Ben Nevis Mountain, which the locals generally call "Ben Mountain." In Scottish Gaelic, "Ben" means peak, so "Ben Mountain" could be loosely translated as "Mountain of Mountains."

On the way to Ben Mountain, they were intercepted by pursuers from the Constantine Family, and Jack volunteered to lead them away.

When Baron asked him why he did it,

the Golden-haired Baboon replied in a sorrowful tone rarely heard even in humans, "I just want to live."

Baron fell silent. ’Jack has a point,’ he thought. ’The risk of following me is just too great. I have no right to make him share the same dangers I face.’

Besides, Jack hadn’t met his quota for the month. To secure his D rank and push for a C, he still needed to pull off a few more jobs.

And so, in the end, Baron was the only one left to ascend the mountain.

He didn’t know where on Ben Mountain Zophie was, but according to Miss Cuicui, Zophie had once told her he was going into the mountains to mine ore for Alchemy.

Some Alchemists, in order to increase their chances of success in Alchemy, often choose to personally mine the metals they use.

Baron reasoned that ore veins were typically found in fault zones and mountain anticlines, so he just needed to head deeper into the mountains.

Whether he would ultimately find him, only the mountain knew.

On his way, Baron’s heart suddenly palpitated. Instinct made him pull the "Greed Notes" from his ring.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the "Greed Notes" felt significantly heavier than before.

Opening the notebook, Baron intended to pay the usual 10 pence to read the messages. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

But to his surprise, there was no payment page this time. As soon as he opened it, a stream of messages appeared:

[#1: You there?]

[#2: Brother? Is that you? You’re still alive, right? Are you the one using the "Secret Notes"?]

[#2: Brother Edward and I are so worried about you, but please don’t tell me where you are or what you’re doing. I’m afraid those Alchemists will divine your location.]

[#2: Brother Edward said a lot of strange people have been showing up at our door. They must be from the Law Enforcement Organization sent to capture you, right? Please don’t worry about us. You have to survive, no matter what.]

...

[#2: Today, a woman calling herself a Westminster Commissioner came to our home. She said that from now on, Brother Edward and I are covered under the Westminster Commissioner Family Protection Act.

She also said you’re still working to clear yourself of your sentence. I’m so happy, because it means you’re still alive, brother. Even though I can’t see you, I feel as if I can still hear you breathe.]

[#2: Please, see it through to the end.]

The messages ended there. Baron checked the timestamps. They had arrived shortly after he had sent his own message yesterday. Strangely, he hadn’t felt the heart palpitations that served as a notification back then.

The newest message had just arrived moments ago.

Baron felt something was wrong. Why had he not been notified of yesterday’s messages, yet he could sense the one that came today?

He flipped to the notebook’s table of contents and discovered that all the pages that previously required payment to unlock were now open to him.

He tentatively tapped on one of the dates:

[#2: Brother, don’t be sad, and don’t be angry. I will always be with you. Freyja Lancelot can’t destroy us. Just like we promised when we were little, we’ll support each other and keep going.]

The original owner of the body, #1, had not replied.

He switched to another date:

[#2: Brother, have you decided to leave? Please don’t abandon me. Please take me with you.]

He switched to yet another date:

[#2: It’s raining in Inner London. I’ve boarded the Dragon Metro. I hope to see you soon.]

[#2: Brother Edward wrote back. He’s willing to take us in.]

...

After a quick read-through,

Baron closed the notebook and exhaled. He was slightly moved by the deep bond between his body’s former owner and his sister, Yelena, but more than that, he felt he had finally pinpointed what was so wrong.

He let his Spiritual Power probe the ring for a moment, and his expression slowly darkened.

He could be a Dragon Knight, a Blood Demon Hunter, a Westminster Commissioner, a fugitive, a robber, an atheist.

But he was definitely no longer a young, fugitive millionaire.

Because at some point, the goddamn "Secret Notes" had eaten his entire one million pounds!!!

Just as Baron was about to explode with rage, a rustling sound suddenly stirred in the surrounding forest.

The enhanced hearing Bestowed by his Dragon Knight Profession allowed him to clearly identify the sound as pursuers from the Constantine Clan. He didn’t expect them to catch up so quickly.

Baron was puzzled. He had been moving through the forest, not the mountain path. The physical prowess Bestowed by his Dragon Knight Profession should have allowed him to move through it as swiftly as a Dragon.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling—an illusion, perhaps—that he had traveled for kilometers only to end up going nowhere.

Baron temporarily pushed the matter of his lost one million pounds to the back of his mind. Right now, clearing his name was the most important thing.

With that thought, he quickened his pace and fled the area.

Sure enough, just five minutes after Baron left, dozens of lions emerged from the woods.

The one in the lead was none other than Soron, mounted atop a Silver Lion that was snorting plumes of white air.

The Silver Lion was the unique symbol of the Lion Eye Knight Order. Only a Black Iron Tier Contract Knight acknowledged by a Silver Lion could join the order.

But making a contract with a Silver Lion didn’t mean you could command it, as a single Silver Lion would often form contracts with several Knights.

To a Silver Lion, there was little difference between acknowledging one person and acknowledging a group. The only thing that mattered was whether you possessed the courage and spirit to face the Lion’s Eye directly.

Unless, that is, your courage and spirit far surpassed that of the Silver Lion, making it willingly submit to you.

Like Wilder, the Vice-Commander of the Templar Order and a Silver Lion Knight.

Or, you could be willing to spend a fortune to support the Silver Lion, even if its appetite sometimes amounted to a small town’s annual tax revenue.

Like the Old Blood Clans, such as the Constantine Clan.

Soron had the Silver Lion beneath him search for Baron’s scent, then ordered the lions carrying his followers to give chase behind the Silver Lion.

He also left two Attendants behind to guide the Griffin Knight Order, who would arrive later.

Half an hour later, they had Baron surrounded.

The moment they met, there was no hesitation.

Soron whipped out his Magic Staff, produced a Magic Card, tapped the card with his staff, and released his Magic.

A deep purple cage fell from the sky, trapping Baron.

The Silver Lion snarled at Baron, and Soron sneered, "Baron Constantin, you can fool anyone, but you can’t fool me!"

He placed a hand over his lifeless right eye and laughed coldly. "I’ve waited far too long for this chance. Now, I’m going to gouge out your eyes, just like you gouged out mine!"

Faced with Soron’s ferocious threat, Baron, inside the cage, simply sighed and whispered, "I finally know the price of that Taboo Item."

...

「Outer London, Westminster Bank European Headquarters, Vice President’s Office.」

Howard Davis stroked his chin and asked his secretary, Stella,

"Speaking of which, shouldn’t the price for Constantine’s use of the [Illusory Cocoon] be kicking in around now?"

Stella, while reviewing a file titled *Destruction of the Great Pyramid of Giza for Mummy Storage*, replied nonchalantly,

"Based on the number of layers he described at the time, he should be randomly jumping about eight more times."

"By the way," Howard said, "did you tell him about the price of the [Illusory Cocoon]?"

Stella closed her notebook. "I forgot."

"Eight times, huh," Howard nodded. "I hope he survives."

---

[From the Secret Notes of Baron Constantin (Original):

April 8, 1975 / Plains / Overcast

Mother died. Father is very sad. To stop Yelena from crying, I smiled all day. Master Zophie beat me for it.

But later, Master Zophie gave me a glass marble. He said it was one of the world’s greatest Alchemy Artifacts.

Yelena really liked it, so I had her Exchange the Crystal Necklace Mother left her for it.

She actually agreed. I’m such a fool.

That was one of the greatest Alchemy Artifacts in the world!]