The Secretly Rich Man

Chapter 1751

Chuckling in response, Xanry then smiled before saying, “Before that, I’d like to head to the washroom first!”

“Sure thing!” replied Gerald with a nod. While he knew that Xanry was trying to escape, Gerald didn’t feel the need to expose him.

Whatever the case was, Xanry then got up and quickly left for the washroom.

Now that he had finally managed to escape from Gerald’s evil grasp, there was no way in hell that he was going to dare offend Gerald anymore.

Soon enough, the classmate party ended smoothly and Gerald drove home together with Juno…

The second they stepped into her house, Juno instantly smiled as she turned to look at Gerald before saying, “You’ve teased Xanry so much today, Gerald!”

Laughing heartily in response, Gerald then replied, “He’s at fault for offending me in the first place! I certainly couldn’t just let him off after he did that, could I? Besides, you’re happy that I teased him too, no?”

Upon hearing that, Juno nodded before delightedly saying, “Of course I’m happy! That guy’s been pestering me since my university days, you know? At long last, someone humiliated him!”

Since Gerald had humiliated him so much, she was sure that Xanry wouldn’t pester her ever again. That was one troublesome person done with…

At that moment, a tiny creak was heard…

Turning to face the door that had opened, the duo watched as Ray slowly walked out…

Upon seeing them, he then quickly jogged toward them while saying, “Mr. Crawford! Miss Zorn! You’re back!”

“We are, but why are you still up, Ray?” asked Juno.

“I… I’ve been waiting for you to return! Old Flint sent you something!” explained Ray.

“What? He did? What did he send over?” asked Gerald curiously.

Upon hearing that, Ray re-entered his room before returning with a box and handing it to Gerald.

“It’s this unopened box with a letter attached to it! I’m guessing that Old Flint wrote the letter!” explained Ray.

Hearing that, Gerald then took the box and quickly opened it… only to reveal a perfume bag inside that constantly emitted a faint, pleasant smell…

“…That smells so wonderful! I wonder why Old Flint sent you a perfume bag of all things…” muttered Ray.

While the gift was a pleasant surprise to both Ray and Juno, they quickly realized that Gerald was instead, frowning. Did the perfume bag symbolize something…?

Not even bothering to reply to Ray’s statement, Gerald then quickly began reading through Old Flint’s letter… and by the time he was done, his frown was much, much deeper than before.

Seeing how furrowed Gerald’s brows now were, Ray—who had never seen Gerald show such an expression before—couldn’t help but ask in a concerned tone, “What’s wrong, Mr. Crawford? What happened? Your expression looks so unpleasant!”

“Indeed! What did Old Flint say, Gerald?” asked Juno.

“…First of all, this perfume bag… It’s called ghost-luring perfume, and as its name suggests, it’s used to lure ghosts. Moving on to the letter, Old Flint apparently wants to head to a place called Grimhelm to investigate some secrets regarding vampires. Though he’s asking me if I’m willing to go with him, since he sent me this perfume bag, I’m sure he means business. After all, I told him to only send this particular kind of perfume bag over if major issues came up!”

Chapter 1752

After hearing Gerald’s explanation, both of them finally got the whole story. As it turned out, the perfume bag really did symbolize something.

“…Still… couldn’t the ‘major issue’ be a good affair?” asked Ray.

Shaking his head, Gerald then replied, “Unfortunately, I’ve heard tales of Grimhelm before as well. It’s an extremely vicious place, so the fact that he’s gone there must mean that he’s bumped into some trouble.”

Gerald also knew that Old Flint was wise enough not to send such a perfume bag over under normal circumstances. He would’ve only posted it when he was in urgent need of help…

“…I see! Then… When are we leaving?”

“We leave at nine tomorrow morning!” declared Gerald, knowing how urgent the situation was.

Following that, he turned to face Ray and Juno before instructing, “Ray, Juno, go wake Nori up and detail her on all this. Once that’s done, start packing up. I’ll be needing you three to follow me there!”

With how serious the matter was, Gerald needed all the help he could get. After all, with every additional person they had, the more power their party would possess.

Hearing that, Juno then replied, “Got it!”

Ray had no objections either, so the duo quickly parted ways with Gerald.

After that, all four of them quickly began packing up and readying themselves for the trip tomorrow morning…

While Gerald finished packing relatively early, he naturally had a restless night…

By early morning, all four of them were already up, and after cleaning themselves and having their breakfast, the party of four then set off.

With Ray being the driver, the party then drove all the way to the highway entrance—which took about half an hour—near the sea. According to the meeting time in the letter, Old Flint should be waiting for them there by then…

True enough, upon arriving at the highway entrance, all four of them saw an old person wearing a black windbreaker—as well as a black hat—sitting by the roadside, a sandalwood scepter in hand. It wasn’t hard to discern that that was none other than Old Flint. With that, Gerald then told Ray to stop the car next to him.

The second the car stopped, Gerald stepped out before respectfully greeting, “Old Flint!”

Nodding slightly with a grunt, the old man then got into the shotgun seat with Gerald’s help.

With that done, Gerald then told Ray that he would be driving next.

It wasn’t as though Ray had bad driving skills or anything, but the fact remained that only Gerald and Old Flint knew where their destination was. With that in mind, it would be better that Gerald drove rather than having to point out the directions to Ray throughout the entire journey.

Before leaving, Gerald made sure to ask, “Is there anyone else joining us, Old Flint?”

Shaking his head slightly, Old Flint then leaned against his seat, not saying a word…

Since he had a pair of sunglasses on, nobody truly knew whether his eyes were open or closed.

Regardless, seeing that he wasn’t going to get a reply, Gerald then stepped on the accelerator, driving straight into the highway…

“It’ll be about ten hours before we get to our destination. The three of you can get some rest if you want to. After all, we woke up pretty early!” suggested Gerald.

Hearing that, all three of them nodded. After all, there was not much else to do on the highway unless they came across any rest areas. With that, it wasn’t long before all three of Gerald’s companions dozed off…

When that happened, there was complete silence in the car. After all, Gerald was driving attentively whereas Old Flint remained as silent as ever.

Though such a situation would surely be tiresome for regular people—since a ten-hour drive was rather long—, it was a rather easy affair for Gerald. He wasn’t tired in the least…

Chapter 1753

It was at around eleven that night when Gerald and the others finally arrived at the Emerald Realm. The vampires’ territory was an old forest located on an ancient mountain there, and since ancient times, few had ventured into the forest to meet them…

Fortunately for the party, there were still some operating hotels and inns in the vicinity. With that in mind, the group of five could finally settle down and get some proper rest…

After booking some rooms, he allowed everyone to head to their respective rooms to get some well-deserved sleep. After all, they needed to be fully rested before officially entering vampire territory early the next morning…

By dawn, all of them checked out early and immediately began driving toward the old forest in the mountains…

After about forty minutes of driving, the car finally came to a halt at the foot of the mountain. Since the car couldn’t be driven any further, they had no other choice but to continue forward on foot.

Once they got their luggage, they began their journey up the mountain…

As they were walking, Ray couldn’t help but declare, “…I’m not sure about the rest of you, but the air here is amazingly fresh! It feels rather nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city!”

The others knew what he meant. After all, the environment here was definitely fresher compared to the city’s. Aside from the crisp air, they were also surrounded by the rejuvenating aura of the plants around them…

Regardless, after walking for about half an hour, the five of them eventually arrived at a village.

The village itself was built by the local vampires, and since they lived in such seclusion, their customs were naturally different.

With that in mind, the second the surrounding vampires noticed Gerald and his party’s presence, they instantly stopped whatever they were doing. As all the vampires stood up and stared vigilantly at the group, a man wearing a leather jacket walked up to Gerald, glaring at the youth as he asked, “Who are you people?”

Naturally stopping in their tracks, Gerald then smiled subtly as he replied, “Greetings! We’re merchants!”

“Hah! A merchant, you say? Look, I’ve seen tons of people like you, so cut the act already! Tell me, are you here for the treasure in the forest?” sneered the man.

Frowning slightly upon hearing that, Gerald couldn’t help but think that the vampires were a bit more difficult to deal with than he had initially anticipated.

pause, he then ordered, “Ray, bring

all the food out of his backpack before handing some

before saying, “We really are merchants! We’re here in exchange for some goods and local specialties! If you still don’t believe us,

Gerald was saying this to avoid the man from further being

guard slightly before taking the food that Gerald had handed out to

food, the other

became the most welcome people in the village, it also caused their food supply to rapidly diminish as the villagers readily traded in gold

this made Ray, Nori, and Juno slightly worried. After all, if they had no food left, what were

voice could be heard shouting,

fumbled forward with

hmm? What good things have

Chapter 1754

the large-bellied man—who was staring at Gerald and his group—, Gerald already knew that he was trouble.

getting into contact with him or his subordinates, he still put on a smile as he replied, “It’s just some food,

this village! Since you’ve come to my village, you should hand us something as a welcome gift! Otherwise, it’ll be hard for me

them for money. While the threats would surely fool the more gullible people, Gerald was experienced with people like Fane. With that in mind, he wasn’t about to allow Fane to take

fixed on Juno and Nori for a

between him and the two girls before staring straight in the eye at Fane while saying, “Sir, we’re merchants

“Stop right there! Did I say you could leave? I told you, if you wish to leave, you have to

was glaring all high and mightily at him—Gerald was pretty sure that the fat man wasn’t about to take him seriously

stand against me! Well, that’s just great! I won’t hesitate to

to leave behind?” asked Gerald in a

leave

I’m reluctant to do

you playing dumb now? If you want to be this defiant, I’ll just order my men to ruin

could say anything else, however, he quickly found himself flying

was because Gerald had

motives on Juno and Nori! The combination of the two was definitely enough to warrant being

up, Fane’s subordinates instantly

Gerald simply countered their assaults

single hit, Gerald couldn’t help but feel that they were all idiots for even daring to look

other hand, simply watched the scene play out in silence. After

Chapter 1755

crackling of the bonfire—that Gerald and his party had started in the

had saved some food for a rainy day. Gerald had made sure to keep some rations in his own bag, anticipating the possibility of

five of

a slightly worried tone, “…Do you think Fane and his gang will

take turns being on guard tonight. You can sleep first, and after two hours, we’ll switch places.

be done. After all, they were currently in unfamiliar territory. With that

Nori’s safety. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t allow either

naturally not against Gerald’s suggestion,

asleep, their shoulders leaning against each other. Old Flint himself could be seen meditating at the

before the bonfire, keeping a lookout for

Soon enough, a bright crescent moon—that had earlier been blocked by clouds—revealed itself along with

were impossible to enjoy in urban areas. With that in mind, the natural beauty—that could only be witnessed out

the case was, the night was

limitations well. After all, that group

so, Gerald was abruptly awoken early that morning when

he figured that nobody would be dumb enough

across a group of villagers who were discussing something while standing around a well. With how unpleasant their expressions were, Gerald could only assume that something bad had

the villagers noticed that Gerald was curiously walking toward them, they quickly surrounded him. Before Gerald could even ask what they were doing, one of the villagers pointed at him before asking, “Was

slight brow in his bewilderment, Gerald then replied, “…Was it me, what? What

“Was it you who

said that, the other villagers quickly pointed at

the sight of a massive floating corpse… With how fat it was, he had no doubt that the

that Fane would die so suddenly—and be found dead in the well of all places—Gerald then

seriously pretending to be surprised that his body is here? You’re the only one here who has a grudge against him, you

Chapter 1755

With how silent it was, the crackling of the bonfire—that Gerald and his

food for a rainy day. Gerald had made sure to keep some rations in his own bag, anticipating the

five of them were sufficiently full by

tone, “…Do you think Fane

being on guard tonight. You can sleep first, and after two hours, we’ll switch places. That way, nobody will be able to sneak up

all, they were currently in unfamiliar territory. With that in mind, they needed to be on guard at

swore to himself that he wouldn’t allow

naturally not against Gerald’s suggestion, and

shoulders leaning against each other. Old Flint himself could be seen meditating at the side

for Gerald, he sat before the bonfire, keeping a lookout for danger while occasionally looking

picturesque. Soon enough, a bright

the neon lights and street lamps in cities, such beautiful sights were impossible to enjoy in urban areas. With that in mind, the natural beauty—that could only be witnessed

case was, the night was uneventful and ended

After all, that group of bullies hadn’t caused trouble

abruptly awoken early that morning when he heard

had fallen asleep at dawn since he figured that nobody would be dumb enough to attack them in daylight—instantly ran

around a well. With how unpleasant their expressions were, Gerald could only assume

could even ask what they were doing, one of the villagers pointed at him before

his bewilderment, Gerald then

hearing that, the villager then harrumphed before furiously retorting, “Was it you who

angry villager said that, the other villagers quickly pointed at the well, prompting Gerald to walk over and

the sight of a massive floating corpse… With how fat it was, he had no doubt that the body

suddenly—and be found dead in the well of all places—Gerald then faced

do you mean, how did he die? Are you seriously pretending to be surprised that his body is here? You’re the only one here

Chapter 1756

house! How could I have killed him?” explained

knew the villagers weren’t going to buy it so easily. With that in mind,

hadn’t

later, Gerald had to admit that his death

fingers, let’s just get the corpse up first to

the villagers couldn’t argue with Gerald’s logic, so they began

saw that his face had been completely ruined. With how badly his face had been clawed up, Fane barely had

at Fane’s corpse, Gerald eventually found a deep gash in Fane’s neck. With that in mind, Gerald deduced

at the villagers before displaying his hands while saying, “From what I can see, whatever killed Fane had sharp claws. I mean, just take a good look at his mangled face! There’s a deep gash in his neck too that

statement made sense, the villagers quickly accepted that he wasn’t the killer. However, if that was the case, then who was the murderer? What happened the previous

a young voice shouting, “S-something terrible

around to see the nervous boy who was running toward them, the

All of them have died at their

began trembling. Nobody could’ve

bodies lying all over the yard. Upon closer inspection,

could have caused all this

have

“T-that’s impossible!”

didn’t bother about them. Instead, he quickly returned to where they were staying,

Ray was prompted to ask, “Where

Gerald instead turned to face Old Flint before saying, “Old

the old

both of them out as well. While Ray had no idea what was happening, judging

Chapter 1757

the trio arrived at the

said, “Please have a look at this corpse, Old Flint! Something attacked him yesterday before tossing

disbelief, “…I-isn’t that Fane, Mr. Crawford?

Gerald simply kept

simply stared at the corpse, clearly analyzing it. After a short period, he then said, “…This

vampires?” repeated Gerald, surprised

such sharp claws that could easily kill. What more, if you pay closer attention, you’ll be able to see bite marks

there are feral vampires in the forests around us? Why weren’t we attacked last night instead?” asked

night, remember? That’s why the feral vampires didn’t go after us. My guess is that this Fane person must have gone out

made sense to Gerald, so he bought his words. To think that all this had been the work

was, Old Flint then added, “We mustn’t linger

one final glance

After all, if the villagers knew that they were leaving

eventually managed to enter the old forest deep in

the group remained vigilant as they slowly