Silence...
Filled the room.
Neither William...
Nor the mysterious woman...
Spoke for several long seconds.
Their eyes remained locked upon one another.
It was not a confrontation of strength.
Nor a battle of killing intent.
It was a silent exchange of judgment.
Each was measuring the other.
At last...
The woman smiled once more.
"You don't seem surprised."
William calmly replied,
"Surprise is a luxury."
"I prefer answers."
A faint chuckle escaped her lips.
"I expected no less."
She slowly leaned back in her chair.
"You've become famous throughout the universe in only a few years."
"But fame..."
"...and information..."
"...are two completely different things."
She gently tapped the wooden table with one finger.
"Our organization has existed for one purpose alone."
"Information."
"We do not seek territory."
"We do not build armies."
"We do not interfere in wars unless information itself demands it."
She paused briefly.
"Every force hides secrets."
"Every person leaves traces."
"No matter how carefully someone buries the truth..."
"There is always something left behind."
She looked directly into William's eyes.
"You concealed your identity."
"You changed your appearance."
"You traveled under another name."
"Even then..."
"We knew who you were before you entered this city."
Her smile widened ever so slightly.
"So..."
"A little caution is always advisable when standing inside our headquarters."
Her tone remained playful.
Yet the meaning behind her words was unmistakable.
She was not threatening him.
She was simply stating a fact.
William remained completely composed.
He neither denied her words...
Nor questioned them.
Instead...
He simply nodded once.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"That's all?"
William answered without hesitation.
"I didn't come here to test your organization."
"I came to buy information."
For the first time...
The amusement in her expression was replaced by genuine interest.
She folded her hands together.
"Very well."
"Our conversation has officially begun."
She gestured toward the empty chair opposite her.
"Please."
"Tell me..."
"What is it that Lord William..."
She smiled knowingly.
"...or rather..."
"ROMAN..."
"Wishes to know?"
William slowly sat down.
His gaze never left hers.
Then...
Without wasting another moment...
He began asking the questions that had brought him there.
The woman slowly opened a thick black file resting beside her.
She did not rush.
Instead...
She calmly turned several pages before finally looking back at William.
"You came here seeking information about yourself."
William nodded.
"I want to know every force currently paying attention to me."
"Whether that attention comes from goodwill..."
"...or hostility."
The woman smiled.
"A wise request."
She gently pushed the file toward him.
"You currently have the attention of thirty-seven major forces."
William's expression remained unchanged.
She continued.
"Not all of them know everything about you."
"Some merely know your name."
"Others know your strength."
"And a very small number have investigated you in considerable detail."
She pointed toward the first section.
"Fourteen forces currently hold favorable intentions."
"Most of them are families that failed to recruit you years ago."
"They still believe maintaining a good relationship with you will benefit them in the future."
She turned another page.
"Nine forces remain neutral."
"They are merely observing."
"They have no reason to make either friends or enemies."
Another page.
This time...
Her smile disappeared.
"And these..."
"...are the ones you truly came to see."
William lowered his eyes toward the document.
"Fourteen forces possess openly hostile intentions."
"Some seek revenge."
"Some fear your future."
"Some simply believe eliminating you now is less costly than confronting you later."
She tapped several names.
"Three of them have already dispatched people to investigate your movements."
"Two have discussed assassination."
"One..."
"...has already begun making preparations."
William quietly memorized every name.
Every symbol.
Every affiliation.
Without missing a single detail.
The woman carefully observed his reaction.
"You aren't angry."
William calmly closed the file.
"Anger has never solved a problem."
"I only needed to know..."
"...where to begin."
For the first time since the meeting had started...
The woman looked at William differently.
The calmness in his voice...
Was far more unsettling than rage could ever be.
William did not reach for the file immediately.
Instead...
He quietly asked,
"How reliable is your information?"
The woman smiled.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On whether you're asking about the past..."
"...or the future."
William remained silent.
She continued.
"The past leaves traces."
"The present leaves witnesses."
"But the future..."
She slowly shook her head.
"...belongs to no one."
"We do not sell prophecies."
"We sell facts."
Only then did William open the file.
Every page contained meticulous records.
Names.
Symbols.
Meetings.
Movements.
Political relations.
Hidden alliances.
Everything was arranged with astonishing precision.
His eyes moved calmly across the information.
Not once did he interrupt.
Not once did he ask a question.
He simply memorized everything.
Several minutes later...
He closed the file.
"I'll need copies."
The woman lightly laughed.
"I'm afraid not."
"Our information never leaves this building."
William looked at her.
"So I was expected to memorize everything."
"You were."
"And I assumed someone like you wouldn't have any difficulty doing so."
A brief silence followed.
Then William asked,
"Among those fourteen..."
"Who is the greatest threat?"
The woman rested her elbows upon the table.
"There isn't one."
William raised an eyebrow.
She explained,
"Individually..."
"None of them concerns me."
"What makes them dangerous..."
"...is the possibility that they may eventually discover they share the same objective."
She slowly slid another document across the table.
"This file contains the relationships between them."
"Direct alliances."
"Secret cooperation."
"Commercial dependence."
"Marriage ties."
"Shared interests."
"Old grudges."
"If you truly wish to understand your enemies..."
"Do not study them separately."
"Study the connections between them."
William lowered his gaze.
A dense network of intersecting lines filled the document.
Some forces appeared completely isolated.
Others were connected by dozens of invisible relationships.
He spent nearly half an hour studying nothing but those connections.
Only after committing every detail to memory...
Did he finally raise his head.
"You've earned your payment."
The woman smiled knowingly.
"I expected nothing less."
William placed a spatial ring upon the table.
She did not inspect its contents.
She simply stored it away.
That alone revealed the confidence of someone accustomed to dealing with figures of William's caliber.
Before William could rise...
The woman suddenly spoke again.
"There is one final piece of information."
William stopped.
"It isn't included in the price."
"It's free."
For the first time since they had met...
Her playful smile completely disappeared.
"Someone..."
"...has begun asking questions about your son."
The room fell silent.
William's expression did not change.
His breathing remained steady.
His eyes remained calm.
Yet...
The atmosphere surrounding him subtly shifted.
The woman noticed it immediately.
Not killing intent.
Not anger.
But something colder.
Far colder.
The instinctive resolve of a father.
William slowly asked...
"Who?"