Chapter 534: Shelter (Part 2)
Chapter 534 -375: Shelter (Part 2)
And so, Shawn Summers’s enthusiasm only grew.
Aboard the ship, Paige Summers found two people particularly strange: Finn and Cameron Sherman.
Goodness knows why, but the two of them always wore such eager expressions, as if they were even more anxious to get to Astoria than her own people were!
But as far as Paige was concerned, if Maisie Joyce ever found out that Finn Sherman was the culprit behind the Vortex, the woman would absolutely tear him to shreds!
Just think of the miserable state of Southreach!
So many houses were gone, leaving a barren wasteland…
Of course, she wasn’t going to be the one to spill the beans. Even if the Shaman and Rhonda Rhodes hadn’t specifically asked her to keep it a secret, she wouldn’t have said anything. After all, Finn Sherman had been the one to rescue Summers Twelve in the end. Because of that, he had spent the next five or six days lying in bed, unable to move. Thinking about it, Paige felt that the Sherman Family’s Ghost Servant Secret Technique was a real pain to use—nowhere near as good as Astoria’s own Taoist Magic!
But back to the matter at hand. Even if she kept quiet, and the people from Bloodfall and everyone else in the know kept quiet, who could guarantee that Maisie Joyce wouldn’t figure it out on her own?
That girl’s Combat Power might not be much, but she was pretty sharp.
Southreach’s strength may have declined, but dealing with Finn Sherman—an uncle who currently seemed fragile, weak, and easy to push over—would still be a piece of cake. And then there was that little tag-along of his, Cameron Sherman, who had seemingly just started learning magic… Taking them both out with brute force would be almost too easy!
‘So what on earth are they so excited about!’
But Paige soon understood.
After Summers Twelve confirmed that they would reach Astoria’s Southern Shore in five days at most, the Shaman came to speak with her.
The Shaman’s attitude toward her was, relatively speaking, not bad. He was occasionally sharp-tongued, but never went too far.
Paige figured this was likely because she had once delivered a Blightworm right to his doorstep, allowing him to get his hands on the Blood Vine. Another reason was that he had run off with Rhonda Rhodes, and Rhonda valued her more than anyone else.
Of course, Paige knew how to play along.
‘After all, the guy’s an old demon who’s lived for who knows how many years… Ahem, an old senior.’
It was never wrong to be as polite as possible.
The Shaman wasn’t one to beat around the bush, so he stated the purpose of their conversation right from the start. “I hope that after we return to Astoria, you can temporarily take in Finn and Cameron Sherman.”
‘Ugh, what a hot potato!’
Paige gave a dry laugh. “Is that necessary?”
“What do you think?” The Shaman had no intention of playing along with her evasiveness.
Paige pouted slightly. “It’s not that I’m unwilling, but their identities are ultimately a problem. You know how much everyone hates Rovarians after what happened…” ‘Alright, fine, the truth is I don’t like Rovarians myself… Maybe it’s a prejudice, but even if it is, it’s already formed. It’s too hard to change it now!’
The Shaman snorted. “When you were raising that Zombie, didn’t you know how much people hated it?”
Paige said dismissively, “How is that the same thing! Ben is my friend. The Shermans have nothing to do with me.”
“Can you not be so ungrateful? Didn’t he save Summers Twelve?” the Shaman said with contempt.
Paige looked at him, completely justified. “Give me a break. He was injured, and didn’t I provide the medicine? Don’t think that just because I don’t know your spells I can’t figure out how valuable that pill was. It could increase his Power by several years, couldn’t it?”
‘That medicine pill came from the space, specially made by Sean Raines. I didn’t even feel bad about using it, and he’s still not satisfied!’
The Shaman pursed his lips, forced to admit she had a point.
Twenty years ago, even he would have considered that medicine pill a rare treasure. The key was that such things were just too uncommon in this world; you couldn’t find one just by looking.
Paige wouldn’t respond to force, so he had to try a softer approach.
The truth was, while he had been the one to bring them back, he had no desire to take responsibility for them. He had finally found a compatible partner for dual cultivation—who wanted to bring along two giant third wheels? Most importantly, by saving Sherman and stopping the Vortex Technique, the karmic debt was settled. He really didn’t want any more to do with the man.
Paige said, “Wait a minute! If you push them onto me, aren’t you incurring a karmic debt to me?!” ‘Don’t you dare bully me just because I don’t know Cultivation! I may not have eaten pork, but I’ve seen a pig run!’
The Shaman snorted haughtily. “Ronnie saved your cousin. You benefited greatly from that, and you’re not even willing to do this little thing!”
“That was Rhonda Rhodes. What does that have to do with you?”
“She and I are one and the same!”
Paige was speechless. “…”
The man was just too shameless. In the end, she agreed.
The Shaman had no sooner left her room than Finn Sherman arrived to thank her. ‘Those two old schemers must have planned this all along!’
She had always been polite and formal with Finn Sherman.
Because she didn’t like him.
She made it clear that she was only doing this as a favor to the Shaman and Rhonda Rhodes, absolving herself of any other connection.
Finn Sherman, for his part, didn’t seem to mind.
It seemed the two of them were on the same page.
One party needed a temporary refuge; the other had agreed to provide it to repay a favor.
And that was that.
They would stay for a while and then leave.
No one would owe anyone anything!
Paige first told Marcus Monroe about the arrangement, then gathered the other members of the Summers Family to inform them that the two from the Sherman Family would be living with them temporarily. At the same time, she warned them not to get too close to the pair.
She did this because Cameron Sherman, under the guise of learning the Astorian language, was building relationships with everyone from top to bottom. The various uncles of the Summers Family, who were clear about grievances and gratitude, held no prejudice against him. In fact, thanks to his likable nature, everyone seemed to be getting along quite well.
But Paige trusted her intuition. If Finn Sherman was an old fox, then Cameron Sherman was definitely a Little Fox.
‘Her uncles and brothers might not be a match for him!’
Everyone seriously agreed.
She was very relieved.
Later that evening, after the meeting had dispersed and she had returned to her room for an intimate session with Marcus Monroe, they lay in bed talking. He smiled and said to her, “Everyone’s really raising you like a daughter! At this rate, I think I’m about to be infected by it too!”