His friend and his lawyer—whatever they were doing, Leonardo had no intention of interfering.
He wasn’t planning to go to the Monster World right now.
But that didn’t an he would just sit around.
Mana Liquid from a Healer—that was what he needed to nurture the Aethercore Fruit and Phantom Veil Orchids.
Of course, there was no way he would use the Harvey Family’s assets to obtain it.
That would basically confirm that he was the thief.
But it wasn’t like there were no other channels.
Anything valuable would always have sellers—because there were always buyers.
Leonardo drove out of City Z, entering an area filled with abandoned factories.
It was quiet, but there were always suspicious-looking people lingering in front of those buildings.
He drove farther until he spotted one particular factory where box trucks occasionally ca and went.
From the outside, scattered dical equipnt could be seen lying around.
Leonardo didn’t stop imdiately. He drove past it, heading deeper into a more secluded area.
Then he got out of the car and stored it inside his Dinsional Ring.
After that, he concealed his appearance—putting on a cap, sunglasses, a mask, and a black coat. He even wore elevated shoes to make himself look taller.
Then he teleported several tis until he arrived near the factory.
At the entrance, a group of gangsters stood guard, ard not only with baseball bats but also knives and firearms.
"Boy, what are you looking for?" their leader approached.
He was an Awakener with a fairly strong aura.
Yet he didn’t seem to care about Leonardo’s concealed appearance.
Clearly, people showing up like this wasn’t unusual.
"Is Doctor John here?" Leonardo asked.
Doctor John—a man who was both a doctor and a high-level Healer.
He wasn’t a good person. He had committed many cris, yet still road freely.
In City Z, many people knew him. His victims had exposed his cris countless tis.
It wasn’t even a secret that this factory was his base.
Despite that, he had a reputation for fair trade, even if his prices were always high.
As long as he didn’t betray his buyers, people were willing to deal with him.
"What business do you have with Doctor John?" the man asked again.
"I want to buy Mana Liquid from a Healer," Leonardo replied calmly.
Hearing that, the man beca serious.
"What are you offering? Mana Liquid can’t be bought with money."
"I need a large amount, so I’ll pay with an Elent Bomb Orb."
That answer imdiately made the man cautious.
Not without reason—soone carrying an Elent Bomb Orb could cause massive destruction.
"Wait here."
He stepped aside and made a call, speaking in a low voice.
After that, he gestured for Leonardo to follow.
They entered the factory, but Leonardo couldn’t see much of the interior as he was led into a corridor connected to a staircase.
The corridor led to the second floor, lined with multiple doors.
One door suddenly opened.
A man in his thirties, wearing a doctor’s coat, stepped out.
Doctor John.
Leonardo recognized him imdiately.
"You’re the one who wants to trade an Elent Bomb Orb for Mana Liquid?" he asked, scanning Leonardo from head to toe.
"Yes. I want to know how much you’re offering," Leonardo replied.
"20 points—equivalent to 20 liters. What do you think?"
Leonardo didn’t think it was a lot, but it wasn’t little either.
Since this was his first transaction—and he needed it—he nodded.
"Deal."
He took out a fire-type Elent Bomb Orb, holding it tightly.
Crushing it would instantly trigger an explosion.
"Get it from my room," Doctor John said—not to Leonardo, but to the man beside him.
The man entered the room Doctor John had just exited.
Monts later, he ca out carrying a large transparent plastic container.
Inside was a light blue liquid.
He handed it directly to Leonardo.
Leonardo then passed the Elent Bomb Orb to Doctor John.
"Pleasure doing business," Leonardo said before leaving quickly.
Even though Doctor John had a reputation for reliability, that didn’t an Leonardo wasn’t cautious.
It wasn’t that he was afraid—he simply preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
He returned to the city safely with his car.
Only then did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Leonardo planned to head ho—it was already close to evening.
But while driving, he received a call.
From Emma.
"What is it?" he answered.
"Leonardo... can you co here?"
"Where?"
"A bar. I’ll send you the location."
"Why should I go there?"
Leonardo frowned.
She was asking him without even giving a proper explanation.
Besides, why would Emma be at a bar? That didn’t seem like her at all.
"Mm..." Emma hesitated.
"Anderson, Margaret is completely drunk. She refuses to leave unless you co pick her up," Elsa’s voice suddenly cut in.
Leonardo froze for a mont.
Not even a day into this so-called relationship, and she was already causing trouble.
"Just give her so sobering dicine. I’m busy," Leonardo replied coldly before hanging up.
He had no intention of dealing with her.
This was probably just another way for her to try to control him.
Unfortunately for her—
desire and emotions wouldn’t work on him so easily.
Back at his apartnt, Leonardo took a shower right away, then headed down to the mall below for dinner.
Even though he wasn’t tired, he just wanted to rest tonight and wait for Ellie’s investigation results.
That would take ti—and possibly longer if the group of monsters Ellie joined didn’t get captured.
After dinner, he even went to watch a movie at the mall’s cinema, only returning around 9 p.m.
But the mont he stepped back into his apartnt—
he saw Margaret again.
This ti, she was sitting on the guest sofa.
She didn’t look drunk at all. Instead, she looked completely refreshed, her hair still slightly wet, wearing a dark red pajama set.
She looked completely relaxed, casually eating a piece of chocolate cake that gave off a sweet, milky aroma.
"I thought you’d be staying overnight at the bar," Leonardo said as he sat down across from her.
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