Sarah’s eyes flickered.

Without hesitation, she reached into her bag and pulled out a thick account book before sliding it across the table. "See for yourself."

Her gaze scanned the pages quickly.

And then... she saw it.

Her name. Her signature.

For a brief moment, she simply stared at it.

Boris leaned forward slightly, a grim smile forming on his lips.

"Now you understand, don’t you?" he said. "Even if it were just a basic book, you are still liable to pay the tax."

Lana slowly closed the book. Then she looked up.

"Are you sure," she asked quietly, "that this was borrowed by me three years ago?"

Sarah nodded without hesitation. "We’ve verified everything."

’Of course you have,’ Lana thought, her gaze turning colder. ’You’ve even gone as far as forging it.’

She let out a soft sigh and shook her head.

"If you want to frame someone," she said calmly, "you should at least investigate properly."

The room fell silent again.

"Three years ago," she continued, her voice steady, "I was living with an affluent family. At that time, I used a different signature for any financial or formal transactions."

Her eyes locked onto Sarah’s.

"The signature in this book," she said, tapping it lightly, "is not mine."

For a split second... Sarah froze.

Then she let out a light chuckle, her expression turning mocking.

"What a creative excuse," she said. "A teenager using two different signatures? That’s quite hard to believe."

She leaned forward slightly, her tone sharpening. "And even if that were true, where’s your proof?"

Lana understood immediately.

’They’re not here to reason... they’re here to force me.’

A cold smile appeared on her lips.

"I really dislike these kinds of threats," she said softly.

She pushed the account book back toward them.

"I won’t be paying a single cent," she declared calmly. "If you want, we can settle this in court."

Her gaze remained unwavering.

"I’ll hire the best lawyers available. You should know by now... I can afford it."

Her words were light, almost casual.

But they carried weight.

Sarah and the others exchanged glances, a subtle tension creeping into their expressions.

It was becoming clear that recruiting Lana would not be easy.

After a moment of hesitation, Serafina spoke, her voice gentler than the others. "If you don’t want to pay the taxes... then how about another option?"

Lana turned her eyes toward her.

Serafina took a small breath before continuing, "If you join the Talisman Association, all taxes will be waived."

The room fell quiet again.

The others exchanged meaningful glances before Sarah gave a slow nod. "That’s right," she said. "As long as you join us, we’ll let this matter go."

For a brief moment, silence lingered.

Then Lana laughed.

She looked directly at them, amusement flickering in her eyes.

She understood exactly what they were trying to do.

’So this is your real intention...’ she thought, her fingers brushing lightly against the edge of the table.

As long as she joined the Talisman Association, fifteen percent of everything she earned would automatically flow into their hands.

And that was only the beginning.

They would gain the authority to assign her tasks at will, tasks that could range from crafting ten thousand talismans in a single day to even one hundred thousand, regardless of feasibility.

She would have no choice but to comply. And if she resisted, they would simply raise their share to twenty percent, tightening the leash further.

Taking a slow, steady breath, she looked at them.

"That’s a good attempt to recruit me," she said, her tone laced with quiet disdain, "but I have no intention of associating with people like you."

She straightened slightly before continuing, her gaze unwavering.

"And one more thing," she added, her voice turning colder, "stop sending those meaningless, spam-like messages. If I lose my temper, I won’t hesitate to drag all of you into the spotlight of the modern world."

A flicker of displeasure crossed Sarah’s face.

She narrowed her eyes and replied, her tone hardening.

"Even if we cannot charge you that twenty percent tax, it doesn’t mean you can escape entirely. You are operating without a license. That alone justifies at least a ten percent charge."

Lana let out a soft laugh.

"I never listed these talismans as commercial products," she replied smoothly.

"They are simply my practice items. People are paying for the paper and the effort, not for a registered commodity."

She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile.

"So technically, I’m not a seller. And even if I were, the one I should be paying taxes to would be the government, not your association."

For the first time, the expressions of the association members visibly shifted.

They had not expected her to dismantle their argument so cleanly.

Lana looked at them one last time.

"This is my final warning," she said. "Stay out of my business. If you continue to make things difficult for me, I won’t back down."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward the door.

"Wait."

Sarah’s voice cut through the silence.

She stood up abruptly and moved forward, blocking Lana’s path.

Her expression had turned serious, almost strained.

"At the very least," she said, "you should show some decency and stop lowering the prices. Undercutting like this is the cheapest tactic among practitioners."

Lana paused.

Then she laughed softly, shaking her head.

"I never lowered any prices," she replied calmly. "I simply charge what is reasonable for me."

Her gaze flickered briefly toward Sarah. "You saw it yourself. I can create a talisman in five minutes. My pricing reflects my labor."

Sarah’s composure finally cracked.

Her voice dropped, turning sharp and almost threatening.

"Then add additional charges," she said. "If you don’t want the money, give it to the association. Hand over ten percent, and we will never interfere with you again."

Lana arched an eyebrow, her expression turning thoughtful for a moment before she spoke.

"If I raise my prices," she said slowly, "it’s the middle-class people, the desperate ones, who will suffer the most."