Ch. 3491..3500
Chapter 3491 Worthless Piece Of Trash
Floyd was completely dumbfounded when he heard Gloria’s nasty response.
It struck him like a bolt from the blue and hit him so hard that it left him completely frozen in shock.
In that instant, Floyd felt so empty inside that he was no different from a zombie.
W-What? How did things turn out like this? Why would Gloria yell at me so angrily? Am I hearing things? Was it all just my imagination? No, I can still hear her insults echoing in my ears and stabbing at my heart! It’s true that I lied to her about there being an emergency, but I only did that because I miss her like crazy!
There’s no need for her to lash out at me so viciously, is there? It’s true that I’m being watched right now, and that I could easily expose her location by contacting her. Even so, I am still her man! She should understand that I only took such a huge risk because I missed her way too much!
Besides, we’re in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, so being separated even for the briefest of moments is extremely agonizing! She should be missing me like crazy too, so why did she hurl so much abuse at me instead? What happened to Gloria? Why would she treat me like this?
“I know I lied to you, but I only did so because I wanted to talk to you and find out how you’re doing. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Gloria! I don’t think you should be scolding me so harshly for that! I’m really sorry for what I did, okay?”
Floyd still refused to believe that Gloria had meant what she said earlier.
Gloria must’ve had her reasons for saying such nasty things to me! I’m sure she just let her temper get the better of her, that’s all! She has always been very nice to me, so there’s no way she’d mean what she said! I bet she’s just mad at me for putting her at risk by lying to her! While her response is a little on the extreme side, I know she only reacted that way out of fear!
I crossed the line with my actions and ended up scaring her, so it’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively and childishly! As a man, I must take full responsibility even if Gloria is at fault! This is the only way for me to repair our relationship! Our love for each other is mutual, so I’m sure she’ll come to her senses and forgive me! She’s a very smart woman, after all!
Thinking Gloria was just mad at him because of what he did, Floyd began apologizing profusely in hopes of fixing the situation.
“I’m sorry, Gloria! I’m really sorry!”
Floyd had genuinely believed that Gloria would soften up after hearing his apology and maybe even apologize for snapping at him like that.
Of course, that never happened.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you even know that you’ve put my life in danger? You f*cking idiot! Don’t ever contact me again, you hear? F*ck off, you piece of trash!” Gloria yelled angrily at him and cut off all communications after that.
Chapter 3492 You Lied To Us
What? No, this can’t be right! Isn’t this the part where she apologizes to me and says it’s all good? Why would she hurl more abuse at me and cut off all communications between us?
Still in disbelief, Floyd stubbornly tried calling Gloria again and again, but to no avail.
It was as if she was utterly disappointed in him and had decided to leave him for good.
Floyd was going crazy from the stress and anxiety at that point.
We should’ve been a sweet and lovey-dovey couple, so how did things turn out like this? Gloria must be really mad at me, huh? She’s a woman of principles, so my actions must’ve crossed the line or something! She warned me not to contact her unless it was a real emergency, but I let my feelings get the better of me and went against her instructions anyway. I can understand why she’d be mad at me, but something doesn’t feel quite right… As angry as she may be, her response was a little too extreme! It’s almost like she’s determined to dump me or something! What the heck is going on here?
Floyd was utterly devastated and heartbroken at the thought of losing Gloria forever.
The look in his eyes turned dull and empty as he sank into despair.
Meanwhile, Gloria was still fuming after hanging up the phone.
Hmph! I can’t believe that idiot Floyd would do something this stupid! He’s just another piece on my board! How dare he even think of dating me? What a f*cking joke! I got so terrified that my back is still drenched in cold sweat, d*mn it!
“Maybe you should keep him under control. He can still be useful as long as he remains by Levi’s side,” Bone Grandmaster suggested when he saw how hopelessly lovesick Floyd was.
Gloria shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. Not only is he worthless to me right now, but there’s also the risk of him exposing my location. I’ll just leave things the way it is. Besides, it’s fine even if he does expose my location. I was planning on getting rid of him anyway!”
I already have all the information I need. All that’s left is for Floyd to either sow discord among Levi’s men or betray him at a crucial moment.
Bone Grandmaster chuckled. “Fair enough!”
Ironically, Floyd was actually right about Gloria leaving him for good.
He was so consumed by his feelings of sorrow that he didn’t even notice when Phoenix showed up.
“You lied to us?” she asked in a straightforward manner.
Floyd panicked when he heard her voice behind him all of a sudden. “W-When did you get here?”
Despite him being incredibly powerful, he was too distracted by his feelings for Gloria that he didn’t even sense Phoenix’s presence when she came over.
Phoenix glared at him as she replied, “I just got here a few seconds ago, but that’s not important right now. You lied to us, Floyd! You never stopped contacting that woman at all! In fact, you’ve been trying to woo her the whole time!”
“I…”
Floyd found himself in an awkward position.
Phoenix must know something if she’s making such a direct accusation. If I deny it now, Phoenix will go straight to Levi. I’ll be in deeper trouble if that happens!
Having noticed that something was off about him, Phoenix pressed on, “Are you hiding something from us? Why would you deceive us and Master like this?”
“No, I’m not! I promise! I’d never do something that stupid!” Floyd replied.
I know my limits, and I’m very sure that Gloria isn’t like that!
Chapter 3493 Could Gloria Be The Mastermind
There are good explanations for everything that happened previously, so there is no reason to suspect Gloria. Her master, Linda, and Callahan were the ones behind those incidents. Furthermore, I killed Linda. Nothing is more convincing than this!
Therefore, Floyd admitted, “Phoenix, I won’t hide it from you! I did lie…”
“Huh? What is going on?” Phoenix was stunned by Floyd’s statement.
She thought he would stubbornly refuse to admit anything.
“I have been pursuing Gloria from the Ecclesiastic Order! However, I am unsuccessful, and she still hasn’t shown any interest in me. I even told her I am Levi’s disciple, but she said that has nothing to do with me…” Floyd quickly created an excuse and astounded Phoenix.
She was starting to believe him.
After all, she knew Floyd was obsessed with courting Gloria when they were at the Heavenly Base.
At the time, Gloria refused to pay Floyd any attention.
That made Floyd a laughing stock among other people.
“Even now, I still failed to make her fall for me! I fear you and the others would laugh at me if I told the truth. That would be too humiliating, so I lied. I didn’t expect it to cause such a misunderstanding…” Floyd gave a long sigh.
Phoenix seemed to believe him because what he said made sense.
Although she still had some suspicion, she was unsure of how to bring it up for now.
“Really? Does she not show any interest in you? Is she still refusing you?” Phoenix asked puzzledly.
“Yes, she won’t even contact me or meet me now! Argh…” Floyd behaved like a lovesick man.
That further dispelled Phoenix’s concern.
“Since that is the case, Gloria is likely not a honeytrap. If she were a honeytrap, she would seek you out without you having to contact her. After all, you are Boss’s closest disciple and have first-hand information…” Phoenix analyzed and cleared her suspicion about Gloria.
Since Gloria kept refusing Floyd even though he persistently tried to get close to her, she was definitely not a honeytrap.
“I know. How I wish Gloria would get close to me because I am Master’s disciple. Unfortunately, it didn’t work!” Floyd sighed with a longing expression.
Seeing that, Phoenix stopped suspecting Floyd, allowing him to escape suspicion for now.
She rejected Floyd even though he offered himself on a platter. There is no way she is plotting something!
“Still, I have some words of advice for you. You must not fall in love with her too deeply. Otherwise, you will only get hurt. Since she is not interested no matter what you have done, I think you should find someone else. Perhaps she has never thought much about you. Also, you must be careful not to let others take advantage of you. We are in a critical period. Who knows? Gloria might be playing hard to get! Therefore, you should be cautious. I know you are intelligent, but don’t let yourself be swept away by emotions!” Phoenix advised.
Phoenix didn’t mean anything when she advised him. However, her words still managed to wound Floyd’s heart.
Isn’t that how Gloria treats me? That’s right!
Floyd trembled suddenly.
Could Gloria have been using me all this while? Since Master suspects me, I can’t obtain information about him and his whereabouts. Has she abandoned me because I am of no use to her now? Gloria wasn’t like this in the past and was so good to me! Now, she ignored me completely. That’s right. Although it is dangerous for her to contact me, she doesn’t have to ignore me to this extent!
Floyd felt abandoned.
What if Gloria is the person Master has been looking for? It means she approached me to find out about Master and his whereabouts. That matches everything that happened recently! I am useless to her now. So, she dumped me and refused to contact me. What danger? That is all an excuse. She just doesn’t want to see a useless pawn like me anymore.
At this moment, Floyd’s thoughts were clear than ever as he considered everything that had happened.
If Gloria is the mastermind behind all this, then everything makes sense. That would explain the sudden change in her attitude and why she insulted me! No! Could it be…
Chapter 3494 She Must Be Concerned About Me
A scary thought appeared in Floyd’s mind.
Could Gloria have been the mastermind? I heard from Master that the mastermind’s power keeps growing! Could it be due to Evie’s technique? Only Evie’s technique can allow someone to improve rapidly within a short period of time! Everything matches now! She deliberately hurt herself and told me training in this technique would make her insane! It was a trick to prevent me from finding out that she wanted to continue learning this technique.
Floyd widened his eyes in shock.
Gloria had also stolen Master’s God Crusher. Other than Sonja knowing our base previously, I think Gloria knows too. Although she didn’t come in openly, she could have followed me. With her level of power then, it would have been easy for her to follow me. After she understood the base layout, she deliberately informed the Cetus and stole God Crusher. If I connect Gloria to everything that happened after that, it would explain everything. It makes sense!
Floyd analyzed every matter carefully and took into account Gloria’s involvement.
Suddenly, he realized everything made sense.
It confirmed his suspicions about Gloria.
However…
Floyd, what are you thinking? How can it be Gloria?
Floyd thought Gloria was his beloved woman and instantly turned nervous and irrational.
Even if someone had placed the evidence right before his eyes, he would likely still not believe it.
Thus, how could he believe his speculation?
Gloria would never do that! She is powerless! So, how can Gloria fool the Ecclesiastic Order? Furthermore, even if she trained in Evie’s technique and grew her power rapidly, it is still impossible for her to reach a level that can threaten Master in such a short time. Therefore, it can’t be Gloria! Floyd, you’re a scoundrel! You have suspected her not just once or twice! How can you doubt Gloria all because she scolded you? Perhaps she scolded me out of concern for me.
Then, Floyd considered solemnly.
This is a crucial moment. Since Phoenix suspected me, Master must be watching me too. Perhaps everyone could see something strange about me! If I act recklessly and contact Gloria, everything will be over if Master finds out. Then, I will lose everything! Gloria must have been worried about this. That’s why she did what she did!
Floyd came up with a good excuse for Gloria’s behavior!
Meanwhile, Levi was observing West Pavilion and noticed many of its followers had died.
He was now investigating the correlation between these people.
Furthermore, he had collected information on those the Holy Guild deemed as undercover from the Esoteric Guild to see if there were any connections between them.
Everything was beginning to make sense, and all these people seemed to point to something.
Levi still did not know what it was yet, but he believed he would find out soon.
Suddenly, important news spread throughout Gerton in the Ecclesiastic Order—they had discovered the whereabouts of the Cetus.
Furthermore, there was news saying that Cetus wanted to destroy the Ecclesiastic Order and was devising a shocking plan.
However, no one knew what it was.
It was all speculation.
Still, the news spread throughout the Ecclesiastic Order and the Holy Guild, shocking everyone.
Even Solocus was shocked.
Has the Cetus been exposed? No way! The Cetus are all hiding in the Holy Guild. No one knows about them! Could it be fake news that an enemy released to wreak havoc?
“I need you to investigate this properly! Go to Gerton and find out what’s going on!” Solocus ordered immediately.
However, this investigation would lead them to fall into Gloria’s trap.
She would never let Solocus find out everything at once but would feed him information bit by bit.
“Mr. Garrison, news about the Cetus is coming out of Gerton…” Levi’s men in North Pavilion informed him immediately.
“I need you to investigate this properly. It could be a distraction from the enemy!” Levi instructed.
Chapter 3495 Revenge
Levi’s first guess was that someone was deliberately spreading fake news to distract them.
Are they using this trick again? Didn’t they use it before? It might be enough to trick those idiots in the Holy Guild, but they would need to do much more than this to deceive me!
After all, Levi was making good progress in his investigation.
If the enemy did not take measures, Levi would soon find out the truth.
They probably noticed my investigation and are likely using this news to distract my attention.
However, when Levi, Solocus, and others each carried out investigations, the news they heard seemed real.
Little did they know that it was part of Gloria’s plan.
Gloria made sure that they would not find out everything immediately, but they would always discover a little information.
They would dig out clues little by little and could never be sure whether someone deliberately arranged this.
In actuality, Gloria wanted to stall the time.
It did not matter whether they discovered her ruse as long as they had bought her enough time.
Most importantly, they would eventually discover the Cetus if they kept investigating.
Then, Levi would seek revenge.
Soon, the Ecclesiastic Order and North Pavilion all found something.
Levi’s subordinate reported, “It seems the Cetus is hiding somewhere and might have something to do with the Ecclesiastic Order!”
Even Levi was stunned when they found a definite clue.
He did not expect the investigation to yield something notable.
If Levi could find the Cetus, he would seek revenge and wipe them out.
At the same time, Levi began to understand something.
The mysterious force expands its powers at an unbelievable rate and can even make the Cetus its pawn to distract my attention. Thus, I have to cover all directions. This mysterious force is still growing, so if I don’t move fast enough, it will grow out of control. I must destroy it before it can reach the peak of power! It looks like the Cetus is not the main issue here. Instead, the main focus should be that mysterious force. Still, I will continue with the investigation for now and annihilate whichever I discover first.
Levi knew he must not focus on investigating the Cetus alone. He would also need to continue investigating West Pavilion.
Furthermore, he would let North Pavilion and the others investigate the Cetus.
Meanwhile, Solocus and Magdalena were together in the Holy Guild.
A look of surprise crossed Solocus’ face. “What? You manage to find clues? Have you found their connection with the Ecclesiastic Order?”
“Yes, judging from the clues we have at the moment, it seems they might know about it!” the subordinate answered.
Magdalena’s expression turned solemn.
Then, Solocus frowned and said, “That’s impossible. No one knows about the Cetus hiding in the Holy Guild except us!”
This matter is a top secret! Although the Cetus is hiding in the Holy Guild, we are the only ones who know about it. I thought we had everything under control. No one can find out their whereabouts. Furthermore, the Cetus is more vigilant than us. Since they secluded themselves, no one could find out about their existence. Moreover, they never contacted us all the while they remained in the Holy Guild. So, how did someone else find out about them?
Solocus still found the news hard to believe.
Meanwhile, Magdalena warned warily, “I keep feeling something is going to happen! If anything happens to the Cetus, the Ecclesiastic Order will retaliate against us, and our plan will all go to waste! We must gain full control over the Ecclesiastic Order before anyone expose the Cetus!”
“Yes, we should do that!” Solocus’ eyes flashed with a cruel gleam. “We will have to bring forward our plan! It doesn’t matter whether the Esoteric Guild were the Ecclesiastic Order’s enemies. Let’s attack the Esoteric Guild straightaway and make both of them suffer! When the time comes, we can join forces with the Cetus and finish off the Esoteric Guild and the Ecclesiastic Order at once!”
Magdalena nodded in agreement. “Yes, let’s do that! Then, should we notify Master Eusof? After all, his Medical Guild is a great help to us! If he can join us, it will be much easier to go against the Esoteric Guild. It could benefit our plan too!”
However, Solocus shook his head. “No!”
Chapter 3496 Her Last Hope
Magdalena frowned in confusion. “Huh?”
“Master Eusof is too powerful. Thus, his presence might not be to our benefit. We should secure everything first before asking for his help!” Solocus seemed deeply terrified of Eusof.
Even though Eusof is obsessed with making pills, he is the biggest threat to me! He is too strong and is closest to people connected to the Minister! I fear once he gets tired of making pills, he might suddenly decide to take over the Ecclesiastic Order.
One should know Eusof had the respect of many people in the Ecclesiastic Order.
If he ever decided to take charge, nearly everyone would support him.
Furthermore, Solocus was given charge of the Ecclesiastic Order as a last resort.
If Eusof decided to take over, Solocus feared everyone would switch to supporting him.
Solocus did not wish to see that becoming reality.
Therefore, Solocus was determined not to let Eusof join the war, no matter the strength he could bring to their battle.
However, Solocus was unaware that Eusof was long gone. Even all the magical medicine in the Medical Guild had disappeared.
Magdalena considered and said, “But if we don’t inform Master Eusof, we won’t be able to use magical medicine from Medical Guild. Once the Esoteric Guild declares war, we need magical medicine to sustain the Ecclesiastic Order! They are extremely vital to us!”
“No! We will do without the magical medicine, and we won’t inform Master Eusof either!” Solocus remained stubborn in his stance.
“I need you to pass this order immediately, saying that the Esoteric Guild is trying to sow discord among us. It was they who spread the rumor about the Cetus, putting the Ecclesiastic Order in danger. Therefore, we have to act in advance.” Solocus issued an order immediately.
Hearing his order, everyone in the Ecclesiastic Order began preparations to attack the Esoteric Guild.
Even though they felt something was wrong, they had no choice but to carry out Solocus’ order.
After all, Solocus was considered the leader of the Ecclesiastic Order.
Meanwhile, Gloria broke out in laughter upon finding out that Solocus and the Holy Guild planned to attack the Esoteric Guild.
She had achieved her goal.
Haha, the more chaotic, the better! It will only be interesting if every side goes to war! That will give me more time.
By now, Gloria had stolen magical medicine from Medical Guild and taken many treasures from the Holy Guild.
After this, she planned to grow even stronger.
She targeted three possible energy sources for that purpose.
The first was the super-spiritual ley line that the Ecclesiastic Order relied on to sustain their lives.
The second was the super-spiritual ley line Yartran depended on for their survival.
The third was a damaged super-spiritual ley line below the glacier in the South Pole.
The first two super-spiritual ley lines were still too powerful and had not released their full powers.
Otherwise, even the Ecclesiastic Order and Yartran would not be able to control them.
Therefore, Gloria was not confident that she could devour those two super-spiritual ley lines.
She believed they would likely cause a lot of trouble.
Thus, she could only focus on the super-spiritual ley line under the South Pole glacier.
She had surveyed it a few times.
Although the super-spiritual ley line had already erupted, it still had a terrifying level of residue spiritual energy.
That made it suitable for her purpose.
However, she needed time and space to devour it.
If the Ecclesiastic Order and the Esoteric Guild battled each other, it would provide her with a good opportunity.
She would then have the time to devour this super-spiritual ley line.
Once she did, she would no longer have to fear Levi.
Although she was powerful now, she felt her powers were still slightly below Levi’s.
After devouring that spiritual ley line, she would not have to fear anyone, including Levi.
That super-spiritual ley line was her final chance, so she had to make sure everything went well.
For that to happen, she needed the Ecclesiastic Order and the Esoteric Guild to go into battle.
Then, she needed to reveal more about the Cetus’ whereabouts to attract Levi’s attention and distract him.
Thus, Gloria immediately began working on her plan.
She informed the Esoteric Guild about the Ecclesiastic Order’s plan to attack them.
That prompted the Esoteric Guild to begin preparations urgently.
It was only now that they understood someone had been sowing discord and wrongly accused them, turning them into the Ecclesiastic Order’s enemy.
However, it was too late for them to explain as the Ecclesiastic Order was about to attack them.
They had no choice but to go to war.
Otherwise, they would suffer utter defeat.
Chapter 3497 The Only One For Him
Furthermore, Gloria was also responsible for the multi-faceted conflict between the Ecclesiastic Order and the Esoteric Guild.
The constant friction caused the strife to intensify over time, to a point where both parties were now on the verge of war.
There was no doubt that Gloria’s expert manipulation had made it such that a battle was inevitable.
The Ecclesiastic Order was so hellbent on attacking the Esoteric Guild that they couldn’t even be bothered to deal with the Cetus for the time being.
Likewise, the Esoteric Guild knew they had to start gearing themselves up for a big fight.
Meanwhile, on Levi’s side, North Pavilion’s investigation in Gerton was going strong.
After much effort, they finally had a breakthrough—the Cetus was hiding in one of the factions in the Ecclesiastic Order!
Even though they needed to investigate further, their current information was enough to make Levi sit up and take notice.
After all, he wanted revenge.
He needed to avenge Azure Dragon and the rest!
“We’re almost done, Mr. Garrison. We’ll have the information ready within three days!” one of the North Pavilion members reassured.
Upon learning that they were close to finding out the whereabouts of the Cetus, Azure Dragon and the others felt anger welling up in their chests.
The time for vengeance was finally here, and even Forlevia and Zoey were looking forward to it!
Everyone wanted to avenge Azure Dragon and his group, but surprisingly, only Floyd barely reacted to the news.
He had always been the most enthusiastic about helping Azure Dragon get even, yet now, he was nothing more than an empty shell of a person.
For some reason, he wasn’t interested in anything and even seemed indifferent about the prospect of tracking down the Cetus.
Needless to say, Zoey, Forlevia, and several others were baffled by his odd behavior.
Well, that shouldn’t be happening. If Floyd knew about the Cetus’ whereabouts, he’d be the first to jump and shout about wanting to take them down. Why is there no reaction from him at all?
Soon, more people had caught on to Floyd’s strange demeanor.
From what they understood about the latter, ignoring such an important matter was out of his character.
Floyd was the kind who would go to the ends of the earth for his friends and not just put on an act to show support. In short, he’d always walk his talk.
Therefore, the fact that he hadn’t shown an ounce of emotion only proved that something must have gone wrong.
Of course, Azure Dragon had long noticed the change in Floyd, and Phoenix even knew the reason behind it.
Floyd’s feeling depressed over affairs of the heart. How would he have the emotional capacity to care about anything else?
Slowly but surely, more and more people began to realize how gloomy Floyd was.
“Mom, Floyd hasn’t been himself recently. I think something must have happened!” Forlevia said bewilderedly.
“Oh? I wonder what’s wrong with him,” Zoey replied, equally curious and puzzled.
Thankfully, Levi was too busy with his investigation to check on Floyd. Otherwise, he’d have figured the latter out with just one look.
Since their last interaction, Gloria hadn’t contacted Floyd again, but that didn’t stop him from giving up on her.
He was still waiting for her reply, hoping she might apologize for her harsh words and for losing her temper.
Although Floyd never stopped waiting and fantasizing, Gloria continued to give him the cold shoulder.
The reality was the complete opposite of what he had expected!
He believed that Gloria would eventually acknowledge her mistakes and realize she had hurt his self-esteem with her overly harsh tone and choice of words. More importantly, he was sure she’d come around to comfort him.
Unfortunately, his dreams never came true, so Floyd had no choice but to continue waiting and wishing.
In the end, the longer he waited, the more depressed he became.
A feeling of abandonment washed over him, causing him to spend every day wallowing in sorrow and utter despair.
I’m starting to think that Gloria is leaving me for good. What if our previous interaction was also our last one?
With worries piling up inside him, Floyd constantly felt like he was on the brink of tears.
Oh, I can’t stand this! If Gloria really were to leave me, it’d be the end of my world. I won’t be able to handle the grief!
As a result, Floyd only got increasingly despondent and crazed over the days.
His behavior quickly caught everyone’s attention, and it was especially appalling when he didn’t react to news of the Cetus.
Revenge was no longer on Floyd’s mind because all he could think about was Gloria.
She was the only one for him!
There was no way he could live without her, so why should he still care about other people’s matters?
Chapter 3498 Am I A Pawn
Phoenix sighed. “It’s scary what a broken heart can do to a person…”
Before long, Zoey decided to approach Floyd directly.
“Floyd, what’s wrong with you? Did something happen?”
Upon hearing that, Floyd reeled in shock.
Oh, sh*t. I’m attracting attention to myself. Phoenix and the others aren’t a problem since I know they won’t say a word to Master. But Mrs. Garrison’s different! She’ll likely share her concerns with him, and that’d be disastrous! I may not mind it at all, but it’d undoubtedly affect Gloria. How can I let that happen when I’ve sworn to protect her with my life? Oh, no. I can’t afford to mess anything up at this juncture.
After much hesitation, he decided to tell Zoey the same excuse he had given Phoenix.
“Please don’t tell anyone else about this, Mrs. Garrison. I have my pride, and so does Master. If word gets out that his senior disciple is in a slump because of affairs of the heart, it’d be a disgrace to us both!” Floyd urged, having gone to the extent of demeaning himself and making him sound like the most useless and worthless man on earth.
With that, he was sure Zoey’s suspicion would give way to sympathy and that she’d help keep it a secret from Levi.
True enough, Zoey’s heart softened.
After consoling Floyd for a while, she instructed everyone else to leave him alone and to stop asking probing questions.
Not only must they not leak the story out, but they also weren’t allowed to let Levi know.
Without Gloria around, Floyd was undeniably clever.
He could expertly manipulate everyone and have them eating out of his hand, just like what he had done with Zoey.
Ultimately, he was just glad to have crossed another hurdle.
Before leaving, Zoey dished out more words of advice.
“You have to know when to let go, Floyd. She might really not be into you, so what’s the point of holding on to her?” she said solemnly. “In the end, you’d be hurting yourself the most. It’s just not worth it.”
Alas, those words pierced Floyd’s heart like a sharp knife.
He could already feel Gloria distancing herself from him, yet Zoey and Phoenix had to rub salt into his wounds by suggesting she had never liked him in the first place. If she did, she’d have contacted him a long time ago. Everything else was just an excuse.
That’s right! If Gloria truly likes me, she’d brave any amount of danger to reach out to me.
Ironically, Floyd used to tell Gloria to keep their contact to a minimum.
Now, the world seemed to have turned upside down, and he was the one desperately trying to contact her, only to have her outright reject him.
I don’t get it. Shouldn’t the honeymoon phase of our relationship be filled with passion? Logically speaking, nothing should stop Gloria from contacting me, so what’s with this radio silence? I don’t deny that our situation is fraught with peril, but when it comes to matters of the heart, shouldn’t she be able to do anything for her loved one? After all, what’s a little danger?
Unfortunately, it was becoming clear that Gloria had never done any of that for Floyd.
It was as though he was merely her pawn, and she could easily toss him away once she had exhausted his usefulness.
The more Floyd thought about that, the more doubtful he became.
Could it be true? Could Gloria never have liked me at all? She might have been acting this entire time so she could lead me around by the nose! The thing is, I can understand if she doesn’t like me, but I can’t accept her betrayal! No, wait! That’s impossible! If Gloria doesn’t like me, why would she have given herself to me? I know she isn’t promiscuous, so her decision to become my woman must mean her love is true!
That said, the massive change in her attitude still left him confused and bewildered.
Ah, I got it! It’s because of Master! It’s his fault for almost killing Gloria without any reason! Although she tried to brush it off later, there was no doubt she was furious! Yes, the incident must have traumatized her. After all, she sustained severe injuries and nearly lost her life!
Chapter 3499 Fantasies
Before long, Floyd had fully convinced himself.
Anyone in Gloria’s shoes would be angry, so I’m sure she’s scared of seeing Master again. Who knows? She might even have nightmares of him trying to kill her. Her fears have gotten to the point where she’s terrified of exposing our relationship. If Master learns about it, he’ll hunt her down again. That’s what scares her the most! Not only does she have to live with the fear, but she’s probably also praying hard that Master never finds out about us. Otherwise, he’d definitely kill her without question.
With that, Floyd smacked himself on the forehead.
Slap!
“Ah! Why did it take so long for me to realize this? Gloria, I’ve misunderstood you. I can’t believe I even had doubts about you. It’s all my fault!” he muttered under his breath.
I’ve only cared about myself and wondered how I should express my love. Not once have I ever considered Gloria’s feelings. She’s clearly afraid of Master and refrained from contacting me to avoid any risk of exposing our relationship. Only those who have had near-death experiences will know how scary it is! Why would she still think about other matters?
Floyd heaved a sigh. I, on the other hand, have been such a letdown. I forcibly contacted Gloria to satisfy my own selfish desires, so it’s no wonder she’s angry with me! I’m to blame for this mess! Instead of sparing a thought for her plight and feelings, I questioned her motive and doubted her. I’m inhuman!
It didn’t take long for Floyd to believe he had figured everything out.
He was sure he finally understood why Gloria blew her top at him and hadn’t been in contact since.
In all honesty, he was only trying to convince himself after hearing what Zoey had said.
Without further ado, Floyd secretly contacted Gloria and wrote down his apologies and promises to her.
He knew the latter wouldn’t reply, but he still wanted to let her know how truly sorry he was and that he understood what she was going through.
After reading Floyd’s apology, Gloria was rendered speechless.
“I can’t believe Levi has such a dumb disciple with an active imagination!” she bellowed. “Doesn’t Floyd know that he’s forcefully persuading himself? Is he out of his mind? What a brainless, sorry excuse of a man. He’s not worthy of me!”
Even though Gloria mocked and scolded Floyd, she knew his blind loyalty would be in her favor.
With Floyd protecting and hiding her, she didn’t have to worry about getting exposed for the time being.
Even if she had devoured the super-spiritual ley line, there would still be no hurry for her to show her cards.
After all, Gloria wanted to be a hundred percent confident before delivering the fatal blow to Levi.
In that regard, Floyd still had his use, and she was going to squeeze every last bit of value from him.
Forget it. I shall respond to Floyd. This pawn still has a chance to shine!
Floyd might be good at manipulating people, but Gloria was even better.
She knew her reply, no matter how simple, would be well-received by him.
Not only would it convince him that he was right, but he’d also continue to help conceal her identity.
Even if the rest of the world finds out that I’m a villain, I reckon Floyd will still not believe them and defend me till the end. Ha! He sure will come in handy!
In the end, Gloria replied with a short message: Okay. But don’t you dare do it again! Otherwise, there won’t be a future between us!
Of course, all that was beyond Floyd’s expectations.
He only wanted his apology to be known and never once thought Gloria would respond to him.
Now that she had, Floyd was over the moon!
He was brimming with energy and enthusiasm, and it was as though he had become a completely different person from before!
Jumping for joy, he exclaimed, “Hahaha! I knew I was right! I shouldn’t have blamed her. Don’t worry, Gloria. I promise to protect you with everything I have, including my life! Your identity will be safe with me…”
Chapter 3500 Three Precautions
There was no doubt that Gloria was a master manipulator.
She had played Floyd like a fiddle, and even a simple reply from her could bring about such a huge change!
Floyd was back to his old self and now had two goals—to protect Gloria and increase his power.
He was so motivated that he even wanted to hunt down the Cetus to exact revenge.
At the same time, he’d be able to prove to everyone that the Floyd they knew was back in full force.
Seeing that, Zoey nodded as relief filled her eyes.
It’s good that Floyd can adapt so quickly! That also means my advice worked! I’ve done an excellent job if I do say so myself.
Even though Phoenix found the sudden change in Floyd rather odd, she was still glad that the latter had managed to come out of his slump.
Everything was going swimmingly, just like how Gloria had expected.
The conflict between the Ecclesiastic Order and the Esoteric Guild also worsened with every passing day.
Solocus blamed the Esoteric Guild for the case of the missing Top Ten from Five Pavilions.
He insisted it was a well-crafted plan on the latter’s end to destroy the Ecclesiastic Order.
Of course, that accusation only drove everyone in the Ecclesiastic Order up the wall.
To make things worse, Solocus pulled another trick out of his sleeve.
He deliberately sent three of the eight Paladins from the Holy Guild on a mission and found an opportunity to kill them all. After that, he pinned the blame on the Esoteric Guild once again.
Unsurprisingly, the Ecclesiastic Order hated the Esoteric Guild with a vengeance.
At the same time, they instructed Solocus to keep the information from the Medical Guild.
With everyone in the Medical Guild busy making pills, no one had the time to inform Eusof about it.
Alas, that also meant no one knew Eusof had gone missing.
The Esoteric Guild wasn’t faring any better. They were constantly harassed and had lost several of their members.
They, too, were seething with anger.
Not only had they been wronged, but their members had also met such vicious ends.
In the face of such violence, how could they not retaliate?
As the conflict grew, an epic battle loomed on the horizon.
A collision of the worlds of martial arts and magical techniques was about to take place!
Naturally, Gloria wasted no time in making her move.
She was about to reach the super-spiritual ley line below the South Pole glacier, the one thing she believed would make or break her entire plan.
As soon as she devoured the super-spiritual ley line, her power would finally be on par with Levi’s!
I have to succeed! Failure is not an option!
Because of Gloria’s plan, the rumors about the Cetus being in Gerton spread like wildfire.
It garnered so much attention that even Levi decided to shelf his investigation on West Pavilion and made a trip to Gerton.
After all, the Cetus was about to make its appearance.
With Solocus and Gloria constantly fanning the flames, it wasn’t long before the Esoteric Guild launched an all-out attack.
As the showdown neared, the parties involved were so busy that no one had noticed Gloria.
The Bone Grandmaster had even sworn to step in and help distract Levi and his team if the situation called for it.
It was a double precaution, and Gloria was more than happy with it.
However, the truth was that she had taken another precaution!
She had already recruited assassin organizations like The Furies, Zar, and Bloodleaf.
As soon as they receive her orders, all the assassins will launch an immediate attack on Levi’s base.
Thanks to Floyd, Gloria even knew about the locations of the underground facilities.
With her three precautions in place, Gloria was confident she’d be left undisturbed.
She’d devour the super-spiritual ley line and become the one person who could go up against Levi.
She no longer had to fear Levi Garrison!
“This is the last time, Bone Grandmaster. So long as we’re able to hold down the fort, I won’t have to fear anyone anymore!” Gloria exclaimed.
It was the turning point of her life, and she was utterly thrilled.
“It’s happening! The fight between the Ecclesiastic Order and the Esoteric Guild has begun! This battle will undoubtedly spread and intensify over the days…”
At long last, the epic battle that Gloria had orchestrated was underway.
Without further ado, she hurried to the super-spiritual ley line under the South Pole glacier and felt the surge of spiritual energy in the air.
A smile crept across Gloria’s face. “This suits me just fine! If I devour all of this energy, I’d be able to fly!”