{Chapter 37} Miss is being watched ~

In a sense, Cassie's business operates in a gray zone.

To put it plainly, in this world where laws were still imperfect, his clients were people facing financial crises. He specialized in acquiring various items from them at low prices, then reselling them for profit.

Especially since he was still a member of the Sea Voyage Association... he often encountered certain special commodities...

For instance, things stolen by thieves from somewhere...

Or even impoverished families' children...

Cassie didn't care whether these transactions were legitimate or not; he only cared whether they could bring him sufficient profit.

Yet even so, he had never let profit cloud his judgment... He clearly understood his own capabilities were limited. There were certain things he couldn't touch, not even with a fingertip.

Just like that longsword he'd acquired a week ago.

Because of that single small mistake, he'd ended up serving a full week in jail!

Although given his status and connections, his time in prison hadn't been particularly miserable, the embarrassment was very real... Thus, immediately after his release, he'd been preparing to send people to track down the woman who sold him that sword, planning retaliation!

But he never expected, before he could even begin his revenge, his underling would deliver such a massive surprise.

Looking at Hafa standing before him with a proud, expectant expression, Cassie nearly slapped him across the face.

But the image of the man's mother flashing in his mind made him hesitate, unable to strike. After a long pause, he finally suppressed his rage and growled furiously.

“Put that thing away!”

“Eh?”

Seeing Cassie react this way, Hafa froze, then asked in confusion.

“This... What's wrong? Cassie, is it fake?”

“...”

Seeing the man still concerned about whether the item was genuine, Cassie became even more infuriated. But he didn't dare shout louder, fearing he'd attracted patrolling guards who might discover their situation. He lowered his voice and hissed.

“Do you know what's engraved on the back?!”

“What?”

“This is the royal family's goddess mark! This belongs to the royal family!”

“The royal family?” Hearing this term he normally never encountered, Hafa didn't feel fear at first, only confusion. “Then... wouldn't that make it more valuable?”

“Valuable, valuable... Valuable if you've got the life to spend it!”

Cassie was truly speechless. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this thing is?”

“The royal family absolutely forbids their personal items from entering the market... Don't even talk about buying and selling, just possessing something like this is enough to land you in jail for years!”

“Then let them not find out, right?”

“You think it's that simple!” Cassie sneezed. "All personal belongings of royal family members are marked with contract engravings. That's their symbol of status... Even if lost, they can easily track it down whenever they want... This isn't the barbaric era ten years ago anymore. This system's been developed and refined over seven or eight years! If they want to find it, you couldn't escape even if you ran to the ends of the earth!"

“Eh?!”

Only now did Hafa finally begin to panic upon hearing Cassie's explanation.

“Then... then let's just throw this thing away, right?”

Hafa fumbled anxiously. The golden watch cover on the table no longer brought him joy, his expression growing increasingly disenchanted.

But after a moment, he froze.

Cassie didn't notice, merely nodding slightly and placing the item back in front of him.

“Just get rid of it, throw it as far away as possible. As long as they don't suspect you, you might still be okay...”

“Uh... this...”

Hafa didn't answer, and Cassie's expression grew increasingly twisted.

“You let other party discover you?!”

“Cassie!” Now truly frightened, Hafa rushed to Cassie's side, his face filled with terror. “I... I...”

He hesitated for a long while before stammering out the story of his earlier street disturbance.

This only made Cassie's expression grow even more strained.

“Cassie... what should we do now?!”

Hafa's face was truly panicked and clueless.

Who could've imagined that an ordinary theft would involve someone like this?

She wasn't even dressed that well?!

Seeing Cassie silent and motionless, Hafa hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.

“Or... what if we turn this in? Claim we found it?”

Wouldn't volunteering to surrender make everything alright?

But Cassie snorted coldly.

“What good would it turn out to be now? The other party already knows you stole from her, no matter how you try to distance yourself, it's useless... They can destroy you with just a wave of their hand!”

“Then... then...”

Now Hafa truly didn't know what to do.

His expression shifted repeatedly, his eyes growing increasingly evasive. After a long while, he finally raised his head and looked at Cassie.

He believed Cassie wouldn't just abandon him like this.

And in truth, that was exactly so.

Although equally panicked, Cassie still retained considerable composure.

Giving Hafa a disappointed glare, he finally gritted his teeth.

“That person hasn't left far yet, right?”

“...Probably... not?”

“Then we still have a chance.”

Taking a deep breath, Cassie immediately stood up, pulled out some money from his small nearby safe, then tidied himself up.

“Going back now is already too late. Our only option is to find another party and negotiate peace... You're sure she wasn't dressed particularly well?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then she might not be a true royal family member... But anyone able to use items like this must at least be a close attendant to the royals. Still, even so, if our apology is sincere and humble, and we offer some compensation, we might still get through this...”

Cassie gritted his teeth, shooting Hafa another glare.

“I'm coming with you!”

...

The group strode forward rapidly. A journey normally taking fifteen minutes, they completed in just seven. But facing the bustling marketplace teeming with people, they felt utterly helpless.

So many people... How were they supposed to find her?

But there was no turning back now.

Cassie immediately ordered.

“All of you, split up and search! I'll stay here and wait... The moment you find her, come back and report to me immediately!”

“...Yes.”

At this moment, Hafa and the others dare not disobey. They scattered quickly and began searching frantically.

Meanwhile, Cassie sat on the spot, panting.

For someone of his build, those few minutes of sprinting had nearly killed him.

Right now, he didn't even have the strength to stand!

Next to him stood several subordinates assigned for security.

They warily scanned the surroundings,

But for some reason, they suddenly looked up.

“Cassie.”

“Eh?”

Cassie looked up in confusion, then followed their line of sight.

Not far away, a white-clad girl was idly wandering nearby.

The familiar figure made him freeze, then slowly curl his lips into a grin.

“Finally ran into you…”