Bald Old Man

Ban stood outside of the auction building. He was in deep thought about Nana's revelation on the latest news.

A/N: No missing chapter here. I purposely skipped some parts. So.. yeah.

"Hey, handsome. Remember me?"

A teasing voice came from Ban's side.

Ban turned his head ad to where the voice came from. He raised his brow as he remembered the person almost immediately.

"No."

Ban walked forward without paying attention to the woman.

"Hey! You still owe me a meal." The woman pouted as she blocked Ban from moving.

"Another day. I'm still busy right now." Ban ignored her once again and moved to another direction.

The woman glared at Ban. She had no choice, but to tell him her purpose on finding him.

"Our Bureau Head agrees to meet with you."

Ban stopped his footsteps and stared back at the woman again.

She was Michelle Willis. A bureau agent under Tom's command. Due to some unpleasant encounter, Ban treated this woman as stranger. As for her little schemes before, he was too lazy to care about it.

"When?" He asked.

"Tonight."

"Alright. I'll pay a visit later then." Ban nodded slightly and turned around. He was planning to find his sisters for now and execute the recruiting plan in the slums.

Michelle opened her mouth, but speechless. She didn't know how she offended this petty man in front of her. She wanted to chat more, but he was already at a distance before she knew it.

Ban got on the cab and soon disappeared from Michelle's sight.

Michelle stomped her foot in anger while her face was fuming red. Her elegant demeanor vanished like a child that has been wronged. She then took a deep breath, calming her emotions before returning back to other direction in a quick pace.

...

Ban arrived at the boundary between slums and the commercial area in the south. After getting off the cab, he directly walked through the bustling street.

This kind of place is said to be the best and lively part in the Capital. Many entertainments and selling various products could be seen in every street with affordable prices.

Even though the Capital was in disarray due to the Demon Beasts attacks, it didn't hinder the flow of business in the slums.

Ban enjoyed his stroll with liesure. His hands are on his pockets as he glanced around.

Many people saw his charsmatic face and couldn't help but paused their steps just to observe his every moves. Some even followed his steps while curiously watching him from the distance.

Ban noticed that his presence was affecting the masses, he then put a hat and a sunglasses from his storage as he quicken his steps.

Soon, he entered into a small and simple inn at the end of the streets.

Ban noticed that many people were sitting at the small lobby. What intrigued him was that, these people were all men and dressed with expensive clothing. Some even have high level Divergents as their guards.

He ignored them and wanted to proceed upstairs.

"Where are you heading?"

A young man sitting at the lobby stared at Ban with hostile expression. He exposed his accessories worth tens of thousands of dollars like he was showing off his wealth to Ban.

Other youths also stood up and started to question Ban's intention.

Ban frowned slightly and realized why these people were waiting in the lobby. He made a wry comment on his mind 'Turned out that these people are waiting for my sisters to come out of their room.'

What interest Ban was that, these people seemed to be afraid of certain person. That person was a guard of the inn.

Ban then turned his head at the bottom of the stairs where an bald old man in a guard uniform dozing off on his chair.

He tried to gauze the old man's strength and was slightly alerted.

'I can't see his power? Like I'm only looking at a mortal old man.'

The bald old man slowly opened his crimson eyes. His eyes was so clear like the reflection of stars with no impurities despite his old age. He then squinted at Ban for a second before dozing off once again.

Ban felt a chill down his spine. Even Ariana couldn't gave off such a dangerous vibe towards him. He wondered what's the origin of the bald old man.

'I really can't underestimate everyone in this world. I might die without a burial ceremony if I offended some unknown monsters everywhere.'

"Hey! Are you even listening?! Beat it!"

A youth got irritated and aggressively shouted at Ban. Other people also chimed in while pointing at Ban.

Still, Ban ignored the people around him as he picked his phone and sent a text message to his sister.

He wanted to get out of this place with the girls as soon as possible. The presence of the old man made him felt uncomfortable. He didn't dare to use his perception anymore to avoid getting into trouble with the old man.

Soon, Alice, Lucy and Lesley arrived at the lobby. They stopped beside the old man and made a move that almost gave Ban a heart attack.

"Grandpa Sven! We're having a lunch. Come, let's eat together!" Lucy shook the bald old man's arm like a spoiled kid.

Lesley also followed suit and arrived to the other side of the bald old man as she copied Lucy with the same enthusiasm.

The old man jolted awake while being startled.

"You brats! Do you want this old man to die? Go! Don't bother my sleep." He scolded like an elder to his grand children.

"Hehe!" Lucy and Lesley giggled as they want to chat with the old man more, but Alice knocked their heads.

"Cut it out. Your brother is here. Stop bothering the elder." Alice walked towards Ban.

The bald old man snorted grumpily before continuing to sleep without the care in his surroundings.

Alice and Lesley made a face at Alice.

"Brother! Come! We already ordered the meal for lunch." Lucy swiftly arrived beside Ban and dragged him upstairs.

Ban stiffly walked towards Old Sven. After he passed by at the old man, he heaved a sigh of relief. Even though he wanted to get out of the place, the bald old man didn't show any hostile attitude towards him and made him eased somehow.

Alice and the girls didn't notice Ban's thoughts as they led him to a certain room upstairs.

Meanwhile, the people at the lobby already recovered from their shock. At first, they wanted to approach the girls for a chat. However, when the saw the girls approached the young man they scolded, even calling him their brother, they became petrified on the spot.

Regret filled their faces as they made a bad impression on the brother of the girls they fancy.

Some glared daggers at the man who scolded Ban the most. Sadly, no matter how they cursed in their minds, the damage has been done and they are also involved in it.

Some left while others waited patiently.