Chapter 288 The Exchange
"Why did you ambush me? Who exactly are you?" Ethan hadn't expected his encounter with Jesse to be no coincidence!
"My name is Jesse! I wasn't ambushing you; I was saving you!" Jesse said with a serious tone.
"Saving me? Do you think I'm a fool?" Ethan questioned coldly.
"Of course, you're not a fool, but do you know that the items you carry could cost you your life at any moment? Hand over those two pearls, and I'll take them back to Celestia Vale for safekeeping." Jesse's smile always gave an impression of sincerity. If it weren't for the earlier ambush, Ethan might have believed Jesse was genuinely looking out for him!
"You're from Celestia Vale?" Ethan was surprised by Jesse's identity.
"Indeed, since you know of Celestia Vale, you should trust me. Everything I do is for your good!" Jesse nodded.
Ethan suddenly understood, thinking, 'Only a powerful and mysterious organization like Celestia Vale could produce such a young master-level expert.'
"What is your relationship with Phoenix? Did Phoenix send me to Misty Ridge to give you a chance to steal my things?" Ethan recalled the rule that master-level experts shouldn't casually attack ordinary people. He guessed that perhaps Phoenix couldn't act directly, so he sent Jesse to rob him!
"You misunderstand. I'm not here to steal but to safeguard them for you!" Jesse corrected Ethan's words earnestly.
"So you admit that you and Phoenix set a trap for me?" Ethan's face turned sullen immediately.
At that moment, a loud voice came from above them.
In Ethan's gaze, a figure rapidly descended from the cliff above.
Moments later, the figure landed on the treetop not far away, using the branches to steady themselves, and then stood firmly opposite Ethan.
It was Phoenix.
"Hello, Phoenix!" Jesse immediately greeted Phoenix respectfully upon seeing them.
"Jesse, why are you here at Misty Ridge instead of meditating at Celestia Vale?" Phoenix asked calmly.
Ethan, standing nearby, was taken aback. He pondered, 'Could it be that Phoenix doesn't know about Jesse's actions?'
"I came to retrieve an item from Ethan! It seems I can't succeed tonight, so I'll take my leave," Jesse explained with a smile and then turned away.
Ethan wanted to stop Jesse, but Phoenix stopped him.
"What do you mean by this?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I know you have many questions. He is from Celestia Vale. If you continue to pursue him, it will do you no good. You may not be his match right now," Phoenix reminded him calmly.
Ethan took a deep breath and could only watch as Jesse disappeared into the dense forest.
"Come with me," Phoenix said, turning to walk toward the edge of the cliff.
Ethan hesitated for a moment but then followed, staying highly alert.
"You don't need to be so nervous. I won't harm you. With me here, no one can harm you," Phoenix seemed to sense Ethan's wariness and looked up at the bright moon, saying with a smile.
"Phoenix, does Celestia Vale always act so domineeringly? They claim to want to safeguard my things when they're clearly trying to take them," Ethan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"You don't understand Celestia Vale. Jesse didn't achieve his goal today, but he won't give up. You'll be seeing more of him in the future," Phoenix sighed and explained helplessly.
"You mean he'll come looking for me again?" Ethan's tone immediately turned cold.
"Yes. But rest assured, he will never, and dare not, take your life!" Phoenix nodded slowly.
"Let's set that aside for now. It seems you know about the Sun and Moon Beads, or rather, you already know my identity!" Ethan shifted the topic.
"Are you referring to your position as the head of the ZF Guild? This is no secret to Celestia Vale. However, Celestia Vale cannot act directly against you," Phoenix turned to look at Ethan and explained calmly.
"Why does Celestia Vale want to deal with me? More precisely, why do they want to deal with the head of the ZF Guild?" Ethan narrowed his eyes and continued to question.
"Because Celestia Vale originally split from the ZF Guild. That was hundreds of years ago. You will understand in time. What I want to tell you now is to avoid direct conflict with Celestia Vale. You must learn to hold out!" Phoenix advised with a serious expression.
"What? Just like earlier, when Jesse tried to take my Sun and Moon Beads, and I had to let him go?" Ethan asked.
"Exactly. Jesse can try to take them, and you can try to take them back or stop him, but you should avoid a struggle with him. Otherwise, your situation will become very dangerous!" Phoenix nodded reluctantly.
"You are also from Celestia Vale. I heard that twenty years ago, you were the one who expelled Francis from Celestia Vale, right?" Ethan pondered how to extract as much information about Celestia Vale from Phoenix as possible and probed further using Francis's situation.
"Yes, I am indeed one of the members of Celestia Vale, and twenty years ago, so was Francis," Phoenix did not deny it.
"Then why did you expel him from Celestia Vale, and why are you telling me all this today? Shouldn't you be siding with Celestia Vale against us?" Ethan continued to press.
"I cannot tell you about the events of the past. But I want you to understand that I have always stood by Francis's side. The reason I expelled him from Celestia Vale was to save his life. Otherwise, he might not have survived to this day!" Phoenix shook his head.
However, Ethan did not dare, or rather could not, fully trust Phoenix.
"I know you will have doubts. When you return to Nova York, you can ask Francis for the truth. I have given him the same advice countless times. This is also why he has not clashed with Celestia Vale in the past twenty years," Phoenix saw through Ethan's skepticism and advised him with a smile.
"I will confirm it with him. If what you say is true, then I owe you my thanks!" Ethan, hearing this, believed it mostly and was no longer as guarded as before.
Phoenix seemed very pleased with Ethan's change in attitude and nodded with a smile.
The next morning, Ethan, along with Chloe and Sarah, had breakfast and then left.
"Why are we going down the mountain? Didn't you say you would take us to the top?" Chloe asked in astonishment.
Chloe and Sarah, unaware of what had happened the previous night, were surprised when Ethan led them down the mountain.
"No need. I've already met him," Ethan shook his head and explained.
"When?" Chloe and Sarah asked in unison.
"Last night, Phoenix came down from the mountain. You were already asleep, so I didn't wake you," Ethan didn't mention Jesse and brushed it off with a simple explanation.
"How could you not wake us? What did you talk about?" Sarah asked, clearly displeased.
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