After leaving Izabella’s shop, Viers wandered the streets with no destination in mind.

No one is following me. Did I deceive them or do they think I’m not important enough? There should be many criminals here in Marakkus. My situation isn't overly special.

Viers sighed, half relieved and half annoyed.

Still, have to abort my original plan though.

It was about the inventory rings. He wanted to crack the locking enchantment and access the inside but the second he laid eyes on Izabella who would break the lock, Viers hit the abort button. He made it seem he wanted to enchant his sword and helmet in the first place.

Hmph! Thousands of people live here in this city but I encountered her twice. What shitty luck!

“We must be on guard about that Izabella character, Lord Viers. Especially the faction behind her.”

“I know. They are already proven to have a Level 4 and a vast information network. Izabella herself is a Level 3. I don't want conflict with them.”

“So what are your plans now?”

“...I think it's time to contact our old buddies from the Cult of Dumuzin,” Viers said to Farley and ended the conversation there.

Viers had two hours to burn. Since his purse felt light, he visited a bank.

“Welcome to Florenzi Bank. How may I help you.”

“I would like to make a transfer from this account to this account,” Viers spoke to the man behind the counter. His masked face raised no issue in the bank with a Level 4 aura in full display to deter any unwise thoughts.

“Certainly… The signature and password are in order. What’s the amount of transfer?” The clerk said.

“All of it,” Viers replied.

“As you wish… It’s done. Is there anything else?”

“Next is from this account, the destination is the same.”

“Certainly.”

The clerk simply did what Viers requested. Viers gave out four different accounts, sucked those funds dry, and put it all into one account, his own. The owners of those accounts were people that had fallen by his blade. Viers soul searched them for their signature and password. He took their money as spoils of war to fill his coffers. It took some practice to falsify another’s signature but Viers was almost a professional signature forger at this point.

Florenzi bank was the biggest bank in the Coalition. While they provided higher security protection such as mana signatures to those who requested it but it came with a cost. Regular people with regular accounts were way easier to crack.

The account that Viers funneled the funds into didn’t have Viers’ name in it, not Cain or even Avel. Viers used an entirely different name and it was fine. While it was hard to steal the money directly by storming the physical bank because of the extensive protection, Viers circumvented the protections by making the departed souls give their money to him, willing or otherwise.

He funneled funds when he visited different towns during his travels. While he didn't break any regulations, he could bring suspicion if he did it too much in one place.

“Don't look at me that way. Pathseekers always need money. No one gets far in the Path of Power while being poor,” Viers said to one person in his mind.

“But...” Paina was unconvinced.

“Relax. I only take from the bad guys and those with plenty.”

Viers always felt the MCs in xianxia stories didn't utilize soul search to its full potential. That is why Viers often soul-searched the souls in his possession.

I haven't gained game-changing information from these people though. Too low leveled? At least I can have more gains. It’s not polite to have leftover food on your plate. You have to clean it.

Usually Viers only did transfers from one or two accounts per town but he felt a bit poor after the shopping spree. After the transfers, Viers made withdrawals in mana crystals and gold coins.

Mana crystals could be absorbed by Pathseekers to speed up their cultivation. A single mana crystal was normally priced at three gold coins.

I need these to make Boram a Level 2 as soon as possible. The stronger he is, the lesser my Victa burden. Not to mention my regular cultivation session.

Viers spent the remaining time sightseeing the city, visiting the nearby equipment shop and the Magisterium to browse the Artes they sell here. He only saw two robberies and three corpses lying in the street, a slow day, according to the locals.

He returned to the enchanter after the time was up. While he looked relaxed, he actually was in full battle readiness. He didn't want to get close to Iz or the Level 4 but if he didn’t show up it would make him more suspicious.

“Done and done. Thyris Enchantment pride themselves by giving their customer full satisfaction,” Izabella spoke.

Viers examined the sword and helmet.

“Good. Our business is concluded. Farewell,” Viers brought the two items with him without equipping them.

“No need to make it sound so final. We’ll meet again in the guild very soon. Bye-bye, don't be a stranger,” Iz waved her thin fingers and gave a warm smile. Viers left as smoothly as possible.

At the same time, two people were looking at the scene using a crystal ball.

“I want you to test that kid. He broke Izabella’s illusion array as if he was the one who made it himself. His knowledge about unraveling arrays might be what we need,” said the woman. Her face was hidden under a red hood.

“Understood, Blood Exarch.”

Alan, the adventurer with the moniker the Prince of Thieves and famed as one of the most promising Level 3 felt how small he was compared to the Level 4 in front of him.

There was no discharge of power, no Victa seeped out from her body but Alan felt he was in front of a boiling volcano, separated by a paper-thin distance.

Dangerous.

***

When Viers returned to the Bird Nest inn, the first thing he did was thoroughly examine the sword and helmet.

“Euryale Sight didn't find anything wrong with them. What about you girls?” Viers conferred with his confidants.

“You asked the wrong person. Don't know anything about enchantment,” Paina said.

“Me too. Apologies, Lord Viers,” Farley followed.

“Me three. Making magical items and inscriptions are not my forte,” Clarissa also gave a negative.

“Well, at least there’s no hidden danger on them that I can see. That is either good or bad.”

Good in the sense that the items were really clear of tampering or bad because Iz or others were skilled enough to plant something that he couldn't see.

“Well, we failed this time. Let's try another enchanter.”

“Viers, why don't you just ask that Izabella to unlock them anyway?” Paina asked.

“I went to this shit city to break the enchantment on the rings. In other cities, it would be more complicated. This city is notorious for the selling and buying of illegal or stolen items, you can even sell human corpses here. Every criminal organization has a presence in this city. Breaking it here would obscure our tracks more. Other than the accumulated riches of Farley’s family, which are sensitive items since they might contain clues to Luxore town, there’s also a more precious thing inside. I want it done as secretly as possible.”

Viers sighed.

“Perhaps I might be too optimistic about breaking the lock here incognito. Iz already sniffed out my identity. She’s connected to the underworld and well informed about the happenings on the continent. What are the odds she or her organization didn't have eyes and ears in this very city?”

The girls were silent, they agreed with Viers.

“So we won't break the lock here?” Clarissa asked.

“No, too early to decide. Let's seek more info from Farley’s former colleagues first,” Viers decided. “On another note, how is the progress with your projects?”

“The Symphony, as you called it, is forming nicely. There’s still much room for improvement but even now it should be able to greatly aid you in battle.”

Viers gave Paina free rein about what she wanted to do. Paina followed her music and soul buff route, a great feat since she did not have sound or soul affinities.

Is she actually a musical genius?

For now her main was still using her flute as the medium for her Artes but who knew about the future. Since Viers pulled Yuru Biyori music from his memory, she showed interest in the different instruments, songs, and genres in Viers’ possession.

“Other than improving my coordination, I have made some leeway about that water Arte concept that you told me. Unfortunately, it is beyond my ability to accomplish on my own. The power is very great but it is such a complex and precise Arte. I can't even do the second step yet. I’m sorry.”

“Don't worry. I know it is too much for a single person at our level. That is why we’ll do it together.”

Farley focused on her idea as a second brain for Viers. They have trained extensively in the Grid together, fighting against various monsters and people. Paina occasionally joined them although she was more focused on her own music project.

To put it simply, Farley was a specialist. She was so helpful. Need to defend? She already prepared a defensive Arte just in case. Need a rapid attack? She landed her own Arte at the same time as Viers or just a moment behind for maximum effect. Need one big attack? She integrated herself in Viers’ casting process, making the Arte more stable, more powerful, and more explosive.

She was like a super automated AI for defense and offense, providing efficient assistance to Viers’ battle style. Viers wasn't bad in battle, although he lacked formal training and most of his style was self-created. Farley’s existence empowered Viers’ strength and covered the department he was lacking.

She’s been so helpful in a fight I’m afraid I might become overly reliant on her.

“As for me, I’ll need a bit more time. Even with your insight, the progress is not smooth. I’m sorry I’m lagging behind, I’ve never done something like this before,” Clarissa regretted her progress wasn't as good as the other two.

“It's fine. This is not a race,” Viers calmed her down.

He met the eyes of the three, thanks to whom his strength soared ever higher. Naturally, he didn't dump his cultivation responsibilities to the other three so he could play around and experience something new. Viers didn't forget how much weaker he was compared to Freya and how wide the world was.

But that’s what makes this journey worthwhile.

“Alright, council adjourned.”