Wiping the sweat off his brow, Johannes explained that the Half Phantom’s powers were so extraordinary that they bordered upon the divine.
Unlike Xenotoph’s magical powers, his was based on geomancy.
He would use it to read the fortunes and change their fate.
Hence, he was considered a legend in his field.
Back then, Johannes was just a nobody who ventured to the south and built his business from scratch.
He had relied heavily on the Half Phantom to read his fortune and change his fate.
His skills were especially useful when it came to gambling.
Therefore, the Half Phantom had played a crucial role in Johannes building his financial empire.
In fact, Johannes wasn’t the only one who relied on the Half Phantom’s services. Many of the elites on Goldenport Island did the same.
Their success had elevated the Half Phantom’s reputation to the divine being.
Johannes’ explanation was consistent with a deity-like master of magical techniques Levi had read in his reports.
Consequently, Johannes and the elites treated the Half Phantom like a king.
They had assumed that everything would go smoothly given how well they collaborated.
However, those that relied on the Half Phantom to change their fate would gradually receive their retribution.
Many of the prominent families were beset by sickness, tragedy, and business failure.
As the calamities grew, the Hiltons were the ones who were affected the worst.
Given that they had benefited the most from the Half Phantom, the retribution they received was equally massive.
Johannes’ wife, mistresses, or anyone he had a romantic link with died inexplicably.
The most frightening part was that he didn’t have a male amongst his grandchildren. All of them were granddaughters.
Usually, the sons in a prominent family would be given priority but there were no males at all.
And that was the reason why Sherrie was his favorite.
However, it would also mean that his legacy would end.
Even Johannes’ legs began to weaken, to the extent he had to walk with a cane.
From then on, any woman who slept with him would die.
Johannes was a devoted man. Although he had many women in his life, he loved every one of them deeply.
Unfortunately, something would always happen to them, causing him to be filled with despair.
It was then he realized that there was a price to pay every time they engaged the Half Phantom’s services.
There was just no free lunch in the world.
Whatever one wanted, one needed to give something equivalent in exchange.
Johannes realized that his success was achieved by sacrificing his wife and his family’s ability to have male heirs.
In other words, he was cursed.
Moreover, it was the same for the other elites of Goldenport Island.
Whatever they gained from the Half Phantom, they had lost something of equivalent importance.
The more benefits they gained, the more was taken from them.
When everyone realized what was going on, the Half Phantom’s reputation was shattered.
In a fit of rage, Johannes locked him up so that he would spend the rest of his life in a dark cell and die there.
After that, Johannes and the other elites of Goldenport Island kept the incident a secret.
Actually, Johannes wanted to kill the Half Phantom.
However, he was terrified of the consequences of doing so.
Hence, he could only bring himself to lock him up.
After hearing the story, Levi finally understood what was going on.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t really surprised by the strange events.
After all, there were many equally bizarre events that went on in Erudia.
In a nutshell, he understood that one had to work hard for one’s achievements. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
If one wanted to take a shortcut, one had to pay a price.
Just as they spoke, many of the crowd arrived at where the Half Phantom was held.
“You’re finally here?”
The Half Phantom’s voice rang out with a chuckle.
“Are you waiting for me?”
“That’s right!”
The Half Phantom left out a strange laugh. “I even know why you’re looking for me.”
Levi and the crowd were shocked.
The Half Phantom humbly replied, “I only know some peasant tricks, nothing worth shouting about.”
Levi remained calm. “In that case, can you cure her?”
