182-184

Chapter 182: Dragging Everyone Down with Him 

Roy didn't hesitate and quickly stripped off his clothes and jumped into the pool. 

The water in this pool was bone-chillingly cold. Even though Roy's Constitution stat was already as high as 57 points, he could still feel a coldness seeping into him from the outside. 

"Little Roy, soak in the water for a bit. I need to go prepare some things." 

With that, Elizabeth left the basement. 

Roy soaked in the pool for about five minutes, feeling like he was about to shrivel up from the cold, before he saw Elizabeth return. 

Elizabeth had changed her attire. She was only wearing a black, transparent gauze robe, with nothing underneath, making her look mysterious and alluring. 

The guy was holding a basin in his hands. Because Roy was soaking in the pool, he couldn't see what was in the basin, but logically, it should be some kind of liquid. 

"Don't move!" 

With that, Elizabeth poured the contents of the basin over Roy's head. Instantly, a strong, bloody smell assaulted his nostrils. 

"Ah, what kind of blood is this?" 

The water in the pool was dyed bright red, startling Roy. 

Elizabeth saw through Roy's thoughts. 

"Little Roy, don't worry, this isn't human blood. It's sheep's blood." 

Roy sniffed carefully and indeed could smell a hint of mutton in the bloody scent. He was relieved. 

Immediately afterward, Elizabeth took out a silver dagger and made a cut on her fair, jade-like arm. A drop of blood fell into the pool. 

The water in the pool instantly heated up, changing from bone-chillingly cold to scorching hot, and even started bubbling. 

Even with Roy's partial demon bloodline and naturally high fire resistance, he felt like he couldn't handle it. 

"Little Roy, endure it!" 

Since Elizabeth had said so, Roy had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it. 

However, Roy didn't have to endure it for long. Elizabeth also stepped into the blood pool and hugged him in her arms. 

Compared to the scorching blood pool, Elizabeth's body temperature felt cool and refreshing, making him feel very comfortable. 

Then, Elizabeth leaned close to Roy's ear and whispered seductively. 

"Now, let the show begin." 

The sword blank was placed into the charcoal fire! 

Roy felt like he was being quenched in a furnace, yet Elizabeth's skin was cool. 

The heat of the blood pool, the coolness of Elizabeth, the heat of the furnace—the feeling was quite peculiar. 

Especially since Elizabeth also used the illegal move from the competition, the koala hug, practically hanging completely onto Roy. 

This really tested his core and abdominal strength. 

Fortunately, after his trip to Los Angeles, Roy was no longer the same. All his stats had increased by at least 10 points, and his combat power had greatly improved compared to a month ago. 

During the battle, Elizabeth also spoke into Roy's ear with heavy breaths. 

"Remember, little Roy, your life is mine. I don't want to see you getting involved with any shady women!" 

This was probably referring to Asmodeus. Elizabeth never cared when Roy fooled around with other women before. 

It was only after smelling Asmodeus's scent that Elizabeth's expression would change drastically. 

It seemed that the conflict between the King of Sloth and the King of Lust was even greater than Roy had imagined. 

Roy initially thought that the two sides had some entanglement of interests, but now, judging from Elizabeth's tone, it seemed that there was more of a personal grudge between the two demon kings. 

What kind of grudge could it be? 

This kind of gossip was quite intriguing. After all, Asmodeus was once a subordinate of Belial, ranking thirty-second among the seventy-two pillars of Solomon in ancient times. At that time, he was just a mid-ranking demon, but he eventually rose to become Asmodeus, one of the seven princes of Hell. 

This was even more exaggerated than the ascensions of Beelzebub and Mammon, who were at least the leader of the seventy-two pillars and ranked seventh, respectively—both were high-ranking demons. 

Roy suspected that Elizabeth's conflict with Asmodeus might be due to this. 

However, Elizabeth's domineering words still made Roy very dissatisfied. He didn't refute her verbally but expressed his attitude through action. 

Demon Transformation! 

Frenzy! 

He'd drag them all down with him! 

The sudden change in size made Elizabeth's eyes widen. The majesty of the demon queen almost faltered. 

Then, Roy silently dragged Elizabeth down to the bottom of the blood pool, catching her off guard. 

In the blood water, Roy felt as relaxed and comfortable as a fish. He didn't expect his expert-level water sports skills to come into play for the first time in this situation. 

And because Elizabeth wasn't good at underwater combat, she was actually suppressed by Roy for the first time in a fight. 

This made Roy very excited, and he began to output even more violently, wanting to seize the initiative and turn the tables completely! 

[Ding! Obtained Belial's Conquest Treasure Chest! Open it?] 

He didn't know how long had passed, but the blood-red color in the pool gradually disappeared, returning to its clear state. Only a black, transparent gauze robe floated on the surface of the water. 

After a while, Elizabeth emerged from the pool and picked up the black gauze robe to drape it over herself. 

Then, Roy, who had returned to his normal form, also popped his head out of the pool. 

"I must say, little Roy, you always manage to bring me some surprises!" 

Elizabeth conjured a chair and gracefully sat down, savoring the feeling from just now. 

This ability to create something out of nothing was truly enviable. Roy wondered how Elizabeth did it. 

Roy looked at Elizabeth with a tired expression. Although he had indeed won, it was a pyrrhic victory. 

"Teacher Elizabeth, how long do I have to soak before the mark is completely gone?" 

Elizabeth looked at Roy strangely. 

"Mark? It was directly removed after my blood dropped in just now! You can come up anytime." 

Roy opened his mouth, realizing that everything afterward was just to satisfy her, wasn't it? 

The ritual to remove the mark took ten minutes, while satisfying Elizabeth took three hours. This was truly... 

Very much in line with Elizabeth's personality. 

Roy climbed out of the pool speechlessly and put on his clothes. 

"Teacher Elizabeth, where does the underground water in this pool come from?" 

"You mean this? Actually, this underground water is connected to the pool at the Great Falls." 

The Great Falls was the scenic spot outside Gravity Falls, and the main source of income for the town's tourism industry. 

"That pool? But why is it so cold?" 

"Hehe, because this pool has a passage leading to Hell. That's how I came here." 

Elizabeth's words reminded Roy of the movie Jennifer's Body. Indeed, there were hints that the pool at the bottom of the Great Falls was connected to another world, but Roy didn't expect Elizabeth to have come to the human world through this passage. 

This also reminded Roy of another place, room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel. 

"Teacher Elizabeth, are there many such passages connecting to Hell in this world?" 

"Yes, there are indeed many, but most of them are sealed off after being discovered. However, new passages will always appear." 

Roy looked puzzled, and Elizabeth continued to explain. 

"The distance between different worlds isn't static. Just like celestial bodies, they are always in a dynamic process of change. So, from time to time, some space-time passages will appear for various reasons. Some are not discovered and nothing happens, and they will close themselves later. Others are discovered, or some accidents occur, and then they will be sealed off. 

And this pool is the Hell passage that I discovered and stabilized." 

So that's how it was. Roy looked thoughtful. 

"Alright, little fellow, shouldn't you be going home? Considering your good performance today, I can give you a little reminder. That little one at your house has been acting a bit strange lately!" 

The little one at home? Was she talking about Emma? 

Before the trip to Los Angeles, Lilith had once reminded Roy that Emma was a witch who hadn't awakened yet and told him to be careful. 

However, because Allen Berg was urging him, Roy didn't deal with Emma's matter and only asked Lilith to help keep an eye on her. 

Could something have happened? 

Roy quickly sped up getting dressed, but because of the large movements, his lower back faintly ached. 

Damn it, his Constitution still wasn't high enough! 

Seeing Roy's small movement of supporting his lower back, Elizabeth laughed. 

"Little Roy, you still need to work harder! Teacher has high hopes for you!" 

Roy glared at Elizabeth fiercely, feeling like he had turned into poultry being evaluated by a customer. 

Just you wait, before long, I'll make you call me Daddy just like Eluriel! 

Huh, why did he suddenly think of Eluriel? 

Roy shook his head and left Elizabeth's estate. 

It was already late at night. Roy first drove back to his own house, only to find that no one was home. 

After listening to the messages on the answering machine, he learned that his parents had gone on a business trip for a few days, and Emma was currently staying at Niddy's house temporarily. 

Well, the matter between Roy and Jennifer and Niddy had already been understood by both families. 

And Niddy's parents, Arthur and Rebecca, didn't openly oppose the three of them being together because Roy had saved Niddy's life. 

As a result, the relationship between the parents of the two families became better and better, and they would help each other out with anything. 

Great! Might as well go to Niddy's place to take a look! 

Roy put away his luggage and then drove to Niddy's house. 

"Roy, you're back!" 

Niddy, who opened the door, looked at Roy with surprise and then hugged him uncontrollably. 

Although Roy had been chatting with Niddy on MSN almost every day while he was in Los Angeles, this feeling definitely couldn't compare to hugging each other face-to-face and pouring out their hearts. 

Sure enough, absence makes the heart grow fonder. After being apart for a month, Niddy actually had the courage to hug him主动. 

Then Roy wouldn't be polite and directly captured the other party's rosy lips. 

"Mmm—" 

Niddy didn't struggle and greedily took what was offered, as if trying to make up for all the longing of the past few days, forgetting that they were right at the doorstep. 

"Niddy, who is it?" 

Rebecca called out from inside the house, quickly waking Niddy up. She immediately wanted to break free from Roy. 

But the war was initiated by Niddy, and when the war ended would depend on Roy's will. 

Roy naturally wouldn't let go of Niddy so easily, but at this moment, he heard light footsteps, as if someone was secretly watching. 

Releasing Niddy, Roy saw Emma standing at the corner, looking at him and Niddy kissing with a blank expression, a strange look in her eyes. 

Being seen kissing by someone, and a child at that, made Niddy very shy and she couldn't help but punch Roy a few times. 

"Mom, Roy's here!" 

As soon as she heard that Roy was here, Jennifer also came out. 

"Roy, you're back!" 

Roy noticed that after Jennifer appeared, Emma immediately shrank back, looking very afraid of her. 

"Yeah, I'm back." 

Jennifer also gave Roy a warm hug, practically clinging to him like a koala. 

Compared to Niddy, Jennifer's "body" missed Roy even more. 

However, with Niddy and Emma present, Jennifer was too embarrassed to kiss Roy directly. 

"Roy's here! Are you sure you want to be affectionate at the front door?" 

Rebecca walked out of the house and happened to see Jennifer clinging to Roy. 

Jennifer immediately became shy as well. Even the campus queen had her embarrassing moments, and she quickly pulled Roy and Niddy upstairs to hide in the bedroom. 

As for Emma, she could only watch the three of them enter the room with a complicated expression. 

"Roy, did your trip to UCLA go smoothly?" 

Niddy was the first to ask Roy how his talks with UCLA went. After all, it concerned whether the three of them could attend the same university in the second half of the year, and this was the most important thing in her heart. 

"Very smoothly. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be classmates at UCLA in the second half of the year." 

Ever since Roy had made some promises to Allen Berg, the latter had become very proactive, not only getting UCLA to agree to Roy's previous conditions but also helping him negotiate even more favorable terms. 

Indeed, as long as people have enough benefits, they will exploit themselves. 

"That's great!" 

Niddy and Jennifer were both very happy. 

Afterward, the three of them began chatting about interesting things that had happened during this time. Although some things had already been said on MSN and in text messages, the feeling of saying them face-to-face was still different. 

Especially the two new incidents that happened to Roy on his way home. 

If there were no surprises, Ashley would definitely continue her studies at Oakwood High School. Roy decided to give Jennifer and Niddy a heads-up. 

Jennifer pouted. 

"Looks like you had a pretty good time during this period, no wonder you have such dark circles under your eyes!" 

Actually, Jennifer had already learned about Roy's romantic affairs from Lilith, the other soul residing in her body, and she had already silently accepted this fact in her heart. 

But accepting it was one thing, and seeing and hearing it firsthand was another. 

However, the main reason for Roy's dark circles was the exploitation by a certain unscrupulous teacher, and it didn't have much to do with this trip to Los Angeles. 

Niddy, on the other hand, didn't care. As a genius girl with outstanding intelligence, she could also vaguely sense some things. 

"As long as the three of us can continue to live happily together, I'll be satisfied!" 

Niddy hugged Roy and Jennifer. After experiencing the Pennywise incident and the near-death danger, this was her true feeling from the bottom of her heart. 

The three hugged each other, quietly enjoying this warm moment. 

Then, Roy suddenly remembered Elizabeth's previous reminder. 

"Jennifer, there's something I want to talk to you about privately." 

Jennifer and Niddy in the same frame 

Chapter 183: This is Getting Complicated 

Nidi saw how serious Roy looked and immediately knew it was about something important. 

"Should I maybe step out for a bit?" 

Jennifer shook her head. "No need. Nidi already knows everything about me." 

Looks like Jennifer had spilled the beans to Nidi over the past month, including her relationship with Roy and the other soul inside her, Lilith. 

With that out in the open, Roy didn't hold back around Nidi. "How's Emma been doing lately?" 

As soon as Jennifer heard it was about Emma, her expression turned strange. "You know what? Lilith should probably tell you about Emma." 

With that, Jennifer closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her whole vibe had changed. She was suddenly all flirty and seductive. 

"Oh, well hello there, Master Roy. What can I do for you?" 

Nidi stared at Roy and Lilith in shock, totally surprised by their dynamic. 

Being a homebody who spends a lot of time online, Nidi pretty much knew the score. Her theoretical knowledge was solid – she probably knew more than Jennifer in some ways – but she just didn't have any real-world experience. That's why she immediately understood what Lilith was implying. 

Feeling Nidi's weird stare, Roy's face darkened. "Didn't I tell you not to call me master?" 

Lilith put on a deliberately surprised look. "Did you? But I remember you seemed pretty thrilled when I called you master before!" 

This is getting way too complicated! 

This whole back-and-forth was happening right in front of Nidi, making her regret ever staying. 

"I, uh, I think I'll just head out. You guys have a good chat!" Nidi said, her face bright red. She stood up to make a run for it, but Roy quickly grabbed her arm, otherwise things would get really awkward. 

"Hold up! Let's not talk about that anymore! Lilith, I just wanted to ask you about Emma." 

Lilith finally stopped joking around and got down to business. "If nothing goes wrong, Emma should be awakening her witch abilities pretty soon." 

"That soon?" Roy was surprised. 

He'd looked into witches a bit and knew that they seem normal at birth. It's not until puberty, usually during a period of intense emotional upheaval, that their witch talents awaken. 

Jennifer, for example, had awakened after the Halloween incident last year, though she hadn't realized it at the time. 

Nidi looked at Roy and Lilith with a bit of confusion. "Isn't a witch awakening a good thing?" 

Lilith explained, as she and Nidi got along pretty well. "It's not that simple. When a witch awakens, it creates noticeable supernatural phenomena, especially the stronger the witch is. The waves produced during this awakening can attract the attention of the Witch Coven!" 

Lilith had mentioned the Witch Coven more than once. Roy had even asked Saltana about them when he was in Los Angeles. 

The Witch Coven was founded in the late 17th century because of the famous Salem Witch Trials. 

Back in 1692, in Salem Town, Massachusetts, a pastor's daughter suddenly fell ill with a strange sickness. The church believed it was witchcraft, so they started a witch hunt. Innocent people were constantly persecuted, and eventually, 19 people were hanged, and one was crushed to death with stones. 

That was Roy's understanding of the Salem Witch Trials from his past life. The event had a huge impact, so it was often adapted or mentioned in various American cultural products. 

In this world, the Salem Witch Trials were a bit different. There actually was a witch who awakened her powers and lost control, leading to a series of tragedies. 

So, some of the witches at the time decided to band together. Partly to fight against the church's persecution, and partly to ensure that when new witches awakened, they wouldn't cause similar horrific events. 

In modern times, with the church's power weakened, the Witch Coven's life was much easier. 

Now, the Witch Coven has a working relationship with the FEA, but their main area of operation is on the East Coast. They're not as common out west. 

"The Witch Coven possesses some kind of artifact that can monitor the waves produced when a witch awakens. As soon as a witch awakens, they'll be discovered and taken away." 

Lilith definitely didn't want Emma to be taken by the Witch Coven. After all, the little girl had considerable talent, and if she were taken by the Coven, it would just strengthen her daughter's power. 

Hearing this, Nidi was curious again. "Then why didn't the Witch Coven show up when Jennifer awakened?" 

"That's because I also woke up at the same time as Jennifer. I used witchcraft to mask the waves produced when Jennifer awakened, so we weren't discovered by the Witch Coven." 

That explanation made sense to Nidi. 

Then Roy had another question. "Why is Emma awakening so early? That doesn't seem normal, does it?" 

There's a reason why witches awaken their powers during puberty. Their bodies and minds reach the necessary conditions for awakening at that time. 

But Emma was only eight years old. Physically, she shouldn't meet the criteria for awakening yet. 

Lilith pursed her lips. "My guess is that Emma has some kind of special bloodline. This makes her mind stronger than that of a typical witch, which is why she can awaken early. But this also means she's more dangerous." 

Back in ancient times, angels, demons, humans, and all sorts of other monsters could roam freely in the human world, which is why so many weird bloodlines came into being. 

But one day, good old Grandpa God apparently felt like things were getting out of hand, so he caused a great flood and wiped out the whole world. 

Most creatures with special bloodlines were wiped out in that flood, but a small number of these unique bloodlines still survived. 

Jennifer, for example, was someone who carried the bloodline of the original witch, Lilith. 

"So, do you know what kind of special blood Emma has?" Roy asked. 

Lilith shook her head. "Not sure. Emma hasn't shown any signs of regressing to an ancestor, but I'm pretty sure it's not some kind of higher-realm bloodline. It's likely related to Hell, which is probably why that little kid has such a strange and extreme personality." 

Emma's personality was indeed very gloomy, not like a normal child at all. 

Roy had interacted with several kids around Emma's age in the past few days, like Ceci and Mike. 

Mike was even the same age as Emma and might go to the same elementary school later on, but even though Mike was introverted, he wasn't as odd as Emma. 

Roy looked thoughtful, then remembered another question. "I've noticed Emma seems a little afraid of you. What's up with that?" 

"Well, I was trying to help Emma mask the waves from her witch awakening, but for some reason, that kid was always really resistant to me. So, I used a little trick, and then she started being afraid of me." 

Looks like Lilith had scared Emma, giving the little kid some kind of trauma. 

But Emma was very polite and kept her distance from everyone. It just seemed like she had a particular dislike for Lilith, or maybe Jennifer, and nobody knew why. 

"Alright, well, I'll talk to Emma and try to reason with her after I take her home tonight." 

Lilith scoffed. "I don't think you need to bother. Even though that little brat isn't very old, she's got a lot on her mind. I don't know what kind of family could raise a kid like that." 

Yeah, Emma's situation was definitely unusual. 

After chatting about Emma, Roy continued talking with Nidi and Lilith for a while longer. It wasn't until Nidi's mother, Rebecca, knocked on the door that they realized it was almost midnight. 

Even though Rebecca and Arthur had accepted Roy as their son-in-law, there was no way they were going to let Roy stay overnight in their daughter's room. 

So, Roy said goodbye to Nidi's family and took Emma back to his own place. 

Emma sat in the back seat with a blank expression, seemingly lost in thought. 

Remembering Elizabeth's earlier warning, Roy decided to talk to Emma. "Hey Emma, have you been doing okay at my place for the past month or so?" 

A flawless, perfect smile spread across Emma's face, brighter than any toothpaste commercial. "It's been good. I really like Waterfall Town!" 

"Don't you miss your old home and your dad?" 

Roy caught a barely perceptible change in Emma's eyes. 

"Of course, I miss my old home and my dad. I wonder when we'll be able to go back." 

Emma's mood started to seem down. Every movement, every expression was incredibly precise, like it had been perfectly rehearsed. 

This made Roy frown slightly. 

Everything was perfect, but it felt way too fake! 

People aren't robots; they can't be that perfect. And even robots can have bugs. 

The more Emma acted this way, the more Roy felt like something was seriously wrong with her. But her current attitude was completely uncooperative. It looked like he would still need to talk to her parents about a solution. 

After all, Roy didn't have any kids of his own and didn't have any experience in this area. 

Back home, Emma went to her bedroom to rest on her own, while Roy went back to his room to make a phone call. 

"Hey Dad, it's Roy." 

"Roy? What's up?" 

"I wanted to talk to you about Emma." 

"Emma? Are you home?" 

"Yeah, I wanted to know what Emma's original family situation was like." 

Hearing this, Phillip Black on the other end of the phone couldn't help but sigh. "Emma's family situation is pretty complicated. Her mother passed away from an illness a long time ago, and her father raised her all by himself. A few months ago, Emma's father, who is your uncle, suddenly had a psychotic break and tried to kill Emma. Emma was very lucky. A neighbor happened to see it and shot Emma's father, severing his spine. Now her father is in a vegetative state. Maybe that's what traumatized Emma, being harmed by her own father like that." 

Wow, Emma really had such a messed-up past. 

But Roy didn't get the feeling that Emma was acting like someone who had been traumatized. 

"So, what should we do?" 

"Roy, I've already made an appointment for Emma with a well-known child psychologist in Austin. We won't be able to get back for a few days, so I'd like you to take Emma to see the doctor." 

So Phillip had already taken care of it. There wasn't much more to say then. 

"Okay, when is it?" 

"It's this weekend at ten o'clock in the morning. I'll send you the contact information and the address." 

Roy hung up the phone, hoping this psychologist could help Emma get back to normal. 

He went to Emma's bedroom and glanced at her sleeping. 

Sleeping Emma was actually pretty cute, way cuter than when she was awake. 

Roy pulled the blanket that had slipped off back over the little girl and went back to his own room to rest. 

The next day, Roy went back to his school routine. First, he dropped Emma off at her school, then he picked up Jennifer and Nidi to take them to school. 

Having been absent from campus for a month, many students were really surprised to see Roy. 

"Roy, I thought you dropped out!" Nancy exclaimed, looking pretty excited to see him. 

Roy was confused. "Huh?" 

"How could such a ridiculous rumor get started? I just took some time off!" 

Then, Carly came over. "I think I heard that rumor too." 

Roy was pretty annoyed. "Who started that?" 

Carly thought for a moment, then shook her head, indicating she didn't know. 

Then, Peggy, who had been secretly listening the whole time, raised her hand. "I know, I know! Those kinds of rumors at school are usually spread by Wade!" 

Roy looked over at Wade and saw him shrinking in the corner, looking like he was terrified of being seen. 

"Wade..." Roy said, drawing out the name. 

Wade looked at Roy awkwardly. "Boss, I just said you might have gone to play professionally. I don't know how it turned into the rumor that you dropped out." 

Wade was really scared of Roy now, terrified that Roy was going to beat him up. 

Roy decided to give him some "face" and gave the guy a suplex right there in front of everyone. 

"Don't let me hear you spreading rumors about me again!" Roy warned. 

"I messed up, Boss!" Wade yelped. 

Just then, Mr. Mills walked into the classroom. He looked at Wade lying on the floor with a confused expression. "Mr. Wade, what exactly are you doing?" 

Wade quickly scrambled to his feet. "Mr. Mills, I was just feeling a little hot, so I lay down on the floor to cool off." 

"Mr. Wade, if you're really that hot, I suggest you go jump into the Great Falls. That would probably work a little better," Mr. Mills said dryly, then announced the official start of class. 

Roy's class was nearing graduation for senior year, so the learning pace was inevitably a bit rushed. 

But none of this mattered to Roy. He had already received his acceptance letter from UCLA. Even if he didn't attend another class for the rest of the year, he could still get into UCLA. 

But there were other students in the class who wanted to go to college, and Roy wouldn't do anything to interfere with them. 

After class, Wade suddenly approached Roy. "Boss, it's time to split the earnings." 

"Let's talk somewhere a little more private," Roy suggested. 

They went to a corner where no other students could see them. Wade took out a plastic bag and handed it to Roy. It was full of cash. 

A quick glance told Roy there was probably around $100,000 in there. 

But Roy had made a lot of big money in Los Angeles and wasn't really interested in this small amount anymore. 

He casually took the money. Roy noticed that Wade had a hesitant expression, like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how. 

"Wade, is there anything else you wanted to say?" Roy asked. 

Seeming to have made up his mind, Wade tentatively asked Roy, "Boss, I've found some weird stuff lately. Could you maybe take a look?" 

The Bad Seed 

Chapter 184: Bad Seed 

Man, Wade's got some wild ideas! 

"What's going on?" 

"Hey boss, so here's the thing! You know how I've been saving up some money? Well, I figured selling drugs wasn't a long-term plan, especially since my cousin Seth skipped town. So, I started looking into other ways to make money. Then, through some connections, I got into the whole storage unit auction thing." 

Storage unit auctions are a pretty unique way to make money in America. 

See, in America, there are a lot of storage unit rental companies that specialize in letting people store their personal belongings. 

If a customer stops paying the rent on their storage unit, the rental company has the right to auction it off. 

The rental company will open the unit for potential buyers to take a quick look, and then the bidding starts. 

Every now and then, someone will find antiques or gold or something in a unit and strike it rich overnight, which has attracted a lot of people to get involved. 

But at the end of the day, it's still gambling, and the risks are pretty high. 

Most of the units actually just contain junk and aren't worth much, and a lot of people who get into storage unit auctions end up losing their shirts. 

After all, if a unit is actually valuable, the rental company would probably take it for themselves. The ones that end up in the auction market are usually the ones that aren't worth much. 

Storage unit auctions are really just a way of trying to find a hidden gem. 

"Where are you doing these storage unit auctions?" 

"In Austin." 

"Alright, I'm actually heading to Austin this weekend anyway, so I'll look you up when I'm there." 

Roy thought Wade was a decent guy and decided to give him a hand. 

Hearing this, Wade looked surprised and happy. 

"Boss, if I find anything good, I'll cut you in on it!" 

Roy shrugged. He wasn't really expecting Wade to find anything valuable. 

But you never know, that kid Wade has pretty good luck. 

After school, Roy dropped Jennifer, Needy, and Emma off at home like usual, and then went to see the Parkers. 

Through Roy's introduction, Samantha had found a pretty decent house and was getting ready to move in. 

As for the school transfer, that was pretty much sorted out too. Tomorrow, Ashley would become Roy's new classmate, and Mike would be in Emma's class. 

Roy followed Samantha on a tour of their new place and saw that it was a good size and the furniture inside was all there – pretty much move-in ready. 

"This house looks great! How much did it cost?" 

"Only ten thousand bucks!" 

That's so cheap? Could it be haunted? 

Roy looked at Samantha and noticed she looked exhausted. It didn't seem like a good time to bring that up. 

So he changed the subject last minute. 

"What did the police department say?" 

"I already gave my resume to Chief Hughes, and according to him, it shouldn't be a problem." 

The other sheriff, George, is about to retire, so Waterfall Town really needs a young, new sheriff, and Samantha's timing couldn't be better. 

"That's good! How's Elrisha doing?" 

"Other than her weird eating habits, most of the time Elrisha is just like any other kid and she's pretty easy to take care of." 

As she was talking, Elrisha seemed to hear Roy's voice and came out of the room. When she saw Roy, she immediately rushed over to him. 

"Daddy, hungry, food!" 

"Okay, okay, I'll feed you right now. Samantha, could I borrow a room?" 

One of the main reasons Roy came to see Samantha was to feed Elrisha. After borrowing a room from Samantha, he spent over an hour making a baby milkshake and finally got Elrisha full. 

This doesn't feel right. Having to spend hours feeding Elrisha every time is a real waste of time. 

Roy thought he needed to find a way to wean Elrisha off the baby milkshakes, just like weaning a baby off milk. The problem was, what could he replace the baby milkshake with? 

Even the Key of Solomon didn't have this information. Looks like he'd have to ask Elizabeth later. 

Back at his own place, Roy made some food for Emma – real food, not baby milkshake. 

At the dinner table, Roy explained to Emma about seeing a therapist. 

Even though she hid it well, Roy still saw the nervousness in Emma's face. 

"I... I think I'm perfectly normal. I don't need to see a therapist." 

"Emma, don't be scared. The therapist won't give you any shots, they'll just chat with you." 

Emma's hands clenched into fists under the table, the veins popping out, showing the turmoil inside the little girl. 

"Big Brother Roy, actually, my dad got me a therapist before, and that doctor said I was perfectly normal." 

Hearing this, Roy looked up and stared into Emma's eyes. 

"Are you telling the truth?" 

Emma opened her mouth, wanting to say it was true, but under Roy's intense gaze, she couldn't say anything. 

Before coming here, Emma's father had indeed hired a therapist for her, but that therapist was actually like her, so she actively covered for her. 

(In the 2018 version of 'The Bad Seed,' the actress who played the therapist was the same actress from the original 'The Bad Seed.' That's right, 'The Bad Seed' is a remake.) 

"I guess not then. I'll take you to Austin on the weekend. By the way, what's going on between you and Jennifer?" 

Roy then prepared to mediate between Lilith and Emma. 

Emma bit her lip, finally seeming to show a hint of personal emotion. 

"I don't like her. She's always bullying me!" 

"Jennifer already told me about it. She just wants to help you." 

Emma shook her head. 

"I don't need anyone's help!" 

Looks like the conflict between Emma and Lilith won't be resolved anytime soon. Maybe he could find some time to let Lilith come clean with Emma. 

But that would have to be after seeing the therapist. 

The atmosphere at the dinner table became pretty heavy after that. Emma picked at her dinner and then retreated to her room. 

Roy shook his head. Even he, the old 'sea king,' couldn't figure out the complex thoughts in Emma's head. He'd leave this problem to the therapist. 

The next day during class, Elizabeth led Ashley into the classroom. 

"Class, we have a new student! Ashley, why don't you introduce yourself?" 

Ashley wasn't shy at all and introduced herself confidently. 

"Hi everyone, my name is Ashley Parker. I used to live in Nevada, and I just recently moved to Waterfall Town." 

With her pretty face and hot figure, Ashley instantly won over most of the guys in the class. A few of them even whistled. 

Yeah, the prime example would be Mr. Wade, who shall remain nameless. 

"Whoa! I think I'm in love again!" 

But the girls generally didn't have a very good impression of Ashley. This was probably because Ashley's looks were too aggressive compared to Nancy. 

"Ashley, why don't you find an empty seat?" 

The rebellious teenager Ashley didn't listen to Elizabeth and look for an empty seat. Instead, she walked straight to Roy – or rather, to Jennifer next to him. 

"Could I have this seat?" 

Jennifer noticed Ashley glance in Roy's direction and immediately understood her intentions, so she refused without hesitation. 

"No." 

Ashley wasn't discouraged and went to Needy on Roy's other side, wanting to switch seats with her. 

The somewhat socially awkward Needy was too embarrassed to refuse, so Jennifer answered for her. 

"She's not going to switch seats with you either! Ms. Parker, the teacher told you to find an empty seat. Can't you understand that?" 

Ashley glared at Jennifer. 

"None of your business!" 

As the school queen bee, Jennifer naturally wouldn't back down and glared right back. 

Sitting in the middle, Roy felt a bit speechless and quickly stood up to stop the staring contest. 

"Ahem! Ashley, class is in session. Why don't you find a seat first?" 

When Roy spoke, Ashley didn't say anything more. 

But a rebellious teenager is a rebellious teenager. She directly moved an empty desk and chair to sit behind Roy. 

Roy was actually sitting in the last row, which meant Ashley was adding an extra row just to sit near him. 

This behavior seemed to explain Ashley's thoughts, making the boys in the class sad again. 

"Boss, please, throw me a bone here! I don't want to be without a date for prom!" 

This was what a lot of the guys were thinking. 

Prom is the most important party for all high school students. Many of them see it as a battle, and it's very embarrassing to not have a date. 

Roy felt a bit helpless. He couldn't help it that he was so charming that the girls in the class would rather be single than go for other guys. 

"Shut up, Wade!" 

"Alright class, let's officially start our lesson now." 

Elizabeth looked at the students with a smile, seemingly unaffected by the little drama that had just unfolded. 

Jennifer, however, noticed something in how Roy addressed Ashley earlier. When she looked at Ashley behind Roy, Ashley immediately returned a challenging look. 

Roy saw this entire exchange and had a feeling that his school life wasn't going to be very comfortable from now on. 

Why did he bring the Parkers to Waterfall Town in the first place? It felt like he had shot himself in the foot! 

As soon as the bell rang, Jennifer stood up and grabbed Roy's hand. 

"Roy, I need to talk to you!" 

However, Ashley also grabbed Roy's other hand from behind. 

"Roy, I need to talk to you too!" 

Why did they start competing with each other right away? 

"If you guys want to talk, then let's all talk together! Needy, you come too!" 

Roy didn't want to play any kind of love triangle game, so he just called everyone over to have an open and honest conversation. 

The four of them went to the oak grove near Oak High School. It was very secluded with a great view, so they could be sure no one would eavesdrop. 

"Roy, what's the deal with this girl?" 

Jennifer was the first to attack, pointing at Ashley with a nasty look on her face. 

"Jennifer, I think I told you a few days ago, Ashley is from the family I helped on the road. Their family moved to Waterfall Town." 

Jennifer remembered now. Roy had mentioned such a family, but he hadn't said anything about them having a pretty daughter. 

Then, Ashley also pointed at Jennifer and Needy. 

"Roy, what about them two?" 

"Jennifer Morgan and Needy Lesnicki are both my official girlfriends." 

Roy directly confessed their relationship. 

Jennifer and Needy were actually quite happy to hear Roy admit they were his official girlfriends, but given the situation, it wasn't the right time to smile, so they held it in. 

Ashley really didn't expect Roy to admit it so directly. She initially thought he would try to hide it somewhat, which made the rebellious teenager a little sad. 

"They're your girlfriends, so what about me?" 

Roy looked at Ashley in surprise. He didn't think he had done anything to her. Why would she think that way? 

"Ashley, I already admitted on the road that I have multiple girlfriends, don't you remember? I've joined the fundamentalist Mormon church and I definitely have to abide by the oath of polygamy. If you can't accept that, we can only be regular friends." 

Ashley's eyes filled with tears. She seemed to have a hard time accepting the reality. She probably still held onto the fantasy of capturing Roy's heart and having him all to herself. 

But reality would prove that even if Ashley could capture Roy's heart, she couldn't handle his... physical needs. 

With Roy's current physique, a normal human woman wouldn't be able to handle him alone without it being life-threatening! 

For a moment, the oak grove fell silent. 

Finally, the kind-hearted Needy walked over to Ashley, wanting to comfort her. 

But Ashley wiped her slightly red eyes, left a sentence, and then turned and ran off. 

"Hmph! Roy, I'm not giving up!" 

That girl is really stubborn. 

Roy scratched his head and looked at Jennifer and Needy with an awkward expression. 

Needy was okay, her expression didn't change much, but Jennifer had her arms crossed and didn't look too happy. 

"That girl is so rude!" 

Clearly, Jennifer's impression of Ashley was very bad. 

At this point, Needy started to play peacemaker. 

"I think this might have something to do with Ashley's family situation. Roy, is Ashley from a single-parent household?" 

"Yes, Ashley lost her father a long time ago." 

When Roy said that, Jennifer's expression changed slightly. She had also lost her parents at a young age, which is why she always acted so aloof. 

This was actually a kind of protective shell, similar to the rebellion Ashley was showing. 

But having just scolded someone, Jennifer couldn't possibly change her attitude right away. Where would that leave the school queen bee's reputation? 

At this moment, Needy took the initiative. 

"Roy, let me have a good talk with Ashley!" 

Roy looked at Needy in surprise. He didn't expect the usually socially awkward Needy to want to actively socialize with a stranger. 

"Are you sure about this, Needy?" 

Needy nodded firmly. You could tell she hadn't just stepped forward on a whim. 

"I want to try!" 

"Then I'm counting on you." 

The little drama seemed to have come to a temporary end, but Ashley's attitude showed that things weren't over yet. 

Classic Poster 

(End of Chapter)