At this moment, the Scamp Gang returned to their âhideoutâ without realizing that Ace had been following them all the way from the tavern to their inn.
The five newbie thieves slipped inside without raising suspicion, their laughter and whispers vanishing behind the obsidian doors.
Ace, on the other hand, concealed in the shadows of a nearby alley, remained silent, his hood pulled low, and his masked face covered. His Twilight Law Sense covered every motion within the building, ensuring not a single word or gesture escaped him.
âSo thatâs where they are staying...and by the looks of it, they didnât seem to be citizens of the Myriad Hollow. Should I try to pry a few things from them before leaving the city, or will they be useful for the House Members in some way, like shifting the blame or...â
His eyes narrowed faintly as many thievish possibilities surfaced in his mind.
Aceâs main body in the Duskmire Vault had already started to weave a plan. But just as he was about to move, a sudden weight pressed against his shoulderâa hand, firm and immovable.
Aceâs heart skipped a beat. The alarming part wasnât the hand itself, but the fact that he hadnât sensed the approach. His Twilight Law Sense hadnât rippled, not even slightly.
That could only mean one thing! This person was at least three realms above his avatarâs current cultivation, which means at least a Quasi-Abyssal Grand Lord or, at worst, a full-fledged Abyssal Grand Lord!
However, he was under the impression that all the Abyssal Grand Lords were Marquis-ranked Evernight Nobles, and they seldom left the Hollow Ring, not to mention Ace had already seen a Marquis, the Abyssal Bone Marquis, and witnessed how much commotion a Marquis could cause.
Nonetheless, Ace knew now wasnât the time to let his thoughts wander, and this person might have some strange ability that allowed them to sneak up on him. Not to mention, they hadnât attacked him directly and seemed to want his attention.
Instantly, Ace suppressed the trace of anxiety coiled in his chest with his instincts, honed through thefts and nerve-racking experiences, and he forced his mind into cold clarity.
Furthermore, Ace can always retract his avatar and start again if things go south and he has nothing to be afraid of.
At this moment, he didnât react with hostility; instead, Ace deliberately widened his eyes, feigning surprise, and slowly turned his head as though caught unprepared.
Standing behind him was a tall, graceful figure cloaked in flowing abyssal black. Her frame was elegant, almost regal, and though her head was hidden under a long hood, Ace could
feel
her gazeâicy, sharp, and distinctly unfriendly, as if wanting to pierce through him.
The night air seemed to grow heavier for the person behind was none other than Marquis Kayleigh, the Lord of the Law Enforcement Division herself!
Marquis Kayleigh, who had been independently searching for the clues regarding the perpetrator behind those thefts, happened to spot the Scamp Gang. When she discovered that they were small fries and seemed like a ragtag bunch, she almost left until she sensed a unique presence that she hadnât felt in her entire life before.
This instantly drew her curiosity and doubt, and it didnât take long for her to discover the source of that unique presence, which was Ace, who was miles behind the Scamp Gang, and walking while blending with the crowd.
Furthermore, Marquis Kayleigh soon noticed that Ace seemed to have used an unknown perception spell, but no one around him could detect it, which could only mean his cultivation realm was higher than everyone around him, or that the spell was too profound.
But when she sensed Aceâs cultivation realm, she was startled because he was only at the peak of the Abyssal Master Realm, nothing special. Yet, this exact point made her wary and even more curious about him because the more she observed him, the stranger he became.
Moreover, his hidden aura wasnât like that of an Abyssal Being at all, but instead it stood out like a sore thumb and made her heart race with a strange hunger as if she wanted to devour him whole!
Marquis Kayleigh had never felt this way before, and the strange attraction was reminiscent of her experience with rune crafting.
Ace, on the other hand, hadnât expected he would incur the scrutiny of a Marquis, meaning a full-fledged Abyssal Grand Lord, and she would have no qualms using her Law Sense on him because she has every right as the Lord of the Law Enforcement Division. Not even Marquis could stop her from scanning anyone unless the other party was the guest of the Dread Duchess!
But Ace canât do anything about it because he didnât have a powerful disguise treasure on him.
His original body only managed to avoid his encounters with the likes of Dread Duchess and even the Abyssal King because the former respected his âmasterâ. At the same time, the latter has to give face to him, not to mention the Evernight Devil King was very happy with the âgiftâ of the Moonless Wandering King, so he didnât want to fall out of his favor over something like this.
Another significant factor was his natural affinity with creatures of Darkness and his unusual charm, which worked in mysterious ways that even Ace didnât know.
Now his main bodyâs problem was solved with the force technique, but the same didnât apply for his Avatar, and even if he wanted to use the same force technique, he couldnât because his Avatar was a pure soul-type cultivation vessel.
However, lucky for him, Marquis Kayleigh hadnât seen any Heavenly Being before, nor was the hunger she was feeling towards Ace because of her instincts as a high-ranking Abyssal Being.
Lastly, Marquis Kayleigh has reasonable control over her instincts and a sense of righteousness, as she never kills without reason. Her pride also prevents her from killing a weak Abyssal Master simply because she feels like devouring him. She even felt disgusted with such a thought.
In the end, Marquis Kayleigh suppressed those strange thoughts and followed Ace, which led her here, and now she was certain that this person was targeting that ragtag group, which she initially ignored.
Moreover, with those strange thoughts, she wanted to kill Ace just by being closer to him, and didnât have a good opinion of Ace.
"Oh, scared me to death." Ace pretended to be frustrated, but his tone was warm and friendly as if he wasnât offended or alerted by Marquis Kayleighâs actions, "What can I do for you...Miss?"
Another strong killing intent rose in Marquis Kayleighâs heart just by hearing Aceâs voice as if he were her natural enemy or something. If it were Aceâs original body, it wouldâve been opposite.
Again, suppressing her thought, Marquis Kayleighâs voice drifted out, low and commanding, carrying the weight of authority even through the hood, "You seem very interested in this inn, stranger. Show me proof of your identity!"