...

Meanwhile, near the main entrance of the orphanage...

​​

Fang Qiu paced back and forth restlessly outside the front gate.

It had not been long since Jin went inside; however, she was worried that something terrible might have happened to him!

"I made a call for support just in case, but..." Fang Qiu internalized as a troubled expression appeared on her face.

Even though she had managed to secure some assistance, there was no guarantee that they would arrive in time. Therefore, Fang Qiu was conflicted when it came to how she should proceed.

"He told me to stay out here, but is it really alright? No... I can not just sit back and do nothing..!" Fang Qiu said to herself as she went over to the rear of her car.

"Open rear storage."

Beep!

Suddenly, the back of the car opened, revealing a well-concealed compartment.

A few seconds later, the compartment closed as Fang Qiu's apparel underwent some minor changes.

On her hands was a pair of black gloves, and held within each of them was a black cylinder no more than ten centimeters long.

Fang Qiu turned the cylinders horizontally and smashed them into one another. The moment she did so, both cylinders extended outward, increasing from approximately ten centimeters to about 45 centimeters in length.

Bzzzt!

At the same time, a brief flash of light appeared where the cylinders made contact. The objects lit up as an electric current started to flow around them.

"I doubt those two outside were alone. Hopefully, I'm not too late." Fang Qiu thought to herself with a look of determination in her eyes.

Fang Qiu turned around and got ready to charge through the front gates of the orphanage!

However, she abruptly halted her steps when she saw the person standing at the gate's entrance.

When their eyes met, there was an awkward moment of silence as Fang Qiu paused.

"..."

"..."

"...I had no idea Advisor Fang Qiu was so fierce. Though I must admit, I am touched by your concern." A familiar voice sounded.

This voice, of course, belonged to Jin.

...

A few moments later...

Fang Qiu returned her gear to the car's compartment.

In addition, at Jin's request, Fang Qiu made a call to cancel the backup she secured.

According to Jin, the people inside were a bit unruly; however, after he asked them "politely", the group settled down without putting up much of a fight.

Of course, Jin was not lying when he said he asked them politely—Jin simply neglected to mention the part where he "asked" using his fists.

Fang Qiu felt that something was off with Jin's explanation. Even from the front gate, she could hear the noise of a building being destroyed and people shouting.

She speculated that whatever took place inside the orphanage, Jin must have wanted it to be kept under wraps.

In the end, Fang Qiu released a sigh of relief and decided not to pursue the matter. She was just thankful that Jin was unharmed, and regardless of the events that transpired inside, what's done was done.

"So, what is it you need of me?" Fang Qiu inquired.

In the beginning, Jin mentioned that he had a few tasks that required Fang Qiu's attention.

"First, I need you to find some trustworthy people and take care of the uninvited guests napping inside. I'm sure this goes without saying, but I would prefer a touch of discretion on this matter." Jin stated.

Fang Qiu nodded and replied, "I understand. And, rest assured, since they are unauthorized visitors, I will see that it does not become an issue for you in the future. After all, now that the paperwork is complete, you are the rightful owner of this place."

After Jin's fight against the Failed Chimera and dealing with the ambush from the Headhunter Syndicate, Jin confronted one of the Twelve Banes by the name of Open Notes.

In exchange for a few gold coins, Open Notes disclosed several things about Qiao Xiaoqing.

While most of the information she provided held no real interest to Jin, there was one piece that had some value. It was then that he first learned of Qiao Xiaoqing's potential connection to an orphanage. Of course, at the time, Jin was unaware of any surrounding details—which is why he asked Mariposa, or rather, Zi Jiaxiu, to look into the matter for him.

Needless to say, the information network and power of the Zi family was nothing to scoff at. With just her in-game name and a few rough details, Zi Jiaxiu was able to promptly deliver a full background on Qiao Xiaoqing that practically started from the time she was born!

Once he understood the situation, Jin informed Fang Qiu of his intention to acquire the orphanage.

As his financial advisor, Fang Qiu tried to talk Jin out of it as an orphanage could not legally generate any type of feasible positive cash flow in her eyes. However, since Jin had already made up his mind, Fang Qiu could only go along with it.

In truth, Jin wanted to contact Qiao Xiaoqing earlier; however, after the event started, her messaging was set to private. By the time he obtained the orphanage's phone number, this mess had already unraveled. But, considering the orphanage's phone was disconnected, Jin doubted his call would have gone through.

In the end, Fang Qiu succeeded in acquiring the orphanage through proper legal channels with little resistance. After all, she made the sellers an offer they could not refuse.

Though if Wendell learned that the orphanage was no longer in his possession, he would have coughed up blood from sheer anger!

That's because the orphanage was how he managed to establish absolute control over Menerva, or rather, Qiao Xiaoqing. Selling it would be the last thing he would do!

But, the orphanage was not technically under Wendell's name. Instead, it was in the name of one of the businesses under his father's company.

The orphanage itself was so rundown that Wendell believed it would be a blemish on his reputation to put it under his own name.

In addition, he never would have imagined that someone would go out of their way to purchase such a worthless place—which is why he took no extra steps to ensure it remained untouched.

"While you make those arrangements, I'm sure you've noticed that this building and the land it sits on are not in the best of shape. Since it is officially listed under the same group name as the business you've registered, we cannot allow its appearance to reflect poorly upon our name. Wouldn't you agree?" Jin said calmly.

"I agree, but... This place is in need of a lot of repairs. Some parts may even have to be entirely reconstructed. The renovations will not be cheap—are you sure?" Fang Qiu asked.

"Use whatever funds you need to make sure it gets done properly," Jin replied without hesitation.

If it was the past, he might have had to use some reservation. However, with the improvements to the Mystical Realm Palace, Jin's current financial situation was like that of night and day compared to his past self.

After deducting all the expenses and taxes, Jin's total wealth reached over one billion RMB1! That's right, not million—billion!

A large portion of that money came from the rush of business a couple of days before the event started.

Everyone wanted to be at their absolute strongest to place as high as possible during the event, and to do that; they spared no expense.

If Jin were still running the Mystical Realm Palace alone, even if he stayed there crafting nonstop, it would have been impossible for him to keep up with the hungry demand of players.

That's why the presence of Pill Emperor Worldly Skies and the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society who joined the Mystical Realm Palace was invaluable!

Of course, the other departments of the Mystical Realm Palace also played a role in the shop's success. However, the shop's Apothecary department was undoubtedly the largest earner and contributor.

Fang Qiu also played an important part. Thanks to her management, financial knowledge, and organizational skills, the Mystical Realm Palace had become like a tiger with wings.

Jin could see why Zi Jiaxiu offered 3,000,000,000 RMB to purchase the rights of the shop from him when she first learned of its potential existence.

Approximately $155 million USD