Charlie’s words left Steve momentarily stunned, his mind frozen in place. Upon careful consideration, Charlie’s words began to make sense. The one who possessed the Four Treasures of the Study would become the rightful heir, so it was only natural for Steve to contemplate retrieving it quickly to prevent others from seizing the opportunity. But if no one managed to bring the Four Treasures of the Study back, wouldn’t Steve still be the default heir? The only difference would be that the artifact would no longer belong to the Rothschild family. However, Steve felt trapped with no other choice. His life was in the hands of others, and he felt grateful just to be alive. Subconsciously, he asked Charlie, “Sir, can you assure me that the Four Treasures of the Study will never fall into the hands of other members of the Rothschild family?” Charlie furrowed his brows and replied coldly, “You’re exaggerating with the word ‘assure,’ aren’t you? What right do you have to ask me for an assurance?” Steve hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, please don’t misunderstand…” Charlie pressed on, “Then what did you mean?” Steve wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and stammered, “I… I just wanted to know… how you plan to handle the Four Treasures of the Study…” Charlie looked at him and said calmly, “The Four Treasures of the Study was originally stolen from China by your family. My plan is to return it to its rightful owner, China.” He continued, gazing at Steve, “So, you don’t have to worry too much. Once the Four Treasures of the Study is back in China, it will be well protected and will never leave Chinese soil as a national treasure.” Relieved, Steve let out a sigh and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. He happily rubbed his hands together and muttered, “That’s great, it’s really great…” Charlie asked, intrigued, “What’s so great about it?” Steve quickly replied, “The Four Treasures of the Study rightfully belongs to China, so it’s best for it to return there…” Charlie then inquired, “Your father hopes that the Four Treasures of the Study will return to the Rothschild family. Why don’t you share the same sentiment?” Steve thought Charlie was testing him, provoking him to express his stance. So, he responded with conviction, “Sir, to be honest, my father still has a colonialist mindset. He believes that anything he seizes is his. How can that be? It’s a civilized society now! The Four Treasures of the Study was obtained through illicit means, and it’s only right for it to be returned to its rightful owner. I have received a modern legal education, and I have a sense of justice!” Charlie nodded approvingly and asked him, “So, you are willing to help me bring the Four Treasures of the Study back to China, even if it means defying your father’s wishes and securing your position as the first heir of the Rothschild family?” Steve nodded without hesitation, raised his fists in the air and declared resolutely, “Yes! I’m willing!” After that, Steve quickly added in a humble tone, “But sir, I have a small request. I hope you can agree to it.” Charlie said calmly, “Tell me your request.” Steve quickly said, “I just ask that after you take the artifact to China, you will not reveal our conversation tonight to anyone…” Charlie smiled, pretending to understand, “Ah, I see. You’re afraid that your father will come after you.” “Yes…” Steve apologized with a smile, “I’ll help you bring the Four Treasures of the Study back to China and you’ll help me keep this conversation a secret. It’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?” Charlie smiled and asked, “If your father finds out that you helped someone else take the Four Treasures of the Study out of the United States just to secure your position as the first heir, he would definitely be very angry, right?” “Not just angry…” Steve sighed, “I’m afraid he would want to kill me! You don’t know, he values the Four Treasures of the Study very much. In his eyes, the only thing more important than the Four Treasures of the Study is his own life. Apart from that, nothing else matters.” Charlie nodded, “In that case, let’s discuss our cooperation.” Steve eagerly said, “Please, go ahead! As long as it’s within my capabilities, I will do my best!” Charlie stated, “I can guarantee your life and the life of your son, but you need to find a way to help me and the Four Treasures of the Study leave the United States. In return, I will bring the Four Treasures of the Study back to China and return it intact to the Chinese government. This way, you can continue being the first heir without any worries.” Steve readily agreed, “Sir, I have no objections to the cooperation you mentioned. But I’m worried that I won’t be able to get you out of the United States quickly. The entire family is doing everything possible to turn New York into an impenetrable fortress. If my helicopter can’t fly out tonight, we’ll have to wait for another opportunity.” Just then, the sound of a helicopter grew louder, drawing closer. Charlie’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Your son is back.” Steve instinctively said, “I hope they didn’t encounter any trouble!” A few minutes later, Hank and Royce entered the room where Charlie was. As soon as they entered, Steve couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “How did it go? Did anyone stop you?” “Yes…” Royce grumbled, “The National Security Agency’s radar locked down the airspace in the restricted area. As soon as our helicopter approached the edge of the restricted area, they warned us via radio that the airspace was off-limits for all non-government helicopters due to national security issues. They requested us to land in their designated area for inspection. I reported our identities and after they verified it, they allowed us to proceed without inspection but asked us to stay away from the edge of the restricted area.” Hank, standing beside him, chimed in, “Such tight control, reminiscent of 9/11.” Upon hearing this, Charlie couldn’t help but marvel at the power of the Rothschild family. They usually maintained a low profile and rarely appeared in media reports. Although rumors about them circulated, they neither confirmed nor denied them. Few people truly knew their strength, but today, Charlie had witnessed it firsthand.
The Rothschild family held enough influence to bend various government departments in the United States to their will. The FBI, CIA, FDA, Customs and even the NSA, all these departments collaborate seamlessly to seal off New York and its surroundings for the Rothschild family, all without making a sound. Furthermore, each of these departments had their own ulterior motives and explanations, working together to seal off the land, sea and air, meticulously inspecting everyone and every means of transportation. It became evident that the Rothschild family wielded unparalleled power within the United States. This gave Charlie a moment of hesitation. He desired to bring the Four Treasures of the Study out of the United States as soon as possible, but even with his abilities, he couldn’t fly or vanish into thin air. If he wanted to leave the United States, he would need to take a plane, a ship, or drive to Canada or Mexico. The most challenging part, however, was that all the personnel manning the checkpoints had continuous and synchronized recording devices, uploading everything they saw to cloud servers without delay. Breaking through would be easy, but it would undoubtedly expose his identity. Considering the influence the Rothschild family held over US government departments, it was reasonable to assume that once his identity was revealed, the US government would stop at nothing to capture him. He would likely become a global target for Interpol. Since Butler Thomson had sought him out, Charlie had done everything possible to conceal his identity. Even Claire, who had been by his side all this time, remained oblivious to his true nature. Even enemies like Morgana, who were in hiding, had no knowledge of his existence. If he made even the slightest mistake now, all his previous efforts would be in vain and he might drag himself and those around him into the abyss. Therefore, Charlie understood that he couldn’t rely on chance or luck. He needed a foolproof plan. Merely leaving the restricted area wouldn’t suffice. There was no guarantee that the Rothschilds wouldn’t secretly instruct these departments to expand the lockdown. The best solution would be to find an opportunity to leave the United States directly. Considering this, Charlie asked Steve, “The Rothschild family must have numerous international business ventures. Is it common for family members to travel abroad? If your own family members wanted to leave the country at this time, could they bypass the checkpoints?” “Well…” Steve replied, “My father’s current focus is mobilizing the entire family’s strength to search for the Four Treasures of the Study. Other matters can be put on hold for now. So, in this situation, he probably wouldn’t allow us to leave the United States. Moreover, many core family members who are abroad have started returning to the United States. The position of family heir is at stake and no one wants to leave the country at this time.” Charlie pondered for a moment. It seemed that the possibility of taking advantage of the Rothschild family to leave the United States was slim. Suddenly he thought of Canada, a mere 300 kilometers away in a straight line. He said to Steve, “If I recall correctly, the straight-line distance from here to Montreal, Canada, is less than 400 kilometers. Your helicopter should be able to make the journey in one go. Consider this, under what circumstances would your father agree to let Royce leave the United States immediately and go to Canada?” Steve furrowed his brows and contemplated for a while before shaking his head, “I can’t think of any. Although we have some business in Montreal, it’s not significant and my third brother is in charge of affairs in Canada. If there were a need, my father would definitely send him instead of me.” Suddenly, Royce interjected, “Oh yeah, Dad, Queen Helena of Scandinavia is visiting Canada next week. Didn’t Grandfather mention that he hopes I can establish a connection with her? If Helena is going to Canada next week, I could use that as an opportunity to meet her and he might agree.” Steve hesitated and said, “That would have to wait until next week and the situation is unique right now. It’s uncertain whether he would allow you to go to Canada.” Charlie curiously asked, “The Rothschild family is incredibly influential, so why does Howard wish for his eldest grandson to have a relationship with Queen Helena?” Steve explained, “Sir, you may not be aware, but although the Rothschild family holds considerable sway in the United States, our reputation in Europe has always been tarnished. Despite our extensive cooperation with almost all European royal families, they have never been willing to marry into our family. Over the past two centuries, we have proposed marriages to various European royal families, but all have rejected us.” He continued, “However, Queen Helena is different. She was once an outcast of the Nordic royal family, but unexpectedly, she rose to become the queen recently. Moreover, in all of Europe, there is only one unmarried queen, Helena. For the Rothschild family, marrying into a European royal family would be a significant achievement, and Helena is the highest-ranking candidate.” “In addition, our think tank analysis suggests that Helena’s personality diverges from traditional European royalty, and her values are likely to be quite distinct. Other royal families struggle to accept a marriage with the Rothschild family due to their traditional thinking. However, Helena has abandoned many traditions and expressed to the royal family her unwillingness to marry into other royal families. She has made it clear that she is more interested in pursuing true love and marrying for love. If that proves impossible, she has no qualms about remaining unmarried for life. Based on this information, our think tank believes that the likelihood of a successful marriage between the Rothschild family and Helena is relatively high.” Charlie nodded thoughtfully and said, “If Helena were to leave for Canada tonight, would your father willingly send Royce to Canada immediately?”