The light turned green, and the Maserati shot off, leaving a fiery red streak in its wake.
The Bentley slowly began to move.
The atmosphere inside the car was heavy. The man, his face cold and grim, told the driver to head in a different direction.
He had seen it all quite clearly just now.
The woman had glanced back at him twice. And she'd smiled.
The corners of her eyes tilted up, her gaze a bewitching mix of playful teasing and soft allure.
How brazen!
'Is this a blatant provocation, or a deliberate attempt at seduction?'
"President Thorne, she's probably some third-rate starlet who's using her connection to Miss Rosalind's sister," the secretary analyzed, his logic sound. "She must have planned this stunt to get close to you. Otherwise, how could she have so coincidentally ended up next to you at a red light?"
'The girl was quite pretty, but it was a shame she was going down the wrong path at such a young age.'
'Refusing to take the honest road, instead choosing a crooked path.'
'Still, it was useless, no matter how hard she schemed.'
'President Thorne despised women who threw themselves at him, especially the vain social climbers.'
"President Thorne only has eyes for Miss Rosalind. Some women insist on forcing their way in, but it never ends well for them," the secretary said with a hint of schadenfreude.
The corners of Vincent Thorne's lips turned down, his expression grim. "She doesn't deserve to drive Rosalind's car. And even if she tries to force herself on me, I won't give her the chance!"
The secretary: "???"
'Something about that sounded a little... off.'
*
Iris Dalton had no idea someone was busy concocting a fantasy about her trying to seduce an overbearing CEO.
Everyone in Pike knew the truth, but none of them dared report it to Your Highness, the Pond Lord.
They were afraid she would fly into a rage and cripple President Thorne.
The man's back was already broken. If anything else broke, he'd be completely unable to function as a man.
They were mature, kind AIs with principles! They couldn't let Her Highness gravely injure an already-ailing man and be burdened by guilt!
And that was that!
*
The rest of the drive was smooth sailing.
Once in the suburbs, Iris Dalton followed the GPS address and drove through a set of tall, imposing iron gates.
Within the high walls lay a desolate farm spanning over a thousand mu. Weeds choked the sides of the roads and the pond had dried up, but one could still faintly discern the layout of a classical garden.
The garden was surrounded by lush, towering ancient trees and a number of old courtyard houses. Seen from a distance, they were scattered about, forming a complex of considerable size.
This was the ancestral manor of the Sherwood Clan. Generations had once lived here, but now everyone had moved into villas in the city, leaving the place deserted.
Both the manor and the farm had fallen into disrepair.
With the advancement of technology and industrialization, there was no Spiritual Energy left near the cities, and the soil was no longer suitable for growing medicinal herbs.
But this soil had been transported from Luminumbra's Old Area A by the Sherwood Family generations ago. It had been well-preserved, retaining nearly all of its original nutrients and Spiritual Energy. Even precious ancient medicinal saplings could survive here.
That was why she had gone to such great lengths. She absolutely had to have this land.
Iris Dalton got out of the car, found a high vantage point, and surveyed her surroundings.
The farm was enormous. As far as the eye could see, the land stretched out, and a faint, rich layer of Spiritual Energy seemed to hover over it.
Iris Dalton bent down, scooped up a handful of earth, and brought it to her nose for a sniff. She was very satisfied.
Over a thousand mu of fertile land, brimming with Spiritual Energy. It was more than enough for her to put her plans into action.
Lifting her gaze, Iris Dalton glanced at the open spaces on either side, a rough plan already forming in her mind.
The manor and farm hadn't been used in a long time. She'd have the Mercenary Group clear the land first, then tidy up the old houses. After that, she would order plastic greenhouses and building materials. In half a month, she could start planting the herbs.
"You must be Miss Iris. A few of us came ahead. The others are waiting for the go-ahead to come over."
Just then, a man sauntered over from a nearby path. He was burly and strong with a buzz cut, his sinewy muscles straining the fabric of his T-shirt. One look was enough to tell he was a trained fighter.
He was followed by a few of his men, all with a lazy, swaggering arrogance, looking like they owned the world.
They wore impatient expressions, their scrutinizing gazes sweeping over the young woman before them.
'She's a real looker, but too bad she's under Master Dalton's protection.'
'Off-limits.'
Iris Dalton was perceptive. Their aggressive stares were starting to annoy her.
A flicker of coldness crossed her eyes. She brushed the dirt from her hands. "Master Dalton sent you?"
'They're Master Dalton's men. Out of respect for him, if not for them, I should at least put on a smile.'
'But their attitude was really... pissing... me... off!'
She tapped her earpiece, and the mechanical voice of Slick delivered a report.
"[Slick]: Target identified. Tyler Kwan, male, 29 years old. Three-star member of UmbraNet. Specializes in combat and mechanical weaponry. Once single-handedly rescued ten hostages, all women and children."
Iris Dalton glanced at the man, her expression softening slightly.
Tyler Kwan frowned, giving the young woman a once-over. His tone was dismissive. "Master Dalton gave the order. Said you plan on growing herbs here, and that we're supposed to help."
They were Master Dalton's most trusted mercenary group, a hundred strong. They had been through hell and back with him, racking up an impressive list of achievements.
In the past, the missions Master Dalton assigned them were always top-tier, the most high-stakes assignments.
But to think that this time, he'd send them to Stellan just to help some young girl with her farming!
And she wanted to grow ancient herbs, no less.
Tyler Kwan was getting annoyed. He wanted to talk her out of this unrealistic pipe dream.
'What does a young girl know about ancient herbs? Does she think she's Miss Lana or something?'
'What a joke.'
Before meeting Iris Dalton, when Tyler Kwan heard their employer wanted to grow ancient herbs, he'd gotten his hopes up. He thought maybe Master Dalton was sending them to assist Miss Anne Lancaster.
After all, the only person capable of growing ancient herbs outside of Luminumbra was Miss Lana.
If that were the case, they would have hit the jackpot.
Aside from Master Dalton, the person their mercenary group admired most was Miss Lana.
She was practically omnipotent, and her talent for growing herbs was second to none!
If they were lucky enough to help Miss Lana, they could get a share of the medicine once the ancient herbs matured. They might even be able to become Ancient Martial Artists!
But alas, he was disappointed.
Tyler Kwan glanced at the young woman before him, his eyes filled with a trace of resignation and regret.
'She isn't Miss Anne Lancaster, so how could she possibly grow ancient herbs?'
He had no idea what this young woman's relationship with Master Dalton was, but since the Master had sent them, they had to complete the mission, no matter how unwilling they felt.
At least, they had to keep up appearances.
The men behind Tyler Kwan thought the same. Instead of stepping forward to greet her, they huddled together and started chatting amongst themselves.
"Call this a cushy job? I'd rather be fighting pirates with Three and his crew. We could've earned a ton of points. Growing herbs is just a waste of our time."
"Master Dalton promised we'd each get a dose of medicine whether the herbs grow or not. So even without points, it's still a win, right?"
"All the brothers in our Mercenary Group are elite fighters, each one of us is worth a hundred men. Isn't making us farm a gross misuse of our talents?"
"Sigh... if only we were growing these herbs for Miss Lana."
Iris Dalton shot the men a cold look. The impatience in her eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared. She idly twirled the Silver Fish Ring on her left index finger.
Before leaving today, she had deliberately put on the Cannibal Fish Ring.
A nano-material, high-capacity, solar-powered, infinite-endurance, AI-integrated, foldable Space Ring.
No need to carry a bag when you went out; it could hold plenty of things.
She couldn't be bothered to waste her breath on them. She simply took out a contract and had Tyler Kwan sign it.
Even with allies, it's best to have clear accounts.
Since she was paying them for a job, the terms and conditions had to be made clear beforehand. If both parties agreed without objection, everything would go much smoother later on.
"I need greenhouses built over here, and herbs sown. That large area over there needs to be planted with saplings. And all the empty houses need to be cleaned out. I need it all done within two weeks. Can you manage that?" Iris Dalton listed her requirements.
She had paid a premium for a two-star or higher Mercenary Group for a reason: the herbs she intended to grow were no ordinary plants.
If they were discovered, it would cause a massive uproar.
And if some pesky little thieves tried to steal them, she would need someone to protect her crop.
A Mercenary Group from UmbraNet would make for perfect guards.