Eternal Thief

Melvin returned to his courtyard but suddenly stopped just when he was about to enter and looked behind.

A hint of surprise flashed past his eyes when he saw the blue-haired elderly hunter had appeared behind him before he pulled a huge grin and greeted with a hint of respect, “Steward Jesper, it’s quite rare to see you, especially for the second time within two days.”

“Brat, you don’t have to be dishonest with me.” Steward Jesper smirked and started walking inside Melvin’s luxurious courtyard.

Melvin couldn’t help but smile wryly, “Yeah, help yourself in, old man.”

Once inside, Steward Jesper asked, “So, how was it? Did you arrange everything?”

Melvin nodded and coolly replied, “It was a small matter. Old five will keep an eye on that little brat Ace and make sure he won’t die. Now, can you tell me what this is all about? Everyone knows that Steward Jesper is unbiased, yet here you are, twisting the rules of the Evil Slaying Division, which you founded yourself. Aren’t you afraid those retired old men will cuss you in resentment if they find out?”

Steward Jesper shook his head and sighed, “Those brats can jump around all they want. If they’re not convinced, I’ll beat them into submission.” His expression turned solemn as he stated, “But no matter what, nothing can happen to Ace!”

Melvin was even more surprised since he could tell Steward Jesper wasn’t joking, and he became even more curious, “Just who is he? If you want to protect him, you’re doing it wrong by sending him to the Evil Slaying Division. Shouldn’t he be in the Golden Division?”

Steward Jesper’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness, “You don’t understand. Just protect him in secret. Furthermore, until he’s in the Evil Slaying Division, make sure no one schemes against him. Especially those racial factions, even if they are humans.”

Melvin raised an eyebrow, “Even if he courts death himself?”

Steward Jesper nodded without hesitation, “Even if he courts death himself! Just don’t make it obvious. Furthermore, I trust the integrity of the Evil Slaying Division among all the divisions. So, I know Ace is in good hands. It’ll be good to mold him into a warrior instead of letting him become a house flower. But he can’t die.”

“Alright, I’ll see to it. But just in case, you should alert the Division Head as well. That old man will skin me alive if he finds out.” Just mentioning the division head made Melvin tremble.

“Don’t worry, he’s busy with another matter.” Steward Jesper said matter-of-factly, “Oh, another thing, once Ace becomes a Slayer, send him to the White Evil Secret Realm!”

“What!?” Melvin was alarmed, “I thought you didn’t want to kill him? You do know that the other entrance of the White Evil Secret Realm is in the Abyss Faith King Temple, right? Every once in a hundred years, we have many casualties while fighting those lunatics. Furthermore, no one above the Ascension Grand General Realm can enter the White Evil Secret Realm. Just make up your if you want to protect him or kill him.”

Steward Jesper shook his head as the same helplessness surfaced in his eyes, “Just do it. Besides, we don’t need to send him in if he didn’t become a Slayer, right? Alright, I’m going back; I’m too old to walk around in this cold place.”

Steward Jesper gave Melvin a meaningful glare before he vanished, leaving the baffled Melvin behind as his mind was filled with confusion.

‘Did the old man finally go senile?’ He wondered…

—

Steward Jesper appeared in the Hall of Prosperous Beginnings, and his expression was perplexed as he said with a frown, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Matriarch…”

“Hmph, I’ll overlook what you just did…” The Matriarch’s cold voice rang in Steward Jesper’s mind.

Steward Jesper doesn’t seem to bother and only smiles wryly; he still doesn’t understand why the Matriarch is doing this.

—

Back in the Feline Alchemy Shop, Ace was looking at Eleanor, who had returned to tell him about Ravencrown’s arrangement while Zaria was still in the wind. Still, he wasn’t worried about her since he knew that woman was quite capable and powerful.

“Who is this Count Anvil?” Ace asked curiously. Since it was his first time hearing this name, and since the Nightfall Ravenhood wanted to know the location of his Son, Ace mused that he might be an important part of their scheme.

Eleanor replied, “He’s the city lord of the Runic Forge City and also a Runic Count Rank runic noble of the Runic King Crown Palace, which means he’s only below the Runic Dukes. Which means he’s a 1-Star Ascension Grand Lord.

“You should know that there are only 12 Runic Counts in the entire Runic King Crown Palace. Among these Grand Lords, three are the overseers of the three runic cities, while others are in the palace. The Trinity Lord Workshop also belonged to one of these runic counts, the Trinity Count.

“So, you can only imagine how terrifying they all are. But even more terrifying are the Three Runic Dukes, the elusive and true trump card of the Runic Crown Palace. That’s why you need to be careful not to draw any suspicion. It may not look like it, but Count Anvil has his eyes on everywhere.”

Ace was astounded since he wasn’t expecting the Runic Counts to be such terrifying existences. Although Zaria told him about the Trinity Count, she didn’t tell him about his exact prowess.

Nonetheless, he was more interested in another thing as he asked, “You want to know Count Anvil’s son’s location? Don’t tell me your target is Count Anvil?”

Eleanor pursed her lips as she replied, “I can’t tell you what our target is before you become an actual member. It’s part of the contract between all the members. Just be careful of that bimbo Zaria!”

Ace looked at Eleanor strangely when she cussed Zaria, but he knew better than to provoke her further and nodded, “Alright, leave it to me.”

Ace knew this chance was his final opportunity to infiltrate the Nightfall Ravenhood and investigate their background so he wouldn’t miss it.

Furthermore, Zaria was already a member of Thief House, so he didn’t need to worry about her at all.

Nonetheless, Ace was now very curious about what the Nightfall Ravenhood was trying to achieve, and whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything ordinary since they were targeting an Ascension Grand Lord!