William had not yet finished his fries and peanuts when the police arrived at Ikinari Steak. Little did he know that the seemingly friendly owner had called the police on him.
In the past, shopkeepers would have considered him a hero for single-handedly deterring thugs and hooligans. But the world has changed. ．
The police had intended to question the Ikinari Steak owner, but as he began to speak about what happened, he suddenly fainted. William had only used a mental manipulation to disrupt the owner’s brainwaves, making him sleep for a day or two. When he woke up, he would forget all about the events of the day. Being targeted by the police would be somewhat troublesome.
The police were frustrated. The Ikinari Steak owner had reported that there was a dangerous individual here, possibly an assassin. In this day and age, people generally got along well, with much less hatred. The profession of an assassin was mostly relegated to movies and literary works. But when someone calls the police sounding so panicked, the police must respond. Just when the questioning reached a crucial point, the owner fainted. Now what? The officers performed artificial respiration and CPR on the unconscious man, but eventually had to send him to the hospital. The remaining officers began questioning the patrons of Ikinari Steak.
This area was already known for its bars and night market, with many drunken brawls and poor security. Fights were common. The people currently enjoying their grilled meats included some minor troublemakers, who were naturally questioned by the police. Yet when it came to William, the police simply asked a few brief questions.
After all, he looked harmless enough, had no criminal record, and his background revealed he was just a student. How could he be associated with criminals?
As Lila arrived in her car, the police had just finished questioning William. He had told the police that he was waiting for a friend. The officers saw only a bottle of cola, a portion of fries, and a plate of peanuts on his table and thought it was a bit stingy for a young man to eat so little at Ikinari Steak. That’s when they saw Lila, a stunning woman, get out of a Maserati Ghibli and head straight for William.
A luxury car and a beautiful woman – was this the friend the young man was waiting for? One should never judge a person by their appearance.
“William, what happened?” Lila asked, thinking William had gotten into some trouble again.
William looked at Lila and shook his head. “I’m fine. What about you? Did you need something?”
Lila didn’t know William had stopped working at the bar. After some thought, she said, “Let’s go to the bar and talk.”
“Sure.”
Although he no longer worked at the bar, William didn’t mind helping Nicholas and the others boost their sales. As soon as they entered the bar, Nicholas spotted William and approached with a smile. “William, back so soon to look after the business?”
William responded with a familiar smile, “Find us a spot.”
Nicholas was even happier, knowing this would improve his sales. After exchanging pleasantries, Nicholas led them to a slightly quieter seat by the bar.
Lila ordered a symbolic bottle of wine worth over a hundred dollars, which was pocket change for her. She had come to ask William to forgive her brother, Ryan, so sharing a couple of drinks was inevitable.
Before coming, she had thought William still worked at the bar and knew he didn’t have much money. Giving him cash directly wouldn’t work, so boosting his sales seemed like the best option. However, that didn’t seem necessary now.
“I won’t beat around the bush,” Lila began, pouring two glasses of wine. “I’m here to apologize on behalf of my brother, Ryan. I hope you can forgive him.” She raised her glass and continued, “My brother may be a bit unruly, but he’s not inherently bad. I’ll make sure to teach him better.”
William couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think I would hold a grudge against a child?”
William’s smile was still warm and contagious. Lila gave him a playful glare and said, “He’s older than you, isn’t he?”
“But to me, he’s still just a kid,” William replied, lifting his wine glass to clink it with Lila’s and draining it in one gulp. “You can tell your grandfather that I won’t give him a hard time, but that kid really needs some discipline.”
Lila was speechless.
“I’ll tell my grandfather,” Lila quickly agreed. “So, you’ve forgiven him?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, really. He just misunderstood the nature of our relationship. You just need to explain it to him, and ask him not to bother me anymore,” William said, seeing the root of the issue.
The Carter family was certainly wealthy, and it was not unusual for a scion of a wealthy family to be a bit wayward. The main reason Ryan had targeted William was because he thought there was something between William and Lila.
Lila nodded. “I’ll make it clear to him.”
Hearing William’s words, Lila felt reassured that Ryan wouldn’t need to be confined to the house or transferred to another school.
With the issue resolved, the two continued to drink and chat.
Lila had always been curious about William, and emboldened by the wine, she asked, “William, who are you, really? Why does my grandfather take such good care of you?”
Was it really Anthony Carter who was looking out for him?
William didn’t dwell on it. The master-servant relationship they once shared had long since been severed. Fifty years had passed, which was more than half a lifetime for most people. It was normal for people and things to change.
“Because I’m a Soulmancer,” William replied mysteriously.
Lila’s eyes lit up with understanding. She asked, “Do you have a master? Who is he? Is it Mr. Hill from Mount San Juan Teotihuacan?”
William sighed and reluctantly nodded. Now he was apparently Timothy Hill’s disciple.
“I see!” Lila said, her mind now at ease. She planned to warn Ryan again once she got home.
Although the Carter family was powerful and influential, it was unwise to offend a Soulmancer, especially one who was a disciple of a god-like figure on Mount San Juan Teotihuacan.
After another couple of drinks, William suddenly stood up and said, “That’s it for Ryan’s matter. I have something to attend to now.”
“Leaving already?” Lila wanted to ask more about Soulmancers, but saw William already walking towards a seat in the back.
Maria’s husband, Caleb, was looking after the bar today. Evelyn had already been pulled over by Caleb to drink with a group of customers.
With a flushed face, Evelyn was going around toasting the patrons, forcing a smile.
Maria had said that she didn’t have to accompany customers for drinks, but Maria wasn’t here today, and Caleb didn’t care about such things.
In a bar, how could you say you wouldn’t drink with customers?