Chapter 450: Signing

At the same time, Yvonne Benedict's skin was sallow, as if she were dead, her eyes staring blankly at the scroll in her hands.

Beside her, Yvonne's eldest son, Bode Benedict, was also pale as paper. However, he at least could still think clearly.

"Sign quickly, Mama, no more hesitation. We have no choice; Ms. Blayde is already urging."

"But that's the Atlantic Interstate Bank! Other assets are fine, but the Atlantic Interstate Bank—"

Yvonne slowly came to her senses: "Do you know what this bank means to us?"

"I know, of course I know."

Bode lowered his head, his expression unreadable, his voice hoarse and bitter: "But Grandfather lost, lost to that Blood-Eyed Angel. Our wishes no longer matter, do they? At this point, do you still want to turn things around? Is there any way to do so?"

"This is my fault, my fault."

Yvonne gritted her teeth, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her lips: "I thought I could strike down that bastard before he rose, but the truth is he had already grown into a dragon while we weren't paying attention. Poor Calvin, his incompetent great-grandfather and grandmother not only couldn't avenge him, but instead—"

"Enough! Mama, stop mentioning Calvin, okay?"

Bode abruptly interrupted Yvonne, his voice high-pitched, carrying undisguised resentment: "I'm sorry, but as far as I know, many in the clan, even some of my brothers, think he brought disaster upon the Benedicts. In fact, decades ago I already believed that the marriage alliance with the Wiltons was a mistake; we never needed to get involved. My grandfather wouldn't have suffered this humiliation because of it."

Yvonne Benedict's body trembled slightly. She looked at her eldest son in disbelief, then, somewhat dazed, she wrote her name on the scroll with a trembling hand.

"You've grown up, Bode! Yes, every child eventually leaves their parents' wings. This time you might be right; for the Wiltons, our family has paid too much. So, Bode, if I hand the family over to you now, can you, six months from now, wash away our shame and win the next war?"

"I don't know!"

Bode shook his head slightly, his eyes containing both 'bewilderment' and 'determination': "Before that, I need comprehensive intelligence; I must carefully assess our enemy's strength. In the war six months from now, what will the Benedicts have to pay—"

…

Li Mochen received the treaty three minutes after Consueli and the others had finished negotiations. At that time, he was returning to Atlanta aboard a supersonic aircraft arranged by Anthony, which had a strong sci-fi feel.

But suddenly, a black owl leaped out of the void and entered the cabin.

Li Mochen recognized it as a magical messenger, its owner seemingly showing a hint of intimidation.

"This is a pet of Ms. Christie Blayde, Vice President of the New Continent Magic Association."

Anthony glanced at the owl, noticed a silver ring clamped on its talon, and then smiled sarcastically: "Looks like this war can't go on."

"I heard Ms. Blayde is a powerful Archmage?" Li Mochen asked curiously, as he took a piece of animal skin scroll from the cylinder under the owl's talon.

"Her cultivation is indeed profound, but not to that extent."

Anthony shook his head: "However, the Vice President of the Magic Association appointed by Mr. President inherently possesses the power of a Magus; that is the gift of the Statue of Liberty to this country."

At this moment, Li Mochen, who was carefully reading the treaty, frowned slightly: "Anthony, can you roughly investigate what properties the Benedict family has in Atlanta and Macon? And the specific situation of the Atlantic Interstate Bank?"

"Atlantic Interstate Bank? Is that the ceasefire condition? Wow, you've hit the jackpot this time, Amo. It's a big bank with a market value of 420 billion gold shields, nearly 1.5 trillion in deposits, and due to its long history, it holds a large amount of fixed assets, with total assets around 2 trillion gold shields. The Benedict family holds a 55% relative controlling stake. Once you own this bank, Amo, you'll never have to worry about funding. It even controls the Benedicts' lifeline; most of their businesses get financial support from this bank."

Then Anthony made a phone call and turned to Li Mochen: "The Benedict family's properties in Atlanta and Macon are mainly real estate. There are nine skyscrapers less than thirty years old, twelve apartment buildings, and fourteen plots of land either under development or available for development, with total assets of about 125 billion gold shields. If you can complete their development, you'll gain even more returns. I don't know whose idea this was, but they clearly have good insight."

"So that's total assets worth 350 billion gold shields?"

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow: "Although this wealth is pleasantly surprising, in six months I'll still face a major battle involving more than ten demigods."

"Only six months? That makes sense; for Philip I, the sooner the war starts, the better. Though he was caught off guard this time, given his resources, in just ten more days he could organize forces to crush you. But if it drags on too long, the outcome becomes uncertain; time is on your side. He knows you'll only grow stronger—"

Anthony smiled slightly: "I'm really curious, what did your grandfather get?"

Li Mochen didn't speak; he simply handed the treaty to Anthony to read. The latter laughed: "Wow, looks like we won't see Consueli retire. And this Mr. Linden intervened very decisively. Red Dragon Mining Company, plus Linden Real Estate and Linden Hotel Chain, that's another 200-plus billion gold shields. The declining Linden family can finally catch their breath. Our Mr. President, though generally biased toward them, at least on the surface, their mediation seems quite fair."

"To be honest, this is what I expected. If possible, I don't want to fight a decisive battle with them right now either."

As he spoke, Li Mochen decisively signed his name on the treaty scroll, then stuffed it back into the cylinder on the owl's talon.

Anthony, sitting in the adjacent seat, was unsurprised: "Of course, for you, even just six more months can multiply your strength. I'll try to build you a Light Demon VIII battle armor within six months; I look forward to seeing you pilot it in combat."