Two years...
Had passed in the blink of an eye.
William stood quietly before the gates of the Evergreen Family.
He looked back one final time.
Angela stood beside their son, gently holding the little boy in her arms.
Their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
None were necessary.
William smiled faintly.
Then...
He turned around and left.
His appearance gradually began to change.
His long black hair became slightly shorter.
The shape of his face subtly shifted.
Even the aura surrounding him became calmer and less imposing.
By the time he entered the nearest city...
No trace of the legendary William remained.
From this day onward...
His name was...
RomAN .
He did not begin searching for treasures.
Nor did he seek inheritances.
His objective was far simpler.
Information.
He wished to know...
Every force that had taken an interest in him.
Whether that interest came from goodwill...
Or from hidden malice.
Every family.
Every sect.
Every academy.
Every secret organization.
Anyone who had investigated him...
Would eventually become part of his own investigation.
Unlike ordinary cultivators...
Roman did not announce his presence.
He wandered quietly from city to city.
Listening far more than he spoke.
Watching far more than he acted.
Sometimes...
He would spend an entire day sitting at a single table inside a tavern.
Drinking little.
Speaking even less.
Simply observing.
Conversations flowed naturally around him.
Merchants boasted.
Mercenaries complained.
Travelers exchanged rumors.
Drunken cultivators revealed secrets they would never remember the following morning.
Piece by piece...
An enormous web of information slowly formed within William's mind.
Several weeks later...
One particular rumor repeatedly reached his ears.
There existed...
A hidden organization.
An organization considered the greatest intelligence network throughout this entire region.
Whether someone disappeared.
Whether a treasure surfaced.
Whether two ancient forces secretly negotiated.
Whether an assassination had already been planned before the target himself became aware...
They knew.
Or could obtain the answer.
Naturally...
Such an organization never revealed itself openly.
Its headquarters...
Were hidden beneath an extravagant nightclub.
A place overflowing with music...
Laughter...
And illusion.
That same evening...
Roman arrived.
Colorful lights illuminated the luxurious building.
Music echoed endlessly.
Elegant guests entered and departed without pause.
No one would imagine...
That beneath such a place...
One of the most dangerous intelligence networks operated in complete secrecy.
Roman calmly entered.
His expression remained indifferent.
As though he had merely come to enjoy the night.
He quietly observed every employee.
Every movement.
Every glance.
Every hidden signal exchanged between the staff.
Eventually...
He selected one worker.
With a brief meeting of their eyes...
Roman silently cast a hypnotic technique.
The young man's pupils lost focus.
His breathing slowed.
Without attracting a single glance...
Roman learned the secret password.
The hypnosis ended immediately afterward.
The employee walked away...
Never realizing anything had happened.
Just as Roman prepared to continue...
A gentle voice suddenly reached him.
"There is no need to keep searching."
He slowly turned around.
A woman stood several steps away.
She possessed an elegance that naturally drew attention without demanding it.
Her long raven-black hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders like liquid silk.
Her emerald eyes carried both intelligence and confidence.
Her features were delicate, yet remarkably refined.
Every movement she made displayed effortless grace.
She wore a long midnight-black dress that embraced her figure with understated elegance before flowing freely toward the floor.
Golden embroidery traced subtle patterns along the sleeves and collar, adding dignity rather than extravagance.
Nothing about her appearance sought to provoke attention.
Yet...
Ignoring her was impossible.
She smiled politely.
"If you've already obtained the password..."
"...then allow me to escort you."
Without waiting for an answer...
She turned and walked toward a secluded corridor.
Roman silently followed.
The lively music gradually faded.
Hidden doors opened one after another.
The luxurious corridors beneath the nightclub bore no resemblance to the world above.
Silence ruled here.
Every passage was protected by countless formations.
Observation arrays.
Defensive barriers.
Concealed killing mechanisms.
The deeper they walked...
The more Roman realized...
This organization had existed for far longer than the outside world imagined.
Finally...
They arrived before a quiet room.
The woman opened the door.
She calmly entered.
Roman followed.
The room contained only a table...
Two chairs...
And complete silence.
She gracefully sat down.
Then...
She smiled.
A playful smile.
"Lord William..."
"...or should I say..."
"ROMAN."
William's expression did not change.
But his vigilance instantly rose.
The woman rested her chin lightly upon her intertwined fingers.
"It isn't very fair, you know."
"You've hidden your son's existence from the public..."
"And now you've come to act so boldly inside my headquarters."
Her tone remained light.
Almost teasing.
As though she were making an innocent joke.
Yet...
Every single word she spoke...
Contained information that should have been impossible for an outsider to know.
For the first time since entering the building...
William's eyes narrowed slightly.
He looked directly into hers.
Without saying a single word.
His instincts...
Warned him that the woman before him...
Was far more dangerous than anyone he had expected to meet.