NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

KINGDOM OF ALBION, Royal Palace.

The two princesses were in one of the castle's drawing room, waiting for the arrival of their mother. The older one was already on the cusp of womanhood. Her long icy blue hair was plaited neatly behind her back. Her blue eyes were sharp and cold. But because of the gentle smile on her lips, she appeared gentle and amiable. She's Icelyn Jade di Albion - the first princess of Albion.

Sitting with perfect posture, Icelyn reached for the teacup in front of her and daintly took a sip from it. "Noelle, please stop playing with your sPhone. Mother will be here any minute and you know how much she hated that gadget," she said, not removing the smile on her lips.

Noelle - the second princess - just snorted. The fifteen year old princess has a completely different temperament than her older sister. Her icy blue hair was fashionably short. She was wearing a non-standard short dress - something that a princess shouldn't wear. There's a small butterfly drawn mark at the corner of her left eye, adding to her charm.

"She just hate it because people continuously post bad things about her and she can't do anything about it," Noelle said, taking her attention back to the sPhone she's holding.

Noelle was right. Ever since the conception of the sPhones, the public's opinion on the queen plummeted year by year. Not only her, but also the first prince. They don't seem to understand that the world has changed. That they could no longer do whatever they wanted without any sort of repercussion. One bad word, one rude move, they could easily be captured by people around them. Then it would get posted at [Jiffy] which in turn would surely gather resentment.

The royal family counldn't just grab those people and throw them to jail. Because most of those people don't post their real names. They have no way in knowing who they were. So whatever bad things they posted, the royal family could simply do nothing.

"Sister, do you know when the Duke of Hanover will come back?" Noelle asked, suddenly changing the topic.

Icelyn raised one of her brows. "Soon, maybe. After all, he already finished his primary education. Being a duke, he's now required to attend parliament. Why do you ask?"

"Because he's the founder of Silver Corporation, duh."

Yesterday, Noelle insisted on watching the video of the founder of Silver Corporation together. Icelyn didn't object because she also planned to do that. Silver Corporation was probably the biggest and richest company in the world right now. But for seven years, nobody knew who founded it. Even if someone tried to investigate, they would just come up with nothing. Icelyn was curious about this mysterious founder. Someone who could do everything he did in just a span of seven years would definitely be extraordinary.

But when Aurum Blackbourne introduced the founder as her twin brother, Icelyn felt like she heard a joke. When Aurum first appeared on the promotional video of Silver Corporation, she immediately recognized her as that SS level monster who accidentaly killed five of her servants when she was only four years old. And now, she's telling everyone in the world that her twin brother, the famous waste, was the founder of Silver Corporation. What kind of bad joke was that?

However, when the beautiful teenage boy came into view, all the insults inside her head just vanished. And just like that, Icelyn could easily imagine how this boy managed to build Silver Corporation. He exuded this air of indifference. As if he's above all mortal men. That was not simple confidence, that was something no ordinary man could have. Especially not some waste. Just looking at him, no one could doubt that he's not who he said he was.

"He's amazing, isn't he? Being able to do the things he did in his age," Noelle continued, a hint of admiration in her voice. She turned to her sister. "If I ask, do you think Father could arrange a marriage for us?"

Icelyn was momentarily stunned by Noelle's question. "You want to marry Argent Blackbourne?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Noelle remembered yesterday's interview. The moment the young duke came into view, she felt her whole face flared up. That was the first time she saw such a beautiful teenage boy. But more than that, she admired his intelligence. Despite being a NoGift, no one could deny that he's a one of a kind genius.

"He's a NoGift."

"So? I don't care about bloodlines. I'm not planning to take over the crown after all. If we do get married and one of our children turned out to be a NoGift, I'll love them just as fiercely."

"Then you should talk to Father. I'm sure he wouldn't deny your request. An alliance thru marriage with someone like the Duke of Hanover will definitely be benificial to our family."

Noelle smiled brightly. "Then I'll do that."

Icelyn almost laughed at her sister's naivety. Yes, an alliance with the duke would certainly be beneficial. But at the thought of those indifferent purple eyes, there's no way Argent could be manipulated into marriage by the king. He would probably choose to give up his title and permanently leave Albion than tie himself to the royal family.

But Icelyn didn't tell any of that to her sister and just smiled gently at her.

Meanwhile, in one of the famous tea houses in Londinium, two teenagers were sitting inside one of the VIP rooms. One has messy red hair and russet colored eyes. He was constantly tapping at the table as if he has to let out the abundant energy inside him. The other one has icy blue hair, surrounded by a cold atmosphere. He was expresionless and no warmth could be seen in his pair of pale blue eyes.

"Have you seen the interview yesterday? Man, I can't believe that that Argent really founded Silver Corporation. I have no idea at all. Aurum didn't even mentioned it at all in the past seven years we've been talking to each other," Mishla complained a little.

He and Aurum were friends. It took a lot of effort on his part for that to happen. Mishla didn't mind. Because he truly liked Aurum. Even if she only saw him right now as a friend, that's fine with him. It's better than having no relationship at all. He believed that they were already close enough for Aurum to reveal something like this to him. But instead, he found out about it thru a live stream video. Like he was no different from anyone else. That's why he couldn't help but feel a little bit of grievance. Add that to the countless admirers of Aurum all over the world and his heart couldn't help but produce a tiny bit of sourness.

Winter didn't comment and just took a sip from his teacup. Unlike Mishla, he wasn't surprise at all when he learned that Argent was the one behind Silver Corporation. Because he knew at an early age how brilliant the duke was. What surprised Winter more was probably his appearance. The young boy he first met became a tall teenager with an extremely beautiful face.

"Maybe that's the reason why you haven't managed to contact him before. Because he was so busy building his own company," Mishla continued.

Winter's brows wrinkled slightly because of what Mishla said, but after a second his expression immediately turned to normal. Before Argent left for Amexem seven years ago, he asked Mishla to deliver a defaro crystal to him. But when he tried to contact Argent, it didn't connect. He tried again the next night and it still didn't. Then the night after that. It still didn't connect. He tried several times. There was no night that he didn't try. But still, nothing. Until it became a habit. Even now, he's still doing that. Hoping that one night it would connect to Argent.

"But hey, they're coming back soon. I, for one, am excited to see Aurum again."

Winter looked up at Mishla when he said that. "Do you know when they'll come back?"

"Aurum said they're going to leave for Albion tomorrow. With the travel time, they'll probably arrive here next month."

"Next month..." Winter silently muttered. He looked down at his right wrist where a familiar bracelet was tied. He hasn't taken it off for the past seven years. [Maybe... maybe this time, the two of us could finally be friends.]

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An Unknown Island, Dreich Gallere Main Headquarters

A woman was lying on the sand beach, basking under the sun. The only thing that's covering her was a tiny slip of fabric. Showing off her delicate white skin and perfect curves. Her sun bathing was suddenly interrupted by an upcoming footsteps. She slightly lifted her body and looked at the direction where it's coming from.

Vixen smiled when he saw a young boy running towards her. The young boy was not exactly a young boy. He was the same age as the rest of the members with coded names. But for some reason, after the age of thirteen, he suddenly stopped growing. So he's stuck at the height of 155 cm, even his voice didn't mature. He looked like a juvenile with fluffy blond hair and toffee colored eyes. That's why most of the members loved to bully him.

Lynx stopped in front of Vixen. He was about to say something but immediately stopped when he saw her state of undress. His face immediately turned red. "You-- why are you naked?!"

Vixen smiled even wider, her charm completely overflowing. "I'm not though. But if you want me to be, I could easily accomodate you," she said seductively while slowly pulling down the silk fabric on her body.

Lynx's face turned even redder. "No!" He took a thick quilt from his space ring and unceremoniously threw it towards Vixen. He immediately felt better when she was covered by the quilt. "I have a question," he said.

Vixen decided to no longer tease him. She put down the quilt thrown to her by Lynx. There was a temporary shimmer and in an instant she was now wearing a gorgeous red dress. "Say."

Lynx took his sPhone from his space ring. He must say that he really liked this gadget. One of the requirements for registering an official account in the [SilverCorp] app was one's fingerprint, but being an assassin and all, he couldn't just let anyone have his fingerprint. So he has to use another person's - one who hasn't registered yet. It was truly a hassle looking for one.

Lynx opened the folder for pictures inside and clicked the one he wanted to show to Vixen. "Is this the boy Viper was so obsessed about? I heard you and Raven talking about him last night. I asked Raven earlier but he just ignored me," he said pouting. "So is this him?"

Vixen stared at the silver haired teenager in the screen. She knew from seven years ago that the one Viper was obsessing about was a boy named Argent Blackbourne, a young duke from Albion. She just never imagined that that young boy would turn out to be the founder of Silver Corporation. There has been many assassination contracts for this mysterious founder for the past seven years. All of which came from angry merchants whose influence was starting to decline because of the rise of Silver Corporation. But because they couldn't find any information about the said founder, they declined it. Who would have thought that the said founder was now only 14 years old?

"Yes, it's him," she answered Lynx question honestly. There's really no reason to lie to him about this.

Lynx wrinkled his brows. "But why would he kill Gecko for this boy? Seven years ago, this boy would only be seven years old. I get that he's brilliant but I still can't understand why Viper would do all that for him. Wait--" He suddenly has a look as if a light bulb turned on inside his head. "Is he Viper's child?"

Vixen laughed out loud. "Of course not, you silly thing. If Viper had sex with a girl, that girl would immediately die."

Lynx blushed in embarrassment. He almost forgot about Viper's Gift. "Then why? I don't understand. Because of what he did, Master exiled him for ten years on Sin Island. I couldn't imagine suffering all that for someone who's virtually a stranger."

Vixen also didn't understand at first. But when she asked him seven years ago and she heard his answer, she felt like she understood it a little. "Because according to him, whenever he's with that boy, he doesn't feel like such a monster."

Lynx was even more confused by that answer. "But Viper's not a monster."

"You only say that because we're like him." Vixen lay back down on the sand and looked at the blue sky. "We're all monsters."

----------

Xing Empire, Northern Border.

General Zhang Lei Feng was wiping his sword at the pavillion of his small courtyard when a man wearing all black suddenly appeared in front of him.

The man immediately kneeled down and called, "Master."

"Was it done?" Zhang Lei Feng asked, not even bothering to look up. He has a low magnetic voice that could make any woman blush. But to the man wearing black, all he could hear was a silent threat.

"Not yet, Master. An Si is still investigating."

There was a sudden static in the air, indicating that his master was displeased.

The man wearing all black was called An Yi. All the dark guards under the general changed their surnames to 'An' and their names into a number. An Yi was number 'one'. He has been with the general the longest. Ever since he was still the spoiled young master of the Zhang family.

Seven years ago, he was still the typical spoiled son. Probably because he was the only child in the family that's why he grew willful and stubborn. Anything he wanted, he should get. But one day, he fell off a horse during a race. His Mana became unstable and he fell into a coma. It lasted for half a year. But when he woke up, it was like he became a completely different person. His attitude turned into a complete 180.

The 13 year old boy suddenly became sensible. His unreasonable temper disappeared and became much more serious. Just like a small adult. But the biggest change was his Gift. From being an A level lightning Gift user, he became a SS level user. Not only that, but he also became a wind Gift user. General Zhang Lei Feng was probably the only one with double Gift. Only a few of them knew about that. If that information spread, An Yi couldn't imagine the commotion it would cause.

After that, the general requested to join the army. He didn't use his connection to his famous father and steadily climbed the ranks. Along the way, he gathered loyal followers and formed his own dark guards. Then three years ago, he finally became a general and was assigned in the Northern Borderlands. Fighting off the barbarians. In just two years, the general managed to send the barbarians away and peace finally came to this place.

For all the years An Yi knew the general, he has always been decisive and strict. Not only to those who followed him but also to himself. He trained his soldiers personally. But they never complained because they knew that he trained even harder than them. He could be harsh but it's always for their own good. He even gave away his salary to the people who needed it more. That's why even with his scary momentum, people respect him and were still willing to follow him.

But yesterday, something unexpected happened. One of the soldiers were watching a video in [VideoFlix]. The general happened to pass by and saw it. He took one look at the video then he suddenly grabbed the sPhone from the soldier. Then the general called him and told him to contact An Si and tell him to investigate everything about Argent Blackbourne.

It was easy since An Si was already in Amexem, the place where Argent Blackbourne was supposed to be in. When the distribution of sPhones reached Xing Empire five years ago, the general already gave An Si the mission of looking for the creator of the famous gadget. But there hasn't been any breakthrough until yesterday.

An Yi doesn't understand his master's fascination over this person. But since it was a command from him, they would do everything to fulfill it. "I will contact An Si immediately and tell him to make haste."

He heard the general sigh. The static in the air disappeared and An Yi knew the general was trying to calm himself. "Go."

An Yi bowed his head and disappeared.

Zhang Lei Feng put down his sword and closed his eyes. "Xia Yin..."

----------

Victoria City, independent city state and home of the Temple of Gaia.

The Temple of Gaia was the biggest religion in this world. They worship the goddess Gaia - the goddess of creation, the one who created everything in this world. They have many priests stationed around the world. And the highest one among them was the pope.

Right now, the young pope was sitting on the huge garden in the Temple of Gaia. He was wearing a white priest's robe. His golden blond hair was shining under the sun. His sky blue eyes were filled with warmth. There was a gentle smile on his lips, making him look even more approachable. He was giving off a very kind and gentle aura. People couldn't help but want to get close to him.

He was holding the latest sPhone and browsing the different topics on [Jiffy]. Most of them about Argent Blackbourne.

"Your Holiness, you shouldn't use such things," said the Archbishop he was having a tea with in the garden. "Have you forgotten what Pope Mellidor wrote in his annals? The war happened 500 years ago because of the Silver Witch and her demonic contraptions. This... sPhone is no different from those. And I heard they are also made by someone with silver hair. Surely, that's already a bad omen."

The young pope looked at the Archbishop and smiled. "But I find them interesting. This sPhone is not a weapon of mass destruction. At most, it's just a form of entertainment for people. You should relax a little, Archbishop. And also, we shouldn't think of people as sinners just because they have the same physical features as others. Don't you think?"

Being scolded by someone so much younger, the archbishop couldn't help but feel embarassed. So to save face, he stood up and respectfully bid goodbye to the pope.

The pope looked down at the sPhone again and clicked one of the pictures of Argent Blackbourne. He touched the screen and smiled. "Finally."