The only person he could spar with was Shelvin, but he’d gone missing after showing up at the hotel for a short time, and no one had seen him since. Darius didn’t expect the problem that had been plaguing him to be resolved like this suddenly, and he looked at the man in black robes. Meditation was long-term, and he wanted to have someone around to meditate with him. Now, it would be best if he could somehow make this man stay.The man’s hair stood on end at the way Darius was looking at him. A wave of fear washed over him, and he subconsciously took a step back. Then, he frowned. He’d never felt this way—it was as if a venomous snake locked its eyes on him. He took a deep breath, then held his hands up and said, “I know you’re an enlightened martial artist, thanks to the hints my fellow apprentice left for me before his death.”Darius placed his hands behind his back and looked at him in confusion because of how the man was talking to him like they were strangers. Hadn’t they alrea

She couldn’t keep herself from smiling, but this didn’t stop her from quickly answering Darius. She said, “This hotel—or perhaps I should say this plot of land—has a long history. It’s been around since my grandmother was a child. Back then, before this hotel was built, no one occupied the land until the Gillette family came into the picture.” Alicia’s voice was calm, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. She didn’t know why Darius wanted to know about this.She knew it wasn’t her place to ask, so she racked her brains, trying to remember every detail she could about the hotel. “Based on what I remember, the previous owner of this land was a staunch member of a cult. After his death, the building he’d built here became a place that no one wanted to come near. Things only changed when the Gillette family showed up and produced the lease to the land. They only stayed for a short time before moving out, and no one knows why. Then, they converted the building into a hotel. Thei

Darius tucked both hands into his pockets. His face was devoid of emotion, regardless of how much Shelvin stared at him with assessing eyes. All he did was frostily ask, “I’d like to know what your next move is. Although nothing you do will work in front of me—someone with true power and wealth, I prefer to save myself the trouble.”Shelvin’s lips curled just then. Although it seemed like a smile, anyone who looked at him would know he was unhappy. He replied, “I was worried you’d behave this way. It’s why I never dared step up before you and reveal all of this—I didn’t want you to see me as an enemy after learning about my identity. It’s not your fault for thinking this way, but I’m not at fault either. After all, I was taught the wrong values while growing up.”A brief but loud snort came from Darius, his distrust and disdain oozing into the space. It made Shelvin tense up while gawking at the former. Seeing Shelvin’s widened eyes, Darius raised a brow as he neutrally interrogated,

Shelvin straightened his back at once, adding, “One more thing—they now consider my existence a serious issue because I’ve located their newly developed medicinal substance and successfully injected it into my body in front of them.”Darius’ eyes had fallen shut some time ago, and his breathing remained steady.Unsure whether Darius was awake, Shelvin got onto his approached the former to find out. Yet, as he stepped one foot forward, Darius’ eyes shot open as if shooting a dark warning at him. Before Shelvin could process what was happening, his feet stumbled backward out of instinct, causing him to almost fall out of fear. Before he could stabilize himself, his gaze darted past the room and noticed Darius’ expression had returned to neutral. That was enough to relieve the weight off his shoulders. Following that, Shelvin recomposed himself and calmly stated, “I know you have your reservations toward me, but please don’t worry. You’ll see I’ve been telling the truth this entire tim

“But that’s not how Darius should be,” Shelvin immediately rebuked himself in his mind. After dissecting the situation more, he shook his head and thought, “Then again, regardless of whatever Darius is plotting against me, his willingness to save me is touching.”That was when Darius cast a questioning look at Shelvin. He could tell the latter’s shoulders trembled harder once he placed his hand on them earlier. Darius did not know why Shelvin reacted that way, nor could Darius figure out a logical reason behind it. So, he took his hand off Shevin’s shoulder before folding both hands behind his back. He then narrowed his eyes and said, “Don’t get too excited, though. There’s something else I have to tell you.”Shelvin instantly fell silent upon hearing that. Still, he could not hide how anxious he felt, his gaze hardening while his muscles tensed. Darius stared more intensely and dubiously at the former, not knowing why Shelvin’s every reaction thus far seemed so dramatic. Nonethele