The mansion was one of the most luxurious residences in Moon Blade City, an architectural masterpiece that combined elegance and grandeur. Its polished white walls reflected the sunlight as though they were carved from pure marble, while its wide windows were adorned with finely crafted golden frames. Long corridors stretched between dozens of spacious rooms, and rare paintings and priceless antiques were displayed throughout the estate, possessions that only the wealthiest people in the city could afford.
This mansion was one of the most expensive homes in Moon Blade City. Its value was equal to dozens of ordinary houses, completely unlike Baran's small and modest home that never caught anyone's attention.
---
Inside one of the isolated rooms, a young man sat tied up with ropes, his back pressed against a thick wooden pillar. The marks of a beating covered his entire body; blue and black bruises, scattered wounds, and a split lip, while dried blood stained his face and clothes.
Those injuries were not caused by weapons...
But by fists.
That alone was enough to reveal the identity of the one who had tortured him.
It was Ryo.
The young man slowly raised his head, letting out a painful sigh.
That young man was none other than the Phantom Thief.
He had been capable of escaping if he wanted to, but the thought of falling into Ryo's hands once again was worse than death itself. The last time, he had survived by a miracle, and he was convinced that if Ryo caught him again, he would not leave alive this time.
In fact, the fact that Ryo had not killed him from the very beginning was a miracle beyond explanation.
---
In another room of the mansion...
Ryo sat on a wooden chair with one leg crossed over the other, while Jack stood behind him like a personal guard, silent as a statue.
Sitting across from them was a handsome young man dressed in luxurious clothes embroidered with silver threads, a clear sign of his high status. His face was calm, his features gentle, and despite belonging to one of the greatest noble clans, he had never been known for arrogance or ظلم.
That young man was...
Wei Tian.
The Young Master of the Wei Clan.
Suddenly...
Boom!
His palm slammed onto the table so hard that the teacups shook.
He shouted angrily,
"This is too much, Ryo!"
Silence filled the room for a few seconds before he sighed and sat down again, placing a hand on his forehead.
"I refuse your request... It's impossible."
Ryo smiled provocatively and waved his hand carelessly.
"Then you're the one who loses... Now get out of here."
A faint smile appeared on Jack's face. He was already used to his master's behavior. Ryo respected no one... no matter how high their status was.
Wei Tian was not just an ordinary noble. He was the Young Master of the Wei Clan, one of the strongest clans in Moon Blade City. Even the great cities treated his name with respect.
And yet...
He was being thrown out of the mansion as if he were a beggar.
Wei Tian looked at him in disbelief.
"Are... are you really kicking me out, Ryo?"
Ryo answered with a completely expressionless face,
"Yes. Get the hell out of here... or you'll regret it."
Wei Tian clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white, the veins on his forehead bulging with anger, but he soon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Damn it... This idiot doesn't know the meaning of respect."
He closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh.
"It doesn't matter... The important thing is that I get what I want."
He opened his eyes and finally said,
"Fine... I agree. But don't forget our agreement."
Ryo smiled confidently.
"Don't worry."
He took a shining golden scepter out of his spatial ring, while Wei Tian took out an old scroll and handed it to him.
Ryo accepted it while chuckling lightly.
"If you actually carry out what's in your head, Wei Tian... I'll take my hat off to you."
Wei Tian did not respond to the mockery.
He simply took the scepter and quietly left the mansion just as calmly as he had entered.
---
As soon as the door closed behind him...
Ryo opened the scroll.
Only a few seconds passed...
Then he burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
He stood up immediately and walked straight toward the room where the Phantom Thief was being held.
He opened the door and said with a wide smile,
"Listen, Phantom Thief... I have a mission for you."
The thief slowly raised his head.
Ryo stepped closer before speaking in an unusually serious tone.
"If you succeed... I'll consider you my sworn brother."
Silence filled the room.
Even Jack, who had followed Ryo for many years, widened his eyes in shock.
He knew his master well.
Despite everything they had been through together...
He had never heard him offer such an honor to anyone.
As for the Phantom Thief...
He almost jumped from his place in overwhelming joy.
To him, it was not just a title.
Becoming Ryo's sworn brother meant gaining the strongest supporter any thief on the continent could ever dream of.
He did not need a brother...
He needed power to protect him and open new paths before him.
Ryo smiled, then cut the ropes binding him and threw the scroll toward him.
The thief opened it quickly...
And in the next instant...
He froze in place.
His eyes widened so much that they nearly popped out of their sockets.
It was not an ordinary map...
It was the complete blueprint of the City Lord's Palace of Moon Blade City.
Every corridor...
Every storage room...
Every guard post...
Even the guards' shift schedules.
The thief had always relied only on his experience and instincts while stealing.
But with this scroll...
The robbery would become almost completely guaranteed.
He slowly raised his head and asked while trying to hide his excitement,
"What do you want from the palace?"
Ryo answered calmly,
"Only one thing."
Then he raised one finger.
"A necklace."
The thief blinked several times.
"A... normal necklace?"
Ryo nodded.
"Just bring it to me."
Then he smiled coldly.
"And you may take one item for yourself."
His tone suddenly changed.
"But..."
The temperature of the room dropped as though the air itself had frozen.
"If you take more than one item..."
He looked directly into his eyes.
"I'll kill you."
The Phantom Thief's entire body trembled.
He knew Ryo was never joking about such matters.
He swallowed hard and quickly replied,
"Alright... I'll follow the agreement."
After a short discussion, the two agreed to carry out the robbery on the day of the grand auction, when most of the guards would be occupied protecting the guests.
Before the thief left, he remembered something important.
"By the way... Wind Cutter is in the city."
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
The thief continued,
"They say he has mastered the Wind Scroll to a terrifying level. Everyone believes that one day he will be able to rival the Wind Emperor, one of the Three Stars."
Ryo smiled without interest.
"That bastard?"
Then he looked at his injured arm before smiling confidently.
"I defeated him twice."
He clenched his fist tightly.
"And I'll defeat him for the third time."
He was completely confident because he had also become stronger after reaching the Middle Stage of the Connector Realm.
The thief smiled nervously.
"Alright... I'll go prepare."
Before he left...
Jack smiled mockingly.
"Prepare? Did you forget that you're from the Ghost Race?"
The thief's face turned red with anger.
"I really am from the Ghost Race!"
Ryo interrupted while laughing.
"And I'm from the Dragon Race!"
He and Jack burst into laughter, while the thief stormed out angrily, swearing that one day he would prove the truth to both of them.
---
On the other side of Moon Blade City...
The City Lord's Palace stood proudly at its center.
It was a massive structure covered in white stone and pure gold, making it look more like a king's palace than the residence of a city lord.
Inside one of its grand halls...
The Young Master of the Starry Night Sect sat on a luxurious seat, while several elders who had reached the Origin Realm stood around him.
One of them spoke cautiously,
"Young Master... Are you certain? The princess herself threw you out two days ago."
The young man sighed, leaned back in his seat, and smiled dreamily.
"Yes..."
Drool almost escaped his mouth as he remembered her face.
"But she's so beautiful..."
He closed his eyes and murmured,
"She has to become my wife."
The expressions of the elders changed instantly.
One of them said with great concern,
"Young Master... Please. She is the Princess of the Sun Kingdom. If anything goes wrong... our entire sect may be wiped out."