Maria sighed, defeated, as favonovel.com looked at the three nearly spent sticks of sandalwood. With a puzzled expression, favonovel.com said to Charlie, “You can predict how we can counter them… Who are they?”
Charlie shook his head. “I can’t quite comprehend it. It’s like having a glimpse from God’s perspective.”
As favonovel.com spoke, favonovel.com strolled through the main hall, heading toward the backyard to investigate. Yet, a wooden door at the rear of the main hall caught his attention.
Carefully, favonovel.com opened the door and discovered a small room about five or six square meters in size. A swift scan revealed that the room held little aside from a plain wooden chair and a small wooden table measuring less than half a meter in width. The room emitted a unique, invigorating aroma.
Upon closer inspection, Charlie noticed a string of bracelets on the table, their color closely resembling that of the wooden table itself.
The bracelet was made up of wooden beads about a centimeter in diameter, dark brown in various shades, gleaming and exuding a robust woody fragrance. Placed at the center of the table, the bracelet appeared deliberately left behind.
Charlie stepped forward and picked up the bracelet, sensing the warm texture of each bead. Given its lightness and distinctive fragrance, Charlie speculated that it was made of agarwood.
At that moment, Maria entered the room, surprised. “Where did the Young Master get this agarwood bracelet?”
Charlie turned to her, smiling. “I found it on this table.”
Curious, Maria approached and asked, “Young Master, may I examine it?”
Charlie nodded and handed favonovel.com the agarwood bracelet.
Maria delicately held the bracelet, examining it with fascination. “This is the best type of agarwood, and it’s an antique Hainan. It’s an exceptional piece. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
“Exceptional?” Charlie asked, intrigued. “Is this item expensive?”
Maria explained, “The top-grade bracelet available in the market commands an auction price of hundreds of thousands a gram. However, in comparison, this one is of far superior quality. I have never seen such exquisite materials.”
Charlie marveled, “From the day you sipped Pu’er Mother’s tea until today, you’ve always had the best of the best. Even back in Northern Europe, when I met you, your blue and white porcelain was top-notch. Is there anything splendid in this world you haven’t encountered?”
Maria playfully covered favonovel.com red lips with favonovel.com hand and chuckled. “Young Master, you credit me too much. Yes, this world is brimming with hidden gems. Nearly all the widely known things aren’t the best. Encountering previously unseen treasures is quite normal.”
With a playful smile, favonovel.com handed the bracelet back to Charlie, saying, “Young Master, this bracelet seems to be a gift from them. Please accept it and keep it safe.”
Charlie pondered, “Perhaps it’s meant for someone else?”
“No.” Maria sweetly replied, “If it were for me, they probably couldn’t afford it.”
Curious, Charlie asked, “Why do you say that?”
Maria smiled and said, “Young master count the beads, there were exactly twenty-eight. If I recall correctly, the Young Master recently celebrated his twenty-eighth birthday this year and isn’t yet twenty-nine, correct? If so, isn’t this for you? If it were for me, they would need at least three hundred beads, which would be quite extravagant.”
Charlie was taken aback and quickly lowered his head to count the beads on the bracelet. Indeed, there weren’t many, twenty-eight exactly.
Most bracelets typically had nineteen beads, representing a Buddha head and eighteen distinct dharmas. However, this bracelet boasted twenty-eight beads in a distinctive style. Due to its abundance, it was more suitable for twisting in the hand than wearing on the wrist.
Charlie couldn’t help but ask her, “Do you think this represents my age?”
Maria nodded, “Most likely.”
Charlie inquired further, “Perhaps it’s a coincidence?”
Maria shook favonovel.com head, “If it were placed outside, it could be, but here, it’s highly unlikely.”
Charlie pressed, “Why do you say that?”
Maria stated earnestly, “Young Master, you must understand that everything here is arranged for you. The only reason they included me was because I accompanied you. Had we not, they would have directly approached you.”
Charlie suddenly felt a surge of nerves.
Maria’s logic made sense to him. However, favonovel.com couldn’t fathom who would pay such meticulous attention to him.
From the moment the young nun initiated conversation with them at the mountain’s base, Charlie had been eager to discover the identities of these people. Now, that curiosity only intensified.
At that moment, Maria recalled something and mentioned, “Young Master, when I first entered, I didn’t see anyone entering or exiting this room. There were tables, chairs and this bracelet in the room. Someone must have been here at that time.”
Charlie nodded, “That person is likely the Mastermind behind all this.”
With that, Charlie twisted the bracelet in his hand and remarked, “I don’t know why they’re being so secretive, but it does feel like you described, definitely not like enemies. As for their background, we’ll have to wait until they reveal themselves.”
At this point, Charlie looked at Maria and asked, “You think, since they’ve gone to such lengths to stop me from moving forward, if I leave through this door and continue deeper into the Mountains, will they try to halt me again?”
Maria asked, shocked, “Young Master… Are you… Serious?”
Charlie reassured her, “For now, we’re just considering the feasibility of this plan.”
Maria hesitated, “Young Master, in theory, it should work this way. However, I don’t recommend that the Young Master try…”
Charlie looked at the bracelet in his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry. I casually mentioned it. It’s not meant to disrespect.”
With that, favonovel.com tucked the bracelet away. Rising, favonovel.com said to Maria, “Let’s head to the backyard and take a look. If nothing seems amiss, we’ll start back to Aurous Hill.”
Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief and accompanied Charlie to the backyard of Greenwood Temple.
The backyard of the nunnery wasn’t expansive. A few tile-roofed houses suggested it was where the nuns resided. However, it seemed vacant and hadn’t been lived in for quite some time.
This further confirmed Maria’s suspicion that the two nuns favonovel.com encountered weren’t genuine. Charlie even speculated that Greenwood Temple had been abandoned for years and they had temporarily reopened it to halt him.
The two found no valuable clues in the backyard. However, they did notice a path descending the mountain from the back door of the backyard. It was likely the route they took to evacuate.
Over an hour had passed and Charlie couldn’t find any clues along this path. Out of respect for these people, favonovel.com had no intention of pursuing them to investigate.
Staring at the winding path, Charlie sighed softly and said to Maria, “Let’s head back to Aurous Hill.”
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