Chapter 2210: Trouble Has Arrived

Crystal City-Residence

Time went by.

The members got used to the place again. They opened the shop in the afternoon. Lady Caitlin got used to her new home.

She explored the attached shop as well. There were magic items placed inside the glass shelves and a couple of items placed atop the stone platform.

They were all rare magic treasures. Lady Caitlin was sitting inside the office there. Otto, Patrick, Hank, and old man Rock were arranging things in the shop.

I came down from my room to look at the shop. The bright lights illuminated the room. The magic artifacts were neatly arranged. The members were working hard.

I saw Lady Caitlin in the office. The members saw me, and I nodded to them before walking over. I opened the door and entered.

Creak!

"Lady Caitlin, what do you think about our shop?" I asked her.

After saying that, I sat in the chair opposite her. Lady Caitlin had gotten an understanding of the place.

She said, "Now I understand your alternate identity. You are able to hide your true identity without anyone noticing it."

Hearing that, I shook my head.

"After visiting the Outer Hall of the Mage Union, my view changed. I’m sure an Elder-level powerhouse knows a lot about me," I told her.

Caitlin’s eyes flickered. After joining Vincent Carey’s team, she had come to know more about the Forbidden Wizards and the Elder-level powerhouses.

"What are you going to do next?" she asked.

"I think everyone will leave next week. I’m planning to hire new people to run the shop. I want the members to focus on the wizard path instead. Only then can they assist me in the future," I answered honestly.

Hearing that, Lady Caitlin understood.

She said, "I’m going to train hard as well. If I become a Forbidden Wizard, my spell attacks will be stronger."

"Lady Caitlin, there is no need for you to stay in the shop. I requested a new ID for you. Once it arrives, you can explore the satellite cities with ease," I told her.

Lady Caitlin fell silent for a moment. She had intended to look after the shop earlier, but now she changed her mind. She understood that Master Vincent wanted them to grow stronger.

"Once the ID proof comes, I will go look for opportunities," Caitlin said.

Hearing that, I agreed. Next, I left the office and headed back to my room.

After stepping inside, I brought the zero puppet out. I ordered it to bring in the gifts and letters from outside. Since morning, more gifts had been delivered to the shop.

Even Elder Blake had come by earlier to provide updates. I told him I would announce when the shop opened to the public. Right now, I wanted to sort things out here.

Once the members left, I would need to hire staff. I immediately thought of the Infinite Wizard Association; they could help me with recruitment. But I shook my head the next second.

I didn’t want anyone prying into my background. In the end, I decided to handle it alone. For the time being, I was free. The Mage Union would take time to assign me a mission, so I could work on my own until then.

A few minutes later,

The zero puppet returned with the gifts and letters. I raised my eyebrows and instructed the puppet to place them on the long, wide table. I didn’t know whether there would be anything interesting.

I wasn’t going to underestimate any gift. There could be a relic among them.

I used the system function to probe the gifts. The next second, the system’s voice chimed in my mind.

[Ding! Cursed object detected.]

The notification stunned me. Just when I thought everything was going smoothly after the breakthrough, trouble appeared out of nowhere.

I walked up to the desk. My gaze swept over the gifts. The zero puppet stood beside me in its original form.

I picked up a brown box from among the items. The box was rectangular. My instinct urged me to open it, but I held back, unsure if it was safe.

"System, can I open the box?" I asked.

[Ding! If the host opens the box, the chances of being afflicted by the curse are high.]

Hearing the system’s warning in my mind, my gaze hardened. If someone had sent me a cursed object, they had to know I was now a Magic Lord.

That meant this curse could genuinely harm me. Making a split-second decision, I stored the brown box inside the system space.

Later, I would ask Lord Charlotte or Erwin to inspect it. I had no idea who had sent it.

Meanwhile,

In the neighboring city adjacent to Crystal City, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit slipped into a narrow alley.

The area appeared to be the least developed part of the city. There was no pedestrian traffic around, and the surroundings were dead silent.

Only the footsteps of the middle-aged man echoed through the passage.

Passing several residential buildings, he entered a private apartment. He shut the door firmly behind him before sweeping the room.

The room was clear, showing no signs of an intruder. He then walked into his bedroom and retrieved a magic artifact—a small, handheld mirror.

Buzz!

He channeled mana into the artifact to activate it. The mirror’s surface shimmered to life.

"What’s the status?" a deep male voice echoed from the other side.

"I have successfully delivered the cursed object," the middle-aged man replied.

"If we eliminate this new Magic Lord, Vincent, it will be a massive victory for our faction. The higher-ups in the Covenant will be deeply impressed," the deep voice responded.

"Keep monitoring the situation. If he falls victim to the curse, report back immediately," the man instructed before cutting the connection.

Buzz!

The mirror artifact promptly powered down. The middle-aged man then carefully stowed it away inside a hidden compartment.

The middle aged man’s expression eases down.