, too, took my exit and went to the directors office in response to Mr. Rene's call.

Before long, I arrived at the directors office and sees Mr. Rene waiting right in front of the door.

"Mr. Rene."

"I see your friends have gone outside. So you're already taking actions yourself, huh?"

Agario Rene. The councilor for Public Orders and Laws of the Barangay. He is the one that oversees human rights, public protection, security, safety, peace and order. Just like the title implies. Rene and my Father grew up together and are in good terms with each other since then, he is also a good friend of mine inside the directors office.

"It's only a little observation and preparation. We can't conduct any major movements without hearing all the directors, after all."

"Indeed. We need every director and the captain's opinions regarding the issue to take the right course of action. But let me tell you this, Sano. This pandemic will bring a lot of changes to our Barangay, to our country."

There is no doubt behind those words. For the three years that I've spent as the SK chairman, I've realized that the Barangay Silangan is stuck in a neverending loop. There are people that sees it but never give a damn about changing it. But now, with the ongoing outbreak that shocked the world entering our own country, this neverending loop will surely crumble. And the country will have a new system, new rules. It will become a completely new country. Whether we like it or not.

...

As time flies by, the Sangguniang Kabataan members doing their assignments.

Adrian goes around to check the Convenient stores and Sari-Sari stores to see if everything is perfectly in stock, especially the ones that families used for everyday life.

"Let's see... Most of the snacks have more than enough supply for a month. Even just a cup of coffee and a biscuit is enough to go for a day. Now then, mineral water is on green light, too. Condiments, easy to cook meals, instant and instant cup noodles, canned foods. Other than those listed, everything needs restocking."

"All right. We'll contact our supplier right away."

"Please prioritize the necessities for babies like baby powder, disposaple diapers, powdered milk and such."

"Yes. We'll do just that. Excuse me."

"Thanks for your work! Now then..."

Adrian picks up his phone and sent a message to the Sangguniang Kabataan group chat in Discord.

Adrian: "Sari-Sari and Convenient stores secured. They're on their way into restocking the supplies that are running out!"

The message were seen by everyone, including Sherrie and Lisa who sent a reply afterwards.

Lisa: "All vegetables, rice and meat retailers are stocked up, but they are considering early restocking."

Sherrie: "Pharmacies are a-ok!"

Sherrie replied with a selfie of herself and the pharmacy beside her.

Norman: "Ugly freckles."

Sherrie: "Shut up, ugly tech nerd."

Dale and Louise who went out to slowly spread awareness to everyone also joined the chat. With Dale sending a picture of him together with Louise who seem to have caught a group teenagers, most probably highschoolers after having brawl right inside a covered court of Tierra Monte Subdivision. They were able to calm everyone with the help of our friends who came by just in time.

Dale: "Look what we got? Brawling in broad daylight. Good thing our friends passed by just in time. They'll help us spread social distancing practices."

Dale proceeds to send a group picture of him and our friends, taken by Louise.

"We've also received a report of an old woman suspected of getting abused by her own grand children and it seems to be continuing right at this moment. We request assistance from the Peace and Order Committee to bring barangay forces and help us rescue the old lady."

Sano (Mr. Rene): This is the Chairman of Public Orders and Laws using Sano's account. I'll dispatch barangay officers in the specified location right away. Be careful, you two."


Meanwhile, Kyouka and Norman are both still inside the SK office, picking a banner that not only will be eye-catching, but also will encourage the people to follow its message.

"What do you think? Since we're the youth and most people online are people that are in the same age as us or maybe less, I thought we should put a message that encourage solely our generation." Norman stated to Kyouka as he refer to our generation, the generation of millennials or Gen Z as most people like to call it.

"I see. If we can encourage the youth, and those who are feeling like it, we can expect the adult people to follow after our message. A chain reaction. This is brilliant." Kyouka replied with satisfaction to the idea.

"Yeah. So, should I put this as a cover photo and post it?"

"Yes. Go right ahead."

"Okay."

*Tap*

A message is posted into our Sangguniang Kabataan that is supposedly going to encourage the youth and the adult people online.

"Hand holding is inappropriate and could help transmit the virus to anyone! Practice Social Distancing!"

"Who said lazy people cannot contribute to the society?! Save the world from the ongoing outbreak by staying and lazing around at home! Ah, but don't forget to help your parents do the house work!"

It may sound like we were playing or just screwing around with these kind of people. But sometimes, messages like these tend to make children follow them. And if it does, it will surely spread to all ages. Still, don't forget to encourage the children to do housework to keep themselves from boredom.

On the other hand, on the otherside of the office, Lelen and Enzo are both busy doing their own work.

"Hello, good morning! This is Lenlen Aries, from the Sangguniang Kabataan! Yes... Yes... Sorry, thank you for your hard work!"

Lenlen's call ended as she puts her phone back on her pocket and looks at Enzo who is recording and calculating all the canceled events and refunds they're getting.

"That's the last, Enzo."

"Barangay Silangan Super Sirena and Super Sireyna 2020, huh? It's surprising how there's only a few events that we made early preparations and reservations for this year."

Enzo responds to Lenlen as he finished recording everything in orderly fashion inside his laptop. He then proceeds to connect to the wireless printer and printed his record sheet that he will give Sano later.

"That's because Sano once argued to the Barangay Captain Risa about it. There are some materialistic things that were made but ended up not being used due to the quality of the materials that gets worn out easily before even being used for the event. As a result, the Barangay had to use more funding to recreate said material. There are also times where hired performers or staff would suddenly cancel their contract right when the event is nearing its set date. Those staff and performers especially, sometimes they would purposely cancel the contract because they knew they'd still get half of the pay that were contracted to them. Thanks to the legislative order implemented by the Captain herself."

"Ah, I remember now. Sano sees that those people are abusing that legislative order made by Captain Risa, those people that are clearly related to the Barangay Captain herself. And so Sano really had to step up that time. Speaking of Sano stepping up..."

Enzo calls Kyouka and Norman who just finished organizing the facebook page of the Sangguniang Kabataan.

"Clearly, stopping one of that Barangay Captain's schemes won't stop her from doing it again. When is Sano going to take a big step again, Kyouka?"

Kyouka and Norman's eyes met for a second before exhaling and showing a confident smile to Enzo and Lenlen.

"Soon."

...

11:45AM, a few hours later.

Almost all members of Punong Barangay and I are inside the directors office. The only one missing is the Barangay Captain herself. Risa Pontavel, and her Secretary.

"It's almost time."

"Yes."

Two of the councilors waiting for the Captain and Secretary to come spoke to each other.

"Hey, Rene, Sano. You two have been waiting for hours, right?"

The one in charge of Agribusiness and Transport Committee, Edgorio Toto spoked and asked us.

"Not at all, I had to deal with some paperwork and a sudden arrest and rescue operation not long ago."

"I also took the time to assist Mr. Rene with those workload piling up in his office. Speaking of which, I noticed that there are a lot of reports of missing people recently, more particularly around the relocation area."

After I brought it up, Mr. Toto and Mr. Rene grew serious. As if I lit up an unwanted candle. Mr. Rene approaches me and whispers:

"Indeed, there's been a lot of people missing lately, most of them are teenagers too. Particularly between the AFP road and the Old Army road."

"Rumors say that somewhere around those hills, a branch of a terrorist organization resided. And they are the ones that are abducting these missing people to make them join them." Says Mr. Toto as he joins in to the conversation.

"Yeah. We've been trying to find their hideout for years but we never once did. That's why every night, I dispatch more than 2 patrol units to roam this road up to the sari-sari store of aunt Alelie and into Cortez farm. Hoping that we would capture at least one of them, find their hideout and possibly save those missing people. Anyway, hear this."

Mr. Rene raised his head and looks around to see the other councilors other than Mr. Toto who are having a chat of their own.

He once again spoke to me with a whispering tone.

"The peace talks between the President and the terrorist groups ended abruptly. Meaning these terrorist groups will continue their activities in secret, hence why they are abducting people, especially the ones they can use to fight."

"..."

"I'm only saying this because I want you to be careful talking about it with the other councilors. I am not certain, but it is a possibility. One of the officials of our Barangay is connected to them."

I know this is sudden, but I'm going to stop the story here. It's kinda hard for me to do this because this is the story where I get about more than 40 readers that have bookmarked my story and are following it since the first chapter. But after some thought, I realized that this is not the Sadako Sano that I want to write a story about. It is really different to how I picture him into my head, the same thing go for the other characters as well.

With that thought in my head, I decided to stop the story and recreate Sadako Sano and the others' characters from scratch. I want them to be actually similar to how I see them in my imaginations, in my dreams. I deeply apologize to everyone for abruptly ending the story here, but also thank you for being with me in this short journey that I created.

Once I finish my first story that I publish in webnovel (Which really isn't that good) I will begin to focus on recreating Sadako Sano and everyone else. That's it for me for now, I hope to see you guys again once I started Sano's story some time soon! Farewell!

"Why are my days so very busy?" Claire speaks to her reflection in the mirror, as Miss Cassandra fixes her hair.

"Aren't we all?" Miss Cassandra says, smiling. "I'd rather have your kind of busy than my kind of busy."

"Well, what's your kind of busy?" 

Miss Cassandra sighs. "Working with the world's top fashion houses isn't exactly a walk in the park, Miss Claire. You have to deal with either idiots or assholes on a daily basis."

And here I thought life amid haute couture is just like that—something to die for, Claire thinks. 

"But these moments when I have to come down just to gives you your OOTD—"

"What's OOTD?"

"Oh," Miss Cassandra laughs. "It's 'outfit of the day' for social media folks."

"Oh, I see."

"As I was saying, doing your outfit of the day is the high point of my work. I actually enjoy it. Honestly."

"Thank you," is all Claire manages to say, for lack of anything else. Miss Cassandra has been nothing but kind to her, even right at the start. Even when she doesn't have to—she's one of the few people who know about her deal with Gabriel Tan. She's technically an employee, just like her, but Miss Cassandra treats her like some princess.

"Now for tonight's dinner with the brothers, I think we should play it daring, maybe a bit glamorous," Miss Cassandra says. "Remember, you're Claire Monteverde, that rarest of gems that someone like Gabriel Tan had the good fortune to pluck out of the heavens. We should always dress to serve as an aspiration for ordinary folks. Especially in public."

"You've lost me at 'rarest of gems', but I think I get what you're saying," Claire laughs.

Miss Cassandra rifles through her wardrobe, and picks out one. "This! This is perfect for tonight," she says, showing a purple body-hugging lacy dress that will not only show off Claire's killer figure, but will also strategically show skin without being slutty. "Then let's pull your hair in a messy bun, pair the whole thing with some lightly shaded stilettos, then I think we have the star of the night."

"I completely trust your fashion sense, Miss Cassandra. Thy will be done."

Miss Cassandra laughs. She slips into the walk-in wardrobe for a second, and comes out with a classy clutch bag. "This should complete your look, Miss Claire."

"I don't know what to say."

"Then say no more!" Miss Cassandra laughs. "This dinner, what is it for?"

Claire shrugs. "I'm not sure, but perhaps it's mainly a social thing. The Tan brothers don't just visit each other and chat about life in general, like normal people do. Apparently, they can only do that in a social setting, like this dinner. So I presume they'd talk about their mother, my engagement with Gabriel, plans for the future, things like that."

"I wonder how Gabriel would navigate the conversation when you come to the topic of your 'engagement'. It must be like walking on a field strewn with landmines."

"Yeah, it's tricky," Claire agrees. "I don't really know what the big plan is, or until when this would all last. Sometimes I wonder about the point of this all."

Miss Cassandra says nothing. 

"Do you know Miguel's bringing my former flatmate, Karen?" Claire says. 

"Really? Was that the one you told me about? With the rapist boyfriend?"

"Technically it was attempted ****, but yes, that's the one." 

"Has Miguel run out of classy girls that he's consorting with whores now?" says Miss Cassandra so passionately that Claire couldn't help but giggle. 

"I don't know, too. He's like instantly smitten. Too bad because he looks kind of cuter than Gabriel."

"Yeah, you know that, girl," Miss Cassandra giggles. "It's like as if God were not totally satisfied with how Gabriel turned out, so he corrected all the little mistakes and came up with Miguel."

"That's funny," Claire says. Honestly, though, although Miss Cassandra is right as far as physical beauty is concerned, there's still something about Gabriel that makes Claire's heart choose him. Some sense of inner gravity. Or charisma. Or maybe she's just drawn more to the type of man who doesn't suffer bullshit. Unlike Miguel, who's probably the least discerning person he has ever met. 

"By the way, where is the dinner happening?"

Claire shrugs. "Gabriel said he'd surprise me." 

After finishing Claire's hair and putting on her the lacy dress, Miss Cassandra asks her to stand and turn before the life-sized mirror. The sight of her own reflection is breathtaking, even for Claire, and she's not normally the narcissistic type.

"I look stunning," Claire says.

"Yeah, safely stunning," Miss Cassandra says. "Classy, but with a little edge. It's like you're saying, you're a classy lady who knows how to have some fun, if you know which buttons to push, but that you only let the right one in, and not everyone's welcome."

Claire turns to look at her. "That was good, Miss Cassandra. It's like you're a poet, but with dresses."

Miss Cassandra grins. "I guess you can say I'm an OOTD poet."

Both of them laugh.

There's a knock on the door. Miss Cassandra opens it, while glancing at her watch.  It's Dale.

"You're right on time," Miss Cassandra says.

"Snappy is the new sexy," Dale says snappily. "Mister Tan is already at the Residence's threshold, madam, waiting for her princess."

"That's not only corny, Dale," Claire says, trying to stop herself from laughing. "It's cornichon. Who says 'threshold' these days, and I'm no princess."

"A tigress, more like," Miss Cassandra adds. "But let us not keep the prince waiting at the 'threshold', shall we? We don't want to spoil the night."

Claire stands, takes one last look at herself in the mirror. When she holds her gold-accented clutch bag like so, she really looks so far from the old Claire from the block. She's like a different person. Like a real princess. "The virgin princess," Gabriel would have said.

"Thank you, Miss Cassandra," Claire says, throwing her arms around the fashion stylist. "You're like my fairy godmother each and every time. I owe you so much for this success."

"We're all in this together," Miss Cassandra says, and winks at her. "Until the end. Until the fulfillment of the Red Contract. And more importantly, beyond it."

Claire gazes at her friend, her heart full of gratitude. Without Miss Cassandra's impeccable sense of style, her talent, Claire would be committing one fashion atrocity after another, and there's no chance she could have pulled it off. People would easily through her as some ordinary girl who couldn't tell one fashion brand from another. "Thank you so much," she mutters. "For always making me look stunning."

When Claire steps out into the early evening air, Gabriel is already waiting there, standing by the car. And she's actually right: she really looks stunning, as Gabriel does indeed look stunned.

"Work for me for a month, for free. Survive the month, and you'll walk away a rich woman."

All Claire wants is a job, any job. Smart, confident, and an over-achiever at school, she doesn't understand why companies keep rejecting her. 

Until she gets a strange job offer from the most eligible bachelor in the country, the CEO and President of a global company, Gabriel Tan. 

In her desperation, Claire says yes to the offer--and all hell breaks loose. Little did she know that working for Gabriel would be much more complicated than fetching him his coffee--that she would have to put on the greatest performance of her life. 

Worse, Claire soon discovers a rarely seen side of Gabriel--a side that would make her change her mind--and her heart--about this crazy rich boy.

***

"This is a story that will thrill you to the core of your being. Highly recommended to all romance comedy fans! If you like Sophie Kinsella's works or the Bridget Jones Diary or similar books, then this is for you!" -- Reviewer

The brothers loved it. They absolutely loved the roast pork, and of course, none of them choked. Tristan, Logan, and Hayden couldn't help chomping down the delicious, soft morsels and then grabbed for more. 
"There's still dessert," Mary said from across the table, smiling.
"You'll have to visit home more often to get a proper feed, boys," Molly, their grandmother, said. 
Hayden nodded his head, his mouth full. 
"Or we could just take Beth with us," Darcy suggested. 
James and Brenda glanced at each other, and Dale, the brothers' grandfather, laughed. 
Beth cleared her throat and said, "Unfortunately, Master Darcy, I still wouldn't be able to cook you such nice roast because I wasn't the one who prepared that roast. Although, I sort of did, since the person responsible happened to be sick suddenly. But that was only via specific instructions."
"New chef, then?" Conrad put in. "Finally, we have decent food to eat. Not that yours isn't that good, Beth. Your baking is the best in the world. I especially love your chocolate brownies."
"Understandable, Master Conrad," Beth replied, hiding a smile. 
"That roast pork was meant for Dale and Molly," Brenda said. 
"Prepared by one of my favorite girls," Molly added.
"Who unfortunately couldn't join us," James muttered, frowning. 
"Is she unwell?" Dale asked. 
"Headache," Brenda said. "She'll be fine."
James's frown darkened. "Standard coffee again, I suppose, Beth?" he asked the housekeeper.
"I'm afraid so, Mr. Princeton," Beth replied.
James sighed in resignation at the answer. Sebastian and Nicolas glanced at each other, wondering who this new chef was and why their father was so against standard coffee. 
James, on the other hand, blamed his seven sons for showing up three days early. If it weren't for them, he would be having his delicious coffee after dinner. He knew exactly why his adopted daughter Sakura refused to come down. It was because of his sons.
He knew she'd never felt comfortable around them, and the brothers had never acknowledged her as their sister as they had with Alaina and Tara.
James suddenly remembered the skinny, pale little girl he had adopted after the orphanage had burned down all those years ago. After months of trying with his gentle words and kind smile, Sakura had come out of her shell one rainy night after she'd screamed in her sleep. Sebastian had alerted him, and he rushed to her bedroom to find her whimpering in the corner of the closet. It still broke his heart even now to think about that night. 
"Do you really love me?" she had asked him, tears in her eyes. 
Gently, he had drawn her into his arms and hugged her tight. "Of course I do," he said. "With all my heart."
She had looked up at him, her small lips quivering. "Then only love me in secret," she said. "Please love them more. My new brothers and sisters. I don't want to see them get hurt because of me. I love you. You won't kick me out, will you? Please, I didn't burn the orphanage down. I didn't kill Mrs. Byrd."
"I know," he'd said, rocking her in his arms. "I won't let you go. You're my daughter now."
"Thank you," she sobbed.
It had been much later when he found out the meaning of Sakura's words. His own children, Tara included, had been treating Sakura unfairly. The little girl believed that if he and Brenda didn't show any sign of love toward her, then her new brothers and sisters wouldn't hurt her. Of course, James would never tolerate such malicious behavior from his children and had taken the bull by the horns by setting them straight and telling them he wouldn't take such nonsense from them and was very disappointed. They were the Princetons, after all, and should set good examples to the public. 
James had known his sons were smart, and by the end of the month, he'd decided the lesson was very effective. Perhaps it had been too effective because the boys began to ignore Sakura completely, to the point that she no longer existed in their lives.
James put down his knife and fork, knowing very well he'd have to talk with Sakura later tonight. After all, she couldn't very well hide away in her room for the next few weeks when everyone was here preparing for Mary's wedding. 
He turned his attention to his sons, eyeing them from one to another. They were all enjoying their meal to the max, and he wasn't surprised they didn't pay any attention as to who had been responsible for preparing their meal. 
After the dinner, they retired to the drawing room where Beth served them standard coffee and tea. James looked as though he was about to balk as Beth gave him a cup, and the brothers wanted to laugh. 
"It's not half-bad," Hayden said, taking a sip. 
"I, too, was looking forward to the coffee," Dale commented, and Molly shook her head. 
It was a bit later that the brothers decided they needed a walk to work off their big meal and headed out to the pond to the north of the house near the woods.
It was amazingly beautiful as the brothers took in the scenery. The pond was surrounded by cherry, magnolia, and other trees native to the island. The moon was high above on the horizon, reflecting on the glassy water. The air was warm and breezy, and now and again, native life stirred in the distance.
"I forgot how quiet and peaceful it is here," Darcy said softly, gazing up at the moon. He realized then that this was the place he wanted to be, the place he belonged. 
Nicolas remarked, "Beautiful scenery. I can't believe it's in our backyard."
"Dad must have hired a new gardener," Logan said. "As well as a new chef."
"That was the best meal ever!" Conrad shouted out into the night, stretching his arms out as if he were on top of the world. 
"You always eat too much," Tristan commented, gazing off at the night stars above.
"Speak for yourself." Logan chuckled. 
"Speaking of which," Nicolas said suddenly. "Alaina and Tara haven't arrived yet." There was a note of concern in his voice. 
"Probably enjoying their time in town," Logan said. "Not that there's much in town here."
"Should probably shoot them a text or something," Sebastian suggested. 
"Yeah," Nicolas said and pulled out his phone. 
Logan came up and hooked his arm around Tristan's neck. "So what happened to your girlfriend?"

When Sakura once again meets the gorgeous brothers, Sebastian and Darcy Princeton, forbidden feelings are awakened and old flame ignites.
 
Sakura is accustomed to being rejected, hated, bullied, and unloved. When she is taken in by the wealthy Princetons, she works hard to earn the family’s trust and love. Her endeavor, however, ultimately leads to a series of unfortunate incidents.  

Now years later, the twenty-three-year-old beauty dreads the moment she once again has to meet the drop-dead gorgeous Princeton brothers, due to arrive for their cousin’s wedding. Dodging their very presence is next to impossible since the brothers are attracted to her like moths to a flame and thwart her escapes at every turn. This leads to ungodly, tempting situations, awakens forbidden feelings, and ignites old flames that have been suppressed and lying dormant for many years.

When she finds them competing for her, she is torn between Sebastian Princeton, the brother who loves her and watches over her from a distance, and Darcy Princeton, the brother who was once her best friend and now secretly yearns for her forgiveness and her love once again.  

PLEASTE NOTE: Falling for Sakura is a reverse harem romance, so expect the beautiful, sweet heroine Sakura to end up with more than one man.

Falling for Sakura is part of The Princetons Series. Sakura's story currently have 3 books, with number 4 coming out late in 2020.

Please check out Sakura's book at the author's offical website www.alexiaxbooks.com (or google search alexiaxbooks.com)

In the heart of Hell's Keeper Mountain, in the center of Hell's Keeper City, layed a gigantic tree. Its height spammed hundreds of meters, and its crown overshadowed everything beneath it. In a place that was either in the dark or in the gloom, it was almost a miracle for such a tree to appear.

Its white and twisted trunk looked very beautiful, almost ethereal, as it seemed to glow under the faint starlight that managed to get past the gray leaves above it. Under the night sky, it seemed to be a tree made of light and silver.

The scenery was almost ruined by the lonely figure standing beside it. It was a towering silhouette that gave an oppressive feeling just by looking at it. Looking at it from behind, a wild fiery-red mane seemed to cover all of the back of its upper body, but it couldn't hide the figure's wide shoulders.

One would feel that such a being would be able to crush rocks with a wave of its arms, and the aura it emitted gave nothing but the impression of overwhelming strength. However, the silhouette's shoulders were drooped, and its back was somewhat arched, as if the figure was carrying an unbearable weight. The pale glow the figure suffused made it seem sickly, but also gave it an eerie feeling.

Nemeus had a rare look of weariness on his face as he reached for the Ashen Heart Tree. His hands could cover a grown man's head and crush it without difficulty, but there was nothing but tenderness in his touch as he extended his thick fingers to the tree.

"I am sorry." He said in a low voice, with nothing but regret showing in his scarlet eyes.

It was an expression Lya had never seen him make. A rare moment of vulnerability for one that had to handle the matters his master had left to him. A moment of vulnerability for one that should never show weakness, or his master's work could fall apart.

In truth, Nemeus was truly tired. He felt he would not be able to handle his responsibilities for much longer. Something told him a change he would not be able to stop was coming. It did not start with Amon Skoller or Lya, but they certainly had a big part to play in it.

He looked up, to the night sky. The sky Nemeus saw was not the same anyone else but Lya and the remaining Soul Cultivators had the privilege to experience. In the sky only they could see, there was a river.

It was comprised of countless dots of bluish-white light, shining with varied intensities and having a host of different sizes. A beautiful river that seemed to be made of stars and moonlight. It was wide, and shone over the sky like a beacon of light. 

In the past, very few cultivators would spend a night without looking up even once, because no matter how many times one gazed upon it, it would always feel different. There was a certain magnetism to it, a certain attraction that seemed to affect the strong Soul Cultivators.

It was a river that never stopped flowing. A river that twisted and turned around the whole world they lived in, covering it all. A river that did not end nor began in the place they called home. If anything, this small world of theirs was nothing but another of the countless places in its never-ending journey through the universe.

Nemeus could faintly sense in the distance countless dots of light falling from the river like shooting stars, as well as many other dots of light rising from the earth and joining the stars in the river.

Because that wide river, the Starry River, was not made of stars. 

The Starry River was a river of souls.

"Dale Loray…" He mumbled to himself, thinking.

Dale was not one to move in the open. Unlike Alexei, he would never give his opponents a chance to win. He would slowly build up strength, and even more slowly set his pieces on the board, in such a subtle way that no one would notice. 

By the time he finally revealed himself, the board would be in his hands. It was how he lived, and it was how he fought. Nemeus knew that even if he was not as strong as Alexei Vine was, he was a much more dangerous enemy.

Just the fact that Nemeus was unsure if he was indeed alive made him worry. On one hand, it was possible that whoever was moving in the shadows was not him. On the other, if it was indeed Dale, than he had the power to hide from Arthur and even kill him. 

Worst of all, even after that he had not revealed himself. This meant that he was still placing his pieces in the board, still scheming, and still turning stronger.

Nevertheless, this could be a good thing. Dale was still not assured of his victory. He knew he could still be stopped and, if Dale himself felt that way, Nemeus could only agree. 

If his enemy was not Dale, Nemeus was assured he could deal with him. If his enemy was Dale, there was still some hope.

His eyes suddenly turned sharp as his hand seemed to melt and pass through the glowing trunk of the Ashen Heart Tree.

"I'll need your help, brother." He spoke in his usual deep voice, but a surprising tenderness could be felt in it. 

Nemeus was still looking tired, his shoulders were still drooped, but a fire had been lit in the depths of his eyes.

---

The sun was rising, tainting the farmlands and streams in the Outer Sect in a reddish light. The stones in the crude path that Daniel followed were slippery with the morning dew, still darkened by the humidity.

Even if the sun was rising, the temperature was still very cold. White mist shot out of Daniel's mouth as he breathed lightly while walking to an unsuspecting and shabby house in the Outer Ring. 

Daniel's face was pale, and his eyes were still surrounded by dark circles, but his complexion was better than it had been in the Promotion Competition. Two days had passed since Amon had been eliminated and Daniel had won the competition, but he felt it had been weeks.

Jake had been very eager about his success, clearly very happy, but the Elders presiding the competition were clearly not excited. They had cold faces as they gave a half-hearted applause to his victory, before turning silent again.

Daniel did not expect anything else but that. Anyone that showed the smallest trace of happiness would, without a doubt, be seeking trouble with Lawrence Meyer.

Daniel had been promoted to the Inner Sect, receiving the rights to live in a residence of his choice in Hell's Keeper City. In addition, as a bonus reward for being the champion, he received from the hands of his smiling brother ten Water Crystals.

Elemental Crystals were an incredibly rare treasure. They were a form of crystalized Qi, naturally formed in areas where the Elemental Qi was thick and some kind of phenomena made it condense in a single place.

The degree of such crystals varied greatly according to where they were formed and their size, but even a crystal of the lowest grade would be incredibly helpful for one to undergo their Elemental Purification.

Daniel had received nothing more than ten low-grade Water Crystals. It was a very valuable prize, but it would not be of much use to him. His father had spent maybe dozens of high-grade crystals with Daniel before Jake was born, and Daniel had failed to enter Elemental Purification even with that huge boon.

Daniel's low affinity meant he would waste the vast majority of the Elemental Qi in the crystals, and the small quantity he managed to absorb would be lost in his body, mixed with the regular Qi flowing in his meridians.

He would need an overwhelming number of high-grade Water Crystals to get himself into Elemental Purification. Ten low-grade crystals would not make the cut. That being the case, he decided to put them to better use.

He stood before the wooden door of the small house in a daze. He felt a bit awkward a he knocked on it a few times. The knocks were not too loud, but were also not too low, but they were somewhat hesitant.

It took a couple of minutes for him to hear light steps coming from the other side of the door, and with a faint 'creak' it opened, revealing Amon.

He had a deathly pale face and beads of sweat rolled down his face, making his clothes damp. He walked with some difficulty, as if his legs were weak and could not sustain his body. His ashen hair was a mess and his golden eyes had a pained look in them.

"What happened to you?" Daniel couldn't help but ask instead of greeting Amon. He raised his brow as an inquiring gaze showed in his dark eyes. 

"Another round of Body Tempering." Amon said a wry smile. Daniel gave him pat on the back, showing support and making Amon freeze in pain for a moment.  With a disgruntled look in his face, he invited Daniel in, ignoring the wide grin he had on his face.

"Is your mother up?" Daniel asked with some hesitation as he sneaked a glance at Amon. Amon raised a brow seeing him acting like this, but shrugged it off. 

"She is." He answered bluntly.

"Good. I need to speak a bit with her." Daniel said with a smile, but Amon could see the deep hesitation he showed in his eyes. It was almost as if Daniel was afraid.

Amon could understand if he felt awkward or ashamed of speaking with his mother after seven months of absence. However, the way Daniel was acting was too strange. He decided he would not think too hard on it as he made his way to his room to continue his recovery.

As Amon walked away, Daniel furrowed his brows deeply. He walked to Rebecca's room with a complex look on his face, a look that bordered unwillingness.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel raised his left hand and lightly knocked on the door.

Everything changes for Amon one day when he stumbles across a strange sword.  His possession of the mysterious blade soon draws him into an ages-old conflict, one that he seemingly has no relation to nor wishes to be a part of, yet he cannot tear himself away from it.

Little does he understand that Fate will inevitably make one face the consequences for their choices, even those made in another lifetime.

--------------------------------

Author's note: Hiatus

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Ef8Eer4

Tags: Tragedy, Cultivation, Sword Wielder, Weak to Strong, Original. 

Other tags will be added as the story progresses as I don’t want to spoil anything.

Lu Zhou was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, so he didn't know that the Hoffman Prize caused so much commotion.
However, he probably wouldn't have cared even if he knew.
Right now, he was at Lake Carnegie. He was celebrating with the guys from the drone club.
"Coach, we won! I can't believe it, we beat MIT!"
Jimmy was full of excitement as he shoved the trophy into Lu Zhou's hand and said, "You should've been there. It was a magical moment."
The gold-plated trophy was as big as a watermelon; it was quite heavy as well.
Lu Zhou smiled to the guys and said, "Nicely done, your trophy is much heavier than mine."
Lu Zhou wanted to encourage these boys.
However, he didn't know why but the guys became quiet.
Lu Zhou asked, "… What happened?"
Jimmy shook his head and said, "Nothing, we knew that you would humble brag to us, but we still don't know what to say."
Lu Zhou: ? ? ?
Lu Zhou swore that he wasn't humble bragging. He only wanted to congratulate these boys and encourage them to continue on the scientific path.
Things suddenly became awkward.
Fortunately, Lu Zhou was saved by the bell when he received a phone call.
"I have to take this call."
Lu Zhou walked away to take the call. When he found a bench, he sat down as he answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Lu Zhou, it's me!"
"Principal Xu?" Lu Zhou's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "What's up?"
"Nothing special," Principal Xu said with a smile. He then added, "On behalf of all of the teachers and students of the chemistry department, I want to say thank you!"
Lu Zhou was a little embarrassed. "There's no need to thank me, I only wrote a letter and expressed my own opinion."
"Your letter was immensely helpful! The higher-ups valued your opinions, and the relevant funds have arrived. The project is underway, and the new supercomputer center will be next to Jin Ling University. It's not just me or the teachers that have to thank you, but everyone else would also have to thank you!"
Not only would the hundred million yuan investment help Jin Ling University, but it would also help local research institutes and other universities. 
Principal Xu couldn't help but feel emotional.
If it wasn't for Lu Zhou's letter, securing this project would have been a lot more difficult.
Principal Xu paused for a second before he asked, "Oh yeah, did you pay attention to Everyone Daily?"
"Everyone Daily?" Lu Zhou said, "Not really, why?"
Principal Xu smiled and said, "You didn't? Their latest issue has a part about you, so maybe you want to check it out."
Lu Zhou tried to ask what the content was, but Principal Xu didn't tell him.
After the call ended, Lu Zhou leaned on the park bench and sent a text message to Yang Xu, asking him to mail a copy of the Everyone Daily newspaper.
After sending the text, Lu Zhou put away his phone.
Suddenly, he saw someone.
The person who was jogging along the lake seemed to have noticed him as well, and she slowed down and walked toward Lu Zhou.
Molina was wearing a blue sports outfit. She shook the sweat off her hair before she asked, "Thinking about life?"
"No, just sitting here."
Lu Zhou was distracted by the tight sports outfit, and he wasn't sure where to look. Therefore, he decided to look at the lake. 
He then asked, "Speaking of which, it's been a year now, how is your research project going?"
Molina bit her lip and didn't speak.
She remembered that when Lu Zhou first came to Princeton, she recommended her supervisor Morel to him. At that time, she wanted to defeat the Riemann's conjecture together with him.
However, it had been a year since then, Lu Zhou already defeated Goldbach's conjecture and achieved success in chemistry, materials sciences, condensed matter physics, and many other fields.
But she and Morel were still desperately holding on the past.
Not long ago, Lu Zhou was also invited to give a 60-minute report by IMU. Not to mention, there was also his likelihood of winning a Fields Medal.
It was foreseeable that Lu Zhou would break the record held by Princeton mathematics professor, Charles Fefferman. 
With the highly-rated contestant, "German God" Peter Schultz, the Fields Medal next year would be highly competitive.
However, Molina and her supervisor didn't make any significant progress on Riemann's conjecture.
It was without a doubt that her supervisor wouldn't be able to win the Fields Medal.
Molina was as jealous as one could get.
Although Molina didn't reply, Lu Zhou guessed what was going on.
He smiled and changed the subject.
"It seems that I shouldn't have asked the question, pretend like I didn't say anything."
Molina looked at Lu Zhou and asked, "How did you do it?"
"Before challenging a difficult goal, I often find a smaller, easier to accomplish goal first," Lu Zhou said. He looked at the drone flying over the lake as he continued, "Even I wouldn't be able to tackle the Goldbach's conjecture immediately."
Lu Zhou was right; his Group Structure Method was perfected by the Polignac's conjecture, and he used the large sieve method to solve the twin prime conjecture.
The tower of Goldbach's conjecture wasn't built in a day.
Molina started to think, and after a while, she asked, "And your small goal was?"
Lu Zhou smiled as he replied, "Twin prime conjecture."
Molina: "…"
This is a small goal?!
Suddenly, she had the urge to toss this guy into the lake.
Outrageous!


After suffering from a heat stroke while working under the scorching heat of summer, Lu Zhou, a hardworking but poor university student, somehow becomes the owner of an advanced technological system. With the cheat given by the system, his university life changes overnight. 
  
A Master's degree? Easy. 
  
PhD? Not a problem.   
  
From a nobody, he quickly becomes a huge celebrity in the world of science. With the missions given by the system, he is on his way to winning a Nobel Prize.   

"System, can points be exchanged for money?"
  
"No."
  
"F**k, what use are you then!?"
  
"This system will make you the ultimate scholar, the kind that lords over all of humanity. What use will money be to you?"

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