Chapter 11: The Rhodes Family

"Really? Oh my God!" Melissa let out a sharp scream.  The pill in her hand slipped and pattered onto the table. "What's wrong?"  Caspian noticed her expression and walked over. "Listen. It's my childhood bestie, Selina Rhodes! You probably don't remember, but she used to play with us when we were little." "She really is a rich heiress. The Rhodes family in Jasperwood picked her up today. Supposedly, a dozen Rolls-Royces were lined up at her house." "Rolls Royce?"  Caspian tilted his head, searching his memory.  If he remembered right, Rolls Royce was some kind of car.  After all, more than ten thousand years had passed.  Besides Melissa and his family, his memories of the mortal world had faded to almost nothing. "Yeah, Rolls-Royce. I heard a single one costs several hundred thousand dollars, and the really fancy ones go for a few million." Melissa was truly happy for Selina.  She knew Selina had been through a lot growing up. Her biological father had come to claim her. It was a good thing, through and through. She was happy for Selina from the bottom of her heart. "Melissa, are those cars that cost hundreds of thousands really that great?" "Of course. The pricier ones even hit several million." "Even so, can they beat my flying mount?" Back then, Caspian's flying mount had been hailed as a divine beast in the Virtual World, worshiped by countless people.  When Caspian returned, he had brought a few things with him. Thinking of that, Caspian glanced into his Storage Space.  The system had given it to him. Inside were mountains and streams. He could grow Spirit Herbs and raise animals.  While wandering the world, he had kept all sorts of strange animals into his Storage Space.  It was so vast that he had no idea where those animals had wandered off to. "Melissa, don't envy the Rolls Royce. When I'm free, I'll go into the Storage Space and pick out a flying mount for you." Melissa had just gone live. Viewers entering the stream caught that sentence right away. [Well, damn!] [He is cracked. Even flying mounts are on the table.] [Excuse me, do I have a shot at getting a flying mount too?] "Hey, who are you here to see? The star of the show is right here. Show some love to this poor little streamer, okay?"  Melissa leaned into the camera, her pretty face filling most of the screen. [User Show-Off Supreme gifted a Hype Alert x1.] [Bad luck!] Melissa blinked.  "Can you stop sounding like broken records? I'm only live right now to put something up for sale. The real stream is tonight." She had gone live just to put five thousand pills up for sale.  This time, she set a purchase limit: 100 pills per account.  The price stayed the same as before, one dollar per pill. After setting aside the portion reserved for Ezekiel, she had four thousand pills left, and she listed them all. Whether it was the influencer effect or the hype, the four thousand pills vanished the instant they appeared.  Melissa stared at the empty storefront, dazed. [Melissa, why so few? Put up some more!] [About the flying mount your brother mentioned, does it actually exist? When can you show us?] "That was my brother joking. You took him seriously?" Flying mounts? The idea of humans riding some creature through the sky sounded like pure fantasy.  Her brother always told her to believe in science, so flying mounts had to be fake. She ended the stream and explained in the fan group.  She had to go sign a new contract, so her stream would be later than usual.  The group blew up with chatter. "I don't care. I just want to watch your brother refine pills." "Melissa, we heard on stream your brother even has flying mounts. That's crazy impressive. Show us, pretty please!" The chat appeared ninety-nine-plus messages a second.  Melissa ignored the noise and closed the chat window. Meanwhile, on the other side. Selina Rhodes sat, tense and restless, on a leather sofa.  Supposedly, the sofas were handmade and designed by a famous designer from overseas.  A single piece cost tens of thousands of dollars.  The pricier ones could run well into six figures. The design fee alone was a small fortune. "Selina, it's good you're home," said the old man, his gaze lingering on her elegant features, apparently satisfied. Cyrus Rhodes nodded.  They had looked into Selina's record at university.  She had excelled since childhood and had nearly been the state's top scorer on the college entrance exam.  With a bit of polish, she'd be a proper socialite. John Rhodes turned to her.  "Selina, you should properly thank those who helped you in the past. But don't forget, some people harbor ill intentions."  "I think you know how to tell the difference. Now that you're home, it's time to say goodbye to the people from your past. Your status has changed, and you may not cross paths again." Selina was pissed at the words.  Did they mean she wasn't allowed to be friends with the people from before?  If so, she'd rather not go back to the high-society world. "Grandpa, I understand what you mean, but I think even if I'm back with the Rhodes family, I can still see my old friends." "I have many friends, and a best friend. If you want me to cut them off all at once, isn't that going too far?" "I know you're close to them, but some things you'll understand later," John said softly.  Entering a powerful family was like plunging into deep water. The currents pulled you whether you liked it or not.  He truly wanted his granddaughter to live well. Cyrus frowned. "Selina, your grandfather's been in business for years. He knows what he's talking about. Your status is different now. People's motives won't be as straightforward as before. He just doesn't want you to get hurt." After dinner, John asked Cyrus to call Selina. But when Cyrus knocked, he discovered she had left the house at some point. Meanwhile, Melissa was getting ready to go live.  A beautiful girl stood at her side.  It was Selina, fresh from escaping the Rhodes residence. "The Rhodes family wants me to cut ties with you. No way," Selina said, her mouth twisting. Melissa was her best friend, and had helped her so much.  She wasn't the kind of person who forgot a debt.  If being a Rhodes family member meant severing everything from before, she would rather not go back to that cold, gilded world. "So, you ran out?" "Yeah. My mom doesn't know yet. You're the only one who can keep me, Melissa."