Ethan was about to leave when the City Lord of Ravenshade stepped forward and blocked his path. Ethan hesitated, then reached into his inventory and pulled out the item he'd received earlier.
It was the "Dark Gold Grade Shark's Tooth."
As soon as the City Lord saw it, a visible twitch crossed his face. "That's not what I meant," he said firmly. "Take out the other thing."
Fairwind immediately stepped in front of Ethan, shielding him like a loyal bodyguard.
"City Lord," he said coldly, "do you realize who Ethan is?"
"You had your butler following me, and now you're accusing my friend? What kind of person are you?"
Without waiting for a response, Fairwind grabbed Ethan's arm. "Let's go," he said.
But the City Lord stepped in again, blocking their path for the third time. "I said... take it out."
Fairwind's tone turned sharp. "You've gone too far, Wei Mo Li! Get out of the way!"
Then he turned to Ethan and added seriously, "If he stops you now, I won't even recognize him as my father anymore."
With the situation reaching its limit, Ethan no longer kept it secret. He took out the ring he had picked up in the vault earlier and handed it over.
The City Lord carefully examined the ring's properties. After a moment of silence, he looked at Ethan with deep regret and bowed.
"Young Ethan, I owe you an apology," he said sincerely. "I wrongly suspected you."
"I only reacted that way because you looked uneasy when we mentioned those mysterious strangers. I thought you had taken something forbidden. But I was wrong."
He turned the ring over in his hand. "This item is indeed extremely rare. I assume you acquired it from those invaders."
Fairwind stood to the side, glaring at his father like he was ready to explode. Noticing this, the City Lord tried to lighten the mood.
"If there's anything I can give you in return, please let me know. I owe you that much."
Then, he respectfully handed the ring back to Ethan.
Fairwind's curiosity was immediately piqued. "Wait, this ring is that valuable? And it's important to those so-called 'foreigners'?"
He turned to Ethan and suggested, "In that case, why don't you give it to my father? Let him exchange it for something even better for you."
The City Lord's face twitched again.
Good heavens, you acknowledge me as your father now? Just to dump this cursed item onto me and make me buy your friend something else? Truly... you are a filial son.
Still, the City Lord remained composed. "That won't help," he said. "Even if Ethan hands the ring over in front of them, it won't make them stop targeting him."
"Better that Ethan keeps it. That way, he has more control."
Fairwind's face tensed. "But doesn't that make him a target?"
"Don't worry," the City Lord replied calmly. "I'll arrange a diversion. I'll give them something else to chase after."
"This ring only works within the vault's unique energy field, so it's not much use outside. They won't act too openly. As long as Ethan stays within city limits, he'll be relatively safe."
"And when this all blows over, they'll forget about him."
Fairwind's expression suddenly changed to a smile. "Ethan, just to be safe... why don't you stay with me for a while?"
Ethan could easily guess what Fairwind was really thinking.
Sure, they'd say it was for safety, but in reality, they'd just be gaming all day in the dark like roommates at a LAN party.
Besides, Ethan genuinely felt safer at home. After all, his principal's grandmother had serious power. He doubted the City Lord could beat her in a fight.
Unless he got lucky and somehow copied her strongest technique, there was no way he was changing locations.
Plus, with his "space transfer" ability and Da Dao Zai standing guard, Ethan could instantly escape danger if things went south.
Still, he couldn't rely on defense alone. So, he decided it was time to start preparing for his class advancement quest.
"I'll pass," Ethan said with a smile. "If they've waited this long for the ring, I doubt they'll suddenly go crazy over it."
Fairwind gave him a look of confusion. He couldn't quite follow Ethan's reasoning, but he didn't press. He had something else on his mind.
After all, he really wanted to go out hunting monsters, especially after that incident with his former butler. So, Ethan's rejection didn't sting too badly.
"By the way," Fairwind asked, "what were those guys really after?"
Ethan raised his hand. "Nope! I don't want to know!"
The fewer details, the better. Those guys were just the lower ranks of that alien organization, and he wasn't planning on getting dragged any deeper into it.
"I want to live a few more years, thanks," he added.
The City Lord nodded. "Good choice. Fairwind, it wouldn't benefit you to know either."
Fairwind seemed disappointed, but he didn't push the issue.
"I'll walk you out," he said instead.
Clearly, he didn't plan to go home yet. Ethan suspected that he didn't want to be reminded of the housekeeper who'd betrayed him.
As they reached the door, Ethan signaled for a taxi.
While they waited, Fairwind smacked his forehead. "Wait a minute, didn't my dad just offer you compensation? You should go back and milk that opportunity dry! Let's go grab a few skill books!"
But Ethan waved him off. "Actually, I already grabbed something."
He smiled. "There was a material on the bottom shelf, in the top corner. Tell your dad I took it—I forgot to mention it."
This part of Ravenshade City was privately owned, so calling a taxi wasn't easy.
As they waited, Ethan turned to Fairwind. "Hey, how come your massive manor has no one in it?"
Fairwind rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Because of my parents... I had a temper when I was younger. Drove all the staff away. We never hired replacements."
Ethan's jaw dropped.
"So that's why nobody questioned me when I walked in here?"
Everything made sense now.
The whole reason they discovered the butler's true identity was basically pure luck.
Fairwind looked sheepish. "Yeah... that was all me."
Just then, a familiar car pulled up.
It was the bearded master—pretending to "coincidentally" be passing by. Smooth move.
Ethan jumped in, smirking. "Wow, what are the odds? Ace Mentor, you once said if we met by chance again, I'd get a free lesson. You're not going to break that promise, right?"
The bearded master didn't answer. Just let out a long, exhausted sigh.
---
Meanwhile, back at the mansion...
Fairwind walked up to his father. "By the way, Ethan said he already grabbed something as compensation."
"Oh?" the City Lord asked. "What did he take?"
Fairwind shrugged. "He said it was on the bottom shelf, top corner."
"...What?"
The City Lord froze.
He stood still for several seconds.
"Is something wrong?" Fairwind asked.
"No, it's fine," the City Lord said quickly, though he clenched his jaw behind a forced smile.
Damn it! That was the Earth Dragon Horn! One of the rarest materials he had.
It might have even contained dragon blood. He had been trying to extract it for years without success.
And now... Ethan had just casually taken it.
He wouldn't have minded losing ten skill books. But this?
This stung.
He should never have offered compensation so casually. Should have at least checked what was being taken.
Seeing his father looking pale, Fairwind finally showed some concern.
"Are you okay? You look a bit off. Want a potion?"
"No! I'm fine!" the City Lord snapped.
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