Weapon seller in the world of magic

A while later;

The family of three and the family of four sat down together.

Vera, as always, was effortlessly comfortable, chatting away with Soojin about school, hobbies, and shopping as if they were childhood friends reunited.

Even little Alice, despite her initial shyness, had started warming up to her, occasionally tugging at Vera’s sleeve to show her something.

As for Theo, he was trying to be comfortable, conversing with Zhao Mingze. But his reluctance and discomfort were clearly evident on his face.

Meanwhile, Tianzhu and Xueli were talking about his future plans. ”So, do you really plan on changing your career?”

Tianzhu nodded. ”Yeah. I don’t think I want any more money or prestige or whatever, Jie jie. Now, all I care about is keeping them safe.”

”Why? Are they not safe in Kitezh?” Xueli blinked, taken aback by his response. ”I heard that it was one of the lowest crime-rated cities in the world.”

Tianzhu awkwardly smiled, ”You know it is, Jie Jie. In our profession, we constantly face threats as our influence grows stronger. Before they were kids, I could easily control their movements and restrict the places they could go, preventing them from doing bad things. Now, they are already teenagers, and it won’t be long before they completely deny my worries. Since I can’t stop it, I have to atleast bring them to a better environment.”

”Alright. I’ll try my best to support you then...” Xueli smiled. Tianzhu smiled back.

The rest of the night pretty much went smoothly. The three of them stayed there for the night. Vera slept in Soojin’s room, and Tianzhu and Theo slept in the empty guest room.

Two days later;

At the hotel, the morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting pale yellow light across the room.

Tianzhu sat at the small desk, sipping his coffee and watching the news. Vera is still sleeping, and Theo is nowhere to be seen. He has already gotten onto the return flight to Kitezh as promised.

”Hmm... Starlight Guild gained much fame for achieving such a high survival rate.” Tianzhu took another sip. ”But it is strange that no news article or reporter is covering that guy, the one who actually ended the boss. I wonder what his identity was. Should I ask Noa? She seems to have known him. I got her number. Maybe I should ask her for lunch and subtly ask her about this fellow. Hmm... but why though. It is not like he is interrupting my life. Why not let’s just behave as if...”

Ting

The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. Tianzhu set his coffee cup down and glanced at the door, raising an eyebrow. ”Hmm?” He wasn’t expecting any visitors.

”Mr. Qin?” a deep voice called from the other side, before he got up from his seat.

He stood up and opened the door to find two officers in plain clothing, their expressions unreadable but sharp.

The taller of the two, a man with short black hair, stepped forward, showing his badge. ”Hangzhou’s Awakened Crimes Division, Captain Yang Se-Cheong. May I confirm your identity: Qin Tianzhu?”

Tianzhu nodded. ”Yes?”

”Good morning, sir. We’d like to ask you a few questions regarding the incident yesterday, which you have been involved in,” the captain continued to speak.

Name: Yan Se Cheong

Age: 36

Ethnicity: Goryeo

Arcane Path: Mage

Ability: Ice manipulation

Ability Rank: S

Mana Reserves: 43,892,308

*

The other one added politely, ”Nothing to be alarmed for, Mr. Qin. As you have been a foreigner who just landed a couple of days ago, we had to ask some questions as a formality, which I’m sure you will have no problems answering.

”Not a problem,” Tianzhu said casually, gesturing toward the small seating area. ”Please, come in.”

Both men bowed politely before taking a seat.

”Mr. Qin, we found credible evidence that in yesterday’s Rift incident in the mall, one unregistered awakener has used powers, and our investigation results found out that it is Mr. Theodore Qin.” The captain spoke, unfurling a document about Theo, which seemed to have been taken from the embassy. He continued. ”According to the Family Education Promotion Law. Article 11, Theodore is a minor, and Mr. Qin, who is designated as his legal guardian, is responsible for any illegal activities done by Theodore. However, since he hadn’t caused any significant damage, no case has been filed against him.”

Taking a pause, the captain then said. ”There’s nothing to be worried about, Mr. Qin. Now, all we need are the answers to a few questions. One, what is your relationship with Theodore?”

Tianzhu replied plainly. ”He is my biological nephew and my adopted son.” After a pause, he added. ”Next?”

”Eh?” The captain and his sergeant were taken aback, exchanging glances at one another before the captain nodded and said. ”May we know the reason why you haven’t registered your neph... I mean, your adopted son as the awakener?”

Tianzhu’s eyes didn’t leave the captain a bit, and neither did his expression show any change from calmness as he replied. ”If he gets registered, he will have the right to apply for a Hunter’s License. I don’t want him to become one. As a parent, I want him to be safe.”

The captain said. ”But according to the file, it says he is 18. He only has to wait for 1 another year to become a legal adult, though. There is no point in not registering even now.”

Tianzhu replied as if he were prepared for that. ”That’s our family’s problem to be sorted out, not the police. Next.”

Captain Yang was slightly taken aback, feeling that extreme pressure on his soul for some reason, especially when he saw those eyes of Tianzhu. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. ”Alright, uhh... secondly, according to the Association’s protocols, it is illegal for any unlicensed awakener to use supernatural abilities in public unless permitted by a hunter in charge or if done strictly in self-defense. And we found out that your son used his powers without having the permission of either the leader of Haze Guild or Starlight Guild’s Vice Leader/ Our Superintendent told us to inform you that if Mr. Qin is willing to admit that his son was on the orders of the Starlight Guild or the Haze Guild, whatever charges that could be written on your son will be written off.”

Tianzhu frowned at that statement. He continuously stared at the officer for a while. The latter stared back at him, although a bit nervously.

Crossing his arms, he responded with a chuckle. ”Then, how about this? Theodore never did pick up the violin. He never did play the music or showcase his powers. Whatever happened, only Haze Guild did the work.”

”Eh?” The officers once again exchanged glances in surprise.

Captain Yang got up, stretching his hand. ”We have a deal, Mr. Qin.”

Tianzhu smiled. ”Pleasure.”

The officers exchanged one last look, then turned to leave. ”We apologize for any inconvenience,” the Captain said before heading toward the door.

Tianzhu followed them to the door, expression unreadable. ”No worries. Have a good day.”

They gave a final bow and disappeared into the corridor.

Downstairs, Lobby;

The two officers stopped by the hotel’s polished lobby at the entrance, passing a few early tourists sipping coffee.

Near the far window sat a man in a dark gray coat with a disposable paper cup in his hand.

The officers approached the man, who raised an eyebrow at their presence.

Mo Xingchen, the vice-leader of the Starlight Guild, looked up from the tablet in his lap. They reported the matter as it was to him and left silently.

Xingchen sat in silence for a long moment. Then, he replayed the video on his tablet again.

It was playing the footage recorded by one of the CCTVs in the Atrium that day.

Xingchen’s eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on a part of the video where Theodore was playing the music and knocked everyone into an unconscious state.

”This could even restrict the movements of a Class-2 Boss type like Red Ogre. This young man is indeed interesting. An unregistered Awakener and not even an unlicensed hunter? Someone like him should be in the Starlight Guild. Before his talent gets discovered by those top-tier guilds, I need to recruit him. But his father seemed quite persistent. I should come at a different angle to deal with this matter.”

Meanwhile, Back Upstairs;

In his room, Tianzhu sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on knees, hands clasped. ”Okay, let’s land a job, then, look for the house, and after that, finally, Vera and Theo’s future school where they graduate...” he muttered under his breath.