Escape!

Ruben was so shocked and resentful that he wanted to cry right now. How could his causal words draw Rylan's attention?

He was so afraid that he thought he had done something wrong and quickly answered, "Fa...family Head sister Gracie was with her servant when she came, and now, he is missing!"

Ruben was anxious that no one would believe him, so he quickly grabbed the big bag lying on the ground. However, the bag was open, and the movement Ruben picked it up; colorful money bags started to drop like rain on the floor.

Everyone saw this scene and was shocked by this sudden development. All the participants saw those money bags, and they cried in alarm one after another,

"That is my money bag!"

"That one with a flower pattern is mine!"

"That black and white is mine. I can even tell what's inside it!"

Everyone began to yell. Ruben was bewildered by this and spotted his money bag in a pile. He immediately took it from the pile, opened it, and saw his things inside.

"Sister Gracie, YOU!?" Ruben looked at Gracie in shock.

Rylan was so happy seeing this that he couldn't describe it in words. He ran towards Gracie at full speed.

Caden quickly followed behind Rylan because he knew Gracie had done something she shouldn't have, and Rylan would punish her if he didn't find what he was looking for.

He was afraid Rylan would harm her in his anger, so he was ready to become her shield and accept punishment on her behalf.

Gracie was shivering in her spot in fear and anxiety. She has to tell Rylan everything truthfully if she wants to live.

Rylan didn't question Gracie at all and quickly snatched the bag from Ruben and started to search like a maniac for his ring. After searching every inch of the bag, he still couldn't find the ring.

Now, he finally looked at Gracie coldly, and suddenly, a mountain-like pressure began to press down on her. She fell to her knees and couldn't breathe because of that horrible pressure.

"Brother at least gives her a chance to explain!" Caden called in a panic, seeing Rylan using full pressure of his cultivation on his daughter.

Rylan took a deep breath and said to Gracie in a threatening voice, "Tell me everything. If you hide even a little, I will forget you are my niece!!!"

"Gracie tells your uncle the truth. He would never harm you." Caden was comforting her or himself.

"I-I...I, he was from wasteland and one month ago head butler…." She started to tell how she met Ace and how he showed her his particular skill. She even confessed that she was the one who wanted him to steal from all the participants.

"I was blinded by greed! Please forgive me, Uncle, Father!" Gracie pleaded for mercy. She knew that bastard had screwed her over by leaving that bag behind.

When Rylan, Caden, and everyone heard her story, they were astonished by this boy. When did someone like this appear in the wasteland and have this astounded skill?

"Unfilial Daughter!" Caden hollered. He was trembling with anger.

Now he finally understands why she didn't tell him when he asked her about that boy. He also regretted not investigating enough and letting that boy stay by his daughter's side. Furthermore, he was more incensed about Gracie's thievery plan, 

Even if she had succeeded and only robbed the participants, that would not be any problem for him to solve. But that boy stole something from Rylan, which was clearly very important!

The most frustrating thing was that the boy was now gone!

Learning from Gracie about Ace's unique skill, Rylan instantly knows that the boy is the one who stole his space ring. But he was extremely perplexed and astonished by the fact, 'How did he know that was a space ring, and how the hell did he steal it under my nose!!?'

Rylan didn't have time to waste, so he coldly stated, "Five years in the dungeon and 50 whip strikes every month for five years. What do you think, Caden?"

Rylan coolly looked toward Caden after announcing Gracie's punishment. Gracie was still his niece, so that he couldn't kill her. But he can't forgive her blunder.

"I have no objection." Caden doesn't want this, but Gracie has become too willful, and she even planned a thievery. By doing so, she hid crucial information about an outsider from the family, and now all this has resulted.

'Maybe I'm not a good father, and now she has turned out like this.' Caden sighed sadly.

Gracie heard her uncle's punishment and quivered in fear. She could live in the dungeon, but those whip strikes were not a laughing matter. Because receiving whips from someone one gate above her and for five years every month at that she would die from pain!

She immediately looked hopefully with tearing eyes towards her Father for rescue. Yet he completely agreed with her uncle!

"It was all that son of bitch fault!!" Gracie's shrill scream resounded in the entire venue, and she fainted with anger and resentment.

People around couldn't help but pity Gracie. Clearly, the boy planned all this and used Gracie's greed to entrap her. But alas, now she has to spend her five years in the dungeon.

"Only 15 minutes have passed. Search every area of the family territory. If you still can't find him, search the entire City. I don't care who that boy was or where he came from; search for anything related to him. Also, those in charge of servant building and those elders who were supposed to watch the wastelandians will be punished without mercy." Rylan announced sharply and quickly began to search.

He has to find that ring no matter the cost!

---

Fifteen minutes earlier.

Ace watched Rylan like a hawk, using his soul sense at maximum potential. He has been using his soul Qi and was mentally tired, but in the face of a storage space treasure, he didn't care.

When Felix's cultivation gate began to form, Rylan's soul wave flickered slightly.

Right at this moment, a soul thread shot toward Rylan's finger!

Ace was very careful not to alert Rylan.

Although Ace's soul core was still colorless, Qi Foundation Realm Cultivators can sense soul threads if they concentrate using their Qi, and Rylan's was not far away from that step either.

The soul thread was successfully wrapped around the ring on Rylan's finger. Ace took a deep breath and waited for the perfect moment. But suddenly, he remembered something and sent another soul thread toward Felix.

When Felix's result was clear for everyone to see, Ace noticed Rylan had finally let his guard down! He quickly activated the Pick-Pocket, and the next moment, Felix's money bag was inside that long bag, and Rylan Ring was on his finger.

Ace became excited, 'I get the Ring. Heh!'.

He didn't even hear a system voice in excitement. 'Now is not the time to celebrate. I have to escape first.'

He quickly looked around, and everyone had the same kind of expression as Rylan. He took advantage of the commotion. 

It was already late evening, so Ace used stealth and disappeared into the crowd, but he left the bag of these stolen goods behind for Gracie because he wanted to reveal to everyone that all this was Gracie's plan.

In this past month, he had seen all those innocent wasteland boys begging for their lives, but Gracie always killed them ruthlessly. He didn't want her to escape by saying she didn't know anything, and that's why he left that bag there as evidence.

'She can't find her way out of it now, once Felix or Ruben notice.' He thought while escaping.

In five minutes, he was already in front of the Grant family's main gate, and there was still no one chasing after him. The security was tight since it was a family meeting today, but for Ace, it was nothing. No one noticed him leaving.

Ace was using silent steps and was heading toward the Kelby family.

Now, considering he had alerted the Grant family already, he had to find Eva and complete the system's mission.

Eva had told him she was staying in her little cottage inside the Kelby family territory. Since Asher went with his uncle to find Ace. So there, he didn't need Eva because her skills were insufficient in 1-Star City, so he ordered her to keep searching for clues about Black Ghost.

The Grant and Kelby family territories were close to each other. At full speed, Ace reached the Kelby family gate in five minutes and entered like a shadow.

The Kelby family's security was less tight than the Grant family.

At this time, Rylan started searching for the Guests' belongings.

Ace remembered where Eva had told him to find her in the Kelby family after their plan was set in motion.

Ace saw special marks that Eva had left behind on trees.

Only he can notice these marks because they were explicitly for Ace. He followed those marks and saw a little cottage in an open field. It was very simple but much better than his old hut.

He didn't need to go inside because a graceful figure emerged behind him. Ace already noticed and smiled while turning around. She was obviously Eva.

"Eva, let's commence our plan. We didn't have much time." Ace said with a smile

Eva's beautiful fox-like eyes shone when she heard Ace!