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The Peaceful Gentlemen Inn

In the dining hall, delicious food filled the tables, and rowdy men occupied the seats. Chatter and laughter resounded as the burly men had lunch an hour earlier than the standard lunchtime.

“Hey, have you heard? There’s a new sense enhancer-type magic potion on the market.”

“Lord Ashenborn’s Pore Stimulation Potion version, right? I’ve heard from my Lady. Apparently, it has no side effects and can be taken consecutively.”

“My Lady instructed me to buy some after lunch, so I won’t be sticking around after I’m done eating. She expects the potions ready by the end of her lunch.”

“Is that so? Then you have to be fast. I heard a crazy queue is already forming for the new Potion Stimulation Potion on the market. You might not get a chance to purchase any even if you leave now.”

“For real? Then I better rush over there quickly. I don’t want my Lady to be mad and disappointed.”

Vaan overheard the men in the dining area chattering before one of them quickly stuffed his mouth full of food and left in a hurry.

Nevertheless, Vaan proceeded to the counter to order his food.

“One butter garlic toasted bread roll with cream cheese and special omelette and orange juice on the go, please, my Lady.”

“Sure, anything for a handsome young man like you. Please give me a moment.”

Shortly after, the lovely innkeeper headed into the kitchen. Two minutes later, the innkeeper returned with Vaan’s food, wrapped up and ready to go.

After Vaan paid eighteen bronze coins for the food and drink, he raised the hood of his head and left the Peaceful Gentlemen Inn.

‘There’s still an hour until the start of lunch in the academy. I need to make three stops before returning,’ Vaan mused while finishing his lunch on the move.

At that time, the magic airship had already departed from the city.

A few minutes later, Vaan arrived in front of the tall, majestic, and seemingly indestructible nine-story black building of the Witch Union Bank.

‘Supposedly, each branch was built sturdy enough to withstand the powerful attacks of Rank 3 beings and below,’ Vaan casually recalled.

Robbing the Witch Union Bank would be a fool’s errand.

Nevertheless, Vaan entered the Witch Union Bank and joined the short queue of witches and men waiting to be served by the clerks working behind the front booths.

There were only two witches and one man in front of Vaan. Even so, it still took a few minutes before Vaan reached the front of the queue.

After receiving the cue from the male clerk behind the second booth, Vaan made his way over.

“Hello, Sir. How can I help you today?” the male clerk inquired.

Vaan placed the black bank card on the counter and pushed it forward before stating his intention, “I would like to check the balance and make a withdrawal.”

“Understood, Sir. Please give me a moment to check,” the male clerk replied.

There was no need for Vaan to identify himself. His name and face were in the system.

Helia Ashenborn wouldn’t make such a simple mistake when she invested so much into complicated magic tools for security and identification purposes.

After the clerk confirmed Vaan’s identity on his own, he looked into the balance under Linetta Delarosa’s name before getting back to Vaan.

“Your balance is currently 320 low-rank mana stones, Sir. How much would you like to withdraw?” the male clerk asked.

‘As expected, Helia Ashenborn was very efficient,’ Vaan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Nevertheless, Vaan decided to withdraw 200 low-rank mana stones.

However, the black bank cards were VIP cards with the Witch Union Bank, which grants a special privilege to the VIP holders: they could withdraw mid-rank mana stones instead of low-rank ones.

Knowing that, Vaan chose to withdraw 15 mid-rank mana stones and 50 low-rank ones.

After receiving the mana stones in a leather pouch, Vaan stored the pouch within his clothes before transferring it to the Heaven-Swallowing Space as he left the Witch Union Bank.

Due to the security of the Witch Union Bank, no one besides the attending clerk knew how many mana stones he carried.

Nevertheless, Vaan dropped by a relatively high-end tailor shop afterward and bought ten sets of quality clothes, which only cost him ten low-rank mana stones.

The clothes were placed in a large leather bag, which came as a complimentary due to Vaan’s large purchase.

After leaving the high-end tailor shop, Vaan headed for Helia’s Castle.

Along the way, Vaan spotted several homeless men living in some dark alleyways and street corners, completely relying on the charity of others to get by the day.

In some new construction sites, men were worked like slaves and treated poorly by the witches supervising them. They were whipped and beaten without mercy when they made mistakes and only healed when their injuries affected their work efficiency.

Without a doubt, these men were the true slaves of the witch-dominant society; they were the ones without witch lineage.

They were shorter, weaker, and uglier, simply inferior species compared to male witch descendants like Vaan. Even so, they were all men, nonetheless.

But while male witch descendants retained some rights and dignity due to their witch mothers, the ordinary men had none.

Just looking at these ordinary men was enough motivation for other male witch descendants to work harder.

Vaan had been treated fairly well due to his handsome looks and capability, but that didn’t make him forget the suffering of ordinary men in the seven witch kingdoms.

He had always been aware.

Even so, Vaan felt nothing for these men or any inclination to help them. They were unrelated people who had nothing to do with him.

Kindness was a privilege for the strong and powerful. As for those that lack the strength, possessing kindness was not a gift; it was a weakness.

Sometime later, Vaan made it out of the busy streets and arrived at his destination, Helia’s Castle.

The two Aura Masters guarding the bridge recognized Vaan’s face when he approached and did not bar his entry, letting him pass without an issue.