If Lana Steiner had taken that medicine, she would have likely given birth to a deformed child. Byron Thorne didn’t even dare to imagine what it would look like—would it be missing a hand, have an extra tail, or perhaps have no eyes or nose...

The thought that his grandchild could have been born a monstrosity was a crushing weight on Byron Thorne’s heart, leaving him breathless. ’As the old saying goes, Heaven only punishes a family with a deformed child when they’ve committed evil deeds. We’d be shamed and scorned by everyone. That bitch, Phoenix Golding, is just too vicious.’

Byron Thorne gritted his teeth, a fierce glint entering his eyes. He had always been a cautious man who lived by the principle of "I won’t attack unless I am attacked." But Phoenix Golding had pushed the Thorne family too far. This was the most insidious kind of harm—cursing their descendants. It was an act as vile as digging up the Thorne family’s ancestral graves. If he tolerated this any longer, he would be too ashamed to face his ancestors in the afterlife.

"Our little girl is the family’s lucky star. From now on, the Thorne family will surely be able to turn misfortune into blessings and danger into safety. She’ll bring honor to our ancestors," Shane Thorne said with a slight smile, his voice full of confidence.

Byron Thorne smiled too. "I don’t dare to dream of anything more. I just hope the family can produce a university student. When that day comes, I’ll throw a huge banquet and set off the loudest firecrackers to celebrate."

"That’s a given. It would be even better if they could get into Aethelgard University. When the semester starts, I’ll take the kid to register myself," Shane Thorne said, his expression wistful and tinged with regret.

’Failing to get into Aethelgard University was the regret of his life. If it hadn’t been for the war, he probably could have gotten into university too, right?’

"You sure know how to dream big. Aethelgard University? I’d be perfectly satisfied if they just got into Vessaria Normal College. Being a teacher is a perfectly good life," Byron Thorne said with a hearty laugh, not having such grand ambitions.

’Vessaria Normal College is great. It’s close to home, the work is steady... Being a teacher like my second daughter-in-law is perfectly fine.’

"You’re too shortsighted. How big is Vessaria, really? Aethelgard University is the highest seat of learning. It would be even better if they could study abroad. A good man should see the world, and it’s the same for a girl. You have to get out and experience more to broaden your horizons. Just stay out of it. We’ll leave it up to the child’s own fate."

Shane Thorne was getting carried away, but Byron Thorne just looked bewildered, his own excitement fading. Of all the people on Millstone Peak, Shane was the only one who had ever been to Aethelgard. Many locals had never even set foot in Vessaria, at most taking a trip to Wraven. Byron Thorne was no different. The two of them were simply not on the same wavelength.

Byron Thorne gave a slight smile and changed the subject back to Phoenix Golding. "So, how are we going to catch that tramp cheating? No one’s managed to catch her red-handed all these years. Does she really have someone on the side?"

"Of course she does. With that flirtatious mole she has, it’s in her nature to be promiscuous. She’s got more than one lover on the side. Besides Storm Xavier, she’s also sleeping with one of the heads of the school district. How else do you think she secured a permanent position?" Shane Thorne sneered, his eyes full of contempt.

Despite his own countless affairs, he detested promiscuous women. In this respect, Shane Thorne was thoroughly old-fashioned: a man could have multiple partners, but a woman had to remain faithful to one man for life. He was, in short, a classic scumbag.

"Which leader from the school district? How do you know?" Byron Thorne asked, startled.

"It’s obvious if you just think about it. With how little she actually knows—she’s the type who would attribute ’Ode to the Goose’ to Li Bai—on what grounds would she get a permanent position? She had to have hooked up with a district leader. Anyway, you don’t need to worry about it. Just have Goldie come see me tomorrow. I’ve got something for him to do."

’Shane Thorne already had a plan. A job like catching an adulterer had to be done by Goldie Thorne; no one else was suited for it. With a few pointers from his own years of sneaking around, Goldie would be able to catch her in the act in no time.’

Byron Thorne nodded. Goldie was just a slacker at his regular work anyway, so he might as well be put to use catching the cheater. But—

"’Ode to the Goose’ wasn’t written by Li Bai? Then who was it?"

’He’d also thought ’Ode to the Goose’ was by Li Bai. So Phoenix Golding hadn’t been wrong after all.’

"I WROTE IT!"

Shane Thorne roared in frustration and, with one swift move, used his cannon to capture Byron Thorne’s general.

Annihilation!