John gazed out the window, his eyes catching glimpses of well-dressed, jovial Federal citizens.
His mind, however, conjured images of those living in the outskirts of Stellarburg, clad in tattered clothes, their faces gaunt and bodies frail.
So are born in Ro.
While others, from birth, are destined to toil.
The taxi quickly made its way to the address given by Nicholas Rothschild.
After paying the fare, John stepped out to observe the mansion behind him.
Situated within the inner third ring, the estate sprawled over a kiloter, encompassing lawns, gardens, a swimming pool, fountains, and various other anities.
The house itself, bathed in white and adorned with golden opulence, was the epito of luxury.
Standing outside the gate, John had a clear view of the lush greenery, the pristine private pool, and the mansion that glowed like a palace, all illuminated under the bright lights.
Life Pharma Group, a renowned giant in the Federal pharmaceutical industry, specializes in developing transcendent dicines and potions for awakeners.
Thus, it wasn't surprising that Nicholas Rothschild owned such a vast estate in the costly inner circle of the Imperial Capital.
At that mont, a middle-aged man dressed as a butler awaited in the garden.
Approaching John, he respectfully inquired, "May I address you as Mr. 'Black Robe'?"
John nodded, "That's ."
Hearing this, the butler's deanor beca even more deferential.
He opened the gate and stepped aside, "Lord Black Robe, please co in. The master and several other esteed mbers of Hidden Stars have been waiting for you for so ti. I shall lead you to them."
Without uttering another word, John followed the butler into the mansion.
His gaze naturally surveyed the surroundings, initially finding nothing amiss.
However, as they proceeded, John's brow gradually furrowed.
Sothing about the mansion felt unsettling.
The primary concern was the silence; such a vast place was devoid of any sound.
Furthermore, aside from the butler, John hadn't encountered anyone else along the way.
Noticing John's unease, the butler quietly offered an explanation, "After the young mistress disappeared a few days ago, the master suspected it might have been the work of soone familiar, as there were no traces left behind. Therefore, he had everyone brought in for… questioning."
The butler seed sowhat uneasy when he ntioned "questioning," clearly indicating that it wasn't as simple as he made it sound.
John frowned slightly and said, "You do realize that detaining people without evidence is illegal, right?"
The butler quickly explained, "We are rely identifying suspects, not violating any laws. If they are not responsible, we won't take any action against them. The master is just anxious to find his daughter, hence the sowhat hasty approach. Please understand."
John didn't press further.
Such incidents were all too common in this world, and he neither had the inclination nor the capability to intervene.
For John, completing the mission was paramount.
As long as nothing excessively wrongful was being done, he wasn't looking to complicate matters for himself.
Shortly after, John followed the butler into the mansion.
Inside the opulent hall, four individuals awaited.
Seated on a brown leather sofa was a middle-aged man wearing a loose, dark blue silk robe, his deanor tired.
He was engrossed in the information displayed on a virtual screen, his face marked by deep worry, seemingly oblivious to John's arrival.
This man must be Nicholas Rothschild.
John spared only a glance before focusing on the other three individuals present.
These three, all donning silver-white Hidden Stars masks, comprised two n and one woman.
Among the n, one bore a rugged countenance with a towering stature, his muscles prominently bulging, standing over two ters tall.
His body was covered in thick hair, giving him the appearance of a giant.
The other man, sporting short hair and holding a Skeletal Staff, seed ordinary in height and build, especially next to the muscular giant, appearing almost child-like by comparison.
The woman, with her short chestnut hair and petite fra, was dressed in a white crop top that snugly accentuated her form, paired with black denim shorts revealing slender, fair legs, and simple white sneakers.
Her youthful vitality was palpable.
Particularly noteworthy was the large-caliber sniper rifle she carried on her back, clearly modified and incongruent with her petite stature.
John had reviewed the information about these three in the mission details.
He knew the muscular man was code-nad "Giant Elephant," the man with the Skeletal Staff went by "Bone Claw," and the woman with the rifle was "Fire Badger." All three were platinum-tier awakeners.
Giant Elephant and his companions also assessed John, their gaze tinged with curiosity.
Although Hidden Stars had many mbers in the Imperial Capital, there were only so many with silver badges, and they were mostly acquainted with each other.
However, this tightly wrapped individual was unfamiliar to them.
Nonetheless, it was clearly not the ti for introductions, and the group refrained from approaching to greet him.
After leading John to them, the butler inford Nicholas, "Master, Lord Black Robe has arrived."
Nicholas snapped back to reality upon hearing this, finally noticing John.
He did not stand up but managed a strained smile towards John and handed him a file folder, saying, "Please have a seat, Lord Black Robe. This folder contains detailed information about the case and my daughter's disappearance. I hope it aids you in finding her."
Then, addressing the butler, Nicholas commanded, "Sebastian, please serve our guests from Hidden Stars so coffee."
The butler nad Sebastian bowed and turned to fulfill the request.
Despite his current distraught state, Nicholas exuded an air of authority, a deanor characteristic of soone from the upper echelons of society.
John briefly surveyed Nicholas's face before glancing at the virtual screen on the table, which Nicholas had been viewing.
It was displaying John's personal information.
His specific identity and class were obscured, but the words "silver-tier" in the realm section were quite prominent.
No wonder Nicholas's enthusiasm seed diminished.
Silver-level mbers of Hidden Stars were predominantly platinum-tier awakeners, with the minimum being gold-tier.
John, rely at silver-tier, naturally stood out.
John, taking the file folder handed to him, remained indifferent to Nicholas's deanor.
His focus was on completing the task to earn money, not wasting energy on trivialities.
While Giant Elephant and the others discussed potential strategies to locate Grace with Nicholas, John settled onto a couch, quickly leafing through the contents of the folder.
According to the file, Nicholas's daughter, Grace, disappeared four nights ago, making it precisely three days now.
Before her disappearance, Grace had gone downstairs for a late-night snack and then asked a servant to bring her a cup of coffee upstairs.
However, when the servant brought the coffee to Grace's room, she was nowhere to be found.
At the ti, the servant thought little of it, assuming Grace had stepped out, and left the coffee on the coffee table.
But Grace's disappearance stretched into three days, with still no word of her whereabouts.
The case was straightforward in its description, yet it was precisely this simplicity that made it all the more challenging to approach.
There was scant useful information to go on.
The only certainty was that Grace's disappearance occurred within the tifra the servant was delivering the coffee.
But how she vanished without a trace remained a mystery.
At that ti, the Rothschild mansion was well-staffed with servants and security guards, not to ntion the drones and surveillance caras that covered the estate.
It seed impossible for not just a person, but even a fly to slip away without leaving so clue behind.
The issue was, after scouring all the footage, there was no sighting of Grace.
This likely indicated the involvent of supernatural forces, as only an awakener could achieve such a feat.
No wonder a missing person case was incorporated into the tasks handled by Hidden Stars.
With this realization, John looked up and interjected into the conversation, addressing Nicholas, "The Rothschild House surely has nurous awakeners. Didn't anyone notice any energy fluctuations at the ti?"
Outside of a few exceptional classes, the use of supernatural powers by most awakeners leaves behind traces of their presence and energy fluctuations.
If these fluctuations could be detected before they naturally dissipated, a lot of useful information could be gleaned from them.
Logically, if supernatural forces were involved in Grace's disappearance, the awakeners of the Rothschild House should have noticed sothing.
Giant Elephant and the others also turned their gaze toward Nicholas.
They had already reviewed the file and harbored the sa doubt, but John had voiced it for them.
Hearing John's query, Nicholas sighed, his face contorting into a bitter smile, "The very reason we're at a loss is precisely because we detected no energy fluctuations at the ti."
Sebastian, who had just returned with the prepared coffee, added with a look of sha, "I was downstairs at the ti and didn't notice anything unusual."
Nicholas elaborated, "Sebastian is a diamond-tier Verbal Sorcerer. His mind power covers the entire mansion, so nothing escapes his perception."
Giant Elephant, Bone Claw, and Fire Badger exchanged looks, each seeing surprise in the others' eyes.
Fire Badger expressed her astonishnt, "A diamond-tier mage detected nothing at all?"
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