After changing his clothes, Daniel headed toward the guild, naturally not on foot but in the car he had recently bought.
Along with the villa he had purchased, he had also bought two high-end carsâone for himself and one for his mother.
The capital was enormous, and normally, flying within the city limits wasnât allowed without a permit. After recent incidents, flying had been completely banned for everyone except military and government forces and was heavily restricted.
Because of that, they needed a car. Daniel simply bought one since, with his current assets, he had no financial concerns at all.
Especially because, over the past week, he had plenty of free time to go through the spatial rings of his new Fallen, like that Noble Demon and Abraham.
He could only say his inventory was overflowing at this point. He even needed to find a place to sell all the equipment and weapons he had acquired.
After all, none of them were of any use to him.
"Maybe I should mention it to Lana," he muttered to himself, continuing to drive.
Their villa was located in one of the most secure districts of the city, about a twenty-minute drive from Everlight Moonâs central headquarters.
Since he wasnât in a rush and, more importantly, because traffic was extremely heavy, he was forced to drive slower than usual, turning the twenty-minute route into a thirty-minute one.
Upon arrival, he parked in the underground lot and glanced at the guild buildings before heading in.
Just like on their first day, the place had been completely rebuilt, with a few changes and expansions made to the layout.
He looked around. Every single building within a 700-kilometer radius had been destroyed, yet in just one week, they had all been rebuilt.
One had to admire that level of reconstruction speed.
He walked in and headed for the front desk. The receptionist, upon seeing him, gave him a sweet smile and told him he could head to the seventh floorâLady Lana was waiting for him.
"Has Simon come back yet?" Before leaving, Daniel asked the receptionist.
"Mr. Simon still hasnât returned. And before you askâno, he hasnât told us when heâll be back, but Lady Lana said itâs fine."
Daniel nodded with a small smile and headed for the elevator. As the elevator ascended, his thoughts drifted to Simon.
That bastard had left the country the day after everything happened. Back then, Daniel hadnât cared much, figuring Simon just went back to his family to let them know he was fine and maybe take a break.
But now, a full week had passed, and he still hadnât come back, not even notifying the staff, which directly violated guild rules.
As for why Daniel cared so much about that bastard? He actually didnâtâit was just that he wanted to take the top spot in the rankings and wanted to do it right in front of that idiot.
After all, they had a bet, didnât they?
When he arrived at the correct floor, he pushed those thoughts aside, stepped through the doorway, and walked straight toward the chairmanâs office.
The secretary greeted him as he passed, and Daniel nodded in return. Stopping at the office door, he knocked.
"Come in."
Without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was Lana sitting in her chair, going through some papers.
"So, you finally showed up? Sit down," she said casually without even looking at him.
"Feels like weâre getting a bit too familiar," Daniel chuckled, taking a seat on the couch.
"Donât like it?" Lana smirked, raising her head to glance at him.
He just shrugged. Naturally, he had no reason to dislike itâin fact, it made him feel even more comfortable.
"So, I heard youâre planning to head back to the Celestial Domain?"
"Thatâs right. I have a few things to handle there, and I also have a meeting with a friend at the Ten Thousand Treasures House auction." Daniel replied.
"The Ten Thousand Treasures House auction, huh? Actually, thatâll be held in about two weeks, but youâll need an invitation to even get in." Lana raised an eyebrow at him.
Getting an invitation for one of the Ten Thousand Treasures Houseâs special auctions wasnât easyânot even for them.
So how had this kid gotten one? Daniel didnât answer, simply staring at her.
"Forget it. The auction will take place in Lapis Phoenix City, one of the border cities of the continent. Actually, that works even better, because the task I want to assign you can be handled on the way there."
"A task, huh? Well, I figured as much. I just hope it wonât take too long." Danielâs demeanor grew serious as he listened carefully.
"Donât worry. Your task is related to a black market auction. Have you heard of the Golden Tooth Bandits?" Lana asked, looking at him seriously.
"One of the biggest theft and smuggling groups on the continent, right? Theyâve got branches in most kingdoms and empires, dealing in all kinds of things. Donât tell me you want me to wipe them out? I appreciate the confidence, but I donât have that kind of capability." Daniel raised his eyebrows.
"Of course not. To take them out completely, weâd need at least a National-level Awakened. What I want is for you to destroy one of their branches and retrieve something they stole from us. I was supposed to handle it myself, but as you can see, Iâm extremely busy." Lana explained.
Her explanation didnât make Daniel feel any more at ease.
"A branch is still a branch. What if there are S-Rank Awakened there?"
"Relax. The place youâre going is the site of one of their black market auctions. To avoid drawing the attention of major powers, they donât station highly powerful individuals there. Plus, you wonât be going alone."
"Oh? Good to hear. So, whoâs coming with me?" Daniel asked curiously.
"Youâll see soon enough. Iâve already contacted them, and theyâll arrive at our territory in the Celestial Domain within a few hours. Youâll wait for them there." Lana replied.
He nodded in understanding, then asked the question that had been bothering him.
"But what exactly did they steal thatâs so important you want it back? I doubt youâd bother chasing after ordinary items, so it must be something really valuable."