In the Alchemy Shop, Zaria sat in her position as lady boss while leisurely smoking her favorite tobacco pipe.
At this moment, her eyes suddenly flashed a strange glint. Afterward, a knock sounded on the closed door, and a grave voice rang, "It's me."
Zaria knew the owner of this voice, and with a thought, she unlocked the door through the formation. The next moment, the door opened, and Ace, followed by disguised Eva and Alina, walked inside.
"Oh, you're an alchemist and even own a shop? Nice." Eva suddenly praised as she looked around.
Alina didn't speak but nodded at Zaria with a hint of execration, having learned from Ace that Zaria was the source of Leah's 'unique vocabulary'.
"They are…?" Zaria narrowed her eyes.
Although she had already guessed that these two should be the House Members in disguise, she wasn't familiar with them yet, so she couldn't figure out which, nor did she use her law sense, since it would be impolite.
Nonetheless, she couldn't help but remember those two overly 'sociable' women with otherworldly beauty and terrifying bloodlines. They were also both Ace official women, not to mention that this trip to the abyss was also because of one of them. She had the deepest impression of Eva.
"You've all met before, but I haven't introduced them to you personally. She's Eva, my wife, and she's Alina, my fiancée. I hope you don't mind having them." Ace introduced them with a smile.
Eva's smile was filled with satisfaction, and while Alina pouted slightly, her heart was still filled with happiness.
Zaria glanced at Ace vigilantly, as if she were looking at a predator, and Ace felt something was amiss, but he couldn't figure it out.
"I wasn't expecting guests, so forgive the lack of hospitality. However, since you both are already here, welcome to my humble shop." Zaria greeted both Alina and Eva, and if others were to see this, they would think Zaria was an impostor!
"Hehe, no worries. We also didn't bring any gifts, since we didn't know what you liked." Eva seemed cheerful as she approached Zaria, and suddenly she asked an unexpected question, "Are you the one who taught your little sister those 'polite terms'?"
Zaria's expression changed the moment Leah was mentioned, and she instantly knew Leah might have 'greeted' them in the Thief's House.
Ace wasn't expecting this at all, and he instantly added, "Leah was playing with Cyrus and Chuchu when Alina and Eva encountered her. As you know, she's pretty…umm…frank. But nothing out of the ordinary happened.
"However, can you please tell her to at least not be 'frank' to the House Members. After all, Leah is cute and lovable, and I'm sure everyone in the Thief House will like her and take care of her just like Cyrus and Chuchu."
Zaria's eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked at Ace, then Eva, and Alina. Eva was still smiling, but Alina wasn't hiding her disapproval.
If it had been before, Zaria would've already started swearing and attacking without discrimination, but after the House Meeting, her thought process had changed. She knew the Thief House was a huge opportunity for both herself and Leah, not to mention that it wasn't like other organizations.
"I'll talk with her. Forgive her if she has offended you. She's innocent and a little mischievous. But she didn't have any malice in her heart. In fact, you should know that I was 'tricked' into joining the Thief House because Leah liked that 'scoundrel' too much." Zaria smiled, explaining, while calling Ace a 'scoundrel' naturally.
Ace's lips twitched, and since it wasn't an official meeting, he couldn't use his position to berate Zaria, nor would he do it even if he could. After all, Zaria was behaving very amiably instead of starting to fight them.
'At least she had accepted that we won't hurt Leah,' Ace thought, as this was tremendous progress with Zaria's mentality.
Eva and Alina were also surprised by Zaria's frankness, and they looked at Ace strangely.
"Hehehe, she sure likes her sister. Don't worry, I quite like that little troublemaker, she's even more daring than Cyrus, the little scoundrel, just like his Big Brother." Eva meaningfully replied.
Alina also nodded, "I agreed with the she-devil."
Zaria was startled before she burst into laughter with Eva and Alina, while Ace's expression went somewhat dark. He wasn't expecting to be attacked on three fronts, and even Alina was tainted by them.
Nonetheless, he suddenly smiled after watching them all get along; this was all he wanted in the Thief House.
After having a good laugh, Ace showed an annoyed look as he asked, "Alright, if you three have enough fun, how about we go back to the Thief's House? The others will be back soon. Only a little over 54 hours are left before we all teleported. We need to start preparing. The sooner, the better."
Zaria nodded as she said, "You're right, the Runic Forge City had been chaotic lately, and I'm afraid the Old Thing might pay a visit sooner. So, help me put my future acolytes into the Thief's House. So, we can be on our way!"
Ace was startled when he heard 'future acolytes.' He finally realized what Zaria meant by 'baggage' and why she needed him to move it.
It turned out she had selected her thief acolyte other than Leah and now wanted to take them back to the Thief's House so she could have them join the Thief House the moment she reached the requirements. It was a bad idea at all, but Ace liked her spirit.
"No problem. I wasn't expecting you to have someone other than Leah in mind before." Ace couldn't help but comment.
Zaria suddenly looked at Ace strangely, and she replied with a profound smile, "Well, I really don't have anyone else in mind until you introduce me to perfect candidates."
Ace was startled and confusedly inquired, "What do you mean, I introduced you to the candidates?"
Eva and Alina were also curious as they watched silently. It suddenly became a fascinating show; their womanly intuitions were just that sharp.
Zaria suddenly stood up and started walking towards the shop's housing space.