"Welcome back, everyone," Aron greeted with a warm smile as he, along with the girls, entered the Warehouse. Inside, they were welcomed by a group of women, each one beaming with a smile that reflected genuine happiness.

"How are you, girls? I hope nothing happened," Aron inquired as he made his way to a corner of the warehouse.

The girls shook their heads in unison, and one of them responded, "Nothing happened, Master."

Pethra, Kasumi, and Luna quickly found comfortable spots to sit and rest. Scarlett carefully placed the bag filled with the Rats' books and journals, which she had taken from Mia with the intention of reading them, as she was now the new leader.

Meanwhile, Mia stood at the entrance, seemingly in awe of the scene before her. Within the warehouse, Mia could see more than twenty women, each radiating their unique beauty.

'Is he a noble who likes this type of thing?' Her thoughts began to wander, wondering about Aron's identity. However, a quick look at the women's faces revealed their genuine happiness.

'They are happy to see him, and they don't appear like they are held here against their will.'

"Hmm?" Aron noticed Mia standing by the entrance and turned to introduce her, "Girls, this is Mia. She'll be staying with us for the time being, so please make her feel welcome."

The girls nodded and approached Mia; from her clothes, they could only guess her story.

Aron gently placed Freya on a pile of covered straws, allowing her to rest after the exhaustion she had endured. Since the moment in the bath when they marked each other, she was extremely tired.

Standing up, Aron scanned the room and called, "Elina."

"!!!" hearing her name, Elina immediately approached him and bowed slightly. "You called, Master?"

'Master again….sigh,' Aron sighed, as by now he had grown used to the girls calling him like that.

"Elina, prepare yourself; we're going to buy a mansion today."

Elina's eyes sparkled as she responded, "I've made preparations in advance while you were away, Master."

Raising an eyebrow, Aron asked, "Like what?"

Without saying a word, Elina gestured for Aron to follow her. She led him to a corner where the girls had organized the bags of wealth they had obtained.

"I organized them based on their values and type. Gold and silver are easy to do, however, jewelry is a little bit tricky. I gave them a base value from what I remember from the time I worked with my father."

Aron was impressed by Elina's efficiency and attention to detail. He could tell that she had put a lot of thought and effort into organizing the wealth.

"That's impressive, Elina," Aron praised her, patting her head affectionately. "This will make things much easier for us."

"!!!" Elina jolted when she felt Aron's hand on her head, almost screaming out of fear before she remembered that the hand belonged to Aron. She quickly composed herself, smiling in response. "Thank you, Master. I just wanted to be prepared for when the time came."

Aron nodded and turned his attention to the bags of gold and silver coins, along with the assorted jewelry. With their current wealth, they had the means to purchase a suitable mansion.

"Let's take what we need for the purchase, and the rest can be used for other expenses or saved for emergencies," Aron suggested.

He looked at Elina and asked, "Are you ready to go out?"

Elina nodded confidently. "Of course, Master."

Aron selected a bag filled with gold coins and walked to the center of the warehouse. Addressing all the women gathered there, he spoke with a commanding yet gentle voice.

"Listen up, everyone. You have been through a lot, and you all chose to follow me. I want to thank each and every one of you for your loyalty and support. Today, we're going to purchase a mansion that will serve as our home and base of operations."

The women cheered with excitement, their smiles growing even wider as they hung on Aron's every word.

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Aron continued, "This mansion will be a safe haven for all of us. We will live together like a family, supporting one another. I promise to take care of all of you and provide for your needs. But remember, I despise weakness. I want every one of you to become strong so that what happened before won't be repeated."

The girls nodded, their eyes shining with determination. They were ready to follow Aron and grow stronger, both individually and as a group, forging a better life together.

Aron exchanged a knowing look with Pethra, Scarlett, and Kasumi. They understood his unspoken intention.

"Where to? Elina?"

"We should visit the Merchants' Guild; they know what to do," Elina replied.

"Alright, let's go."

With Elina leading the way, it didn't take long for them to find the Merchants' Guild.

"Well, this is an interesting design," Aron was surprised by the building in front of him. Elina, noticing his surprise, smiled.

The exterior of the Merchants' Guild building was strange and unique; its design was of a massive round gold coin, complete with intricate details found on real coins.

Upon entering the building, Aron was even more astonished. The bustling interior was a stark contrast to the gold coin exterior.

Glancing around, he saw that the place was full of life, employees working tirelessly, some were meticulously recording transactions in large books or journals, while others inspected items on a massive table.

Magic played a significant role in the operation of the guild, particularly in summoning books from an enormous bookshelf located at the back of the guild. Letters, papers, books, and journals were constantly flying in and out of this enchanted bookshelf.

"The Merchants' Guild is not just a place for buying and selling; it's also a bank," Elina explained.

Approaching a specific counter, "Excuse me," Elina politely addressed the unseen clerk; no one was there at the counter, but after a few seconds, a man emerged from beneath.

"H-Hello there, young lady. Excuse me for a moment," the man stammered nervously, fixing his messy black hair and large round eyeglasses.

"Welcome to the Merchants' Guild. What can I do for you?" the man offered a slight bow.

Elina replied, "We are here to open a bank account and are also interested in buying a mansion."

"Of course, young lady, I'll be happy to help," the man said as he pulled out a big brown book and opened it at an empty page. "Tell me the name of the account."

Elina glanced back at Aron, who gave her a nod to proceed. "Aron, the name is Aron."

"Hmm... Aron. Done. Now, please tell me how much you're going to deposit and in what form."

Elina couldn't hide a sly smile and answered, "Ten thousand gold coins."

Crack.

The man's pen snapped in two at her words, the amount of wealth leaving him in shock. He stammered, "Can you repeat that?"

Elina's smile grew wider as she said, "Ten thousand gold coins."

Hans broke into a cold sweat, quickly assessing the woman standing before him with her long brown hair reaching her waist, a one-piece dark blue dress—thanks to Kasumi's choice of colors—and sharp honey-colored eyes. The man quickly understood that this woman was like him. A merchant.

He stood up, placed a hand on his chest, and offered a slight bow. "Welcome to the Merchants' Guild. My name is Hans. Please follow me to the guest room."

"Thank you," Elina replied with a nod, glancing at Aron with a wink. Aron realized that this had been Elina's plan all along and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. 'Smart girl.'

They followed Hans to a cozy and well-furnished guest room within the guild. The room featured intricate paintings and tapestries that adorned the walls, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

"Please have a seat," Hans invited as he gestured to the comfortable chairs arranged around a small table. "I'll bring you some refreshments while we discuss the details of your account and your mansion purchase."

Elina, however, had no interest in pleasantries and assumed a professional attitude. "There's no need for that; I prefer to get down to business."

Hans smiled, liking her way of getting straight to business, he respected her direct approach and admired her professionalism. He took a seat across from her, ready to discuss the details of their account and the mansion purchase.

"Depositing that amount of wealth will earn you VIP status in our guild, young lady," Hans explained. "As a VIP member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits, such as expedited transaction processing, priority access to rare items, and personalized assistance from our staff. We truly value our VIP members and ensure they receive the best service."

Elina nodded appreciatively. "I can see that your guild knows how to value its members. Thank you."

Hans continued, "Now, about the mansion. Could you tell me what you're looking for specifically?"

Elina turned to Aron, who sat beside her, silently prompting him to speak as she was unsure of his preferences.

Aron, on the other hand, didn't want to ruin things for Elina as she was doing an excellent job of handling everything. Instead, he whispered in her ear and left the talking to her.

"!!!" She blushed slightly at his proximity but maintained her composure, her face remaining neutral.

"Cough… We're looking for a sizable mansion in a remote location, preferably away from prying eyes."

Hans narrowed his eyes and promptly fetched a brown journal from a nearby shelf, flipping through its pages. "hmm…Big mansion…remote place....here," he said, showing Elina an image of two mansions.

Hans explained, "Young lady, I have two mansions that might meet your criteria. The first is situated on the outskirts of town. While it may be smaller than the second option, it contains multiple wings, a courtyard, and a grand entrance, providing ample space for your needs."

Elina nodded in approval. "It looks nice. And the second one?"

Hans hesitated briefly before explaining, "The second mansion is located in the nearby mountains, far away from civilization. It is surrounded by lush forests and farmland, larger in size, and well-maintained. It offers privacy, making it an ideal choice for those seeking seclusion. However..."

Elina raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with the second mansion?"

Hans shook his head "No, no, it's just…the mansion used to belong to a Noble" lowering his voice as he leaned in "Last year's incident"

Elina's expression darkened for a moment. "I see."

Hans continued, "That's why I recommend the first—"

"We'll take it," a voice suddenly interrupted the two, and it was Aron.

Aron, with an amused smile on his face, pointed to the second mansion and spoke.

"We'll take this one."