Half a month passed by without Alena receiving any good news from Norforth, only to be met with tragic tidings. It was Nicola who delivered the news. Three days ago, during a meeting held by the city-state in the sub-city, toxic gas suddenly erupted from the center of the round table, resulting in Norforth and the three elder council members closest to him dying on the spot, causing chaos to ensue. Subsequently, the remaining nine elder council members split into two factions: one advocating for an immediate declaration of war against the Illuminati, and the other urging careful investigation before making any decisions. While the two sides were at a stalemate, members of the Illuminati barged into the conference room, taking six elder council members hostage, while three others appeared to have been bribed, showing no concern and even engaging in casual conversation with the opposing side. Of course, Nicola had heard a different version of events. With Norforth dead, Alena completely abandoned the hope of becoming a saint. After Norforth's death, the townspeople unleashed their fury on Nicola's family. Reports coming from the city stated that their idol had succumbed to slow-acting poison due to the earlier assassination attempt. On the afternoon the news broke, six men attempted to break into their home, violently pounding on the door while shouting profanities, frequently calling Alena's name and hurling lewd and filthy insults. Nicola's family trembled in fear, hiding in the basement. De Silva complained, “I told you long ago to leave this place, but you wouldn’t listen.”
Alena clutched the back of Nicola's shirt, her voice trembling. “Mom, what if they come in? Will they do something to me...?”
“What will they do?” Afastin asked, sounding confused.
Nicola had certainly considered this question but could only offer comfort. “Don’t be afraid; it’s safe down here. They shouldn’t find us.” A moment later, she added, “Let’s prepare ourselves. If they find us, we’ll fight back.”
“How can we fight? There’s nothing here,” De Silva argued.
Nicola regretted her earlier decisions. As they hurried to hide, they never thought about fighting back; now, it was too late to look for weapons. The sounds indicated that the intruders had already entered the house, and everyone in the basement dared not even breathe. About three minutes passed, and the noise grew closer; they had evidently reached the kitchen, which was directly above the basement entrance. Alena tightly held Nicola's hand, her face pale as she silently prayed. Perhaps her prayers began to work, as the commotion above gradually receded. Afastin glanced at Nicola’s face and asked, “You look awful; are you sick?” De Silva muttered, “You idiot, she’s just scared to death.”
Afastin was about to retort when Nicola angrily interjected, “Both of you, shut up!” At that moment, she thought of Amandine, feeling that their home lacked a capable man. If he were here, their family wouldn’t have to cower in the basement, living in fear. Meanwhile, far away in Thailand, Amandine was not doing well either. He lay on a dilapidated park bench, having not eaten for an entire day, dressed in rags and resembling a beggar. He had lost his left arm and couldn’t find work, relying solely on the city's welfare station for survival. But ever since Norforth’s death, the food at the welfare station had dwindled to a third of what it used to be. Just as he was about to lose hope, a woman who appeared to be in her fifties approached him. She spoke, “Amandine, do you remember me?”
Amandine looked at the woman, finding her somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall. He asked, “Do you know me?”
“Over thirty years ago, I gave you a baby.”
“Oh, you’re the mother of the big water buffalo?” Amandine finally remembered. “I gave you the baby, but that doesn’t mean I’m her mother,” the woman clarified.
“What do you want with me?” he inquired.
“Come with me! I’ll tell you everything.” With nothing left to lose, Amandine, not afraid of being deceived, decided to follow her. They climbed into a luxury car. “Did you strike it rich? Are you looking to reclaim your child?” Amandine asked from the back seat.
The woman smiled but didn’t respond. They drove in silence for over an hour until they reached a manor in the outskirts. After getting out of the car, Amandine looked at the grand white building and remarked, “It seems you really have struck it rich; this house is huge.” The woman replied cryptically, “First, go take a shower, then eat and sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”
Following the customs of the place, Amandine had no choice but to comply. As he lay in a large three-meter bathtub, he began to overthink, wondering, “Does she have feelings for me? Too bad she’s a little too old.”
Having lost an arm made washing very difficult. After a while, a girl in her twenties entered, holding a set of clothes and looking shy. She timidly said, “The boss asked me to come in and wash you off.”
Amandine, covered in three layers of dirt, felt thrilled. “What’s your boss’s name? What a good person!” The girl looked surprised. “Aren’t you friends? You don’t know?”
“I’ve only met her once; I wouldn’t call us friends. I would say I owe her a favor!”
“Oh!” The girl finally understood. “Her name is Suya, and she’s the big boss of a mining group.” As they chatted while washing, Amandine’s body began to respond, causing the girl to blush and quickly turn her head away. “Nam Mo Amitabha! Nam Mo Amitabha!” Amandine chanted under his breath, afraid of embarrassing himself in front of the girl, hoping to suppress his urges.
“What are you mumbling?” she asked.
“Don’t talk; speaking will cause trouble,” Amandine replied sternly. The girl was confused and looked up at him, seeing his reddened face and noticing his arousal. She hurriedly stood up. “I’ll leave now; you wash yourself. The clothes are all ready for you.” She pointed to the wardrobe across the room. After she left, Amandine thought angrily, “Why has my willpower become so weak? It must be the hunger.” Realizing this, he stood up, dried himself off, and put on the clothes the girl had brought him. Just as he stepped out, he found her waiting at the door. “Sir, please come downstairs for dinner.”
“Is there roast chicken? It’s my favorite.” Amandine followed her, asking. Before the girl could reply, Suya, who was downstairs, answered for her, “Come down quickly; it’s all your favorite dishes.”
“You know what I like?” Amandine was astonished, holding onto the handrail.
“You’ll know once you come down.”
Amandine thought, “How long has this woman been secretly in love with me? She knows my preferences so well.” When he sat down in the dining room on the first floor and saw a table full of his favorite dishes, he almost drooled; it had been too long since he had enjoyed such a sumptuous meal.