Chapter 36: Acquiring Argent’s Newest Landmark Building

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Acquiring Argent’s Newest Landmark Building

Miles Morton’s eyes widened in horror as he listened to his best friend spout such reckless nonsense. There was no saving him now. He quietly scooted backward.

Rian Sinclair leaned back against the booth’s sofa, her expression dark as she watched Ash Sinclair sprawled on the floor, still cursing.

Ash didn’t hear a reply, only the deafening thrum of the club’s music. What the hell was his best friend doing?

He lifted his head and looked toward Miles, noticing how far away the guy had retreated. "Damn it, why the hell is that coward Miles so far away? Who kicked me? When I find out, I’m gonna beat the crap out of them!"

Miles stared at Ash with a look of absolute despair. He had been wiggling his eyebrows so hard they were about to cramp, yet Ash still hadn’t bothered to look behind him.

Ash stared at Miles’s frantically twitching eyebrows. "Are you having a seizure or something?"

Miles’s mouth twitched. He was trying to help out of the goodness of his heart, and this idiot didn’t appreciate it at all!

Still facing Miles, Ash grabbed the edge of the table to pull himself up. Suddenly, a violent shove from behind sent him crashing face-first into his friend.

"Fuck! Which bastard kicked me again—" Ash snapped, turning his head as he spoke. The words died in his throat the moment he saw his older sister’s thunderous expression.

Ash thought, "Somebody save me! Please!"

Completely forgetting the pain in his back, Ash scrambled to his feet. "Rian..." he mumbled meekly.

Rian glared at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so you know I’m your sister now? I thought I was ’some bastard’?"

"I wouldn’t dare," Ash squeaked, hanging his head so low it practically touched the floor.

Rian’s voice rose a notch. "You wouldn’t dare? Ash Sinclair, you’ve got a lot of nerve, sneaking off to a bar without a word. And quite the temper, too! Spouting profanities left and right. What, did nine years of compulsory education fail to teach you basic manners? Do I need to spend more money to send you back to middle school right before your college entrance exams?"

Ash frantically tried to explain. "I didn’t, Rian... I... I..."

Rian crossed her arms and stared him down from the sofa. "Take your time. Let’s hear your excuse for being at Moonlight at this hour."

"Rian, I actually... actually..." Ash scrambled to find an excuse, but his mind drew a complete blank.

"Ash, do you even realize you’re about to take the college entrance exams? Do you realize that with your temperament, you can’t afford to slack off on your studies?

"Couldn’t you wait until after the exams to fool around? If you keep this up, your years of hard work will all go down the drain just because you wanted to have a little fun." Rian rubbed her temples. Ash’s intelligence was entirely the result of sheer effort. As the only parental figure left in the household, she had to be responsible for him just as he needed to be responsible for himself.

Ash kept his head bowed in silence before mumbling, "Rian, I’m sorry."

Checking the time on her phone, Rian snapped, "Get your ass outside."

She turned and walked out.

Ash kept his head down. Miles didn’t say a word, simply giving his shoulder a sympathetic pat.

Outside Moonlight, the sky had turned pitch black, and a steady drizzle was falling. Patrons continued to filter into the club. Rian walked over to an empty space nearby and leaned against the wall.

She pulled a slim pack of cigarettes from her bag and placed one between her lips. Watching Ash slowly make his way over, she slipped her phone back into her purse, leaving the cigarette unlit in her mouth.

Ash approached with his head hung low. The alley was secluded and deafeningly quiet. "Rian, why did you come to Moonlight?"

Rian looked up at him. "This isn’t the time for you to be asking questions. Explain yourself. Why did you sneak out of school, and why are you at Moonlight?"

After a long moment of hesitation, Ash finally told the truth. "The pressure was getting to be too much. My friends invited me out to blow off some steam, so I hopped the wall."

Rian pinched the unlit cigarette between her fingertips. "Ash, I told you from the very beginning that your only focus right now should be your exams. How many times has this happened?"

"I’m sorry, Rian. It won’t happen again."

Rian’s expression remained passive. She stared at him in utter silence.

Her chilling gaze terrified him. His legs trembled so violently that he nearly dropped to his knees right then and there.

"Ash."

"Yes!" Hearing his name, Ash snapped to attention, standing bolt upright to await his sentence.

"You’re almost eighteen."

That was all Rian said. She didn’t have the energy to add anything else as she looked up at her towering, six-foot-one brother. He used to be so tiny, clinging to her leg and calling for his big sister in a soft, childish voice. Now, he towered over her.

Ash froze, entirely speechless.

Rian shook her head. Ash wasn’t a little boy anymore; she couldn’t discipline him the same way she used to.

"Ash, I don’t have the energy to keep scolding you. I just want you to get into a good university. It was Mom and Dad’s dying wish."

All the color drained from Ash’s face, and his stiff posture instantly slumped. How could he not know it was their parents’ dying wish? That was probably the only reason his sister even bothered to look after him.

Rian didn’t know what Ash was feeling right now, nor did she care to navigate the turbulent waters of a teenage boy’s rebellious phase. She was tired of repeating herself. Regardless of his feelings, he absolutely had to focus on his exams right now.

Having said her piece, Rian turned and walked away.

Ash looked up at her retreating back. He half-raised a hand to reach out, then let it drop. Instead, he shouted after her, "Rian, smoking is bad for your health!"

Rian paused for a fraction of a second, letting out a soft chuckle before continuing on her way.

Uncle Forrest had received the message in advance and was already waiting outside. Seeing her approach, he hurriedly stepped out to open the car door.

Rian handed her umbrella to Uncle Forrest and slipped into the backseat, closing her eyes to rest. Tonight’s ordeal had been utterly exhausting.

Back in her room, Rian petted Bandage for a while before washing up and climbing into bed. She let her mind wander.

Since their parents passed away, the two siblings only had each other to rely on. As the older sister, she naturally stepped up to shield him from the world. Because of this, she had always been strict with Ash. When he misbehaved as a child, she hadn’t hesitated to use a heavy hand.

As a result, Ash wasn’t particularly affectionate toward her.

Rian let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile.

As for the System, it could directly and clearly observe its host’s emotional fluctuations. Originally, as an artificial entity, it was not supposed to be affected by the host’s feelings.

The System ran a diagnostic on its own data, but everything appeared perfectly normal. It seemed it would need to pay a visit to the Main God for a repair soon. Its data must have aged; an update was overdue.

The System thought, "Sigh... I really miss my wife. How long is this mission going to take anyway? The moment it’s over and the report is filed, I’m out of here. I can’t let the Main God catch me and toss me into another retirement mission."

Having made up its mind, the System temporarily severed its connection with the host. After all, both the host and the System possessed their own independent spaces. Unauthorized viewing of inappropriate scenes or forcefully probing each other’s memories gave either party the right to penalize the other.

Back in her room, Rian didn’t dwell on these exhausting matters any longer. She had very few classes the next day; seniors rarely had full schedules, as most were already out doing internships or working. Pushing her worries aside, she fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

Rian sat at the table, just about to enjoy the breakfast prepared by Auntie Alden.

[Current location is a valid sign-in spot. Would the host like to sign in now?]

Rian paused with her chopsticks in hand. "Sign in."

[DING! Congratulations to the host for a successful sign-in. You are hereby rewarded with Argent’s newest landmark building—The Glacial Spire!]