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The Seven-Colored Peacock is a globally renowned information organization. It held information about the numerous clans that exist in the world, and has gathered information on the key figures of influential and wealthy clans.
Even the elites of the Seven-Colored Peacock could not guess the true identity of this elderly woman with neatly tied silver hair.
It was inevitable. She had arrived by ship, not through a teleportation gate, so there were no records of her identity. There was almost nothing that could be inferred from her face alone, and the dress she was wearing didn't have any clan crest drawn on it.
Furthermore, she had brought a ship full of gold coins and not even a single attendant. Even when they grabbed the sailors, who were unloading the gold coins from the ship and asked them questions, there was only one answer.
"If you're from the Seven-Colored Peacock, bring the carriage or transport to take the money quickly."
She was undoubtedly an extraordinary person. It was bewildering enough that the Special task force members had visited, and now such a person was appearing after them.
Regardless, the elderly woman approached the mansion with graceful steps.
When Jet explained the situation, Kashmir and Jin shrugged their shoulders.
"In my opinion, she must be a retired big merchant. Well, I've never imagined receiving sponsorship while I was in a back alley, but it feels like a fresh success. People should live in bright places after all."
"I think she must have a purpose for coming with a ship full of gold coins. She either wants to give us an overwhelming request or she has some undisclosed information."
Kashmir said.
"Well, she could just be giving it out of goodwill, right?"
"A ship full of gold coins? Even if we take the minimum amount, it's over a million.
“Well, didn't our lord give about half of that amount to the pirate gang not long ago? Wasn't that also out of goodwill?"
"That was a payment, Jet."
"Well, if it were me, I wouldn't have given the pirate anything less than fifty thousand, let alone five hundred thousand. If they asked for more, I would have resolved it with force... Ah, I envy that guy so much."
"Stop talking nonsense and I will give you some bonuses if you envy him so much. That's what you call goodwill."
"Wow, as expected of my lord! I'll become a fool who serves no one but you!"
"Well, if it looks like a mysterious elderly woman, send one of the Seven Heads to greet her, Sir Kashmir."
Jin said, pushing Jet away who was clinging to him.
"That's what I plan to do. If by any chance she is a pure sponsor, we should treat her with utmost respect, but if not, we should politely send her away."
Kashmir replied.
"I'll do that. If she turns out to be a strange elderly woman, I'll escort her out properly."
Bran Pauli, the youngest member of the Seven Heads, set off to greet the elderly woman at the mansion.
And 30 minutes later, Bran returned to the mansion after chatting and laughing with the elderly woman.
‘Oh my.’
‘My goodness.’
Jin and Kashmir, who were waiting for them on the balcony on the second floor, found themselves holding their breath without even realizing it. It wasn't because they inferred from Bran's atmosphere that she might be a pure sponsor.
‘She is by no means an ordinary monster.’
It was because the elderly woman with neatly combed silver hair was an "incredible" martial artist.
Her hands, undoubtedly hardened from a lifetime of wielding weapons, were covered in silk gloves. Her tightly compressed muscles were hidden beneath a neat and dignified dress. Jin and Kashmir had never seen her before, but they knew immediately.
She was certainly not just a wealthy elderly woman. It was a clear truth that she was a figure who had been a legendary martial artist at some point, perhaps from a different era.
The elderly woman walked quietly with a smile on her face.
And like many powerful martial artists, she was concealing her own strength.
She was controlling her aura in a unique way so that those who lacked the sense perception of an 8-star level could not detect it and proudly displayed her power to those with senses beyond that. It was an art in itself.
Wave.
The elderly woman raised her head and smiled at Jin and Kashmir. It was as if she had accurately sensed their positions as soon as she passed through the mansion's front gate. Despite their efforts to suppress their aura, Jin and Kashmir were unable to hide it.
"Um... It's surprising. Do you know her, young master?"
"I have no idea."
"Huh, why are you suddenly asking that, sir? Is that elderly woman someone remarkable?" Jet asked.
When the team leaders of the Special task force came, both the guards and the Seven-Colored Peacock were turned upside down, but no one recognized the appearance of this monstrous figure, which was beyond comparison.
"I think I need to go and see for myself, young master."
"You go first, and I'll inform our companions. Jet, go quickly and bring Lady Alisa."
"Notify the Seven-Colored Peacock to be on high alert."
In case there was a possibility of an unfortunate incident involving the elderly woman, they needed to have the strongest allies on standby.
Furthermore, intuition was telling them something.
‘Somehow, it feels like the elderly woman knew that I was here and came looking for me. Who on earth is she?’
The question was answered as soon as Cuicantelle arrived.
"What is this aura? It's similar to the terror emanating from the Ante Mountains... Could it be her? It seems likely. There's no other explanation for this unpleasant aura."
Cuicantelle spoke with a stiff tone.
"The terror of the Ante Mountains?"
"Dragons never ventured near the Ante Mountains about 40 years ago. If they dared to settle there, they would either be crippled for life or killed. By that woman."
"I've never heard such a story before."
"Well, that's probably the case. Dragons wouldn't have spoken about that shameful period to humans, and that woman, Vanessa Olsen, wasn't particularly famous in human society."
There was a reason why such an incredibly skilled individual was unknown in human society.
Vanessa Olsen rarely revealed her true power in human society. There were few witnesses to her fights, and none survived.
The title "Terror of the Ante Mountains" was given by dragons, not humans. To be precise, it naturally became her nickname, rather than someone intentionally giving it to her.
In a sense, she was a dragon slayer.
"By any chance, did she come here targeting Murakan or you, Ms. Cuicantelle?"
"Well... No, the probability is low. It has been too long from the human perspective since Vanessa retired, and I've never heard any stories of her seeking someone out to kill. I thought she was dead, but it seems she was alive."
Murakan raised his head as he listened.
"There are indeed strange humans out there. From what Jet said, she brought a lot of gold coins. For now, I am to kill you, so here is the pocket change for the funeral. What's all that about? She seems to me to be an arrogant woman."
"Murakan, you need to let go of the memories of your prime. You shouldn't even think of facing Vanessa Olsen one-on-one, even if you wake up after dying."
"If you say that, I just want to test her even more."
While they were conversing, Vanessa entered the first-floor reception room with Kashmir.
Jin pondered for a moment and decided to meet Vanessa face-to-face. He was also concerned about leaving Kashmir alone to deal with such a burdensome person.
"Instead of making horrible comments, just wait here with Ms. Cuicantelle."
"Haha, who knows how strong your young self has to become for my strength to return. If half of it comes back, Cuicantelle wouldn't have made such empty talk. Somehow, my recovery seems too slow..."
Leaving Murakan behind, Jin descended to the reception room.
He didn't unsheathe his sword. Until the opponent revealed her fangs, it would be better to approach her as a "guest."
‘Perhaps…’
Maybe she was sent by my father.
That thought suddenly crossed Jin’s mind. No matter how he thought about it, a figure of this caliber would not come to Tikan under the pretext of sponsorship.
‘Sir Kashmir probably reported to my father about my achievements, including the Plutonian Swordsmanship and the Shadow Sword. So, my father may have sent someone to calmly assess my abilities.’
While Kashmir was making an effort to control his expression, Vanessa calmly surveyed the reception room with a relaxed face.
The other residents of the mansion still seemed unaware of her true abilities. That meant Vanessa had complete control over her power.
To Bran Pauli, who had welcomed her initially, Vanessa appeared to be just a pure-spirited sponsor. The details of her sponsorship intentions had already been sorted out during the journey to the mansion.
"My apologies for the late greeting, madam. I am Jin Grey, the leader of the 1st Support Team of the Seven-Colored Peacock."
"Oh, the young boy who was sitting with Sir Kashmir on the balcony. You're already the leader of the 1st Support Team of the Seven-Colored Peacock at such a young age. Your abilities must be remarkable."
"I'm just a leader in title; most of the work is handled by the hundreds of others in the team."
"Is that so? Well... It doesn't seem like someone who handles hundreds of tasks would casually interfere in the position of the Seven-Colored Peacock executives."
"Haha, actually, Jin is my nephew. It's just a title of leadership to keep him on the right path. It seems he wanted to express his gratitude as a member of the Seven-Colored Peacock as well."
Jin nodded quietly at Bran's words, and at that moment, Vanessa stood up from her seat. Then, she extended her hand to Bran as a gesture of farewell.
"Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Bran. I hope nothing like a statue of myself appears in this city just because I donated a large amount of money. It wouldn't be fitting for a city called a Free City."
"Oh, are you leaving already?"
"Hehe, these days, I live with the excitement of surprising donations, so I'm quite busy."
"Well, still, if you leave so early, we... Please at least have a meal before you go. It's not right to leave like this."
"It's okay, Bran. Instead, I have one small request. Oh, of course, I don't have any unreasonable demands in the name of sponsorship."
"I didn't think you would. Please tell me anything, Lady Vanessa."
Vanessa's gaze turned to Jin.
"I would like to borrow your nephew for a while. Please guide me, Jin Grey. I may not be able to have a meal, but it would be a shame if I didn't get to see the Free City a little before leaving."
Bran glanced discreetly at Jin and Kashmir, and Jin became certain the moment Vanessa said that.
'She even wants to secure me and leave immediately. It's clear. It seems she is someone sent by my father to assess my abilities.'
Even if it turned out to be a complete misunderstanding, even if he followed Vanessa alone and fell into a dangerous situation.
There was one last resort for Jin to escape from her. That's why Jin responded as follows.
"I will serve you with all sincerity, madam. The moment of glory has finally come for someone like me who has been doing menial tasks."
"That's a very pleasing attitude, Jin Grey. I will look forward to it."
Amazing