The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 1641

“Captain Wang, we… Both of us are just ordinary people! W-we’re afraid of dying too, you know…?!” stammered Kaleb as he lowered his head, not even daring to look into Patrick’s eyes.

“You…!” growled Quest, growing more infuriated by the second.

“So… Let me get this straight. Both of you are trying to secretly escape just because you’re afraid of dying?” said Gerald as he added more fuel to the fire. After all, he didn’t really have much of a good impression on the duo.

Regardless, upon hearing Gerald’s words, Kaleb and Malcolm were so embarrassed that they could only further lower their heads.

Boiling mad, Quest then suggested, “People like these two… They should be captured, Captain Wang!”

Upon hearing that, Patrick paused for a moment. Turning back to look at Quest, he then casually said, “…Just… forget it… It’s not a crime to fear death!”

Capturing them was a bit unnecessary. After all, the duo hadn’t really done anything illegal to warrant Quest’s suggestion.

Either way, Patrick didn’t really want to force the duo to come along with them so he simply turned back to look at them before saying in a frigid tone, “Whatever the case is, if you’re that afraid of dying, then just leave!”

With that said, Patrick then began leading the others way, leaving Kaleb and Malcolm—who were now free to leave—behind.

To Patrick, having them leave early was way better than allowing the timid and terrified men to stay in the long run. By getting the burdens out of the way early, future unnecessary trouble could definitely be avoided.

Regardless, upon realizing that Patrick was granting them permission to leave, both the delighted men then kowtowed—while facing him—before shouting, “Thank you, Captain Wang…! Thank you!”

Hearing that, Quest made a brief glare at them before sneering and returning to the tent.

Gerald himself couldn’t be bothered with the two, so he simply carried his backpack before entering the same tent that Quest had.

Noticing Gerald’s presence, Quest—who was still angry with the turn of events—then scowled, “How absolutely infuriating…! I truly hadn’t expected them to be this afraid of dying!”

Chuckling in response, Gerald then replied, “Well, it’s not like I don’t get where they’re coming from. After all, the duo has little to no experience in adventuring! With that in mind, it’s no mystery why they’d be so terrified of undergoing such dangerous affairs!”

“…Hmm? You say that, but aren’t you the same as them? Why didn’t you run with them?” asked Quest rather curiously. After all, Quest had initially thought that Gerald was similar to people like Kaleb and Malcolm. As it turned out, however, he had been wrong.

“I’m nothing like them! After all, I’m someone who’s training to attain spiritual enlightenment!” replied Gerald in a confident tone.

Upon hearing that, Quest instantly got to his feet before staring at Gerald in surprise. After a few seconds, he then said, “…No wonder you didn’t leave! To think that you’re actually training to attain spiritual enlightenment!”

“Indeed. Regardless, know that since I have a good friend in the adventure team, I’m heading there to save her no matter the costs! Even if I have to risk my life!” explained Gerald as he looked at Quest determinedly.

Hearing that, Quest nodded in satisfaction before stretching out his hand toward Gerald.

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 1642

“I apologize for my earlier bad attitude. With that said, I hope we can cooperate throughout this rescue mission!” said Quest.

Not one to fuss over such small matters, Gerald was starting to feel that Quest was actually a rather nice person. What more, Quest was a professional adventurer with great courage and an adventurous spirit.

With that in mind, Gerald found himself smiling as he returned Quest’s handshake while saying, “Likewise. Regardless, allow me to formally introduce myself. Gerald Crawford!”

“Quest Leane!” replied Quest with his own smile.

Following that, both of them then began chatting rather cheerfully till they eventually drifted off to sleep at around three in the morning…

By seven the next morning, all fifteen of the rescue team members had already assembled and were ready to set off for the holy mountain.

Being the pioneer of the group, Quest was the first in line, followed by Gerald, Patrick, then the other members of the team.

Fortunately, the weather was rather good, so the rescue team’s journey up the mountain proceeded rather smoothly. Even so, the higher they went, the colder it got. Aside from that, the air pressure was also gradually intensifying.

Sensing that, Patrick and the others quickly made sure to put on oxygen masks. Naturally, Patrick offered one to Gerald as well.

In response, however, Gerald simply said, “It’s fine, Captain Wang. I don’t need one!”

Such air pressure was nothing to Gerald, and it was evidently nothing to Quest as well since he refused to wear an oxygen mask too. Quest, for one, was a seasoned adventurer, and he was already used to dealing with pressures like these.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel slightly concerned over Gerald’s safety, so he turned around to ask, “Are you sure you don’t want to put one on, Gerald? The pressure’s only going to get lower the higher we get, and air will become much scarcer then…”

Hearing that, Gerald simply shook his head before replying, “Don’t worry about me. I don’t need to wear one!”

Gerald meant every word that he had said. After all, the essential qi in his body actively cushioned the negative effects of the pressure. Due to that, not only was Gerald unaffected by the freezing temperatures, but Gerald was also able to continually maintain his breathing.

With how sure Gerald sounded, Quest didn’t say anything else. Even so, he now had a new outlook on Gerald, thinking that the youth was rather different from the others.

Regardless, the rescue team finally arrived at a resting spot after hiking for a little over three hours.

While taking their temporary rest, Patrick double-checked their location before saying, “Alright, we’re currently at an altitude of three thousand feet up the holy mountain. From what we’ve previously gathered, the other adventure team disappeared at around nine thousand and eight hundred feet. With that said, we’re only at a third of our journey to where we need to get to!”

“I suggest we try to reach our target location before the weather gets too bad, Captain Wang. After all, the weather conditions up here appear to be much worse than what we had initially anticipated! With that said, even the slightest change in weather will hinder our progress up the mountain!” said Quest as he looked at Patrick.

While—the remaining—six thousand and eight hundred feet may not sound too bad a hike on paper, it was, in fact, extremely far from where they currently were.

What more, while it had taken the group about only three hours to get to three thousand feet high, the terrain they had to walk through earlier wasn’t as bad as what was to come. After all, the higher they went, the more uneven the holy mountain’s terrain was going to get. Steep cliffs, for one, would certainly become more frequent, and if they weren’t careful, slipping off one wasn’t completely out of the question…

With that in mind, the rescue team then set off again after completing their brief rest.

It wasn’t long after before the rescue team met with a predicament.

There was no further road to speak of where they currently were! Essentially, that meant that the only way to head forward was to climb a steep cliff before them…

Looking down into the three-hundred-feet deep abyss below him, Gerald could tell that many would definitely feel terror-stricken just from seeing how deep the fall was.

Even so, it wasn’t as if the others had any other choice. After all, it would definitely take way too much time and energy for them to head back and attempt to find another road. With that in mind, the steep cliff truly seemed like their only way of progressing.

Thankfully, this wasn’t Quest’s first rodeo. Quest had scaled cliffs like this before, so it honestly wasn’t anything too difficult for him.

With that in mind, everyone then watched as Quest took a rope—with a hook attached to it—before flinging it toward a rock atop the cliff.

After testing how firm the hook had lodged itself into the rock, Quest then easily climbed up the rope…

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 1643

Naturally, scaling the cliff wasn’t an issue for Gerald either.

After taking a few steps back, Gerald dashed forward before making a giant leap! Seconds later, the youth then landed right beside Quest!

Upon seeing that, Quest and the others all felt their jaws drop. What immense jumping capabilities! He truly was a person who was training to attain spiritual enlightenment!

Eventually shaking their shock off, the others then quickly began climbing up the rope as well…

It was when most of them had already made their way up the cliff when a sudden roar of thunder could be heard!

Following that, the weather began changing rather rapidly, and soon enough, dark clouds had covered every inch of the sky…

Understanding that the weather was only going to get nastier, Patrick—who was adamant about getting up the cliff last—anxiously instructed, “Everyone, hurry!”

Once everyone had made it to the top, Patrick quickly began climbing the rope as well…

Of course, trouble always came unannounced. The others had considerably worn the rope down, so halfway up, it ended up snapping!

Watching in utter horror as Patrick began falling into the abyss, the other team members instantly began shouting, “Captain Wang!”

Gerald himself quickly untied the rope around his waist before tossing it toward Patrick! Upon coming into contact with the falling man, the rope instantly wrapped itself around him!

over to him while shouting

the rest of the team members quickly snapped out of it and began grabbing the rope as

thinking and actions, Patrick was able to avoid

After all, he had thought that it was all over for him just seconds

squatting by Patrick’s side

Patrick then shook his head as he replied, “I… I’m fine… Regardless, thank you, Gerald…! If it wasn’t for

before humbly replying, “There’s no need to thank me. It’s

touching moment, it was

“…Things are looking bad. We need to find someplace

undergoing a rescue mission, it wasn’t big enough an emergency for all of them to risk their lives for.

looking around for a bit, Quest managed to locate a spacious

the area to take refuge, everyone heard as Quest suddenly shouted, “…Hey, look there! There are signs that

Patrick

his words, a pile of burned charcoal could be seen

stayed here before

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inspect the pile of burnt charcoal for a brief moment, Patrick then said, “…This is still relatively new. The ones who lit the fire should have stayed here

Gerald and Quest turned to look at each other. This was good news! After all, it

continue our journey once the snowstorm

inspecting the surrounding cliff area instead. After a while, Gerald called Quest and

and Captain Wang, I’ve scouted the surrounding area for a bit and I’ve found that there aren’t any other paths to proceed to. The only way to ascend the mountain from this point on is by climbing. To support that statement, just have a look there. If you squint a little, you can see friction marks! I’m assuming that’s where the people from that adventure team hung

all that, both Quest and

you say we should proceed with this?” asked Patrick as he

head up to scout ahead. You and the others can wait here for us. Once we’ve

climb, about thirty feet high. With that in mind, Gerald was afraid that a precarious situation—similar to what Patrick had earlier faced—would repeat itself if too many people went

then turned to look at Quest before asking,

have to agree with Gerald. We’ll be scouting

any objections, let’s just go

immediately began getting themselves ready. After packing all the necessary equipment into their backpacks,

himself frowning slightly as he asked, “A bit too high for my tastes… How

sturdy enough to be used as

smile as he took out a piece of

had followed them there

about talismans, and though Gerald didn’t reply, Patrick

later, Gerald tossed his complete talisman into the air… and just like that, the talisman materialized a golden ladder out of thin

you, Mr. Leane!” said Gerald as he turned to

out of his

on the other hand, still had his jaw gaping wide. He hadn’t expected Gerald to actually be a Talisman Master who knew how to make his own secret technique talismans! It made Patrick admire Gerald greatly. What more, it

If he hadn’t decided to come along, they would’ve surely faced

Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest)

to Patrick and the others, Gerald and Quest then began scaling the

still snowing rather heavily—with occasional freezing gusts of wind—Gerald and Quest managed to find

they walked on, Quest found himself asking, “What would you

say for sure, but I think they should still be alive. I’m assuming

hoped that they were still alive. He couldn’t bear the

the thoughts off, Gerald then asked, “Regardless, how

where the adventure team disappeared! Judging from our current progression speed, we’ll need about two more hours to reach that place!” replied Quest as he

they were certainly much closer to the area now, the journey there was still far from

ear-piercing roar of thunder could be heard! The sound was so loud that the entire

happening, Quest quickly said, “This… This could be

two stone walls, both of them knew that if they didn’t think quickly, they were going to be hit by the avalanche and subsequently thrown into the abyss at the end of the valley! By that

anywhere to hide, Gerald…! What should

abundant adventuring experience, Quest was now

his talisman-making kit before saying, “Don’t

on the talisman! The second he was done, Gerald

came crashing down on them! Thankfully, the golden shield was sufficient in guiding the avalanche away from them, keeping Gerald

underneath a layer of snow, Gerald then cleared out

with a huff, Gerald

“Thank god you’re here with me, Gerald… Otherwise, I’d surely be

before resuming the journey up the mountain together with Quest. It was about an hour and a half later when they finally reached the

anticipated, the area they were in was at an altitude of nine thousand and eight hundred feet. Now much nearer to the mountain’s peak, Gerald and Quest began scanning the area below them. Unfortunately, thick, misty clouds—that were

his face, “…There doesn’t seem to be any traces of them being here at

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his divine sense out to scan through the rest of

divine sense was rather limited, so he was only able to scan up to a few hundred feet. Though that wasn’t a small range by any means,

himself asking, “…Say… Do you think that the adventure team isn’t here because… they’ve headed further up the

Quest. Though the suggestion sounded rather preposterous, it wasn’t completely out of the question either. After all, since there were zero traces of the adventure team here, the only other way they could’ve headed to—without bumping into the rescue team on their way

already here anyway, let’s proceed further up the

them then continued scaling the

very well died earlier without Gerald’s intervention, Quest now had total trust in Gerald. He felt that as

gentle breezes and snowflakes caressing their cheeks the entire time—the duo eventually arrived eleven

cave. With how pitch dark it was inside, Gerald and Quest

of the cave, Quest found himself saying, “How odd…

in and have a look around!”

took out their glow sticks before activating them. Now having a light

quiet, it was also quite damp. With that said, occasional drops of water could be heard every

cave… It appeared to be the light of a campfire, and the

and Quest felt that

light source, the duo was greeted by the sight of several sleeping people lying against the cave’s stone

Gerald was made extra sure of this when—after scanning through the people—he saw that Nori was among

“Nori!” shouted Gerald.

everyone jolted

called out to her, Nori instantly teared up as she

girl then

she did, Nori looked at him in surprise as she asked, “But… what are you even doing here,

that something had happened to you and your adventure team, I came over with a rescue

that mean that you came over just to save me…?” asked Nori as she

gentle smile and nodded, not seeing any reason

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the fact that Gerald had come all the way here just to save her meant that he still cared

first place since Nori was sure that she had never even mentioned her trip

asked, “…Speaking of which,

your manor and your father told me about it,” replied

your talisman crafting training with Master

disciple in the first place. With that in mind, Nori truly hoped that she wouldn’t be the reason Gerald lost his chance to continue

her surprise, however, Gerald simply chuckled

his First-rank Talisman Master badge—which had been tucked in the inside of his

barely been half a month! You really are something else, Gerald!” exclaimed Nori in her disbelief as her eyes lit

was able to attain that rank so quickly… That just showed how capable and powerful he truly

some ancient herb. The

on this mountain! With that in mind, I followed the others here after

as Nori sighed in resignation, Gerald then thought for a while before replying, “Your lives

do!” replied Nori as she fished out a photograph from

by the sight of a white and pristine flower that had petals that resembled ice crystals. The sight of it alone was enough to make anyone feel that it was

asked Gerald, feeling that such a rare and valuable-looking herb must have had great

make a kind of pellet known as the rejuvenating pellet! The pellet itself

Gerald

there was still a lot he didn’t know about this mysterious world… Even so, a pellet that was capable of bringing back the dead? That was a little too farfetched, even for him.

a rumor. Even she wasn’t sure how

some checking around, I’ve found that only a few of the team members have suffered minor injuries. The rest are thankfully fine. With that said,

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