The acknowledgement ceremony was not that eventful. It was interesting getting to see the faces beyond the mask. To my surprise, however, no one in the top five actually showed their faces. Maun, me, Black Flame, Mushroom Soup, and Defiant Soul—all remained anonymous to the disappointment of the audience. Eren did not take off her mask either, but there were many others who had come forward to reveal their identities.

The highlight of the whole thing was, of course, like its name, the acknowledgement part. Taking part in the ceremony, I stood before the Abbot and performed the ritual for taking in a master. Black Flame's choice was a little surprising...he actually went with Master Sen, the rather talkative monk. Defiant Soul went on to acknowledge someone I wasn't familiar with yet, but he was a lanky-looking monk with the longest beard of the lot. Mushroom Soup took on the same master as me, which meant that we were like siblings within this particular context.

Maun, of course, went with the choice he told me before starting—Master Myrrh.

Apparently, Master Myrrh didn't usually accept disciples. Maun would be the first one in seven years.

There were only five candidates each year which they could accept into their tutelage, so this tidbit came a bit surprising to me. Master Myrrh might look like a wreck, but it seemed his standards were very high. And if he could act that way, he must have the ability to back it up. Then again, the situation might be very different from what I was imagining.

Now that the admission into the Temple as a disciple was over, I could now focus on the things that I have been putting off until now.

Firstly, I really wanted to start the perfume shop from before. I did not know much about business, but I had some tricks with marketing due to my knowledge of my previous world. Next, there was that matter I promised with Elion. Since Amber's goal was to go back to Vertvalden in a few years, perhaps I could brush up on my knowledge about the place in order to be prepared for when that time actually came. I planned to establish some network and gather some information about the state of things on the other side of the world and I reckoned Papi, with his ship and all, would be the best person to start.

And while preparations were underway, I would continue my studies in the Temple in order to hone my skills. Considering how tricky the element of death was to control, and being the first known person in history to actually have it for an ability, I ought to start figuring out how to control it right away.

Lastly...the matter with Vertvalden. Despite all the things in my agenda, I had to have some considerations with my plan for redemption. Of course, with my mistresses around, they would most certainly have movements and plans of their own—plans which I wasn't ready to know just yet. Hopefully, sometime in the future, they would include me in their agendas. I needed to bring my mother's death to justice.

But everything...well, those things were not going to happen anytime soon. But I was certain I would be settling matters here in Erindal before I went on to my quest to Vertvalden.

For now, the shop.

I needed to open the shop. I needed money.

Of course, I had some, and I wasn't exactly lacking, but if I were to prepare for my bigger quests, I would be needing a lot more of it. The more, the better. My mistresses had set aside some funds for me, but I doubt it would be enough. Cleansing the other half of the world from...otherworldly beings? Yup. Sounded like massive expenditure to me.

"We'll be going our separate ways, then. We'll meet you back here later when we're done," Mistress Kora told us with a wink. "Be prepared to be surprised!"

Maun intended to follow us, but Mistress Kora pulled him with them. "You're coming with us, darling. You need a haircut too." He then whisked away Eren, who was in near tears, and Maun, who had a look of unwillingness. "Oh. Stop it. You'll see Evy later. You little koala."

After they left, Mistress Veronika and I went to the shop I had been eyeing before. The streets were not as crowded as before, and this was a relief for me who hated being in too stuffy places.

"This is the place you want to get?" Mistress Veronika quirked a brow.

"I canvased the area," I began. "This is currently the best option. It's more affordable than other places, but it also has decent foot traffic."

"Mmn...I see." She patted my head. "Smart. I think it's a good choice. After we settle this, what else are you going to do?"

"Source out my source of materials. I already have some formulas in mind and I can be busy with making those for the next week. I already have some options in mind, but I'm hoping to negotiate."

"Would you want help with that?"

"Which one? For making the perfumes?" I inquired softly.

"Wouldn't it be a lot of work?"

"I'm thinking of enlisting the help of the Vertvaldenians," I said. "I think I can trust them more than anyone right now, and I promised I would do something to help. I'll pick out some people who seem promising. I'm sure Elion would have an idea about who among them would be good at the job."

Also, I felt like I could trust and rely on them as well.

"That's a good idea as well. Very good. Let's settle this business, then. First off, we'll need the money for the place, right? Will it be rent or will you be buying it?"

"I better buy it," I said.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Didn't you arrange a new name for me?" I asked.

She gazed at me, quirking a brow. "You knew about that?"

"I mean...was there any reason why you intended to hide in the Temple for a while? I'm sure it was also because it was safe, but I don't think you would have let us stay there for so long without doing anything..." I said. "That's not like you at all."

"Arranging new identities wasn't easy. Kora and I thought it would be ready around the time when you guys finished the tournament. Just in time, huh?" she said with a smile.

"Would there be any problem with the money?" I asked. "We're withdrawing using this bracelet, right?" I pointed to the band around my wrist. "Wouldn't that give them some suspicion?"

"It's okay. This bracelet...it demands anonymity. The funds are big enough they'll turn a blind eye," she told me with a wink.

"That...how big are the funds, anyway?" I asked hesitantly.

"Ah. I had no way to know. Lamia handled all the money. It must be sizeable," she said.

I mean...I knew we were quite comfortable...but just how rich were the mistresses? Or...to be exact, how rich was I? Was I underestimating it? Did I have to work at all?

Faced with some doubts, we went to the bank. The place was very fancy and I sort of felt out of place in these worn clothes. We were wearing nothing fancy, my mistress and I. While it was comfortable and relatively high quality, it wasn't exactly seen from a distance—only felt by the person wearing it. Not to mention, comfort wasn't exactly synchronous with fashion either.

Thankfully, the place was not lacking of people. So while the security shot us a look of scrutiny—tinged with judgment—they did not stop our advance through the doors. There were crowds lining up at booths, all with queuing tags taken from the reception desk. My mistress and I headed there. Mistress took the lead, knocking lightly on the granite counter to call the man's attention.

He looked up. The smile was stiff and, as far as the eyes could see, perfunctory.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Do you service jade platinum customers here?" she asked.

"Of course. But it's all on another floor," he said.

Mistress Veronika said nothing more to him. She looked at me and nodded. "Show them, darling." Her eyes were filled with mirth.

I assume she would've wanted to play around with these people considering the initial attitude, but was otherwise limited with the lukewarm yet decent reception. I lifted my hand and showed him the bracelet, causing him to stiffen immediately.

Trembling, he tried to covertly press something under the table, but couldn't hide himself well enough. He then stiffly stood up. The perfunctory smile transformed into a genuine one...the brightest he could manage, probably. It was a little amusing seeing the whole change in attitude, but I guess that was money for you.

"I'm very sorry. How about I bring you up for a cup of tea and some snacks? Any services related to your tier may take some time to prepare. May I know in advance what you are here for today?"

"Withdraw some money, and also check the current assets under the child's name," Mistress Veronika said.

"Understood. We will pull up the related documents once we've got you settled," he said. "For the verification process, we'll bring up the relevant materials while you relax."

I maintained a steely face until we were led up the stairs and into a luxurious room—free of the claustrophobic crowd outside. I let out a sigh of relief, feeling comforted that there were no longer as many people. Mistress Veronika and I did not talk, preoccupied with admiring the place.

As usual, the furnitures were low. The seats were no higher than the span of a hand from the ground if not directly on the ground cushioned. Low tables but contrastingly tall vases. The floor was carpeted and soft to the feet, so shoes were left outside.

When they said VIP, they certainly meant it.

There landed some soft knocks on the door. A woman came in shortly with the promised tea and snacks. Having been trained in palette since young, considering my constant exposure to rather rare luxuries, I easily recognized what they served. The smell was floral and had a hint of spice. At a sniff, I knew what it is.

The woman opened her mouth to introduce the food, but I found myself blurting out what it was. "Belloun," I said. "Tea from the south..."

"Good job, darling," Mistress Veronika casually lifted the teacup and sipped like it was nobody's business.

The woman opened her mouth again and pointed to the accompanying snacks.

"These look like gale berries." She popped one into her mouth. "Not exactly the highest in the tier, but it's acceptable. Impressive you managed to get your hands onto it this season."

The woman nodded speechlessly. In the end, she looked a little frustrated having not been able to do her job and walked out rather flustered.

"Don't you think we were a little mean?" I asked once the room was vacant.

"They were giving us side-eyes when we entered just because we were shabbily dressed. I'm not exactly in the mood to be generous," she replied. "It's not like we're being unreasonable or willful."

I shrugged, but found myself agreeing nevertheless.

We didn't have to wait long for the next person—or people—to come in. The man at the helm was much better dressed than his entourage, and he had a device on hand. "Good afternoon, guests. I hope the snacks were to your tastes?"

"They were good," she said. "Now, what is next?"

They came forward with the tools. "Please scan your bracelet here," he said.

I placed my wrist under the scanner...thing and watched it go whir, turning green for verification. No name popped up as far as the eyes could see, but there was a line of numbers as well as the basic information.

Mistress Veronika furtively eyed the information and gazed back down to her teacup with a smile.

"What?" I asked.