Chapter 189: The Ten-Year Record

The Grand Meridian Hotel’s presidential residence was every bit as extravagant as Frey had promised.

Located on the hundred and eighth floor, the enormous suite offered a breathtaking view of Toronto’s sprawling metropolis. Its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked countless skyscrapers, elevated highways, and brightly illuminated commercial districts that stretched toward the distant horizon.

By the time evening arrived, the city had transformed into an ocean of colorful lights.

Thousands of holographic advertisements illuminated the buildings, while countless vehicles traveled along the roads below. Even at this height, the streets appeared remarkably busy, a testament to the enormous population of the Laurentian Region’s capital.

Inside the presidential residence, however, the atmosphere was considerably more peaceful.

After three exhausting days of traveling, everyone had finally enjoyed a proper bath and changed into comfortable clothes.

Mikhail had retired to his bedroom almost immediately, declaring that he intended to sleep for at least twelve hours without anyone disturbing him.

Frey, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered from the journey the moment they entered the hotel.

The young man was currently sprawled across an enormous sofa in the living room, enthusiastically browsing through Toronto’s entertainment establishments on his communication device.

"Bro, you’ve got to see this!" Frey exclaimed, turning his screen toward Jet with an excited grin. "There’s a restaurant in the Seventh District that serves dishes prepared by a famous Awakener chef. Apparently, the guy can cook practically anything, including some pretty expensive Mana Beast meat!"

Jet, who was sitting nearby with Inez resting against his side, glanced at the screen.

"Sounds expensive," he remarked casually.

"Of course it’s expensive!" Frey replied, looking almost offended. "That’s what makes it interesting! Besides, we’re in Toronto now. We can’t spend our entire lives eating ordinary food."

"You were complaining about how much money you spent on snacks during the journey," Jet reminded him with an amused expression.

Frey waved his hand dismissively. "That was different, bro. Highway snacks are a scam. Fine dining is an investment in personal happiness."

Jet chuckled at his ridiculous reasoning.

Beside him, Inez was struggling to keep her eyes open.

Despite her excitement about arriving in Toronto, the long journey had finally caught up with her. Her small head rested against Jet’s arm, and she had been yawning repeatedly for the past several minutes.

Jet glanced down at his sister and gently brushed her white hair away from her face.

"Someone looks sleepy," he remarked softly.

"I’m not sleepy, Big Brother," Inez protested, rubbing her eyes with both hands. "I still want to watch the city."

Jet smiled as another enormous yawn escaped her mouth.

"Of course you’re not," he replied with a quiet laugh. "But the city isn’t going anywhere. You can look at it again tomorrow."

Inez hesitated before glancing toward the enormous windows.

"Promise?" she asked, her voice growing quieter.

"I promise," Jet answered warmly, lifting her into his arms. "Now, let’s get you to bed."

Frey looked up from his communication device.

"Goodnight, little princess!" he called cheerfully, waving at her. "Don’t forget that Brother Frey is taking you somewhere fun tomorrow!"

Inez managed a sleepy smile.

"Goodnight, Brother Frey," she murmured before resting her head against Jet’s shoulder.

Jet carried her into one of the bedrooms and carefully placed her beneath the soft blankets.

After making sure she was comfortable, he switched off the main lights and left a small bedside lamp glowing.

For several moments, he remained beside the bed, watching his little sister sleep.

Her peaceful expression brought a faint smile to his face.

In his previous life, there had been countless nights when he had worried about whether they would survive until morning.

Now, she was sleeping comfortably inside one of Toronto’s most luxurious hotels.

And soon, if everything proceeded according to his plans, she would have a permanent home far more magnificent than anything she had ever imagined.

Jet quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. When he returned to the living room, Frey was still absorbed in his research.

"You’re not going to sleep?" Jet asked, glancing toward him.

"Eventually," Frey answered without looking up. "I’m still figuring out where we’re going tomorrow. You should get some rest, though. You’ve been looking pretty thoughtful ever since we arrived."

Jet raised an eyebrow.

"Have I?"

"Yeah, bro," Frey replied, finally lowering his device. "You’ve got that expression you always make when you’re planning something. Don’t tell me you’re already thinking about Dungeons."

Jet smiled faintly.

"Something like that," he answered.

Frey shook his head with an exaggerated sigh.

"Unbelievable. We haven’t even spent one night in Toronto, and you’re already thinking about work," he complained before grinning. "Fine, do whatever you want. Just don’t forget that we’re going sightseeing tomorrow."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Jet replied, heading toward his bedroom.

Once inside, he closed the door and approached the large desk positioned beside the windows.

He placed his communication device on the polished wooden surface, sat down, and remained silent for several moments.

Then he opened a secure folder hidden within the device’s storage.

A verification screen appeared, requesting several layers of authentication.

Jet entered the necessary credentials.

A moment later, the folder opened. Inside were numerous documents organized according to dates, locations, individuals, and categories.

At the top of the collection was a file bearing a simple title.

TEN-YEAR RECORD.

Jet stared at those words for a moment before opening the document.

The file contained information he had painstakingly recorded shortly after regressing.

Back then, he had understood that his greatest advantage wasn’t simply knowing that the Second Red Moon would occur.

It was remembering what would happen afterward.

Ten years.

That was how much of the future he had experienced before his death.

Ten years filled with extraordinary discoveries, devastating disasters, the rise and fall of powerful individuals, and countless events that had permanently changed the world.

Of course, Jet couldn’t remember every single thing that had happened during those years.

He had been an ordinary person in his previous life, not some influential figure with access to confidential information.

Much of what he knew came from news reports, public announcements, documentaries, online discussions, and events that had directly affected his life.

Nevertheless, the information he possessed was extraordinarily valuable.

And he had made sure to preserve as much of it as possible.

The moment he realized he had returned to the past, Jet began writing down everything he could remember.

He recorded the locations of important Dungeon appearances, the approximate dates of major Dimensional Impacts, and information about rare resources that would eventually become famous.

He also documented the names of extraordinary Awakeners who would rise to prominence during the next decade.

Some would become celebrated heroes. Others would establish powerful Guilds, discover remarkable Divine Rune abilities, or become infamous criminals.

There were even individuals whose names were currently unknown to the public but who would eventually become some of the most influential figures in the Awakener world.

Jet intended to find several of them before they reached those heights.

However, his records extended beyond Awakeners and Dungeons.

He had also documented important political developments, major economic changes, technological breakthroughs, and unusual events that had attracted widespread public attention.

Not every piece of information would prove useful.

Some events might never occur in exactly the same way again.

After all, his return to the past had already begun changing the future.

The Second Red Moon had awakened him as an Awakener, something that had never happened in his previous life.

He had participated in the Palladium Tree expedition, confronted Damian Visconti, and influenced the lives of several individuals who would otherwise have followed different paths.

Every decision he made had the potential to create further changes.

Nevertheless, events that remained unaffected by his actions could still provide enormous advantages.

And there was one particular event that interested him more than anything else at the moment.

Jet scrolled through the document until he reached a section labeled Major Financial Opportunities.

Several entries appeared beneath it, including information about future business developments, valuable discoveries, and companies whose fortunes would change dramatically.

However, his attention immediately settled on a particular entry.

Laurentian Annual Grand Lottery.

Jet leaned back in his chair as memories from his previous life surfaced.

The Laurentian Annual Grand Lottery was one of the largest lottery events in the North American Continental Administration.

Organized once every year, it attracted millions of participants from across the Laurentian Region.

Its enormous jackpot had made it famous, although the chances of winning were so ridiculously small that most people participated simply for entertainment.

In Jet’s previous life, however, one particular annual draw had become an international sensation.

The reason was simple. An ordinary man had won an almost unimaginable fortune.

Jet still remembered the news reports.

The winner had been an overweight young man who spent most of his time playing video games, watching anime, and collecting merchandise from his favorite fictional series.

He had been unemployed, financially struggling, and living in a cramped apartment before purchasing the winning ticket.

According to the interviews that followed, the man had bought the ticket almost casually, never expecting anything to come of it.

Then the results were announced.

And his life changed overnight.

One hundred and fifty billion Union Dollars.

Jet remembered staring at that figure in disbelief when he first saw the news.

The amount was so enormous that the story dominated headlines for weeks.

The winner’s photographs circulated throughout the internet, accompanied by countless jokes, congratulations, and discussions about what an ordinary person could possibly do with such an extraordinary fortune.

Some people celebrated his good luck. Others openly expressed jealousy and many simply found the entire situation amusing.

An unemployed otaku had suddenly become one of the wealthiest lottery winners in history.

Naturally, Jet had remembered the incident.

At the time, he had never imagined that those seemingly useless memories would eventually become valuable.

But after regressing, the situation had changed completely.

Jet leaned forward and opened the lottery entry.

The document contained the date of the draw, the name of the event, the jackpot amount, and a sequence of numbers he had recorded from memory.

He examined the information carefully. Fortunately, the winning numbers had appeared so frequently in news reports and online discussions that he had remembered them clearly enough to write them down.

He had even checked the sequence repeatedly when compiling his notes, making sure that he hadn’t accidentally confused the order.

Now, looking at the recorded information, Jet couldn’t help smiling.

"One hundred and fifty billion," he murmured, shaking his head slightly. "That’s more than enough."

The fortune would allow him to purchase a residence, establish a proper headquarters, acquire valuable equipment, and finance future expeditions into the Beyond.

More importantly, it would eliminate the financial uncertainty that had plagued him throughout his previous life.

He would no longer need to worry about whether he could afford Inez’s education, medical care, or everyday necessities.

She could attend the finest academy in Toronto.

She could live in a beautiful home and she could enjoy the kind of childhood that had once seemed completely beyond their reach.

Jet’s expression softened as he thought about his sister sleeping in the neighboring bedroom.

Money alone couldn’t guarantee happiness or safety.

He understood that better than most people but it could provide opportunities, security, and freedom from countless unnecessary hardships.

And with the dangers he knew were approaching, having substantial financial resources would make his preparations considerably easier.

Jet returned his attention to the document. There was still one important detail he needed to confirm.

The date.

He opened Toronto’s official calendar and compared it with the information in his notes.

After checking both carefully, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

The draw had not yet taken place.

In fact, it was approaching soon. That meant the winning ticket had not yet been purchased by the man who would claim the jackpot in the original timeline.

Or perhaps it had already been purchased, but the winning combination itself remained available to anyone willing to select those numbers.

Either way, Jet had an opportunity and he had absolutely no intention of letting it slip through his fingers.

He opened the lottery’s official website and began examining the participation requirements.

The process appeared straightforward. Registered participants could purchase tickets through authorized vendors or approved digital platforms, provided they met the necessary identification requirements.

Jet studied the rules for several minutes, paying particular attention to the procedures for claiming exceptionally large prizes.

Then he closed the website and returned to his notes.

There was no reason to rush blindly.

He had the winning numbers. He knew the date.

All he needed to do was purchase a valid ticket before the draw.

Jet leaned back in his chair, gazing through the enormous windows at Toronto’s illuminated skyline.

Somewhere within this sprawling metropolis, an ordinary young man was probably going about his life without the slightest idea that he had once been destined to become unimaginably wealthy.

Jet felt a brief moment of sympathy. However, the thought disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

The future had already changed. And he had far more important responsibilities than preserving the fortunate circumstances of someone he had never met.

His sister’s future came first. His companions came next and beyond them lay countless dangers that would require extraordinary resources to confront.

Jet picked up his communication device and checked the lottery information one final time.

Everything was in order. Tomorrow, he would purchase the ticket and if events unfolded as he remembered, the Saint-Clair family’s financial circumstances would soon change beyond recognition.

Jet smiled faintly before closing the document.

"Looks like our new life in Toronto is about to get a lot more interesting," he murmured to himself.

Outside, the enormous metropolis continued glittering beneath the night sky, completely unaware that one of the greatest lottery fortunes in its history was about to change hands.