Chapter 14: The Secret to the Golden Paper

"Ah, there you are," the man says to Rihan, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, but you can't have the contract yet.

So why don't we take our time and get to know each other?" he suggests, while sitting where the clerk was. "Let's start with your name."

Rihan stares at him blankly, confused.

"Your name," the man repeated, "and your age."

"My name is Rihan, and my age is ten," he replies.

"Ten, huh? You're quite a bit young for redeeming a contract, aren't you?" he chuckles, rubbing his chin. "So how about we take this slow and easy, alright? Why don't you tell us what kind of person you are first?"

Ijohen and Sung Li stare at the man, wondering if he's making fun of them or not.

"Well, you see, I'm a pretty good kid," Rihan begins.

"Ahhh, so you're just a brat, eh?" the man smirks, leaning forward on the table.

Rihan frowns at the comment.

"No, I'm actually a nice guy! I just have this bad habit of getting into fights, you know? I like to play pranks, but I'm a friendly sort of a guy, so I'm sure you'll like me!"

"What does that have to do with the contract?" Rihan asked. The two of them exchange glances.

"Alright, well, what do you say we try this again?" the man smiles. "Are you playing a prank here? Or maybe you're just here to get some free food?"

"Zip it old man!" Sung Li glared at the man in anger. "We're here for the contracts, or whatever that is! We don't have time for this."

"I'll give you the contract, but you must pay a fee of one gold coin!" the man exclaims, pulling a golden coin from his pocket and tossing it onto the table, "Do you little brats even know what a gold coin is?"

"What the hell, dude?" Sung Li stares at the coin, his mouth hanging open.

"We've faced many scammers and cheaters in the past, and we've learned that the only way to deal with them is to make them work for their money. It's the only fair thing to do." the man looks down at his watch, "Now, how about we make it quick and painless, you're the youngest bunch of pranksters I've seen in a long time. I bet you're all doing this just for the thrill of it. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Ijohen stares at him, "that's exactly what we're doing."

The three of them glance at each other once more, before sighing. Looks like they were misunderstood. They didn't have any intentions of stealing their stuff, nor did they want to cheat them.

The man snorts, "That's fine then. Just don't you dare mess up my office, and I won't call the guards on you." he points to the window, "You can leave whenever you want. But I will be keeping your document here for safekeeping. It's not something you brats should be handling. You understand?"

The man stares at them with an expression of mock seriousness, snickering under his breath while holding a golden document in his hand.

Rihan sighs, rolling his eyes. Their greed and selfishness always remain unchanged, no matter how many times I come face to face with them. The contract must've stirred a hornet's nest.

He'd rather avoid the situation altogether, but sensing the man is just trying to rob him in broad daylight, Rihan decides to play with him and placed his hands on top of the contract.

"You're a real piece of work, aren't ya?" Rihan grumbles.

"Oh, you're one who likes to stir up trouble, aren't you?" the man sniffs, his eyes narrowing.

Rihan's eyes widen, realizing that the man was staring directly at his eyes. His eyes glow red, clearly activating his power.

"What's wrong, you don't like the colour of my eyes?" he taunts, "They're a rare shade."

Ijohen and Sung Li notice the change in his eyes colour, as well.

Looks like you want to swallow us whole huh? Rihan thinks to himself.

"Alright, I'm done. Now, you can go." the man stands, grabbing his wallet, "And you, young lad-"

Rihan quickly snaps his fingers, and both Ijohen and Sung Li moved away from the desk, standing beside each other.

"I don't care what you're thinking, old man. But your mind control powers are nothing," he growls, his eyes glowing brighter.

The man stares at the trio, his eyes widening.

"I didn't expect you to be able to resist me," he whispers. "How interesting."

"You better keep that shit to yourself, old man," he snarls.

"What the hell was that?" Sung Li asks, glancing at his friend with a curious look.

"I'm not too sure myself," Ijohen mutters, while feeling a slight tingling sensation run through his body, "A mind-control technique? Despicable!"

Rihan stares at the man, his eyes still glowing red.

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"I think you should stop wasting our time, old man," Rihan growls. "We don't have much patience left!"

"I see you're quite the fighter, you know?" the man smirks, "I always get what I want, no matter what the cost. And I'm going to take your gold document now."

"Hahaha!" Rihan snickers, snatching the contract from the table. "You can try." he snickers, strolling towards the door.

The man stares at him, his eyes narrowed. "Stop them!"

Suddenly, four men appear in the doorway, blocking the path.

"Is this how the Hall of Land and Border operates?" Rihan asks, glaring at the newcomers.

The leader of the group steps forward, wearing a black cloak over his shoulders, "You've been caught cheating and forging documents. This is a serious crime, and we will not tolerate it. If you refuse to cooperate, we'll be forced to use force to apprehend you," the man says.

"What's wrong with you?" Sung Li stares at the man, his eyes wide. "We haven't done anything wrong! What gives you the right to treat us like this?"

"… What's in the document?" Ijohen pokes Rihan in the chest, stabbing him with his finger. "Show it to me."

Rihan raised his hand, the document in his hand, handing it to Ijohen "It's just a contract.".

Ijohen snatches it from his grasp, reading it slowly. A moment later, he stares back at Rihan.

"What the hell?!" he stutters, stumbling backwards while rereading the contract.

"What's wrong?" Sung Li stares at the document in his hands.

"This is the Contract for the Golden Pavilion!" Ijohen stares at him, his head spinning. "We got the wrong building! There's no way this could be the contract for this place!"

The Golden Pavilion is one of the most famous buildings in the capital, known for its extravagant architecture, beautiful gardens, and exquisite craftsmanship. Its fame has spread far beyond the borders of Irricester Mountain Range.

In fact, the building itself is so renowned, that many people believe that the owner of the pavilion must possess great wealth. However, the owner of the Golden Pavilion vanished mysteriously.

The building now stood grandly in the centre of the city, surrounded by a high wall. The garden within the grounds of the palace was also equally impressive, filled with colourful flowers and plants.

The scent of roses wafts through the air, making one feel like they're walking around inside a giant flower bed.

It hosts several events during the year, including music performances, theatrical shows, banquets, auctions, and the yearly Martial Competition. As expected, tickets sold out immediately after they went on sale, leaving hundreds of disappointed patrons outside the gates.

Sung Li stares at the contract, snorting, "That doesn't make sense! Rihan, show it to them!"

Rihan snatches the contract from Sung Li's hands.

"I don't have the time for this," he quips. "Now, you may not believe it, but this is the actual contract."

"No, you're lying. Even the royals would covet this contract. It's been lost for decades," Ijohen stares at the contract.

"…" the man stares at the three of them, his eyes widened.

Sung Li smirks, snatching the man by his collar. "Do you believe me now! Do you know how to read this, or not?!"

"Let me go!" he shouts, struggling against Sung Li. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

The man stares at the three of them, stuttering, "Look kids, you can't just bring in a document like that! That's fraud you know?!"

"Yeah? So what if you're in on it? Robbing us. Are you gonna tell us off for breaking the law?" Rihan retorted.

Suddenly the door behind them opens, revealing two more guards.

"What's going on here?!" one of them demands.

The man snatches the document from Rihan's hand, shoving him aside. "Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on this paper, you stinking brat!" he snarls.

"If you don't leave right now, I'll call the High Guards to arrest you all for trespassing, and forgery! Get lost before I call more guards, you little bastards."

"You're robbing us and calling us thieves?!" Sung Li stares at the man, his face red in anger, "We didn't do anything wrong!"

Rihan stopped beside his friends, his eyes glimmering with fury. The room's temperature dropped sharply, causing everyone to shudder.

Maybe because his soul is stronger from the Soul Merging Ritual, he could feel his aura growing sturdier than ever, allowing him to display his power.

"Return the document to me, right now!" Rihan shouted.

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