Lily opened the door and greeted Leon and their uncle with a bright smile.
"Uncle Ben, I didn't know you were home!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Ben, a 39-year-old man, regarded Lily fondly and replied, "Hi, Lily! Haha, I'm here for a few days. Finally had some time off, so I decided to come home and spend some time with you two. It's been a while since we've had the chance to get together. Come on in!"
Lily smiled and felt laughter bubbling up as her brother and their uncle bantered playfully in the living room.
Leon and Lily had been living with Ben since their parents' whereabouts became unknown. For them, Ben was like a surrogate father. He truly cared for both of them, providing support and doing more than enough to meet their needs. Even now, when Leon was working hard to contribute, their uncle insisted on paying for Lily's school fees. Although Lily attended a prestigious school on a scholarship, studying at an elite institution was not as easy as they had imagined.
Leon smiled at his sister and said, "Hey, Lily! We were planning a special dinner tonight. What do you think?"
"Yay! Of course, dinner sounds great! It's been a long time since we had dinner together," Lily responded cheerfully, her smile widening and her eyes sparkling with happiness. She quickly sat down next to Ben and leaned on him.
"Hey, how's school, Lily? Have you got a boyfriend yet? Haha, remember what I said—you need to introduce any boy who wants to date you to us first, okay? I need to make sure they treat you right, haha." Ben said, his laughter filling the cozy, cluttered room.
Lily grinned broadly. "Uncle, you should be talking about Leon! He's surrounded by beautiful girls, you know?" she responded with a giggle.
"Hahaha," Ben responded with laughter. "It's surprising how many new things happen in this house, even when I'm gone for just two weeks."
He then turned to Leon. "Now, Leon, tell me how you're so confident about earning all that money. Are you sure you're not doing anything foolish to get it?"
Lily had observed many changes in Leon over the past few weeks. He had been discovering gems within the game and had even started purchasing more luxurious items for the house. Not to mention, he had taken the time to buy some new clothes for her too. Although he assured them he could easily earn money, she still felt a bit worried that he might be spending his earnings too freely, which could cause problems later.
"I'll take you to a fancy restaurant. My treat!" Leon exclaimed with excitement.
"But Leon... don't you need that money more for your studies? A regular meal would be fine, I think."
"Don't worry, Lily," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I have plenty of money for that, so you don't need to be concerned."
Ben chuckled. "Hahaha, look at how your brother acts, Lily. You two make me feel so useless. If Leon has that much money, then I won't be of any use to you guys anymore."
"Oh, come on, Uncle," Lily said with a cheerful grin. "You're so much more than that to us."
They continued chatting about trivial matters until Leon stood up after receiving a message on his phone.
"So… tonight, at 7 PM, but before that I need to meet someone, maybe for a few hours," he said, then quickly went to his room for a moment.
"I didn't know your brother had friends?" Ben said with a giggle.
Lily gave a curious look, watching where Leon went. A few moments later, he came out dressed in casual clothes, clearly one of the new outfits he had recently bought.
"Who are you meeting? Is it a date? You don't need to bother inviting us to dinner if you want to go on a date, Leon," Ben said with a teasing grin.
"No, it's for work," he replied casually.
Just then, they heard a car parked outside the house. Leon immediately waved his hand and stepped outside, "Ah! That must be her! Don't worry, she said it will only take a short while. I'll be back soon."
"She?" Ben muttered, puzzled.
Leon stepped out of the house, with Ben and Lily trailing behind him. They noticed a young woman exiting the passenger seat of a black luxury car parked in front of their house.
The woman, wearing sunglasses, appeared to be in her early twenties. She was dressed in a black office suit and a short skirt. She had shoulder-length brown hair, pushed back to one side, and her appearance was sophisticated and elegant. It was clear from her appearance alone that she was someone of significance.
"Who is she?" Ben stammered, turning to look at Lily in surprise. "A girlfriend? Did he ever mention anything about her to you, Lily?"
Lily gaped in shock. "I don't know either, Uncle," she said quickly. "But if he does have a girlfriend, Leon wouldn't hide it from us. From what I know, he's close to a Princess, a Goddess, and a Mage."
"What?!" Ben was taken aback by Lily's statement. "What did you say?"
"He told me about the women he met in the game, but I think only the Mage is a real player," she continued.
Ben didn't understand much about Immortal Legacy, but he grasped the gist of what Lily was talking about. They continued to watch Leon with curiosity.
Leon approached the girl who greeted him with a wave. She was a member of the Golden Age Company, the developer of the popular game Immortal Legacy. Leon had received an email from the company stating that she would be his designated support person for the Elite Player Support Program (EPSP).
As they stood face-to-face, the woman smiled at him. "Hi, I'm the one who sent you the message. I'm Freya," she said, her smile warm and welcoming.
Leon nodded and replied, "Nice to meet you. My name is Leon."
Freya gave Leon a dazzling smile, "How about we step out for a bit? There are many things I want to discuss with you," she said, her smile growing wider. For a moment, Leon was taken aback by her presence, as her skin seemed to shine like the sun, radiating warmth and light.
"Yes, of course," he said.
As soon as she removed her sunglasses, Leon was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. She stood at 1.67 meters (5.48 feet) tall, so she had to tilt her head slightly upward while offering him a friendly grin.
"Sorry, I forgot I was wearing these sunglasses," she said, giggling. She then opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat, gesturing to the seat next to her. "Come, here."
Leon stood frozen for a moment, surprised. He was still in shock at the sight of such a luxurious car in front of him. It was the first time he had ever seen a car this expensive up close. He thought that the price of this car could probably buy a mansion.
"Come on, Leon, we're not going to kidnap you. We were officially sent by Golden Age Company. If you need reassurance, I can call the CEO right now," she said, giggling again.
"Ah, sorry," he said, then stepped into the car.
***
(Author's Note)Hi, thank you for reading this far! Are you enjoying Leon and his journey? There are many things waiting ahead, big things—this is just a small part of the grand adventure he's about to undertake. Greatness is coming, and you won't see it coming.
See you in the next chapter!