The police had entered the slums and discovered Junifer's mother's body in an abandoned ice factory. Several other bodies had been preserved in the same state. The gang had kept the bodies of their debtors to blackmail their families. This gruesome discovery made headlines in Oceanstone the following day.
Asic helped the two children perform a simple funeral. Junifer's mother, whose body had been embalmed for five months, was finally laid to rest. Her ashes were divided into a sealed aluminum can, one that would never be opened. Magi and Junifer left the shack they had shared with their mother, with no intention of ever returning.
Asic booked a room in a nice hotel and took the children shopping for clothes, then to a good restaurant where he ordered them as much food as they wanted. They spent the entire day relaxing, ending it by sleeping on soft beds in an air-conditioned room. It was the happiest day in Magi and Junifer's lives, and they called Asic "Uncle" with affectionate voices.
---
Deep Bank, Oceanstone Branch
After checking out of the hotel, Asic took the children by taxi to the bank. It was a 99-meter high office building located in the heart of Oceanstone. Deep Bank catered to tax-evading billionaires and criminals keeping assets off the grid, but its lavish offices were an architectural marvel.
Asic led the children inside, and a young banker in a black suit approached with a professional smile.
"Good morning, honored guest. How may I assist you today?"
"Hello, I'm Asic. I have an appointment at ten."
"Mr. Asic Quadro, please come this way. I'll assist you personally." The banker checked Asic's name in the system in under ten seconds. Upon confirming the appointment, he bowed lower than usual since Asic held a VIP account at Deep Bank, entitling him to upgraded service.
"Mr. Patterson, do you have a girlfriend?" Asic asked suddenly, his eyes glancing at the name tag pinned to the banker's left chest. Patterson was indeed his name.
"Excuse me?"
"I asked if you have a girlfriend."
"Yes, I do."
"You're lying. In fact, you're still single."
"..." Why ask then?! Patterson felt frustrated dealing with such a strange client, but as a professional, he didn't let his demeanor or facial expressions change.
"How do you know I'm single?"
"I have a special ability to tell who's single just by looking. Besides, I enjoy playing matchmaker for handsome people. Could I have your number? I might introduce you to some pretty girls. I promise my friends are beautiful—you won't be disappointed."
"I can give you my number, but I think there's no need to introduce me to any girls."
"Why?"
"I prefer men."
"And what makes you think I can't introduce you to men?"
"..." Patterson felt taken aback by Asic's response—it seemed like Asic had an incredibly wide social network.
"When good-looking people date each other, regardless of gender, it's always a good thing. This is my eternal mission from God. If you want to find love, just call me. I know everyone—men, women, trans, and more."
"Thank you for your generosity, but I think it's best we don't discuss this in front of children."
"..." Magi, Youth Number One
"..." Junifer, Youth Number Two
Their dear uncle had forgotten about his two young companions.
"My mistake," Asic laughed sheepishly, then followed Patterson further into the bank. He had come to report to the Oceanstone branch of the bank as per the instructions left in Legis's will, bringing Junifer along.
"In truth, the person assigned to help you is Satori, but he's unavailable, so I'll be handling it," Patterson explained, leading them to the heart of Deep Bank. Junifer and Magi were taken to a child care zone, as Asic had to proceed alone.
Asic signed to inherit Legis's assets, and his brother's account was transferred into his name. Patterson verified the new list of assets. Besides hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, there was also property in Cryptopolis.
"An office?"
"Yes, a small office complete with employee accommodations, a gym, a swimming pool, and training rooms. The total value is ten million dollars. If you wish to liquidate it, the bank will handle it immediately."
"No, no need." Asic was merely surprised to learn his brother had secretly purchased an office. An office in the heart of Cryptopolis valued at ten million dollars wasn't something even a Miner with Legis's experience would easily afford. Legis had always been an independent Miner unaffiliated with any company, making it hard to believe he had that kind of money.
After reading the details more thoroughly, Asic found that the office could serve as a base for a company with hundreds of employees. It made him wonder whether Legis had planned to start his own company, which was why he purchased the office.
'Perhaps there are some clues at that office.'
"I'll take you to the vault," Patterson said, showing a key. Both he and Asic took an elevator to the basement, stopping at a secure room. Asic noticed surveillance cameras at every corner—not a single blind spot—with a top-tier security system trusted by many influential clients.
Deep Bank had thousands of vault rooms, one per VIP account. No matter what items the client stored, the bank's responsibility was to safeguard them without question or curiosity. Patterson inserted the key, unlocking the door, and invited Asic inside. The 10x10 room was stacked high with ore.
"Brother, did you rob a bank or something?" Asic muttered, seeing various rare minerals piled up. The value of all the ore in the room was close to a million dollars. Legis had regularly sent large sums back home, enough that Asic never worried about expenses. Their mother and sister often worried that Legis was sending too much, but it turned out the money they received was just pocket change.
The true wealth that Legis had accumulated was beyond Asic's imagination. It was becoming clear that Legis hadn't become wealthy simply as an independent Miner; there had to be other sources of income.
Gazing at the pile of wealth, Asic felt a warmth from the love his brother had for him. Everything Legis had worked his whole life for had now been entrusted to his only younger brother. By signing to inherit the assets, Asic had also taken on the responsibility of becoming the family pillar in Legis's place.
"There must be more, right?" Asic rubbed his nose and glanced at Patterson.
"Correct. Besides the cash and ore in the vault, Mr. Legis left you something important. It's in there." Patterson pointed to a spot amidst the piles of ore. A black box lay buried. Asic walked over, pushing the ore aside.
It was a special safe, requiring DNA data to open, made from a rare, nearly indestructible mineral. Asic bit his finger, smearing blood on the control panel. The safe buzzed as it analyzed the blood and DNA.
The box opened to reveal a memory chip card and an Asra card.
'An Asra card?' Asic picked it up, connecting to the system to read the card's information.
[Mining System Number 01 (Spade Ace)]
[Legendary Card] [Type: System, AI] [Development Potential: 5]
[Conditions: ??????????????????????????]
[Attributes: ???????]
'A legendary card?' Asic hadn't imagined that Legis possessed something like this. Asra cards came in various rarities, and legendary was nearly the rarest level. Realizing the value of what he now held, Asic glanced at Patterson, who still wore his professional smile, though Asic couldn't help but feel wary.
"Rest assured, our bank is renowned for maintaining client confidentiality."
"I know."
"Would you like to use the bank's memory reader? I could schedule it for you in five minutes."
"Interesting, but I think I'll pass. I'm exhausted."
"Understood. Thank you for using our bank's services." Patterson escorted Asic back, reuniting him with Magi and Junifer.
On the way back to the hotel, Asic remained extremely cautious, so much so that even Magi and Junifer could sense the tension. Right now, Asic held a legendary Asra card—if anyone found out, hundreds would come after it. However, what Asic valued even more than the Asra card was the memory chip card.
The memory chip card was a device capable of reading memory data directly from the brain.
'There must be a clue in this.'
---
Hours later...
"Have you sent someone to follow him?" someone in the shadows asked.
"Yes, sir, but we lost him. We are currently searching again."
"Fast, as expected," the figure in the shadows mused, sounding almost amused, as if they knew Asic well. It was no surprise that Asic, with his cautious nature, wouldn't trust Deep Bank and would deliberately disguise his movements to confuse others.
Deep Bank was renowned for its security measures, yet Asic didn't trust it—a testament to his character. He wasn't someone who trusted easily.
"We had no idea Legis had that legendary card in his possession."
"Legis had many secrets, even ones we weren't privy to," the shadowed figure sighed, as if lamenting.
"Protect Legis's brother, at least until he leaves Oceanstone."
"Understood." The woman ended the communication, then turned off all devices. A few minutes later, she removed all her clothes, leaving them in the room. The sound of the shower echoed from the bathroom. On her uniform was a name tag that did not belong to her—it read "Patterson."