True Tycoon Her Empire, Her Rules

Chapter 150

In the chatroom, Mae’s fans, while not echoing the sentiment, had come to agree with the sentiment expressed in a recent chat message.

Mae had really stumbled into some seriously bad luck finding such a cursed item.

On the production side, when Mae heard Mervin utter the words “cremains,” she nearly lost her footing, almost unable to stand in shock.

Thankfully, Gentry was quick to steady her with a supportive hand.

“Don't worry, Mae. Now that we've found the thing, we just need to deal with it,” Gentry said, trying to appear helpful, though deep down he was feeling a bit shaky himself, especially after Mervin’s earlier jab about Ghostly. He was afraid his ruse would be seen through, so he stuck to offering verbal comfort.

Fortunately, Mae wasn’t putting all her hopes on Gentry. She turned her hopeful gaze to Winnie. her voice trembling. “Winnie, can you take care of this?”

“No biggie.” Winnie was about to name her price out of habit when she remembered they were filming. She held back.

Instead, she looked at Mae and asked unexpectedly. “When you found this thing in the bag, was this ruby bracelet the only item?”

Winnie’s question was out of the blue.

The guests on set and the live-stream audience were baffled. What did she mean by that? Wasn't there just the one ruby bracelet in the bag? Could there be something else?

When Mae had first shown it, she had said it was just a bangle she had found.

After Winnie’s accurate detection of the cremains inside the bangle, no one doubted her words anymore. Instead, they began to ponder if her question had some deeper meaning.

Mae, the one being questioned, stiffened almost imperceptibly, a reaction that went unnoticed since she had already been rattled by the talk of cremains. Only Mae knew the ‘panic that flashed in her heart when she met Winnie’s clear, piercing gaze as if seeing through everything.

In just a second, she managed to say through gritted teeth. “Just this one.”

The audience didn’t question her response, and Winnie seemed puzzled for a second before casually shifting her focus back to the bangle and remaining on the ground.

Dealing with it wasn’t hard, but she didn’t want to reveal her talismans in front of the camera crew, especially not her secret identity as Master Winner.

So she turned to Mervin and asked plainly, “Master Mervin, can | borrow a charm?”

Without specifying which charm, Mervin understood her request.

“| don’t have a Exorcism Charm on me, but I can draw one right here,” he offered.

He could draw basic Charms, and although simple, they were enough to handle this kind of

thing.

He also felt that Winnie could handle it herself, but she was deliberately asking him, probably to give him a chance to show off. This was also a good opportunity for him to promote the Breeze Monastery.

Thinking this, Mervin shot Winnie a grateful look, then turned to the host to ask for some supplies to set up his work. Winnie was speechless. Why did his look seem so odd?

Then she listened as Mervin listed several items, all necessary for setting up his workspace, and she felt strangely overcomplicated.

Just to draw a basic Exorcism Charm, why all the fuss?

Winnie didn’t understand, but the other guests and crew, having never seen a real charm drawing, didn’t find Mervin’s request out of place.

Gentry, meanwhile, showed his approval and took the opportunity to explain to the camera.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“I've heard from the Fox Spirit that drawing a charm isn’t as simple as we think. Before drawing. one must pray, and cleanse, and the more complex the Charm, the harder the drawing. sometimes taking days for a single Charm.”

He paused, as if to drive the point home, then added, “A truly inspired person can feel the resistance when drawing a charm. The stronger the inspiration, the easier the drawing.”

Sure enough, the guests and the live stream audience were taken aback by Gentry’s explanation. They couldn’t believe it. “| thought drawing a charm was just a quick sketch. Are there really so many intricacies?”

“Nowadays charms are just printed. Why the need for a hand—drawn one?”

“You trust printed charms? Obviously, hand—drawn ones are more powerful.”

Although Mervin didn’t like Gentry, he didn’t contradict Gentry’s explanation to the audience and simply said, “Due to the rush, we'll skip some steps.”

Since the show’s theme involved the occult, and Gentry had set up an altar in the previous

episode, the crew had prepared many items in advance. Now they quickly arranged everything

according to Mervin’s instructions.

Mervin, having placed his backpack aside, approached the prepared altar. At that moment, his demeanor changed completely. With a solemn and respectful expression, he cleansed his hands, lit a candle, and bowed solemnly in a specific direction. Chapter 150

Then, with serious concentration, he began to draw the charm.

His posture was serious, and everyone on set, including the crew and guests, held their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing Mervin.

Mervin spent a full twenty minutes on his drawing.

Despite the show choosing a cool location, it was still the height of summer and swelteringly hot. No one expected Mervin’s charm to take so long, and it seemed rude to interrupt.

So, the group waited with him for twenty minutes.

It wasn’t until Mervin’s final stroke, difficult and straining, that his tense expression finally relaxed, though his forehead was covered in sweat.

Whether from heat or exertion was unclear.

Looking at the charm he had drawn, Mervin didn’t deal with it directly but handed it to Winnie with a rare smile, as if to say his mission was accomplished, “It’s all yours now.”

Winnie took the charm with a complex expression.

She had heard about the process but had never witnessed it firsthand and couldn't believe drawing a charm was such a struggle. If only she knew...

If only she had known, she would have used her own charm instead.

Arare twinge of guilt seeped into her heart, but she still gripped the Exorcism Charm as she approached the ruby bracelet and urn of ashes laid out on the floor.

Exactly how she did it was a mystery, but the charm seemed to fall onto the disturbed ashes and spontaneously ignited. With a whoosh, both the charm and the ashes burned away without a trace.

The audience in front of their screens had just witnessed a live demonstration of mystical arts performed by a so-called spiritualist, and though many still preferred the comfort of science, they couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for the occult.

While Winnie had someone bury the ruby bracelet without further ado, Mae quietly approached Mervin to express her gratitude. She couldn't help but compliment the impressive display of his charm—drawing skills and, with a sly innocence, she asked him,

“The viewers must still be curious about how you made that charm. Could you, dear mentor, draw another one like you did just now?”

Mimicking the sweet tone of the online commenters, she called him ‘mentor’ and skillfully invoked the interest of the show’s production team and audience.

Mervin found it hard to refuse. So, he took up his tools and crafted another Exorcism Charm, this time in sixteen minutes flat. Chapter 150

He was pleased with himself. The quicker the drawing, the more it showed his mastery of the craft. He could imagine his teacher beaming with pride.

Afterward, Mae smoothly requested the newly drawn charm for herself. Her reason was that she was lucky, often finding things by chance. Having a charm would give her peace of mind.

Neither Mervin nor any of the crew suspected a thing.