The woman climbed up and they walked until they reached the second floor where an elevator was waiting for them. Unlike the usual ones that he had seen from the modern world, this one was powered by magic. They entered the elevator and the woman pressed number nine out of the fifteen numbers in there.
The elevator opened to a wide space where tables, benches and a bar were located on both sides. They walked at the center until they reached a certain room and the woman knocked. In that room there were only four doors.
Arcaine personally opened the door and warmly welcomed Cygnus like they were really friends. He did not even greet or thank the woman. She bowed her head and left them without speaking. Cygnus did not comment on this as he was pulled inside the room.
"I didn't expect that you would come and visit me, Mr. Ginehart." Arcaine led him to an empty seat as he too sat down on the couch in front of the man.
"Yes of course, I would, since you are a friend," Cygnus answered as he looked around a bit inside the room before his gaze stopped on the man.
Arcaine maintained his smile before he asked a question that has been bothering ever since he learned that the person who was looking for him was a Ginehart. "If I may ask, I don't actually remember meeting you during the time that I slayed a dragon, so I am not sure why you are referring to me as your friend."
"Is that so. You have a very poor memory. I even remembered you glaring at me because ladies tend to swoon to me because of my looks during that banquet. I even introduced myself to you, do you perhaps remember the name Rigel Anzel?" Cygnus's grin widened as the man's eyes also widened.
Arcaine remembered it now, he was that guy that kept on stealing his limelight when that banquet happened. He stared at Cygnus and the memories from that incident played in his mind. He didn't think that the man was actually a Ginehart.
"Ah, yes now I remember. I didn't expect that you were actually a Ginehart!" He exclaimed as if he was excited to finally meet the man.
"I'm glad that you finally remembered," Cygnus grinned, "I thought you actually forgot about me. I was amazed by you so as soon as I got the time, I came to become your friend. It would be cool to be your friend!"
The hero was fluttered because of how excited and amazed the young man was. After hearing his words, he was convinced that the man was his fan and that he could use him to increase his popularity. He could also become someone who could support him as a hero.
"I am also actually glad that you remembered me and you even came to visit me. I am really flattered that a person of your status would even come and be friends with me." Arcaine started to play along with Cygnus. This was an opportunity he couldn't pass because the young man would be able to help him make connections in the world of the aristocrats.
They continued to flatter each other until Cygnus finally bid him goodbye. The hero gladly escorted him until the reception area where they bumped into the president of the association. Acasia's lips twitched when he saw who their guest was. He thought that they would still be on the road at this time but here he was the youngest Ginehart inside his building.
"Young Master Rigel, I didn't expect to see you here!" He walked up to them and greeted the young man.
He briefly looked at Arcaine who was standing beside the young man before he returned his gaze to Cygnus. He couldn't believe that Arcaine would agree to meet the young master of Ginehart when he hated people meeting him. He couldn't help but think that something might be going on.
Cygnus couldn't help but grin at the thoughts running inside the man's brain. "Oh yes, I came to visit Hero Arcaine."
"Is that so, I didn't know that you know him personally..." The president trailed off.
Cygnus chuckled, "Yes, I met him when he defeated that dragon. I was amazed by his abilities and wanted to make friends. If I had more free time in the past, I would have visited him already."
The president was even more surprised because he had not heard anything about this from Arcaine. He'll need to talk to the man about this because having any connections with the Gineharts might be detrimental to them. He did not trust any member of that family.
"Ah, I never thought that the two of you were friends. I'm glad that Arcaine has some friends. He has been avoiding people lately, this is indeed good news." Acasia was nodding his head as if he was happy with the news. "Are you leaving now?"
"Yes, I've got some things I must do and I just came to see Sir Arcaine and I will be coming here often," he answered with enthusiasm that made the president grit his teeth.
"I will be looking forward to your visits then," Acasia nodded his head and even patted Cygnus's shoulder.
Cygnus finally left the Hero Association with a grin on his face. The first step to his plan was a success. Now he'll need effort. He rode the carriage once again and the butler greeted him.
"It seems that you have succeeded, master." The butler commented after he saw the smile on the man's face. It was an expression he would wear when he was victorious in whatever plan he was doing.
"Yes, of course. I even had the chance to meet the president of the association on my way out. Now that the seed has been planted, I'll just need to water it a bit and let it grow." Cygnus was happy because nothing wrong happened and everything was going according to his vision.
"What will you do now?" The butler asked because all he could do was to support the young master from whatever he was thinking of doing.
"Let's go to Vergessen, I missed that place and I needed some information," he simply answered. He was looking forward to what would happen in the future. The kingdom of Lunaira would be spinning in his palms.
The butler nodded his head and instructed the carriage driver to take them to Vergessen, specifically to the branch near the slums. Under the scrutiny of the people who saw Rigel going in and coming out from the Hero Association spurred a new rumor. It slowly dispelled the rumors that Ginehart disrespected the heroes and that they instead had a good relationship with each other.
Acasia snapped and pounded on his table with so much strength that it cracked because the rumor that was supposed to destroy the Ginehart was covered up. Although he was angry at first because some rumors like that started to circulate around but, in the end, he did not stop it from spreading. Now that they saw Rigel being accepted in the Hero Association, now he couldn't do anything to prevent him from returning.
All of this would still happen in the next few days and right now, Cygnus was sitting inside his own bakery. All the other customers were sent away with free drinks and pastries in their hands. Astrophos was also there together with the other workers awaiting the master's command.
"No need to be so stiff, I'm just here to get the information about the people that Ignius wanted you all to investigate." He waved his hand to make them feel at ease. Since he was in a good mood, there was no need for his employees to feel burdened because of his visit.
After hearing the master's words, Astrophos turned around and looked at the head of the team and gave him a nod. They waited in silence as the man went to collect the documents that the master needed. When the man returned, he immediately gave the documents to Cygnus.
Cygnus silently read the documents and placed them in two categories. They waited for him to finish and after he was done, he looked at Astrophos. The mage walked to the table and stared at the documents.
"The people on the right, I want them to be investigated more, starting from their family's roots. The people on the left, I want them to be surveilled and all their movements listed and reported. I'll be offering a generous amount to all who will do a good job." He pointed at each stack of papers while giving the instruction. "Take your time and I will come back again when I need that information."
"I understand. Will you be staying here in the capital?" Astrophos asked after he collected the stack of papers and gave them to the employees of the bakery. The employees immediately returned the stacks of documents in the mage's office and left them to talk as the other employees exited the room.
