Chapter 5369

As the hexagram pointed towards Charlie, Maria's heart tightened in an instant. She was well aware of Charlie's strength and most people couldn't possibly pose a threat to his safety. The person capable of putting him in danger had to be superior in strength. Her thoughts raced, "Could it be that the other Marshals from the Warriors Den are heading to Aurous Hill? It must be! Otherwise, why would Charlie warn me to be careful?" She subconsciously reached for her mobile phone, intending to call Charlie. But when she held the phone in her hand, she hesitated. After all, she had been playing dumb in front of him, letting him lower his guard around her. If she now took the initiative to warn him, he might become suspicious once again. However, after careful consideration, Maria decided she should indeed warn him. After all, Charlie was her savior. He was in danger. She might not be able to solve the problem for him, but at the very least, she could give him a heads-up. Thus, after some contemplation, she made her way to the balcony and dialed his number. Meanwhile, Charlie was on his way back, stuck at a red traffic light when an unknown number flashed on his mobile screen. Curiosity piqued, he answered the call and heard Maria's voice on the other end, "Charlie, it's Cathy..." Charlie asked, intrigued, "Cathy, what's the matter? Do you need something from me?" Maria hesitated for a moment before asking, "Charlie, if you don't mind, could you tell me your birthday?" "Why do you ask about my birthday?" Charlie inquired. Maria carefully crafted her words, layer by layer, before speaking up. "You warned us not to leave the university grounds without caution. I assumed it was because you cared about our safety. So, I took it upon myself to perform a fortune-telling session for us..." "Fortune-telling?" Charlie recalled the sight of nine copper coins on Maria's desk back in Northern Europe. He suspected they were used for divination, but never confirmed it. He even consulted Orion Exeor, who mentioned that if those nine coins were indeed meant for divination, it could be the legendary lost hexagram so profound that even Mr. Exeor himself dared not delve into it. Charlie had initially assumed that Maria's nine copper coins were mere coincidence, but now it seemed she might truly be knowledgeable in the ancient art of the Book of Changes. Maintaining an air of curiosity, Charlie asked, "Cathy, do you have the ability to tell fortunes?" With a smile, he added, "It can't be that mysterious, can it?" Maria smiled back and replied, "I don't know if it's really that mysterious." Referring to her notes, Maria refocused on Charlie's birthday and politely inquired, "Would you mind sharing your date of birth, Charlie? I'd be happy to calculate your age for you." At that moment, Charlie felt no cause for concern. Maria skillfully paced her words, knowing all the details about him, yet still calling to ask about his birthday as if she hadn't investigated him at all. It made him believe that she simply wanted to perform a calculation for him. That's why she had called about his birthday. As for why she insisted on performing a fortune-telling session for him, the reason seemed valid. Charlie had repeatedly warned them to be cautious, hoping they would refrain from leaving the university premises in the near future.

Maria understood this perfectly well. Thus, after grasping this point, she decided to perform a fortune-telling session for herself. After her calculations, she concluded that she was not in any immediate danger. Out of gratitude, she wanted to perform the same calculations for Charlie, which led to her call regarding his birthday. And so, everything came full circle. In this way, the logic remained consistent. Sometimes, it took a hundred lies to explain a single lie. The difficulty for liars lay in maintaining logical consistency, as they were often exposed by others. But for an exceptionally intelligent girl like Maria, the logical consistency formed a closed loop in her mind even before she uttered the lie. Charlie, unaware of any irregularities, sensed that Maria's call was simply a kind gesture to perform a fortune-telling session for him. Thinking this, he no longer hesitated and shared his birthday with her. Relieved, Maria discovered that Charlie's birthday matched the information she had obtained. The coincidence of their birthdays instilled confidence in the accuracy of her research. It seemed that Charlie could truly trust her. She assured him, "Charlie, I will perform the calculation right away and let you know the results." Soon after Charlie arrived home and stepped through the gate, he received a message from Maria. In the message, Maria wrote, "Charlie, I've performed the calculation for you. The hexagram indicates that you may face a grave danger in the near future. The danger will come from the north and there will be no way to avoid it. Please exercise extreme caution." Charlie furrowed his brow upon reading the message. Instead of getting out of the car, he replied, "What do you mean by 'no way to avoid it'? Can't it be prevented?" he asked. Maria responded, "Unfortunately... there's no way to avoid it. You can only confront it." Charlie's expression froze in an instant. An intuition told him that Maria's words were far from baseless. Considering her mysterious background and her profound understanding of the Hexagram, she might even surpass Orion Exeor. This further supported his belief that her words were targeted. What's more, from the moment he first laid eyes on her, he had a foreboding feeling. His grandmother's family had arrived in Aurous Hill and so had Maria. At that time, his initial thought was that the Marshal of the Warriors Den might also be en route to Aurous Hill. Now, it seemed that the danger Maria mentioned aligned with his own suspicions. Charlie's heart raced with tension. He felt like a soldier guarding a fortress, the sound of enemy cavalry growing louder, yet unsure whether to defend the east wall or the west wall. Just as he thought his resources were dwindling, a detail from his conversation with Maria suddenly surfaced in his mind. Maria had mentioned performing a fortune telling session for herself and it revealed that she was not in any immediate danger. That meant his wife and grandparents were the ones he needed to protect. Grandpa, Grandma and the entire family were at Willow Estates. With so many people coming from the United States, it would be difficult to remain unnoticed by those with ill intentions. Therefore, Charlie concluded that if the other party were to arrive in Aurous Hill, his grandparents' family would be the target!