chapter 16 Use your whole life to make up for it

In the vast office of the Safety Bureau headquarters in Shorysford City, hundreds of officials watched the entire process of Atius and Riggan's confrontation through satellite imagery. The room fell silent as the screen froze on the massive vortex of true qi. The white-haired chief sighed, "The rumors are true; the Lord of the War God Palace is indeed a Divine Rank expert." "Such a genius appears but once in a thousand years; it's a pity he's not one of ours." Another elder shook his head, "The silver lining is that the War God Palace stands with our Red Dragon Kingdom." The two speakers were Saint Rank experts from the headquarters of the Safety Bureau. The others fell silent. The origins of the Lord of the War God Palace had always been a mystery. It was only through the events of the past three days that they learned Atius was the son of Dwayne Seymour, the previous head of the Seymour family. Thinking of Dwayne, many sighed. He was once a renowned genius of the Red Dragon Kingdom, touted as the most likely to achieve Saint Rank before the age of a hundred. "The matter is concluded. Notify all parties to wrap things up. The events of these past three days are to be classified as SSS-level archives and sealed permanently!" ... In Wimston Province, at the Jernigan family estate, Eilir stood by the window in her nightgown, filled with worry and anxiety. She had spent another sleepless night, looking even more haggard. The wind blew through the window, pressing the nightgown against her slender frame. Calandra handed Eilir a cup of hot coffee and said softly, "Eilir, don't worry. My father has found Nidawi's whereabouts, and she will be brought back soon." Eilir looked down at the 'Heart of the Galaxy' necklace in her palm and then, with tearful eyes, said to Calandra, "Calandra, I don't know how to face Atius." Tears swirled in Eilir's eyes, "Do you know? The moment I saw him at the Yates family, all I felt was fear." "I was afraid he'd lose his life, and even more afraid he'd ask why I deprived him of his right to be a father." Calandra sighed and gently patted Eilir on the back, "The Yates family offended a powerful figure and no longer exists." "If you still love him, you could go to a city where no one can find you and live a peaceful life as a family of three." Eilir sobbed on Calandra's shoulder. Calandra's gaze fell on the necklace in Eilir's hand and sighed again, "Eilir, I've never seen that bastard Atius, nor do I know what kind of person he is." "But he is Nidawi's father, after all, irreplaceable." As she spoke, a helicopter appeared in the distant sky. "Eilir, look, it must be my father returning!" Calandra clapped Eilir excitedly, "Maybe Nidawi is back too!" Eilir quickly wiped away her tears and turned to look at the sky. The helicopter approached and soon landed on the helipad. However, only Gillespie and two others disembarked. Calandra called out, "Dad, where's Nidawi?" Gillespie smiled and nodded, "The child has been rescued and is with her father." "Ms. Eilir Yates, the helicopter will take you to reunite with them." Feeling the respect in Gillespie's tone, Eilir quickly bowed in thanks, "Thank you, uncles, for your help. I will always remember this kindness." The three Gillespies stepped aside, not daring to accept her bow. Soon, Calandra pulled Eilir down the stairs to join her on the helicopter. Gillespie said irritably, "Calandra, get down from there!" Calandra shook her head, "Nidawi is my goddaughter; I naturally want to visit." "And I want to confront that bastard Atius in person, ask him why he never came back for Eilir all these years!" The three Gillespies were shocked and ran over, shouting, "Calandra, if you dare to mess around, you're no longer my daughter!" But Calandra had already closed the helicopter door and urged the pilot to take off. Gillespie and the others reached the helicopter but could only watch helplessly as it took off. On the villa's rooftop, Twin Girl leapt down and landed steadily in front of the three Gillespies. The sight of the identical young women startled the Gillespies, especially sensing their Heaven Rank pinnacle expert aura, their faces turned pale. Indivar, in the late stages of Heaven Rank, was already mobilizing his true qi, prepared to fight to the death. Twin Girl, however, bowed to the three men, speaking in unison, "The Lord has asked us to thank you for your care of the Lady." The Gillespies realized that Atius had arranged for two Heaven Rank pinnacle experts to protect Eilir. After exchanging bows, Twin Girl departed. They moved swiftly, catching up with the helicopter and staying right below it, ready to eliminate any threat to Eilir's safety. Half an hour later, the helicopter entered Yeoannes City airspace. As they flew over the Yates Residence, Eilir instinctively looked over. The once-grand estate was now ruins, with bulldozers leveling the grounds, erasing its former glory. Calandra laughed with satisfaction, "This is the Yates family's deserved fate!" "I heard that after destroying the Yates family, the powerful figure wasn't satisfied and ordered the place flattened." "Eilir, we should thank him; otherwise, the Yates family would still be looking for you everywhere." Pain flickered in Eilir's eyes, "I don't want to talk about the Yates family anymore." Calandra nodded and changed the subject, "When the Carlyle family was destroyed, I saw the powerful figure's silhouette through binoculars, and I still can't forget the shock." Calandra's eyes shone as she excitedly linked arms with Eilir, "Eilir, do you think I'll ever see that powerful figure again?" Knowing her child was safe, Eilir relaxed and smiled, "Such a figure is destined for an extraordinary life." "Calandra, you've always admired such people; you could try asking Mr. Jernigan to contact him." Calandra nodded, "If I get in touch, we'll go see him together." Eilir shook her head, "No, I just want to lead a peaceful life with Nidawi. Such a figure is destined to have no part in my life." Unknown to Eilir, the pilot's communicator had been on the entire time, and her words reached Atius without a single word missing. At the top of Yeoannes Tower, Atius glanced at the dozens of Heaven Rank experts behind him and the hundreds of Shadow members around the helipad and waved them off, "You all leave first! Don't scare Eilir." The Heaven Rank experts were not pleased. "Lord, we haven't even met the Lady yet!" "Yeah, I want to hold little Lord too." "Lord, please let us stay!" Atius, holding Nidawi, glared and shouted, "What's the rush? There will be plenty of chances later, now scram." Seeing the Heaven Rank experts' disappointed faces, Atius laughed without any good humor, "You can visit in a few days." They finally smiled and quickly departed. Atius then turned to the Shadow standing beside him and waved, "You take the Shadow members and withdraw too." Shadow nodded, and with a gesture, the hundreds of Shadow members also swiftly left. Minutes later, the helicopter appeared in Atius' view. Nidawi seemed to sense her mother's presence, clinging tightly to Atius' neck, opening her sleepy eyes, and asked softly, "Daddy, is Mommy coming?" Atius kissed Nidawi's forehead gently, "Yes, Mommy will be here soon." "Yay!" Nidawi raised her hands in the air, cheering. Suddenly, Nidawi rested her head on Atius' shoulder and asked weakly, "Daddy, can you take Mommy and me to ride the merry-go-round? Nidawi has never been on one." Atius' heart trembled, "Hasn't Mommy taken you before?" Nidawi shook her head, extending her chubby little hand to pinch Atius' ear, "We've been many times, but every time the other kids' daddies were there, then Mommy would take me away." Tears shimmered in Atius' eyes; he couldn't imagine the pain Eilir had endured these five years. The debt he owed mother and daughter was something he could never repay in this lifetime.