Amandine's Invisibility Cloak

Chapter 99 Returning to Zi City

The bespectacled man had another concern he hadn't voiced: since General Ethan publicly broke with the Illuminati, the African region had been abandoned by Corey. Their position in Zi City had become extremely awkward. Now isolated and powerless, they simply wanted to secure some money so they could return home and live their lives. Seeing no room for negotiation, Alena stood up and said, "We'll discuss this and get back to you as soon as possible."

On their way back, she asked De Silva, "Brother, is what they said true?"

"About what?"

"About people disappearing."

"Judging by their expressions, they didn't seem to be lying."

"Why would this be happening? If we move in, will we face the same problem?"

"Nothing like that ever happened when I lived in Zi City." The two returned to the island and reported the negotiation results to Simon.

"How many shillings do we have now?" he asked. Alena didn't know, so she called her mother to ask. "Just over 80 million shillings," Nicola answered. All three shook their heads—they were nowhere near the required amount. At that moment, De Silva remembered the letter Ronnie had written to Amandine, which mentioned that if the city-state faced financial problems, they could mine gold from three specific locations, one of which was only about 300 kilometers away. He was debating whether to share this information when Alena spoke up, "Brother, what about the gold mines Mr. Ronnie left behind?" With no choice left, De Silva revealed the information. Simon was overjoyed, "You're truly the city-state's savior!"

The Courage Alliance immediately dispatched over 500 people to mine the gold. A month later, they delivered three billion shillings to the Illuminati. After twelve years, Zi City finally welcomed back the knights of the city-state. Many members of the Courage Alliance and the resistance wept with joy, embracing each other and crying. That evening, a grand celebration was held in Dream Square. Simon stood in the center and proclaimed, "Knights, our victory did not come easily—it was purchased with the lives of countless martyrs. Tonight, let us raise our glasses in prayer for them, wishing their souls eternal peace." When over two thousand people raised their glasses simultaneously, the scene was magnificent. De Silva drained his glass in one gulp, his face streaked with tears. Seeing this, Alena asked, "Brother, why are you crying? Are you too happy?"

"Basali is gone. She left me forever." Alena comforted him, "Brother, don't be sad. You still have me, mother, Afastin, and all your family." The celebration continued until dawn the next day, with many people simply falling asleep right there in the square.

Ares left the little girl's house and continued his journey. One day, he arrived at a town where he encountered a dim-witted giant over two meters tall walking toward him. He couldn't help but stop and stare. The giant noticed and became angry, "Who are you? Why are you staring at me? Do you have a death wish?" Ares decided to play a joke on him, "I am a divine being. Kneel before me!"

Upon hearing this, the giant immediately prostrated himself, shouting, "Buddha! I've finally found you! Please bless me with a beautiful woman." Ares corrected him, "I'm a divine being, not Buddha." The giant completely ignored this distinction and continued mumbling, "Please, Buddha, grant me a woman." Ares gave up and asked, "What's your name?"

"I am Beyondbear, your devoted servant." This man was Uwa's son Beyondbear, who had returned from Thailand a year ago. Now twenty-eight, he remained unmarried and without a girlfriend. He had come out today both to find food and to look for a woman. Many Buddhist statues in Thai temples resembled the mask Ares wore on his face, so when Ares claimed to be a divine being, Beyondbear immediately believed him. Seeing that the giant's size could make him useful as a bodyguard, Ares said, "I can grant you a woman, but you must follow me for three years."