In a corner of Absalom, a small group gathered in a room.

"How is our progress?" A Tier 8 old man asked.

A lady with Tier 7 strength fixed her glasses before saying, "As expected, with Clovis Hacfield and his team around, it will be impossible to sneak into the mansion. We have to wait for them to leave first."

"That's just common sense. Currently, the Libation Fiesta is so strong that they can face multiple Tier 8 humans at the same time. There's no way we can get past them."

"Yes. That's why I am tracking their movement. They are most likely to leave the mansion in one or two weeks. The exact time can't be predicted yet, but I'm sure of it."

"Sure? How sure are you? What makes you so sure?"

"Logistics." The woman smiled. "Logistics don't lie. Currently, they are buying many building materials."

"Do they want to move into the new city? Now that I think about it, they have rebuilt that city, right?"

"Yes. However, there is no need for them to buy more construction materials." The woman raised one finger. "Except if they want to build something else. The underground city is almost constructed as well, so there is no reason to buy so many materials."

"So, you think they're going to another city?"

"Yes, sir. Judging from the movement of those materials, I suspect they will go to one of these three cities." The woman showed the map, marking three ruined cities.

"Hmm…" The old man squinted his eyes. "I don't care what they're going to do in a new city. Most likely, they have an arrangement with the local government to reclaim the ruined city.

"However, what we want doesn't change. We need his paintings. The fact that he can put up five paintings at the auction means he must have more in his mansion."

"Still, shouldn't we consider the possibility of them being stored in either the Hacfield family or the Skylark family?" A man asked.

"I have considered it. If he had brought them to the Hacfield family, we would have no chance of getting them. The Libation Fiesta might be strong, but they were not as solid as the Hacfield family. We still had the chance to steal from them.

"As for the Skylark family, it was one of the most powerful families in this country as well as one of the richest in the world. We wouldn't provoke them unless it was necessary. However, Jeremy Skylark wouldn't have bought the painting if Clovis Hacfield had asked him to protect the paintings.

"I had considered Hana Skylark as well, but Hana Skylark often came to the Libation Fiesta's headquarters. So, most likely, Hana Skylark didn't possess the paintings."

Another man raised his hand. "Actually, according to our sources, that mansion had undergone two renovations. The first one was held a few years ago, near the time Clovis Hacfield brought his team to this country. It must be a renovation to adjust it to their liking.

"The second renovation was what piqued my interest. I investigated it, and the renovation looked like it was trying to build facilities for the group, such as a training facility or even a laboratory for Lucifania.

"I found that they also bought a large quantity of reinforcing materials."

"What do you mean?" The man asked.

"I am saying they must have been building the vaults at that time. In other words, Clovis Hacfield must have been producing it for about a year? It was constructed when Clovis Hacfield trained under Mara Leverstrike. So, he must have started producing the paintings after he returned.

"And to be able to take out five paintings at once, he should have at least double that number or even more."

"…" The old man paused for a moment before saying, "In that case, continue to monitor their movements. As soon as the Libation Fiesta leaves, we will sneak into the mansion and get the paintings.

"If necessary, we will check the vaults first. If we couldn't open it, blowing it up would be another option."

"Wouldn't that put us in trouble? Attacking the Libation Fiesta would garner people's attention."

"No. It should be fine. For Clovis Hacfield, admitting the fact that his home had been ransacked by thieves is too embarrassing. Even if he admits it, we just have to make sure there's no trace that can be linked back to us.

"Remember, we need to be fast. We are probably not the only ones who want his paintings."

"Yeah. From what I've heard, there are already many organizations sneaking into this country. Absalom manages to capture some, but they won't be able to catch us all."

"Then let's steal the paintings."

"Paintings… that are worth hundreds of billions of union dollars."

"I know, right? Just one painting is worth that much. A couple of paintings will make us so rich that we don't need to worry about anything else."

"Don't forget those paintings were sold in a closed auction. If you go to another market or even the black market, the number might double."

"Money."

"Anyway, we already have a buyer. The person that wants it from us will give us 350 billion for every painting. So, make sure it's worth it."

"350 billion, baby!"

"Goddamn."

"We're going to get rich."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? Focus on the task right now."

"Yes, boss!"

A similar discussion was held in almost every corner of the country. The paintings were simply too valuable. There was also the option of stealing from the academy or the Blue Ocean Group.

Unfortunately, the military focused their personnel on the academy, while the Blue Ocean Group didn't sleep to ensure the painting remained.

Curea also worked together with the Hatson family, ensuring that the two paintings they had gotten wouldn't be stolen.

They were waiting for Clovis to leave the mansion before they started their operation.

And that was what they were going to get.

Clovis' team had been preparing to leave the mansion to hunt more beasts and retake the city.

Little did these thieves know, everything was a trap.