The hall of Rand Bank was draped in red carpets, with a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling, casting glimmers on the golden and splendid decorations, presenting a picture of exceptional luxury.
It bore less resemblance to a bank than it did to a five-star hotel.
In reality, Rand Bank did operate a hotel business, albeit with a price that soared to the heavens.
Aside from offering accommodation services, it provided a security function.
Once you were successfully checked into Rand Bank’s accommodations, you would fall under the bank’s protection.
No one could lay a hand on you here, not even the government.
As for assassination attempts? Rand Bank itself housed the largest organization of assassins, teeming with gold, silver, and bronze-ranked killers.
Even the legendary hitmen, the kings of assassins could be summoned.
Therefore, no matter the crisis one faced, stepping into Rand Bank equated to stepping out of danger.
Of course, the precondition was having deep pockets, for Rand Bank would expel anyone financially lacking at the earliest notice.
And what was the base fee for availing the services of Rand Bank?
Ten gold coins or a hundred thousand dollars, precisely the amount Howard had swindled from Headmaster Jay.
Yet, such a hefty sum only secured a single day’s stay at Rand Bank. Beyond that, one either had to pay an additional fee or leave.
As Howard entered Rand Bank, he was immediately greeted by a female attendant dressed in a skirt.
With flame-red lips slightly parted, she spoke in a seductive voice, “Handsome, what service would you like to avail today?”
“I need to retrieve something…” Howard handed over the key in his possession, speaking calmly.
At this moment, he was thoroughly disguised, cloaked in a black robe that concealed his entire body, his face hidden behind a mask, leaving no fear of recognition.
Seeing the silvery gleam of the key in Howard’s hand, the attendant brightened with a flower-like smile, saying, “Oh! We have a VIP with us. Please, follow me…”
With that, she tenderly hooked her arm around Howard’s, leading him towards the underground treasury.
As they moved, her full bosom grazed against Howard’s arm continuously, stirring restless desires within him. .
“How about it, would you like some special services? For esteemed clients like you, Rand Bank offers complimentary services,” the attendant teased, her red lips grazing Howard’s cheek lightly as she exhaled a warm breath onto his face.
Despite the mask, Howard couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his heart, entranced by the attendant.
However, he resolutely shook his head, responding, “No, I am here just to retrieve something. Please, hurry.”
He wasn’t opposed to a passionate encounter with a beautiful woman, but such a liaison risked leaving behind biological traces, potentially leading to him being tracked down.
Although the chances were slim, Howard wasn’t willing to take the risk.
“Well alright! What an unromantic fellow,” the attendant remarked with a hint of disappointment, pointing towards an iron door, “Your safe deposit box is in there, go ahead.”
Howard nodded, turning to step inside. Following that, he used the key to unlock the door of the safe deposit box.
It was a massive safe, with just the door standing at a height of two meters and spanning a width of one meter.
The interior space was even grander, encompassing an area of over ten square meters.
If it were an apartment, it might feel cramped, but as a safe, it was astonishingly spacious, almost house-like in dimension, leaving one in awe.
But what astonished Howard was not just the expanse of the safe but the treasures hidden within it.
Within a series of ten adjacent small boxes, each housed 50 gold coins, totaling up to 500 coins, equivalent to five million dollars.
In addition to this, there was a vast array of gold and platinum equipment, along with a limited set of Diamond-tier equipment, the latter being valued at a minimum of three million dollars.
Moreover, the shelves bore rare artifacts, each of priceless worth.
For instance, there was a ‘scapegoat’, an item with a base value of one million dollars, famed for its ability to shield the bearer from a fatal blow once, essentially a life-saving relic.
There were several vials of differently colored potions, such as the ‘Tide of Witch’, capable of fully restoring one’s mana in a second, and the ‘Blood of Giant’, which replenished all HP. Not to overlook the ‘Godslayer Elixir’, which doubled the user’s attributes for five minutes.
Each treasure housed here held a high value, amounting to at least ten million dollars in total.
Had the previous Jeffers trio possessed these treasures, they might have stood a chance to turn the tables against Howard.
Howard’s eyes squinted in excitement, but he didn’t take all the treasures.
Instead, he selected a few useful items to pack away, afterward shifting his attention to the ledgers and books present there.
The safe was permanent, allowing him to retrieve or store treasures at any time, as long as he held the key.
As long as he wasn’t killed or robbed of the key, he remained the master of this safe, a testament to the allure of Rand Bank.
As Howard perused through the records in the ledgers and books, he found them to be the chronicles of the misdeeds orchestrated by the Jeffers family in aid of Headmaster Jay, accompanied by pertinent evidence.
Among them was even an account of a tragic incident from Headmaster Jay’s early years, which led to the death of a young girl during raping.
Fearing potential reports from the deceased’s family, he sent out the Jeffers brothers to eradicate every member of the family…
Due to the involvement of a notable figure, who was rumored to be the young girl’s father, the police have been continuously investigating this serious case without reaching a conclusion to this day.
According to the records of the Jeffers brothers, that influential figure has risen step by step, now holding a high-ranking position with substantial power.
Crushing Headmaster Jay would be as easy for him as squashing an ant.
“Ha ha! Old dog Jay, with this evidence, you are doomed…”
Jay first coerced Howard into breaking up with Abby, then planned to use the strength of the Jeffers family to kill him.
Although the attempt failed, Howard wouldn’t let it slide.
Having packed all the evidence into the spatial package, Howard swiftly left Rand Bank, leaving the red-lipped woman who had hoped to expand her business dealings with him feeling frustrated, accusing him of not being a man.
Howard didn’t immediately send out the evidence; doing so would attract too much attention and easily raise suspicions.
Besides, the high-ranking individual would need some time to investigate the truth of this matter.
If Headmaster Jay were to find out, a swift retaliation against Howard would be inevitable, something he was keen to avoid.
Therefore, Howard planned to wait a few days before finding the right opportunity to hand over the evidence to the appropriate person, determined to take Jay down in one fell swoop.
“Esteemed guest, what would you like this time?” It was the same magic shop as before. Seeing Howard, the attendant greeted him warmly, as if meeting a beloved father.
He was a VIP customer who had previously bought items deemed unsellable; the attendant had received a substantial bonus from the owner following that transaction.
Seeing the valuable customer return, he naturally wanted to offer the best service, not daring to show any neglect.
“Um! I need a large number of low-level magic items, no less than last time, understand?”
At this, the attendant froze, not concerning himself with why Howard needed so many low-level items but rather if Howard could afford to pay for such a large amount.
“This… dear guest, we certainly have a vast array of low-level magic items, but the quantity is a bit much…” the attendant said cautiously, stealing glances at Howard’s expression, fearful of angering him and watching him walk away.
Howard, understanding the attendant’s apprehension, promptly produced a large stack of gold coins, amounting to twenty or thirty, each equivalent to two to three hundred thousand dollars.
“Please wait a moment, dear guest, I will immediately go prepare the goods…” The attendant excitedly gathered the gold coins and dashed towards the backyard.
Half an hour later, he returned drenched in sweat, presenting several one-time-use spatial bags, and said, “Sir, here we have F-level Frost Arrow Spell skill books, 293 in total; these are Iron-tier mana rings, 98 of them; and this is…”
After verifying that the goods matched exactly what the attendant described, Howard left the magic shop satisfied. Following this, he rented a skill practice room at the Magic Guild.
This place was designed for magi to hone their skills, offering a 50% reduction in mana consumption and magical cooldowns, in addition to supplying various alchemical targets.
There were targets that flew in the sky, some scurrying on the ground, others swimming underwater, and even those that resembled an army formation.
These targets, specially processed, could accurately calculate magic damage without being damaged by magical attacks, making them ideal for magi to practice their skills on.
Moreover, despite being called a ‘room,’ it was actually a dimensional space with a vast area, allowing for the setting up of alchemical targets both in the sky and underwater, and even accommodating the deployment of over a hundred alchemical puppets.
Howard opened the synthesis panel and placed two blue-bound Frost Arrow Spell skill books into the Synthesis Interface.
The square frame started shaking violently before shattering like glass, only to reassemble into a brand-new blue-bound booklet.
[Ding! Synthesis successful, you have acquired an E-level skill — Frost Blade Spell!]
[Frost Blade Spell]: Enables the casting of an ice blade, which can inflict substantial cryo magic damage, and upon hitting the enemy, reduces their movement speed by 20%…
𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮