"Still don't know what I'm talking about?" Eric Lan leaned casually on the edge of the barrel.
The water in the barrel grew hotter and hotter. Shaun Fane finally snapped out of it and struggled to climb out.
But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape the confines of the barrel.
"Ah! Hot! Hot! I'll talk, I'll talk! I'll tell you everything I know!"
"Go ahead," Eric Lan said.
Little Sandy was already floating in front of him.
Sure enough, he spilled everything he knew.
He mixed that painting in with the antique calligraphy and paintings and gave it to Lily Bai.
The military kidnapped the President and Eric Lan.
He learned about the Prophet two years ago, but has never met him.
Even this time, he still hasn't seen the Prophet's true face.
He's always wanted to meet the Prophet, hoping for guidance.
But every answer he got was: contact... Colin Grant.
Colin Grant is the Prophet's apostle.
...
That day, the people standing guard outside suddenly smelled roasting meat in the air.
For Nightspawn, there is never mercy for enemies.
...
During his time in the Cabinet, Colin Grant accomplished quite a lot and built a good reputation.
Now, he's running for President.
Three out of the Big Four Families support him; even the Lan family doesn't oppose.
His grandfather says he still has a chance to win.
Even if he fails this time, sooner or later he'll become President.
President... the symbol of supreme power.
Dressed to the nines in a suit, he drove his sports car home, still thinking about the admiring glances from the women at yesterday's speech.
After getting out of the car, he remembered the item the Prophet gave him.
Today, the Prophet met with him.
He handed him a brocade pouch.
He said that if he ever faces a crisis, he should open it.
If there's no crisis, he mustn't open it.
He has always obeyed the Prophet, full of awe and trust.
It's thanks to the Prophet that he's made it this far: a presidential candidate.
He took the little brocade pouch out of his pocket and glanced at it.
He was deeply curious about what was inside.
He really wanted to take a look.
But he held himself back.
People who don't listen to the Prophet never end well.
Just look at Shaun Fane.
The Prophet told him not to go to Haicheng to find Eric Lan and Lily Bai, but he insisted—and came back in disgrace.
He was told not to gamble with Lily Bai, but he did it anyway.
In the end, he lost everything.
No one's heard from him in days; nobody knows where he went.
...
After closing the door and taking off his jacket, he was about to relax on the sofa—when he was startled by a scream.
Lily Bai sat on his sofa, watching him with a half-smile.
"Lily Bai!" Colin Grant's pupils dilated.
"Yep, it's me!" Lily Bai smiled. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
She was supposed to be dead.
How could she be alive again?
But thanks to the Prophet, he's pretty open-minded about all sorts of impossible things.
He quickly composed himself and pretended nothing was wrong. "You suddenly show up in my house—shouldn't I be surprised?"
"You know I've got some moves," Lily Bai said. "Came looking for you, but you weren't home, so I let myself in. You don't mind, do you?"
Colin Grant paused for three seconds, then smiled: "If you always treat my place like your own, I'd be thrilled. Want something to drink?"
Lily Bai shook her head. "No need."
Colin Grant sat down across from her: "You wouldn't come here for nothing. What's up?"
Lily Bai said, "Heard you're running for President?"
"Yeah."
"Bet your odds of winning are pretty high, huh?"