My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash Calicraft) novel Chapter 2479

At that moment, Nash no longer felt like he was sitting across from the head of the Lindejon Collective or a powerful exorcist. Instead, Maxim resembled a weary, elderly man.

Elderly was the right word to describe him. Though Maxim had maintained his youthful appearance through the use of true energy, his real age exceeded a hundred years. Once full of grandeur, he now appeared tired and aged.

Maxim gestured for Nash to sit down and then began to recount stories from his youth, including tales of his time with the Young family. His recollections stretched on for half an hour, at least.

Nash, listening politely, gave the occasional response. Most of what Maxim shared were things Nash had not experienced due to the wide gap in their ages. To him, Maxim came off as a man nostalgic for the past, prone to venting his frustrations.

Then, Maxim's tone shifted. It grew more solemn, almost as if he was entrusting something to Nash. He said, "I've grown old and lived long enough to witness the joys and sorrows of life. I've had a full life, and for that, I'm content. But… there's still one burden weighing on my heart.

"Nash, my friend, I don't know if I could ask this of you."

Nash replied in a non-committal manner, "If it's within my power..."

Maxim smiled and pulled a photograph from his pocket. It was a picture of him and Thresmund together. "This child of mine... He's still so young, so naïve. I don't want to burden him with anything. I just want him to live his life in peace. But..."

Maxim's eyes suddenly became pleading as he looked at Nash. "Nash, this is more of a request. Soon, there may be some changes, but none of them should involve my son. If, by any chance, he ever finds himself in trouble... could I ask you to help him?"

Huntley shared the same sentiment. "Yeah, I got that impression too. Like someone making their final request before death."

Nash had already come to a conclusion. Combining what Huntley had said about the Celestial Tree's fruit and the strange arrays, he had a chilling realization. "If my guess is correct, Maxim is planning to take the Celestial Tree down with him."

"Take the Celestial Tree down with him?" Clinton and Huntley were both stunned by the boldness of Nash's hypothesis. They found it hard to believe.

Nash continued, explaining his reasoning, "If I'm right, those four magic arrays are indeed meant to absorb true energy. But the purpose of absorbing all that energy, I believe, is..."