...…

Back in their place, Shin walked into their house right after escorting Cloe back home.

Both Arthur and Leonard were already waiting inside and were currently sitting on the sofa with serious expressions on their faces.

Sitting alongside them, Shin took a deep breath before asking. "So, what did you guys get? Any useful information?"

"Not really, but Leonard learned something really unsettling," said Arthur with a solemn tone.

Hearing that, Shin raised his eyebrows a little before casting his gaze at Leonard and waited for him to respond.

Leonard remained silent for a moment as he was trying to recall something before opening his mouth. "As you know, my master is an old mercenary veteran. He has quite a lot of contacts in the mercenary circle."

"I asked him about the tattoo on one of the mercenaries that we captured earlier. He said that it was the symbol unique to the members of the 'Ruined Block'," he added.

"Is there anything worth noting on those guys?" asked Shin with knitted brows.

Leonard immediately shook his head when he heard that before continuing. "If it is the mercenary group alone, then we don't need to worry much about them."

He then took a brief pause before adding to his words. "But if we are talking about their 'backing', then it is a whole other story."

"What about their backings? Are they being supported by a powerful group?" asked Shin with a little confusion.

"Sort of, yeah," nodded Leonard before adding. "It is a secret from the public but my master is aware of it."

"Those guys are being supported by the 'Mighty Arms Group'. It is an Arms Dealer Corporation which is also a rival company of Sister Cloe's Dad."

Hearing that, Shin finally came into a realization and nodded his head. "So, it is a business war between those two?"

"Exactly!" nodded Leonard and Arthur.

"Is the state that dire?" asked Shin.

Then Arthur nodded his head before answering. "Yeah. It looks like it is very serious this time. Even the government in their country is having a hard time keeping those two companies in check."

"And according to Big Sis, it seems like Uncle's company is being pressured by all sides. Fortunately, he is doing great at holding on their ground."

Hearing that, Shin slightly knitted his eyebrows before muttering to himself. "And that is why that 'business war' escalated to the point where Cloe and Christian have gotten involved."

After a few moments of silence, he turned his head at Arthur and asked. "Is there nothing our family can do to help?"

Hearing that, Arthur could only shrug his shoulders helplessly before replying. "I asked mom about this matter earlier and she said that they can't do anything about it."

"The Sun-Moon Continent is quite far from here, so their arms can't reach properly there. Moreover, it is not our territory. So, Dad and Uncle Nathan can't do anything to help either."

Shin then knitted his eyebrows before asking. "Then what about Christian?"

"He is with his mom, so there is nothing much to worry about him. All our concern is to keep Cloe safe," answered Arthur almost instantly.

Then he turned his head at Shin before asking. "Sister Cloe didn't say anything to you yet?"

Shin suddenly smiled bitterly and shook his head before answering. "She is still not willing to talk about it. But from what I can see, there is still another issue that's troubling her."

After that, he turned his head at Leonard before asking. "Is there anything more?"

Leonard shook his head, indicating that there is nothing more.

On the other hand, Arthur shrugged his shoulders once again before giving his reply. "Well, we already handed the captured mercenaries to the military. All we need to do is wait for their interrogation to end so that we can get more information."

Then he turned his head at Shin before warning him. "I know that you are worried but I think we shouldn't bother ourselves in this, since it is an adult business. If you want to help, then focus on taking care of Sister Cloe."

Hearing that, Shin couldn't help but chuckle a little before replying. "What do you think I am? Of course, I know what I need to do. And you are not in the position to lecture me since you create a lot of trouble that even get the adults involved."

After that, he immediately went upstairs and left Arthur who was looking at him with a stunned expression on his face, together with Leonard who was laughing out loud.

********

Later that night, Shin was currently in the middle of his usual meditation training when he suddenly felt a presence standing on the balcony adjacent to his room.

Opening his eyes, he stood up from his bed before walking out of his room. Then he immediately saw a middle-aged man.

For some unknown reason, Shin couldn't clearly see the face of the man. But since he couldn't feel any hint of hostility coming from that man, Shin didn't think much thought about it.

"First of all, I would like to apologize on behalf of my master's trouble for bothering a young master," said the middle-aged while giving Shin a deep bow.

On the other hand, Shin just waved his hand at the old man while saying. "What are you apologizing for? What happened is not a bother at all. I will surely get involved as long as Cloe is concerned."

Hearing that, the middle-aged man suddenly smiled at Shin before saying. "Master's eyes are never been wrong."

On the other hand, Shin suddenly knitted his eyebrows as he couldn't understand the meaning of those words.

Unfortunately, the middle-aged man didn't explain anymore and just bowed for another time before saying. "Regardless, I still need to apologize once again."

This time, Shin got a feeling what the middle-aged man was saying. "Is that situation that dire?"

Hearing that, the middle-aged man suddenly wore a bitter smile before replying. "I must apologize once again, young master. But I can't tell you about the details of the situation yet."

Shin decided not to inquire any further when he heard the trouble tone of the middle-aged man. Then he chose to keep quiet and waited for the latter to say what he wanted to say.

Seeing that Shin seemed to understand what he wanted to say, the middle-aged man couldn't help but smile with satisfaction while nodding his head repeatedly. "It seems like the young master already knew my intention of coming here. Since that is the case, then this is going to be a little easier"

"I only come here to check if the security here is able to protect the young miss or not. But from the looks of it, it seems like you guys are indeed capable."

Those words confirmed Shin's thoughts, so he asked. "I guess you are going back now, Sir?"

The middle-aged nodded his head bitterly when he heard those words. And when Shin saw that, he couldn't help but ask. "But what about the dangerous guy who is among those mercenaries?"

"There is nothing to worry about that guy for now, young master. He will keep a low profile for the time being since he already alerted some of the old veterans residing in this Region after he failed his attempt earlier," replied by the middle-aged man.

He then took a brief pause before adding to his words. "He might be strong, but he also has a lot of enemies around the world. So, if he stirs up another trouble, I am sure that those veterans will not take this lying down."

"And I already instructed my men to follow your and the other young masters' orders, so you will not have any problem mobilizing them," he added immediately after.

"I understand," said Shin while nodding his head.

"Then I will leave the young miss's safety in your hands, young master," said the middle-aged man while taking yet another bow.

"You can rest assured that I will take care of her," answered Shin noddingly.

After that, the middle-aged man suddenly disappeared from the balcony.

In the meantime, Shin looked at the neighboring house where the girls were currently staying before taking a deep sigh.

After that, he walked back inside his room before taking a couple of talismans from his bag. Then he quickly jumped out from the balcony before setting up the scrolls in the surroundings of the two villas.

When he was done, he immediately sat crossed-legs on the ground in between the two houses before closing his eyes.

Not long after, a large amount of Mental Energy was released from his body and spread in every direction. Then they started linking the talismans that he hid in the surroundings of the two villas before creating an invisible barrier, protecting the two houses.

This defensive formation was given to him by Grandmaster Benn. After all, Shin and the others attracted the attention of the underworld organizations during their previous mission. So, having a safety measure like this was necessary.

After making sure that everything was completed, Shin went back to his room. This was quite a long day after all, so he really felt a little exhausted from the series of events. And now, he finally could have his well-deserved rest.

"I wonder how exhausting the next day will be," muttered Shin to himself as he closed his eyes while lying on his bed.

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