Xo Novel
Chapter 302
Chapter 302
Chapter 302 Arrival
"Even your father... I mean, Allen Augustine, the patriarch of our family, perished in that brutal pirate attack.
"The aftermath has been devastating. Tourists are terrified. They refuse to sail with us. Our business thus plummeted.
"We have a mere three seaworthy vessels left, and they sit idle, gathering dust. The rest are in the shipyard, and we haven't the funds to mend their broken hulls."
As Brian spoke, his countenance was fraught with palpable distress.
It was truly staggering to witness an ancient lineage reduced to such dire straits.
Osborne had anticipated that the Augustine family's circumstances would be bleak, but the reality surpassed his bleakest expectations!
Osborne thought, "Was this truly an ancient lineage?
Any top-tier affluent family likely lived a far more opulent life than the Augustine family, for instance, the Montague family in Skyefall.
The Montague family was also in the shipping trade, thriving effortlessly. They amassed wealth even in repose and continuously expanded their empire, far outshining the average ancient clan.
But the Augustine family painted a desolate picture.
Forget it. It was no use talking about it!"
In his mind, Osborne escalated the difficulty of the fifth heirloom trial to unprecedented heights.
Disaster was the word that echoed in his mind.
The Augustine family teetered on the brink. They lacked even the funds to repair their ships and had no other means to generate income. How could Osborne restore the Augustine family to its former glory? How could he propel the Augustine family to become one of the top three ancient clans in Dampston?
Osborne was wealthy. Upon completing the fourth trial, Godfather had bestowed upon him a staggering 20 billion dollars.
Moreover, Luna Jewelry and Skyefall Security Services were both lucrative ventures, amassing him an additional 30 billion dollars in cash.
Should he liquidate these assets, it would be sufficient to reverse the Augustine family's fortunes.
Yet, such an act would merely provide a temporary reprieve, not a permanent solution. To truly transform the Augustine family's predicament, Osborne must root out the underlying cause and identify who was targeting the Augustine family.
Osborne was convinced that a formidable force, or perhaps multiple forces, were orchestrating against the Augustine family.
Otherwise, those pirates would not have singled out the Augustine family's cruise ships, nor would Allen, the previous head of the Augustine family, have met his end.
After all, Allen was a Class A- metahuman.
Only by unmasking the masterminds targeting the Augustine family and neutralizing them could the issue be resolved once and for all.
"There's a traitor within the Augustine family!"
Osborne contemplated the first step of the heirloom trial, which tasked him with uncovering the traitor within the Augustine family.This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.
"Tell me about the Augustine family's current strength."
Osborne composed himself and continued to inquire. The more he grasped the Augustine family's situation, the better equipped he would be to address the crisis.
Brian nodded.
"The Augustine family currently boasts three Class A- metahumans, six Class A- martial artists, nine Class B+ metahumans, and twelve Class B+ martial artists."
Osborne's eyes gleamed with recognition.
This roster was quite formidable. Although there was not a Class A master, it was befitting of an ancient lineage.
"What is the Augustine family's inherited power?"
Osborne probed further.
A shadow of embarrassment flickered across Brian's face. "The truth is our family does not possess any genuine inherited power." "No inherited power?"
Osborne was stunned. Typically, ancient families endured for centuries or millennia due to inherited powers. After all, there must be metahumans in each generation to ensure the family's perpetual strength.
For example, the Radcliffe family's inherited power was the earth elemental.
Donna, Barlyn, and even Dylan were all metahumans with the earth elemental.
The Chevalier family's inherited power was the fire elemental.
Similarly, the inherited power of the Paltrow family in Dampston was the lightning elemental.
Alexander thus commanded the power of lightning elemental.
Legend had it that the lightning Alexander controlled was not ordinary lightning but mutated lightning, far more potent than ordinary lightning. But the Augustine family had no inherited powers!
If so, how had they persisted for 921 years?
The absence of inherited powers meant that the number of
powers, would be significantly reduced, and the nature of
descendants capable ing
l.n
powers activated would be entirely unpredictable. They could be formidable or exceptionally feeble.
Osborne was profoundly surprised.
Brian stammered embarrassedly, "We do not possess any special inherited powers, but the number and proportion of metahumans in our family's descendants are not inferior to any ancient family.
"It is said that our ancestors also
inherited powers, and they were very
powerful. However, for some
unknown reason, they could not longer be passed on. Nevertheless, our genes are still stronger than those of ordinary people, so we can activate our powers more easily.
"The Augustine family members have various powers.
"There are elemental ones, mind control ones, psychic ones, and even shape-shifting ones. You will naturally know these after you come to the Augustine Estate and come into contact with them."
Osborne nodded, looking forward to it.
"I already know most of the situation, but I can't promise to change the Augustine family's current situation. Let's talk about it after I investigate."
Brian nodded.
In fact, he no longer had much confidence in Osborne, who was too young to be prepared at all. How could Osborne solve the problem that so many members of the Augustine family, with their collective wisdom, couldn't solve?
No more words were exchanged between Brian and Osborne.
The helicopter sliced through the sky with remarkable speed. Being neighbors, Skyefall and Dampston were but a stone's throw away, so in a little over two hours, the helicopter touched down in the bustling Pinchide City of Dampston.
The Augustine Estate stood proudly on a sprawling expanse of land that kissed the edge of the sea, just beyond the bustling heart of Pinchide City.
As the helicopter descended, Osborne could see a throng of members of the Augustine family gathered.
They seemed to wait for Osborne.