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"It's you!" Leroy spun around abruptly, his eyes locking onto a familiar figure. Who else could it be but the dazzling beauty, Yaeger? They had just been speculating about her death, yet here she was, standing alive and unharmed in the room.

Hearing Leroy’s exclamation, Scarry glanced at him before turning to look. His eyes bulged in disbelief, and his jaw dropped so wide it could have fit a clay pot. It felt as though his soul was about to escape his body from sheer shock.

The woman standing before him was none other than the infamous, terrifying figure they had all dreaded. She wasn’t dead… Not only was she alive, but the two figures she was holding seemed disturbingly familiar.

Looking closer, both Scarry and Leroy exhaled sharply, chills racing down their spines. The two figures, bound tightly and utterly battered, were none other than Hank and Doug!

"Master… Master Zhao!" Leroy stammered, blinking rapidly as though his eyes were deceiving him. The mighty Half-Step Grandmaster had been utterly defeated. How could this even be possible? Could it be…

Leroy’s wide eyes darted to Yaeger as he stammered, "Did you… do this?"

"No, I have powerful allies backing me. But sure, you could say that," Yaeger replied with a sly smile. Without another word, she released her grip, and the two battered men dropped to the ground like discarded sacks.

Hearing her response, a rumor flashed through Leroy’s mind—one he had dismissed as unreliable. The rumors claimed that the legendary hero of Cathay, Grandmaster Ronald, had come to Roc City to protect this very woman—[Princess].

And now, standing before him was the dazzling beauty in question.

In an instant, his mind raced as he connected the dots, piecing together the sequence of events. Just as he feared, all the incidents seemed to align with Ronald’s rumored location.

‘My god. She’s under the protection of a Grandmaster! No wonder the family forbade us from taking revenge, no matter how audacious her actions!' At the realization, Leroy clenched his fists, his face a mixture of shock and frustration.

Leroy couldn’t fathom that Yaeger herself had defeated a Half-Step Grandmaster. Such a feat could only be achieved by a true Grandmaster. No Pinnacle Master could possibly accomplish such a thing.

From the very beginning, he had never even considered the possibility that Yaeger might be a Grandmaster. After all, the idea of an eighteen-year-old achieving the rank of Grandmaster was utterly inconceivable.

Even in his [Hidden Xu Family], with all its deep resources and history, only a handful of such prodigies had ever emerged.

Seeing the shock on his face, Yaeger smirked internally, knowing her act of misdirection had worked perfectly.

Every major power across Aqua Blue Star was well aware of how highly the Ability Management Department valued her. Their regard for her was so profound that they even assigned a Grandmaster for her protection.

Yet, the Grandmaster tasked with protecting her was not Ronald but Mylene. However, Ronald’s renown far eclipsed Mylene’s, which led everyone to focus their attention on him instead.

This time was no different. Leroy immediately concluded that it was Ronald who had defeated Hank so thoroughly.

‘Grandmaster Tian willingly antagonized [Dragonbane Mountain] just to safeguard her…' Leroy stared at Yaeger, his face etched with disbelief.

This [Princess] undoubtedly had a far more profound and unfathomable background than he could have ever imagined.

Scarry, standing off to the side, was utterly baffled and could only grasp bits of their exchange. However, the moment he caught sight of Leroy’s deeply shaken expression, he realized that something was gravely amiss.

"You people have quite the audacity," Yaeger said, her expression darkening ominously.

Everyone in the room immediately began to tremble, consumed by fear. Scarry and Leroy were especially shaken. Without their covert assistance, Hank would never have been able to track down [Princess].

‘Could she have found out? No, that’s impossible. There’s no way she could know!' Leroy thought, panicking inwardly.

Leroy subtly shot Scarry a glance, signaling him to stay quiet. Scarry immediately caught on and responded with a slight hand motion.

"What are you implying, Princess? I don’t understand," Leroy said, forcing himself to maintain a facade of calm and confusion.

"Oh, playing dumb now?" Yaeger’s grim smile deepened. "Does that mean you’ve given up on living?" Before she could finish, her aura exploded outward, suffusing the room with an oppressive killing intent.

Everyone’s hearts pounded violently, cold sweat drenching their bodies as an icy chill ran down their spines. It felt as though death itself had wrapped its hands around them. They immediately realized that she had no intention of reasoning with them. Truth and lies no longer held any meaning.

At this point, nothing else mattered.

‘I was too naive. How could I ever hope to deceive a demon like her?’

"I’ll deal with you all later," Yaeger said coldly, taking slow, deliberate steps forward. "These two people—do you know where they’re from?" Of course, she was referring to the two unconscious figures lying on the floor.

"Yes, I do," Leroy replied, his face drained of color. He knew with absolute clarity that full cooperation was his only hope of avoiding an even harsher punishment.

"Good. Contact their leader right now," Yaeger ordered.

"Yes, immediately!" Leroy stiffly turned and made his way to the office desk. Leroy quickly retrieved a phonebook from the drawer and located the contact number for [Dragonbane Mountain].

Using the landline, he placed the call, and someone answered almost immediately on the other end.

After Leroy briefly explained the situation, the person on the other end swiftly connected him to their leader. Within two minutes, a new voice came through the line. Once the leader began speaking, Leroy activated the loudspeaker.

"Princess, is it? Impressive." A slightly hoarse voice echoed through the landline, filling the room with its sharp tone.

"And who might you be? The boss of Dragonbane Mountain?" Yaeger asked coolly.

"I am the leader of Dragonbane Mountain. You may call me Elder Wei," the voice replied.

"Old man, your underlings have been pestering me nonstop. How do you plan to resolve this?" Yaeger asked, her tone unapologetically direct.

"Hmph, just as the rumors say—you’re utterly without manners. What a brazen woman," Elder Wei sneered.

"The last person who dared to say that to me is buried six feet under," Yaeger replied calmly.

"Big words, little bite. Let’s get straight to the point—release my men immediately and disappear, or even Ronald from twenty years ago won’t be able to save you!" Elder Wei snarled, his tone dripping with menace.

"So, you’re refusing to negotiate? Fine. I’ll kill these two fools right now and let Dragonbane Mountain host a grand funeral feast," Yaeger replied indifferently.

"How dare you!" Elder Wei roared in fury.

"Why wouldn’t I? If you were here in Roc City, I might exercise some caution. But you’re stuck in Jinxi Province—no matter how loudly you roar, you can’t save them," Yaeger said, her tone icy.

Hearing her words, the elderly man, clad in purplish-gold oriental robes and slightly round in stature, trembled with rage.

"How dare you threaten me! Woman, I assure you, no one in Cathay will save you if you dare kill them!" As his roar echoed, the overwhelming aura of a Grandmaster surged, wreaking havoc throughout the room and scattering loose objects.

Elder Wei was clearly consumed by fury, his rage palpable through the phone. As the undisputed powerhouse of the Jinxi Province, this was the first time Elder Wei had ever been threatened so brazenly.

"Then let’s see who’s faster—you rushing here or me ending their lives," Yaeger said, her tone calm and detached.

Leroy and Scarry stood frozen, stunned by the audacity of the conversation. This woman truly dared to directly threaten a Grandmaster. Was she courting death?

After a moment of thought, they realized this wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, the very act of making this call had already severed any chance of reconciliation with Dragonbane Mountain.

Since her fate seemed sealed, why wouldn’t she push the boundaries?

‘Excellent! Hank may have failed, but Elder Wei will certainly finish the job!’ The thought filled Leroy’s heart with glee, and he couldn’t suppress a smug grin.

An eerie silence settled over the room, the other end of the line completely still. After an agonizing minute, Elder Wei finally broke the silence. "Woman, what exactly do you want?" he asked, his tone betraying a trace of reluctant compromise.

He had no choice but to yield. Hank was a rare talent, teetering on the edge of becoming a Grandmaster. Losing him was simply not an option. Elder Wei felt a twinge of regret for having sent Hank to Roc City in the first place.

‘Ronald, you will pay dearly for this!’ Elder Wei seethed internally. The thought of that cursed old dog gravely injuring his most cherished disciple made Elder Wei’s heart ache with fury.

"One hundred million. Consider it compensation for medical expenses," Yaeger stated flatly.

"One hundred million?" Elder Wei exclaimed, momentarily wondering if he had misheard her outrageous demand. This audacious woman dared to extort him for such an absurd amount!

"In your dreams! I, Dominus Wei, would sooner let them die in Roc City than give you a single cent!" Elder Wei roared furiously.

"Well, then. I’ll just kill them now. You’ll hear their screams in three seconds," Yaeger said nonchalantly. Without hesitation, Yaeger stepped back, manifesting a gleaming blade in her hand.

One second passed.

Two seconds passed.

The tension in the room thickened to an almost unbearable degree.

Hearing Yaeger’s deliberate footsteps and the ominous hum of her manifested blade, Elder Wei’s heart began to quiver. This insane woman truly intended to kill them! It was now painfully clear that this woman wasn’t bluffing.

‘This woman is completely unhinged!’

"Three seconds are up. Time to send you to the afterlife," Yaeger said, her eyes darkening as she raised the blade overhead.

Watching the scene unfold, Scarry and Leroy were gripped by indescribable terror. She dared to antagonize an overlord from Jinxi Province to this degree. Did she have a death wish?

"Fine! One hundred million! I’ll pay it right now!" Elder Wei’s desperate voice echoed through the room.

"Oh? Didn’t you just say you’d rather let them die than give me a single cent?" Yaeger paused, a sly smile curling her lips.

There was no response from the other end of the line. Instead, a loud rumble echoed faintly over the line, hinting at Elder Wei’s fury. It was clear that Elder Wei had completely lost his composure.

Once the line quieted, Yaeger calmly provided her bank account details. Within a minute, a confirmation of the one hundred million transfer arrived in Yaeger’s account.

"It’d be nice if you were this efficient next time," Yaeger said cheerfully, glancing at the Swire Bank confirmation message.

Before Yaeger could finish, a loud, crisp sound came from the other end, followed by the abrupt disconnection of the call.

Leroy and Scarry exchanged glances, their wide eyes mirroring mutual shock. Neither could have imagined that this woman would successfully extort one hundred million from Elder Wei!

"Now, it’s time to settle our little score," Yaeger said, sliding her phone into her pocket and turning to Leroy and Scarry with a chilling smile. Though her smile was dazzlingly beautiful, to Leroy and Scarry, it was far more terrifying than a demon’s grin.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read