Chapter 357 - 347: Island Deed

Kai York was clearly startled by the squeal, which sounded like a pig being slaughtered.

’A sudden explosion of acting talent?’

I have to say, this scream was much more genuine than the last one.

Moira Lynch had perfect control over her strength, inflicting intense pain on the man without letting him pass out.

And just like that, amidst a torrent of bloodcurdling screams, he was forcibly dragged away by Kai York.

After the middle-aged man disappeared from sight, Hugh Finch let out a deep sigh of relief, a look of utter deliverance on his face.

"Wait, didn’t you seem perfectly calm just now?" Moira Lynch asked.

A moment ago, Hugh Finch had looked so composed you’d think he wouldn’t even flinch if the sky fell, giving off the air of a reclusive master.

’Apparently, that impression was completely wrong.’

Hugh Finch then offered a reasonable explanation for his behavior.

"It’s a passive effect of the Prophetic Robe. As a fortune teller, I’m supposed to maintain the detached demeanor of a master, someone who wouldn’t bat an eye even if a mountain crumbled before them. So, whenever I start to get nervous, the Robe’s passive effect triggers, and I automatically put on that calm facade."

Moira Lynch & Shane Rhodes: ...

"I recognize that man," Shane Rhodes said after a moment. "He moved in after the round before last ended. They say his family has four players."

Just as Shane Rhodes finished, Kai York’s voice drifted over from a distance. "So what if there are four of them? There are four of us, too! You think we’re scared?"

Shane Rhodes glanced at Kai York and continued, "Two of his four sons have physical enhancement-type talents. Of the other two, one has awakened the Earth Talent, and the other, the Water Talent. If all four of them team up against us, it could get very messy."

To this, Moira Lynch simply replied, "We’ll deal with whatever they throw at us."

"Still," Shane Rhodes mused, "judging by their usual behavior, that man’s four sons should’ve rushed over by now. Why is it so quiet?"

"I didn’t see anyone when I tossed him out just now," Kai York added.

Hearing this, a flicker of smug satisfaction flashed in Moira Lynch’s eyes.

The reason those four hadn’t shown up was, of course, because she had pulled some strings.

She had used her spiritual power to block their hearing. No cries for help, no backup. Simple as that.

With the matter settled, Shane Rhodes and Kai York didn’t head back to their rooms. Instead, they stayed in the yard of the Elf Tree House to charge some batteries.

Meanwhile, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch cleared the snow from around the Elf Tree House.

They worked until the afternoon. As the sun began to set and the sky gradually darkened, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch finally finished their work for the day and went back inside the Elf Tree House.

The moment they stepped inside, the distinct, overpowering aroma of hot pot hit them.

"Since you two were out clearing snow all day, I had Zion prepare a special hot pot," said Shane Rhodes.

Zion was the name Shane Rhodes had given his robot.

It was worth noting that after learning Moira Lynch’s Intelligent Brain was named Patience, Shane Rhodes had named his own Intelligent Brain "Universe."

Kai York’s Intelligent Brain was named Hurricane, and Hugh Finch’s was Stars.

Moira Lynch had specifically asked if it was possible to make the other three’s Intelligent Brains like hers.

The answer was yes.

These Intelligent Brains were in their current state because their internal cores had been removed and their components were obsolete.

It would cost more to repair them and replace the parts than to just buy new ones, which was why they had been abandoned.

As long as Shane Rhodes and the others were willing to spend the money, their Intelligent Brains could be restored to be just like Patience.

At this point, Patience made a special declaration: he was the latest model of Intelligent Brain, equipped with the most advanced technology and core. Even if the others were restored to their original states, they still wouldn’t be able to compare to him.

On the table, a hot pot base was bubbling away.

Since Moira Lynch couldn’t handle food that was too spicy—spicy gluten sticks being the sole exception—Zion had prepared a dual-sided pot. One half was a fiery red chili oil broth, the other a tomato-based one. Both looked incredibly appetizing.

In addition, the table was laden with all sorts of ingredients. All the vibrant, green vegetables came from Moira Lynch’s own garden.

Though they were just simple greens, they were exceptionally fresh, bright, and crisp.

You had to understand, not many people could get their hands on vegetables this fresh and crisp in times like these.

The group chatted as they ate.

Just then, Kai York suddenly placed a pack of drinks in front of Moira Lynch and gave her a pointed look.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch said with exasperation, "If you just toss these outside, they’ll be ice-cold in less than thirty seconds."

Hearing this, Kai York let out a "TSK." "What a pain," he said. "Besides, if I throw the juice out there, it’ll be a solid block of ice in thirty seconds. How am I supposed to drink that? Just hurry up and do it."

"What do you think I am, a free drink-chilling machine? Remember to pay me later!"

Moira Lynch grumbled, but still took off her gloves. She tapped each bottle twice, and the room-temperature drinks instantly became ice-cold.

Once she was done, Kai York eagerly grabbed a bottle, opened it, and took a long swig. "Ahhh, that hits the spot! You want some?"

Moira Lynch looked at the bottle he offered and refused. "No, thanks. I don’t want an upset stomach."

Seeing this, Kai York didn’t press the issue. After all, besides popsicles, Moira Lynch rarely had cold drinks.

"Oh, right. Moira, this is for you."

As he spoke, Shane Rhodes took several Space Buttons out of his pocket.

"This is the return from our latest trade. Here’s your share. And also, this."

Moira Lynch looked at the small red booklet Shane Rhodes held out. The words "Certificate of Real Estate Property" were emblazoned on the cover.

’She was very familiar with these; after all, she’d sold quite a few properties when she first arrived here.’

"A property deed?"

"An island deed, to be precise," Kai York explained. "It’s for a newly discovered island on Veridian Prime, supposedly. Who would’ve guessed that the previous planet auction wasn’t the full story? Turns out SoySauceDrunkard privately gave Cathaya a massive planet and told them to develop it however they wanted."

"Is that what they told you?" Moira Lynch asked.

Shane Rhodes nodded. "Captain Chase Shepard figured since we’ve cooperated so many times, he’d let us in on some inside information."

"Apparently, Veridian Prime is several times larger than Caelus. But because it’s so massive and they have a limited number of people to develop it, they decided to sell off some of the less important, undeveloped islands. The catch is we have to fund the development ourselves and guarantee it’s completed within ten years. We can’t just let it sit there."

"We traded our share of the power generators for four islands with permanent ownership—one for each of us. I heard others only got a seventy-year lease. After that, they either have to pay a hefty sum to continue using the land or have made some sort of outstanding contribution."

Moira Lynch took the property deed—no, the island deed—and looked at the aerial photo of the island on it. In no time, Patience had found the island’s exact location.