"She died the next morning."

The old lady sighed and wept. Tears flowed profusely behind the mask. Natasha took out a handkerchief and handed it to the woman, who gratefully accepted it.

"Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you," she smiled sadly.

She blew her nose in a unique manner to avoid revealing her face, while he remained nonchalant.

What an actress... She could have fooled me if I didn't have the system to assist me. Such an act could have earned her the Nobel Prize for Best Actress in the world.

"Who's handling the case? Are the government authorities still on the murder scene? Yet, I don't see any policemen or inspectors guarding the place," Ranold asked, suspecting the lack of surveillance.

Anyone could enter inside without anyone knowing. It's too strange.

The building was located on 14th Lemon Street. And it was unlikely that the business had been operational for a while, even a lack of maintenance could be noticed from afar. People seemed to ignore the closure of the business, thinking it was a private affair.

Yet, such a measure should have sparked rumors. It was a time when a property near downtown was expensive. An inactive or under construction business required a lot of maintenance, especially from the city if it was abandoned. Moreover, the lack of income and taxes would be a huge hole in their finances.

"Natasha, is it normal for a business not to generate income?" Ranold asked, looking at the building.

A seven-year-old wouldn't have asked such a pointed question. However, she answered without realizing the issue.

Natasha thought. "Normally, no... The city should take care of the business and sell the contract to someone else to continue generating taxes for the city's operation."

Such a loss would be huge and would be around 250,000 British pounds. In the English monetary system, the British pound was the second currency. It came from old silver coins. One British pound equated to a loaf of bread.

At the top of the monetary system was the gold ingot, which was generally very rare to see, as a single piece contained a huge amount of money. They were also printed on paper but guaranteed by gold and directly issued by English banks. One gold ingot equated to 50,000 British pounds, or the price of a car at that time.

In other words, there had been the intervention of a third party that must have financed this huge loss during that period and even today. Maybe even the government was complicit.

The old lady's face tightened.

She replied, "Ahah, it's true that the absence of an owner is a problem. However, since the murderer hasn't appeared in the city anymore and there's no trace left, they decided to close the business indefinitely. Maybe they'll reopen it someday," she chuckled.

Wouldn't it be you financing the mayor in exchange for his silence?

Ranold thought.

Should we deal with this evil entity?

[It's not advisable for the host to confront it now?]

Why? I now have [Magic II] that can be used effectively.

[The entity can flee and target you. It will be more complicated to catch it once it becomes cautious. And you're not yet strong enough to fight the entity in front of you.]

What?

The old lady in front of him was stronger than him?

At first glance, the old lady didn't seem strong. On the contrary, she seemed to be on the verge of passing through the door...

She winked at him sensing his gaze.

Ranold shuddered.

At what level of [Magic] do I need to reach to match her level? he asked curiously.

The system responded shortly after: [Magic VI]

Magic IV?! he exclaimed inwardly.

To attain [Magic VI], he would have to read several more years before he could even see the skill offered in the shop. Perhaps he would even have to accomplish a quest and receive a reward of that level to attain such a level of skill.

For now, he was only at [Magic II].

And that was already very strong, so he couldn't imagine how terrifying [Magic VI] would be.

His face unconsciously tightened. Ranold sighed.

"Is something wrong, master?" Elise and Natasha asked.

"No, nothing," he said, "Well, thank you for your information, we appreciate it. Here's the payment for the information you provided."

"Oh no, no. Those are free. I just came to see because I got interested in you, haha. Be careful not to approach unnecessarily here."

"Alright. Have a good day." Ranold bid farewell by waving his hand in the air. He wanted to leave quickly and not encounter this terrifying entity again that exuded an oppressive and intimidating aura.

Natasha did the same and followed Elise, who had taken the lead. "Please keep the handkerchief."

"Thank you." The old lady did the same in return.

The street crowd quickly hid the traces of the three individuals. After losing sight of the group, the old lady with the masked smile turned back, casting a last glance at the abandoned shop before returning to her apartment.

"These two women were very unconscious, but this child, even with a naive smile, never diverted his questioning eyes," she reflected as she climbed the steps.

This young man... Could he have known my true identity?

She reached her room and opened the shutters before glancing at the crowd of people. It was noon, and everyone was out shopping or looking for a restaurant to sit down for a warm meal. As for the old lady, she watched precisely where the two young women and the child had been earlier.

Meanwhile, Ranold continued to walk, checking out popular shops.

System, buy a tracking device and discreetly implant it on her.

"It's done,"

"Master, we have a very popular shop here!" Elise exclaimed as she jumped into the store.

Ranold chuckled slightly and tapped his cheeks to focus.

"Is something bothering you, master?" Natasha asked.

He shook his head. "Let's go. We still have plenty of time."

However, Ranold continued to shiver even though he had already distanced himself from that old witch.

The old lady could roughly read his thoughts. Reflecting on this, she began to laugh.

"It's unlikely that this child is a secret agent of that 'organization'."

She wore a happy expression for the first time in a long while. Her eyes behind the mask turned red. And the hanging smile continued to spread from ear to ear to form a "V".

"Hm! Hm!" A groan echoed in the dark room.

"Interesting. I hope we can meet again very soon in the near future, kid," she laughed before closing the shutters and turning to a dying person tied to a wooden chair, struggling.

"Don't you think the same? I mean the physical division investigator, Michelle Little?"

An unknown uniformed person sat on the wooden chair. The chair was stained red from hours of continuous bleeding. She had bruises, minor wounds on her arms, and the left leg was no longer attached to her body but present and detached on the floor. There was a huge flow of blood, and her blue expression showed the physical condition of the young woman.

The importance of this person was crucial. She was one of the investigators of a very secretive division of the world. "Damn it. Our organization will hunt you down and exterminate you, no matter where you flee, even to the other side of the world," she murmured. The blond hair, as well as the emotionless eyes, were gradually losing their dye.

The old lady, or the entity possessing her, laughed. "Haha, you've been saying the same thing for weeks now… Ah. She's already dead," she sighed before leaving the room with firm steps.

Only a walking corpse remained in the room, which would be found a few days later. The other investigators would use various means to cover up the loss of one of their organizational members. And they would disappear from the surface, but what was important was the badge worn on the shoulder of the uniform.

There was a blue star covering the entire logo. In the middle, there was a blue planet that resembled the shape of Earth, and around it was writing inscribed on it: GOC (Global Occult Coalition).

Ranold continued his shopping and bought quite a few things, first interesting antiques recommended by the system, as well as tools from new factories, and other items such as newspapers. He didn't forget to check the corners of the city, gathering as much information as possible about the current era he had grown up in.

"Did you buy what I asked for, little brother?" Lina asked, her dark circles under her eyes and a worrying frown.

If he hadn't bought what she had asked for before, she would undoubtedly jump on him to try to kill him. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten to buy what she had asked for.

"I've become the head of the family. You should call me master from now on," he informed her with a sigh.

Natasha brought out a new brown-colored dress, as well as other useful items for women.

"Ah! The dress just out of the Bruns house! Amazing! And this... The new women's collection?!" she exclaimed, running to her room and abandoning the documents she had previously worked on.

"What should we do, master?" Natasha asked.

Ranold sighed once again. "I'll take care of the paperwork. Bring me some ink," he said, rolling up the long sleeves of his woolen shirt.

Good Lord. This was child abuse.

The sight of their master's arms excited the young ladies of the house.

"What are you doing? Bring me some ink!" he shouted, shooing away the smiling maids as they left the room.

"Was their education rushed?" Ranold wondered seriously as he reflected.

[It seems that your popularity keeps growing], noted the system.

"Don't start, system," he sighed.

We should recruit bureaucrats as soon as possible.

"Master, we've brought back the books written by the third head of the family," a new maid announced, entering the room with a stack of archives in her arms.

"Okay, put them on my desk," he said, continuing to read.

[You've earned 2 shop points]

[You've earned 1 shop point]

[You've earned 3 shop points]

Ranold closed the book and rubbed his nose bridge.

[Archive recording...]

[Finished]

It had been five years since he last left the mansion. After leaving the suspicious old lady, he focused on earning shop points. The only way to do so was to read archives or advanced books that had a certain trace of wisdom.

Thus, by reading about a hundred pages written by renowned scholars, he could proportionally obtain shop points depending on the difficulty of absorbing the knowledge. And the shop points now allowed unlocking new skills offered in the shop.

The purchase of skills depended on the amount to be provided. They could be bought, but they were very expensive. It was very useful for obtaining skills easily, but obtaining shop points was very difficult and time-consuming.

Ranold closed the book he had finished for the day.

He had read roughly a portion of the books held in the family library in just a few years since his last baptism.

"I'm sleepy..." he yawned.

However, even though he was sleepy, he still had a lot of documents to sign and check before formatting them and sending them to others.

Ranold was not idle either. He had tried to trace the old lady with the masked face, but everything had disappeared. As if she had never existed from the beginning. He had sent a man to ask her to meet and confine her, but the only trace he had found was an owner who had no connection with the previous tenant.

It was at this moment that he regretted not taking the initiative earlier, but there was no advantage in continuing to regret.

After reaching [Magic IV], he understood that it would have been too dangerous and naive to confront her with such a thin and ridiculous power.

He took his pen and dipped the tip into the ink. After writing a few lines and stamping the official document, he handed it to Sebas, who was waiting at the corner of the room like a stone statue. "Give this to the bureaucrats."

"I understand," he said before leaving the main office.

He could finally rest.

The time it took Sebas to walk between the main office and the bureaucrats' office at the end of the mansion was about a 10-minute walk, and 10 minutes for the round trip.

He took out his pillow from under his desk and prepared to lie down. "Ugh. Let's sleep~"

Footsteps. Footsteps.

Someone was approaching the main office.

He opened one eye, giving an inquisitive look.

It didn't seem to be Sebas because the steps were irregular and fast, unlike the butler who walked in a disciplined and steady manner.

[Magic IV] had heightened my sensory senses, multiplying my hearing and other senses.

Crash!

Ranold jumped at the violent sound of the collision between the door and the wall. His eardrums almost burst as he used his magic at full power.

Natasha appeared in maid attire. The door to the office was trembling from a violent blow.

Was the door still functional?

"Poor door," he sighed.

He would have to pay for another door again; the bills were just piling up recently.

"Master! We have an email!" she shouted.

"Why so violent? What email could be so important as to smash the door like a brute?" he sighed.

"Because it's important, master! It's a strange email, but important based on the background!" she replied.

"Can't I sleep?" he pleaded.

She shook her head firmly.

Just as he wanted to take a break, another document arrived. Ranold wanted to flee, but he had to fulfill his duties as the head of the family; he could even hear Sebas walking calmly here. "Alright, give it to me quickly."

She quickly handed it over. Ranold picked it up and turned the envelope to check the source of the email. Strangely, there was no name or official stamp. That might be why she had indicated that it was strange.

Only the initial was written on the front: "AS".

Ranold's expression became serious.

AS stood for Alan for the first name and Shild for the last name. And their appearances were very surprising. Since he started reading all the books in the library, he had never forgotten the presence of their initials in the short family passages.

Their presence had always been indicated in restricted or family events. They were archived in the family archives of class three.

It was a family similar to the Gates, famous for their innovations in weaponry. They had created new weapons, practical tools for everyday life, and so on. But what was important to remember was their current head of the family, who was difficult to discern.

It was said that for a few centuries, the head of the family had never changed, indicating that he was either never or not yet dead, much like Arthur Gate. And Ranold was wary of his intention to contact him today.

Ranold cut the top of the envelope and took out the intact paper. He became speechless.

"To my dear long-time friend, Arthur Gate,

I have come to contact you again since our last interaction, forty years ago. Currently, the situation in Europe has stabilized thanks to the intervention of 05-9 and 05-8. But there is still much cleanup work to be done. Members of the division and the GOC council have also begun to move, making secret travel difficult.

Fortunately, the tail has not yet been caught..."

He read the text silently and slowly, memorizing every important and minor detail, scrutinizing the smallest letters that could convey a coded message and crucial information.

After a few minutes of silence, he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"What a mess have I gotten myself into?"