Sylvia Green had used all her strength to get from the rural area to Silverbrook, but as someone without local identification, she was considered an outsider with no connections.

On top of that, Sylvia only knew a bit of Silverbrook's language, since the local dialect wasn't taught in her area. Her lack of fluency quickly exposed her as someone from the mainland.

At this time, Silverbrook was in a state of chaos. Sylvia was alone, with no support, and as a young, beautiful girl with no background, it was easy to imagine the kind of trouble she could find herself in.

She had come from a small fishing village near the coast and quickly ran into a group of thugs looking to extort money. They joked with her, and as soon as they realized she had no connections or power, they immediately pushed her into a narrow alley.

Fortunately, before she had left, Sylvia had used some enhancement items from the "red envelope group"—gifts she had acquired that were meant to boost her strength from another world. So, when it came to using force against the thugs, she was more than capable of defending herself.

However, Silverbrook was a city with gang organizations everywhere. Even the street thugs were affiliated with the powerful "Shadow Wolf" gang. After a near-death encounter, the gang was enraged by a girl who had almost incapacitated their members. They couldn’t accept the humiliation, so they quickly called for backup.

Sylvia, new to the city and unaware of the local dynamics, didn’t leave immediately after the fight. She found herself trapped by the gang, blocking her way.

Although she had enhanced strength, she couldn’t fight off the entire group, especially since she had no way of taking on a hundred of them. In the end, Sylvia was overpowered and taken by the Shadow Wolf gang.

Since crossing into this world, Sylvia had feared her looks wouldn't match up to her original self, so she had used the beauty-enhancing potions from the red envelope group. She had transformed into a stunning beauty, her skin fair and her appearance flawless—definitely a captivating woman.

Because of this, when she was brought to the Shadow Wolf gang, their leader immediately took an interest in her.

"Not bad, this little thing is pretty nice," the leader, Wolf, commented, eyeing her hungrily. "I'll take care of her first, and you guys can have the leftovers."

"Thanks, Wolf," another gang member chimed in.

"But this girl is tough. She knows some martial arts. How about we drug her to calm her down?"

"Sure, why not?"

They were speaking right in front of Sylvia, with no shame at all, showing no fear of her.

Although Sylvia didn’t understand the entire conversation, she could catch the general idea. And with the lecherous stares they gave her, it was clear what they had planned.

Sylvia was both furious and terrified. She was on the Shadow Wolf's turf, surrounded by their people. Even if she tried to run, she wouldn’t be able to escape.

Seeing Wolf's brothers holding syringes coming over, wanting to inject medicine into her body.

In a moment of desperation, Sylvia Green had no choice but to use her life-saving charm—a fire talisman.

There were more than a dozen people in the room, and as soon as she pulled out the talisman, all of them were within its range of attack.

Within moments, ten of the men were set ablaze, their skin peeling and burning, screaming and rolling on the floor in agony. Some even ran out to try and put the fire out with water.

But the talismans from the Immortal Realm weren’t so easily extinguished.

The thugs outside saw the fire spreading, and in a panic, they tried pouring water on it, but after one bucket, the flames intensified instead of dying down. Even diving into a nearby pond didn’t help. The fire kept burning, and everyone could only watch in horror as the men inside were burned alive.

A heavy smell of burning flesh filled the air. Sylvia walked out, holding the talisman with a frosty expression, an air of invincibility surrounding her.

“Hmph! This is the price for those who dared to offend me. If you don’t want to die, get out of here!” she said coldly.

The thugs were so terrified by the sight that they ran away, tripping over themselves, their panic written all over their faces as they rushed to tell others about what had just happened.

The fire was too bizarre, too terrifying. The ten men who were burned to death had suffered horribly, and their deaths left everyone stunned.

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Despite Silverbrook being a small-time gang, it had connections everywhere. Word of the terrifying event spread quickly, and Sylvia’s name echoed through the city.

Of course, Silverbrook was a place full of superstition, where all kinds of mystics and so-called "masters" were revered. The more bloodthirsty or mysterious someone appeared, the more likely they were to be admired.

So, when Sylvia used just a simple talisman to kill a handful of men and wipe out a small gang, people started seeing her as a high-level master, someone with incredible abilities. Her reputation spread far and wide.

It was a case of a beautiful misunderstanding, and Sylvia didn’t bother to correct it.

She was now known as a “master,” and everyone treated her with courtesy and respect.

In Silverbrook, no one was foolish enough to offend a master, especially one who had proven themselves to be as powerful as she was.

Soon, some people were offering extremely high prices for her charms, tempting Sylvia with amounts that made her hesitate.

Even though Ethan had given her all his allowance, it was in local currency, and here in Silverbrook, it was useless.

She felt like a poor woman, a so-called "master" who still had to figure out how to buy food...

But Sylvia remembered the rules of the Red Envelope group. Only group members were allowed to use the items, so she reluctantly turned down the offers.

She could earn money later, but breaking the rules of the group and getting kicked out? That was something she couldn’t afford.

After Sylvia Green conducted her investigation, she realized that while Silverbrook was prosperous, the underworld there was incredibly ruthless. Even though she paid protection money every day, survival wasn’t guaranteed, and the police were practically useless in dealing with these gangs.

Moreover, being seen as a master yet engaging in small businesses might reveal her true nature. Sylvia considered this, and finally decided to continue with her "master" persona.

She wasn’t going to offer fortune-telling services, but she had charms, and although she didn’t have many, she could still use them to intimidate people. Others didn’t know that, so pulling out a charm to scare someone would be enough.

Perhaps it was the effect of being in the protagonist's spotlight, but Sylvia truly succeeded. The Zhang family in Silverbrook, a well-known and powerful family, were still famous even after generations.

She got a job as a bodyguard for the family. The patriarch of the Zhang family invited her to work for them, not because she could read fortunes, but because they simply needed a bodyguard. When danger struck, she would use her charms to protect them.

To be honest, the job couldn’t have been better for Sylvia. She didn’t really have any special skills, but she could rely on the charms. The patriarch’s arrangement was a perfect fit for her!

Though things weren’t always smooth, Sylvia managed to establish herself in Silverbrook and began to build her foundation.

Meanwhile, Arden did not care too much about Sylvia. After entering the University, Arden immediately dove into the ocean of knowledge. She learned quickly and had a strong self-study ability. At first, she followed the teacher's pace. Later, she was afraid that her progress was too slow, so she decided to study on her own. If there was anything she did not understand, she would ask the teachers right away.

The teachers liked studious students the most. After discovering her learning ability, they happily changed their teaching method. In class, they would teach everyone, and after school, they would teach Arden only.

Thus, in less than a year, Arden had completed four years of university, and was secretly looking for some self-study materials.

In her second year of university, while her classmates were still attending school, Arden Forster had already immersed herself in the laboratory.

Each time she entered, it was for several days at a time, losing sleep and meals while working on her research.

Every time, her grandmother would send her brother to fetch her back home.

"Oh my, my precious, why are you working so hard? What are your brothers for? You don’t need to worry, just be happy and be yourself..."

"But, Grandma, I enjoy doing the research."

Her grandmother, Arden's maternal grandmother, was a woman of strong opinions and no compromises. "Alright, alright, if you love it, go ahead, but you must make sure to eat and rest. Look at you—worked so hard to gain some weight, and now you’re looking like this!"

Suddenly, Grandma had an idea, slapping her leg. "How about I go to the lab and cook for you? I’m just sitting at home with nothing to do!" The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. "Yes, that’s it! I’ll cook for you, that way you won’t have to skip meals anymore…"

Arden quickly refused, not wanting to trouble her grandmother by asking her to take care of her. Arden's father, after thinking for a moment, spoke up, "Mom, don’t worry about it, Arden’s meals will be sorted out very quickly."

The family was puzzled, looking at Arden’s father.

He didn’t waste time beating around the bush and said directly, "The higher-ups have decided. They’re making sure that Arden is well taken care of. The meals and rest will be handled by someone dedicated to it."

"Wait, what’s going on?" the family asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I don’t know all the details, but Arden has developed a new military technology. Once it’s successful, it’s bound to make a breakthrough in our national weapons industry. Competing with the Royal Kingdom and the United Force will no longer be just a dream."

He spoke with pride in his voice, even though he didn’t fully understand what Arden was researching. But from the reverence on the faces of those around him, he was certain that her work was no ordinary research.

When he first heard the news, he didn’t dare believe it—could it really be his granddaughter? He had no bias against Arden; she had grown up to be likable and smart. But even he never imagined she could accomplish something this monumental!

Now, seeing it all come to life, what could they question?

The family was overjoyed hearing this.

Arden's parents said, "Our daughter is the best!"

Her brothers exclaimed, "Our sister is amazing!"

Grandfather said, "My granddaughter makes me so proud!"

Grandmother was thrilled, "Look at that, I told you, my granddaughter is the best, effortlessly making outstanding achievements!"

But soon, her grandmother looked worried.

"Does this mean Arden can’t come home casually anymore?"

"Grandma, I’m not in prison; I’m doing research. If you miss me, just give me a call and I’ll come home to visit!" Arden reassured her.

Her grandmother was soothed by this and happily agreed, returning to her cheerful self.

This time when Arden went home, it was to say her goodbyes. After a short time with her family, she had to quickly return to the lab and continue her work on advancing the nation's military technology.