Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Accepting Logan Langdon’s Invitation
All jokes aside, once Faye Yardley realized that Tiberius genuinely harbored no ill intentions toward her brother and had, in fact, substantially improved his combat abilities, her aversion to him lessened considerably.
"Bro, why haven’t you upgraded your raft yet?"
Ethan Yardley scratched his head. "I’m trying to decide which type to choose. They say the window to make a decision is really short once the upgrade starts, right? I want to think it through properly before I commit."
Faye Yardley let out a little sound of surprise. "What’s there to think about?" she asked, puzzled. "It’s your raft. Just pick whichever aspect you want to improve. If you prefer to be on the offensive, choose the attack type. You already have the Energy Defense Tower for defense anyway."
"Exactly. Your sister’s right about that. Don’t be so indecisive." On this point, Tiberius found himself agreeing with Faye Yardley.
’It’s his raft. If he picks the wrong path, so what? He can probably switch it back at the next level.’
Ethan Yardley replied, "I just wanted to take the opinions of the other team members into account."
Faye Yardley waved it off. "It’s your raft. It’s not like you’re dictating how they have to upgrade theirs."
"That’s true, I haven’t. But as the first one on the team to choose an upgrade path, my choice will definitely influence them." Ethan Yardley wasn’t an impulsive person by nature, but now, with his sister pushing him, he found himself ready to make a decision.
And just like that, he started the upgrade. It had to be said, selling ice blocks had brought him a considerable income, even at rock-bottom prices.
Once his raft reached Level 8, Ethan Yardley chose the attack-focused specialization. As for its appearance, perhaps because his sister’s raft was the Goliath, he subconsciously chose the intimidating Wrath-Wyrm, another of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
The transformation a raft undergoes at Level 8 is astonishing.
Going from a flat raft to a fully materialized form was a massive change.
As he completed the upgrade, all eyes in the vicinity turned to him.
When the team leader thrived, they, as his teammates, felt a sense of shared honor.
It even made them look good in front of their girlfriends.
Zephyr Sterling stood beside Gavin Donovan, watching as the raft emerged from a cloud of white mist to reveal its ferocious form. He clapped his junior on the shoulder. "The man you follow is quite powerful."
"Eldest Brother, you should join us," Gavin said. "The Boss doesn’t ask for much—no tributes or anything. In fact, he’s the one protecting us."
Zephyr Sterling just smiled. "I’m used to being on my own. I get restless in big groups."
"Eldest Brother..." Gavin trailed off, then said, "Well, alright. But if you ever change your mind, just say the word. I’m sure the Boss would welcome you."
"Right. I’ll let you know if I do."
Gavin Donovan didn’t press him further. Instead, he gazed at the ferocious, imposing raft with envy. "I need to work harder, too. I want to make my raft look even cooler."
Zephyr Sterling didn’t dismiss his junior’s childish sentiment. Instead, he said, "Enough talk. Attack me. Let’s see how much you’ve progressed recently."
Gavin Donovan immediately perked up. "Eldest Brother, the Boss’s raft has a training room! It’s super effective for working on your weak spots."
"Then let me test the results of that training."
With that, Zephyr Sterling struck first, forcing Gavin Donovan to defend himself.
While they were sparring enthusiastically, Faye Yardley had already climbed onto the ferocious head of The Wrath-Wyrm. Standing at its peak and gazing at the horizon, she felt an urge to conquer the world.
Ethan Yardley came up and stood beside her. "Faye, how does it feel standing up here?"
"Bro, just do what you want to do. I can take care of myself. You know I have no problem with self-preservation." Faye Yardley pointed toward the endless sea before them. "Conquer it."
Ethan Yardley looked at his sister, then out at the horizon she indicated, and a heroic passion swelled in his chest.
They had lunch on Gavin Donovan’s raft. Her brother and Tiberius had basically invited themselves, but surprisingly, Zephyr Sterling and Tiberius hit it off immediately.
Faye Yardley returned to her own raft after lunch, only to unexpectedly receive an invitation from Logan Langdon.
’I don’t know what he’s up to, but I’m not busy. Might as well go and check on his progress.’
With that in mind, Faye Yardley made her way to Logan Langdon’s raft.
Logan Langdon was delighted to see Faye Yardley appear. ’As expected,’ he thought, ’no woman can refuse my invitation.’
"Gorgeous Yardley! Long time no see. You’re looking well. Seems things have been going your way lately."
"You’re the one who looks like things are going well, Mr. Langdon. Thank you for the invitation. I hope you’ll like these strawberries." As she spoke, Faye Yardley offered him a small container of them. A handful of no more than ten fresh, large strawberries was an incredibly valuable gift out here.
Saying she was too kind, Logan Langdon casually accepted the strawberries.
More guests were arriving, so Logan Langdon told Faye Yardley to make herself at home and went to greet the newcomers.
What Faye Yardley hadn’t expected was to run into Xavier Thatcher. The moment he saw her, his expression was a mixture of surprise, horror, and a touch of fury.
"Hello. I’m Xavier Thatcher. And you are?"
"Faye Yardley."
Faye Yardley faced him without a shred of guilt or any other negative emotion, which in turn made Xavier Thatcher wonder if he had mistaken her for someone else.
’It’s just... her eyes are exactly like the person who killed Hailey Miles.’
’But Hailey Miles’s death was so strange. He still couldn’t figure out the exact reason, even knowing the events that led up to it.’
’He was also sure it had nothing to do with the person who wanted Hailey dead. She had just died inexplicably while fishing up a treasure chest.’
’Her teammates were right there, and no one had tried to assassinate her.’
’So should I still be holding this grudge?’
Faye Yardley had no idea what was going through Xavier Thatcher’s mind, not that she would have cared. She wasn’t bothered by the inexplicable hatred others directed at her.
’Besides, I almost killed him, too. His hostility toward me isn’t exactly inexplicable.’
"Have you and Mr. Langdon known each other long, Miss Yardley?"
"No. Are you curious about Mr. Langdon, Mr. Thatcher, or are you curious about me?" Faye Yardley asked, her expression perfectly innocent.
Just then, Hugh Langdon walked over. "Mr. Thatcher, there you are. And who might this beautiful young lady be?"
He introduced himself proactively, "Hello, I’m Logan Langdon’s cousin, Hugh Langdon."
"Hello. Faye Yardley."
’So this must be the beautiful girl his cousin was so obsessed with winning over,’ Hugh Langdon thought, intrigued. ’She really does seem cool and aloof.’
’How could he be so sure she was the one, out of all the people here? It was her complex aura, of course.’
Hugh Langdon then started chatting up Faye Yardley and discovered she wasn’t nearly as hard to talk to as his cousin had made her out to be.
’See? When he told a joke, her eyes crinkled in a smile, melting away some of that icy demeanor.’
Faye Yardley followed Hugh Langdon and was introduced to the other guests. She then noticed Gavin Donovan’s "Second Martial Brother" on an adjacent raft, watching her with a measuring, scrutinizing gaze.
Just like with Zephyr Sterling, she never forgot the face of someone she’d been on a video call with.
’Henry Lewis is not an easy man to control. Logan Langdon must be incredibly confident in himself.’
