The Somersault Cloud carried Edward back to Brigitte's father's restaurant. But this return trip was far from ordinary—police, Awakened, and soldiers swarmed the area, raiding the very building they had just left.
To avoid being spotted by helicopters, the Somersault Cloud flew low between buildings, weaving through narrow alleys—like a shadow moving at lightning speed. Once safe, it came to a stop right in front of Brigitte's father's restaurant.
Edward quickly dismounted.
"Return, JINDOUYUN. Thank you for your help."
The Somersault Cloud swayed its body, as if waving goodbye, before soaring up into the sky and disappearing behind the clouds.
Edward then raised his staff.
"Return, Ruyi Jingu Bang."
The staff shrank rapidly until it was almost invisible, then flew into Edward's ear.
His body returned to normal—but as he tried to lift the black bag full of money, he flinched.
Heavy.
Extremely heavy.
"Why, Master?" Fay asked.
"I can't lift this bag."
"Maybe it's better if you call them inside."
"Uncle Tan!"
"Lai, wo lai!" came a voice from inside the shop. Soon after, Mr. Tan appeared with his son, Chow, stepping out of the restaurant.
"All done. Please lift this bag," Edward said, pointing to the black bag at his feet.
"What bag is that, Ed?" Mr. Tan asked, puzzled.
"There's money in it. I took it from the buffalo boss's office."
Mr. Tan and Chow exchanged glances, clearly shocked.
"What happened to the buffalo boss?" Mr. Tan asked again.
"He escaped, Uncle."
Mr. Tan spoke something in Mandarin to Chow. The boy nodded slowly and then lifted the black bag.
"Come on, Ed. Come inside first. Uncle has cooked for you."
Edward exhaled. "Ha… glad to hear that."
**
Mr. Tan, Chow, and the restaurant staff sat quietly, watching Edward eat. None dared to interrupt with questions.
"Feels good to relax," Edward said, taking a sip of water.
"Ed."
"Yes, Uncle?"
"What about the money in that bag… whose is it?"
"Uncle's money."
"Uncle's money isn't that much, Ed."
"Just take it, Uncle. Who knows? If you don't want it, give it to your employees."
Mr. Tan's staff smiled broadly, but Mr. Tan scolded them in Mandarin.
"Uncle isn't a thief, Ed. Uncle is just taking what's rightfully ours—the money they took. The rest? Uncle doesn't want it."
"If Uncle doesn't want it, just hand it over to the police."
"But what will Uncle say if they question us?"
"Stay quiet."
"Better if Ed just hands it over."
"Daring to tell the Monkey King?"
"Sorry, sorry!" Mr. Tan quickly apologized, waving his hands up and down.
"I'm just joking, Uncle. Don't take it to heart. Actually, I don't have the strength to lift that bag. So… just have whoever can deliver it to the police do it."
Mr. Tan fell silent. The quiet atmosphere of the restaurant pressed down on his shoulders. His brow furrowed—not a little, but as if he were weighing a very heavy decision.
Suddenly, a chair slid.
Chow stood up, startling everyone.
"I have a plan," he said, his voice tense but full of confidence.
All eyes turned to him.
"What plan?" someone asked.
Chow took a deep breath. "Brother Ed has turned back into the Monkey King. We act as if he's just a customer handing the bag over to us."
Mr. Tan gritted his teeth. "Are you crazy, Chow?"
Chow raised a hand, signaling his father to calm down. "Listen, Dad. If we do it this way, we won't be in the wrong. If the police or anyone comes asking, we just say the Monkey King appeared out of nowhere. Besides, our restaurant has been struggling for years, Dad. Who knows… maybe after this, our restaurant could become famous."
"But I don't want to use Ed," Mr. Tan replied, firm yet filled with worry. His voice trembled slightly.
Chow sighed. His hopes sank along with his body as he sat back down.
Silence filled the room.
Then Edward spoke.
"Okay," he said slowly but clearly. "I agree with Chow's plan."
All eyes shifted to Edward.
"Besides… tomorrow I'm entering the Tower."
Mr. Tan was shocked. "You… are going into the Tower?"
Edward nodded. "I'm going to look for Eva, Uncle."
The name made the atmosphere even heavier.
"Oh… yes," Mr. Tan exhaled slowly. "It's been a long time since I last saw Eva. I think… nine years."
"Yes… nine years, Uncle. It's time I go find her," Edward said, his voice low but firm.
"Uncle agrees." Mr. Tan nodded slowly. "Besides… you're no ordinary human now, Ed. But I still wonder—how could you transform into the Monkey King?"
Edward gave a thin smile, as if hiding a heavy secret. "It's a long story, Uncle. But one day… you'll know."
Chow suddenly spoke, breaking the tension. "This afternoon there was news. Poseidon appeared and defeated the monsters. Social media is in chaos right now."
The restaurant staff nodded, acknowledging Chow's words.
"Who's this Poseidon?" Mr. Tan asked, confused.
"Dad…" Chow shook his head. "Like I said before. He's kind of like the Monkey King. If China has Sun Wukong, Greece has Poseidon."
"Whatever…" Mr. Tan replied, shrugging lazily.
Edward took a deep breath. "Then… how about we start the act now?"
Chow jumped up first—his face shining with excitement.
Edward gently patted Mr. Tan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Uncle. Think of this as my way of repaying your kindness all this time. Just serve me the food."
Edward transformed back into Sun Wukong, staff slung over his shoulder. He struck various poses around the restaurant, making the atmosphere slightly chaotic.
But most importantly—the footage of handing the black bag to Mr. Tan. The man's anxious face was clearly visible, as if holding a bomb that could explode at any moment.
A few moments later, a short video was recorded. Sun Wukong—speaking with Edward's voice—in English, explained the reason he raided the Crazy Buffalo Gang's headquarters.
After the video, Edward returned to his normal self.
"Uncle… I'll be leaving now."
"Be careful, Ed. Once you're in there, if you don't have anyone to call for help… try contacting the Flame Dragon Guild. Just mention Brigitte's name. Maybe they can help."
"Alright, Uncle. Thank you."
Mr. Tan and Chow simply nodded, then stood outside the restaurant, watching Edward until his shadow disappeared at the end of the street.
"I didn't think Ed could transform into the Monkey King," Mr. Tan said quietly.
"What's wrong with that?" Chow replied, raising an eyebrow. "At least the one who can transform is someone we know."
Mr. Tan looked at his son, then tapped him on the head with a finger.
"That should've been you, not Ed. That Monkey King belongs to our people."
Chow pouted while rubbing his head. "That excuse again…"
**
In front of the entrance to the United States Awakened Department building, a line of official vehicles representing the top guilds arrived one by one. Each arrival carried its own aura of pressure.
Andrew Hulk, representative of The Seven Star, stepped in first. Behind him came Elizabeth Witch from The Dark Sorcerer, followed by Hazel Wood representing Flame Dragon. Next was Argos from The Iron. And finally, Tom Redlands—the vice leader of The Top 100, the number one guild in the entire United States.
They had all been summoned by the National Awakened Chief for a closed-door meeting regarding the emergence of figures referred to as "kings" from Greek and Chinese mythology.
The phenomenon had caused shock not only in the United States but also globally. The situation became even tenser when delegations from Greece and China arrived quietly to conduct their own investigations.
All of them were escorted by the top officers of the Awakened Department to a special room for the private meeting.
The door to the room opened.
Albert Hayes, Chief of the National Awakened Department, was already inside along with two S-class Awakened under his department—Jeremy Hunt and Akasa Lambert. The delegates took their seats without much conversation.
As soon as the door closed, an officer turned off the lights. Only the large screen at the front remained illuminated.
Soon after, a video played. The footage, captured from a rooftop, showed a massive man holding a staff, standing on the water as if gravity had no effect. With a single strike, he brought down a giant monster.
The delegates watched without any overt reaction, merely waiting for the clip to end.
"This is the most recent footage," one officer said before playing the next clip.
On the screen, white clouds moved rapidly, pierced by streaks of golden light streaking across the sky. The footage zoomed in, and the figure became clearly recognizable.
This time, the delegates reacted spontaneously—whispers and low murmurs filled the room.
"After this footage was recorded, we received a call. Someone attacked the Crazy Buffalo Gang's headquarters—a group that had long caused trouble in the Newark area. Yet no one took action, including us at the National Awakened Department."
"That was indeed our mistake," Albert Hayes said, his voice calm but firm.
"By the time the team arrived, the entire Crazy Buffalo Gang had already been defeated. Both the vice leader and their boss—both A-class Awakened—were lying incapacitated. Unfortunately, there was no CCTV at the location, making it difficult to determine what exactly happened."
Tom Redlands raised a hand slightly.
"With the appearance of clouds like that, it's hard to deny anything. That is clearly Sun Wukong."
Another delegate spoke up, confident.
"If they appear, isn't that a good thing? Two figures that powerful could stabilize the nation."
"Just look at Poseidon's strength," Argos interrupted. "One strike was enough to take down a giant of that size. He should be absorbed into our guild."
"Argos," Hazel Wood said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "is your guild even qualified to contain Poseidon?"
Argos stood immediately. "More qualified than a guild full of weaklings like Flame Dragon."
Hazel Wood rose as well, her face tense. "If you want to know who's weak, we can settle this right now."
"Enough. Stop," Albert Hayes commanded, his voice filling the entire meeting room.
Tom Redlands suddenly stood, straightening his suit collar before speaking.
"Before we continue, I want to apologize to Mr. Albert Hayes. I am not here as an official representative of my guild. I was merely ordered to attend and deliver an important message."
He paused briefly, ensuring all eyes were on him.
"As you are aware, in The Top 100, we have six S-class Awakened. And I am here to inform you that our guild has made a decision—we will recruit Poseidon and Sun Wukong into our guild."
The announcement triggered a wave of outrage. All other delegates stood at once, their faces clearly showing their displeasure.
Andrew Hulk snorted softly.
"Your guild may have six S-class Awakened, but those two individuals are far above S-class. Can your guild leader even handle them?"
Tom did not back down. "We'll see. Whether we can or not, time will tell."
Hazel Wood raised a hand slightly before addressing Albert Hayes.
"Apologies, Mr. Albert. Bringing us all here means nothing if the number one guild has already declared their intentions."
Argos interjected, arms crossed.
"Whoever moves first gets them. And I'm certain Poseidon will choose The Iron."
Hazel Wood replied without looking back.
"Keep dreaming."
Albert Hayes remained seated, saying nothing. He knew that all the top guilds in the United States were not under the authority of the National Awakened Department. In this situation, he had no room to stop a competition that was about to escalate.
Note
To Our Esteemed Readers,
Lord of the Ancient Relics has now reached Chapter 10, with nearly 20,000 words written so far. Please note that this story is designed to span many chapters, with each chapter averaging around 2,000 words.
As such, it is nearly impossible to reveal all the early details in Chapters 1–10 — such as Edward's true goals, why Fay, as a system, behaves almost like a human, why the game Valdora exists, who created it, the origins of the Tower, how the portal creatures came into being, or how humans become Awakened.
Rest assured, the answers to all these questions have been carefully planned and will be revealed gradually in the chapters to come.
If any reader finds the story a little scattered or confusing at this point, I sincerely apologize. I am not a professional writer. Thank you for your continued support and for following the journey of this story.