The Bankro family's mansion—its level of luxury is obvious just from the land area it occupies.
From the staff dormitories to the main residence, even driving takes more than twenty minutes.
Kisho sat in the front passenger seat. The one driving him was still his kind-hearted, subordinate-caring direct superior—Mr. Roy.
Kisho was amused by his own thoughts.
Roy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Although he didn't understand why the kid suddenly had a smile on his face, seeing that the kid was about to meet a big shot yet could still remain as calm and composed as ever made him regard Kisho a bit more highly.
If Kisho knew what Roy was thinking, he would definitely tell him that whoever wants this kind of temperament can have it.
Other people transmigrate and enter a newbie village as a transition. His newbie village… good grief, straight-up hell difficulty at the start.
The sedan stopped in front of a magnificent five-story castle.
In front of the castle was a pool with a massive sculpture. In the pool were more than a dozen ornamental fish. Occasionally one would leap out of the water, five or six overlapping tails trailing a stream of water that, under the sunlight, refracted a fleeting rainbow.
However, when that fish fell back into the pool, the original five or six tails vanished without any warning.
"Never seen this before, have you?"
Roy handed the car off to an approaching attendant and walked to Kisho's side.
"This is a D-rank magical beast—Layered Cloud Phantom-Tail Fish."
There was a sense of pride in his tone, as if enlightening a country bumpkin.
"When this fish is in the water, it has only one tail, but once it leaps out of the water, it manifests multiple tails—market price is about two hundred thousand jenny per fish."
Kisho paused, casually withdrew his gaze from the fish, and then read stiffly:
"Wow, that's amazing."
The moment he heard the market price, he silently buried the thought of catching one and grilling it to taste.
...
The doors of the castle's main hall stood wide open. Roy led Kisho in through the front entrance. Directly opposite the doors was a fireplace beneath the curved staircases on both sides. Above the hall, luxurious lighting fixtures hung down, still lit even during the daytime.
Roy took Kisho to the left side of the hall, where there was an elevator leading to the upper floors.
A middle-aged man stood there, as if he had been waiting for quite some time. His gaze met Roy's, then slowly shifted toward Kisho.
Kisho stopped and calmly returned the look.
He didn't like the way this man looked at him—arrogant, disdainful, and openly suspicious.
Likewise, he didn't like the aura pressure this man was releasing toward him.
"Mr. Jitt."
Roy spoke up. He didn't stop the man from releasing aura pressure toward Kisho, only saying with slight helplessness:
"Please trust my judgment a little."
"There's no conflict. If this youth is truly as you say, then a bit of probing does no harm." The middle-aged man said coldly.
"For the young lady's safety, no amount of caution is excessive."
He stared calmly at Roy.
"Moreover, a traitor has appeared within the security system you're responsible for. Before this matter is properly resolved, all of your judgments lack credibility."
Roy:
...
He fell silent and said nothing more.
Jitt looked back at Kisho. After the two locked eyes for about ten seconds, the aura pressure Jitt had released toward Kisho withdrew without warning.
"My apologies, Mr. Noah Barton."
Jitt slowly bent at the waist, apologizing without the slightest hint of remorse, then turned and pressed the button beside the elevator doors.
"The master is waiting in the study on the third floor. Please follow me."
"As for Mr. Roy, you may return to work. If you truly can't finish the cleanup, you may request assistance from me."
Kisho stepped forward. As he passed by Roy's side, he sensed that the "Ten" around Roy had become like a coiled venomous snake.
His aura was condensed with hatred and killing intent, yet for certain reasons, he had no choice but to endure it.
Without saying a word, Kisho walked past him. After entering the elevator, he turned around as the doors closed before his eyes.
"After meeting the master, please pay attention to your attitude and etiquette."
Jitt's calm voice came from behind Kisho.
The words entered his ears, but Kisho showed no reaction.
And Jitt likewise didn't care whether Kisho responded. To him, once he had issued the warning, whatever consequences this youth's actions led to would have nothing to do with him.
The elevator rose soundlessly, stopped, and then the doors opened to either side.
In the corridor outside the elevator, every few meters stood a bodyguard in a black suit, completely motionless—some were ordinary people, others were Nen users.
"Withdraw your Nen."
The two arrived in front of a wooden door. Jitt stopped and ordered Kisho beside him.
Kisho stared at him. After a moment, he slowly nodded and converted his "Ten" into "Zetsu."
"From the moment you enter the room, without permission, you are not allowed to use any Nen or Nen abilities. If you violate this, I have the right to execute you on the spot."
Jitt continued.
Kisho shrugged indifferently and said:
"Oh. Anything else? If so, please say it all at once."
Jitt was taken aback and slightly narrowed his eyes, reassessing this youth.
The aura pressure intimidation downstairs, as well as what he had said, were all part of a test.
He had tested many people and seen all kinds of reactions—fear or resentment; anger that was hard to suppress and might erupt on the spot; or timid agreement while failing to properly hide their killing intent…
Such cases were countless.
But this youth…
Although his attitude wasn't great, based on his performance so far, he could indeed earn a score above "good."
On the other side, Kisho thought he was seeing things.
Because he saw the arrogance in Jitt's eyes recede a little, and even reveal a trace of approving "tolerance."
"That's all. Everything above is what you need to abide by."
Jitt said softly, then knocked on the door and pushed it open a second later.
"Mr. Noah Barton, please come in."
Behind the door was a huge study whose scale couldn't be discerned at all from the outside.
An entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the garden behind the castle; the floor was carpeted; one wall was embedded with shelves that could be called works of art, displaying all kinds of "collections" that Kisho's aesthetic sense simply couldn't appreciate.
On the sofa on the other side sat a man—the head of the Bankro family: Vervik Bankro.
Hearing the sound, the man turned his head. He didn't pay attention to Jitt, but instead fixed his gaze on Kisho standing beside him.
The man put down the book in his hand and slowly stood up, walking out from behind the sofa to look at Kisho.
From appearances alone, this person didn't look like a drug lord at all—an utterly ordinary face and a slightly plump build. Combined with the casual clothes he wore, if placed in a crowd, no one would recognize him.
However, once one thought of this man's identity, which was completely at odds with his appearance… that contrast instead inspired even greater awe.
Kisho calmly met his gaze. Jitt noticed that this audacious brat hadn't taken his words to heart at all. His expression changed slightly, and he was about to speak to stop him, when he saw Vervik slowly raise a hand.
"Young people—having a bit of pride is a good thing. No need to be overly harsh."
Jitt backed down, lowered his head, and answered "Yes," then silently retreated to the side.
Kisho slowly lowered his head and adopted a respectful posture.
The road ahead of him was still dangerous, but at last, there were traces to follow.