That afternoon, Loren took everyone to an upscale restaurant outside. Normally, to eat here, even nobles needed reservations. But when people saw it was Loren who had arrived, they scrambled to offer their seats. However, long before Loren arrived, the restaurant had already reserved a spot for him—the best spot, no less.

"I like that you're so sensible."

Loren nodded, offering a word of praise.

He usually found these high-ranking nobles and officials quite distasteful, but when they racked brains to flatter him, Loren was rather pleased.

"This restaurant is an enterprise of the Chailros family. Reserving a seat for you was something Mr. William of the Chailros family instructed us to do."

"The Chailros family..."

Hearing this familiar name, Loren fell into reminiscence.

This family could be said to be the wealthiest in the world. They had branched out everywhere, with many members, and many industries within the Nofica Theocracy belonged to their family.

The Nofica Theocracy had no king, and they were practically equivalent to one, just needing to abide by the law.

If they truly made any excessively outrageous moves, the Church would also sanction them, as the Church was the true ruler of this nation.

However, these things alone weren't enough to leave a deep impression on Loren. The main reason Loren remembered them was because they were so easy to rob.

This family was incredibly arrogant, looking down on this and that, thinking they were the true masters of this country. They rarely even hired bodyguards, had loads of money, and were basically guaranteed successful targets for robbery.

Indeed, anyone else who dared rob a member of the Chailros family would definitely face the family's frenzied retaliation. Normal people wouldn't dare do such a thing, but Players weren't normal people.

In the past, whenever Loren was short on money, he would rob a few people with the surname Chailros, even bringing Laila along to rob them. So, in Loren's eyes, this surname became synonymous with "exploding gold coins."

Now, Loren no longer had the motivation to rob, so he would still choose to coexist harmoniously with them.

"Then help me thank him."

Loren didn't stand on ceremony either, directly and contentedly enjoying the convenience. After all, me accepting gifts doesn't mean I agree.

What gifts? This is the protection money you're giving me.

Accepting gifts doesn't mean I'll help you; at most, it means I won't actively mess with you.

Loren led everyone to their seats and ordered one of every dish on the menu. The attendant didn't ask if they could finish it all; she clearly understood her purpose was to make Loren happy.

The Mr. William had reserved the largest private room for Loren, spacious enough to accommodate everyone.

Not long after ordering, the dishes Loren had ordered began arriving one after another. Loren guessed they had probably postponed other customers' orders to prioritize his.

Loren felt no psychological burden about this either. People who could afford to eat here wouldn't lack for food; eating a bit later was no big deal.

Anna took the food from the attendant's hands and directly poured it into her mouth.

Her eating efficiency was getting faster and faster, to the point where even Loren was a bit shocked.

However, everyone doted on Anna and had no objections to her behavior. Moreover, when Anna ate something delicious, she would share some with Loren first.

Overall, everyone enjoyed the meal very much. Just as Loren was about to settle the bill, he discovered someone had already paid for them.

It was at this moment that a man appeared before Loren. He wore formal attire and had a refined, scholarly appearance.

"An honor to finally meet you, Master Mentor. My name is William Chailros. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

William extended his hand toward Loren. Loren remembered he was the one who had reserved the seat and paid the bill, so he gave him a bit of face and shook his hand.

"Oh, it's you. I know your surname. What business do you have with me?"

However, Loren still didn't have a particularly favorable attitude toward him. Unwarranted flattery is always suspicious, especially from a major noble like him. Being so ingratiating to Loren definitely had some purpose.

"I do indeed wish to discuss some matters with you. Could we speak privately?"

William glanced at the others in the private room, especially the maids. His meaning was obvious: the content of the upcoming conversation might be somewhat confidential and shouldn't be heard by outsiders.

"It's fine. Speak directly. Everyone here is worthy of my trust."

Loren sat back down in his seat, casually crossing his legs.

Hearing Loren's words, Seraphina revealed a heartfelt smile, her eyes fixed on Loren's back:

"The Master says he trusts me..."

"Isn't that perfectly normal? The few of us don't even have homes anymore; we've long become the Master's possessions. Besides, we've always been loyal and devoted. Trusting us is normal, right? What's there to get emotional about?"

Flossie retorted to Seraphina. Even though she never gained the upper hand with Seraphina, she still liked to oppose her.

"You don't understand."

Seraphina just responded lightly. Flossie also turned her head away, no longer paying her any mind:

"I hate riddlers."

While they were whispering, William had already agreed to talk here. However, he stood for a long time without opening his mouth to speak.

It wasn't until a perceptive attendant brought him a stool that William finally sat down to converse with Loren:

"I want the formula for Ember Radiance."

William got straight to the point. To prevent Loren from refusing, he offered a very high price:

"Please believe in the Chailros family's capabilities. We have ways to obtain anything that interests you."

"..."

Loren was a bit speechless. There was no way he would hand over the formula for Ember Radiance. Only by not disclosing the formula could the price of Ember Radiance be arbitrarily decided by Loren.

Moreover, Loren currently lacked for nothing and considered everyone in the Bountiful Church as future enemies. He couldn't possibly use Ember Radiance to strengthen the enemy's power.

Especially with Casper here—if he really managed to live a few more years, surviving until the Divine War period, that would be a nuisance for Loren.

"Even if the King of Gedlan asked me, I didn't give it to him."

Loren casually brushed William off with this remark. Hearing this, William instead revealed a confident smile:

"You may not know the extent of the Chailros family's power. We can simply send an envoy and have the King of Gedlan personally come to receive him.

"In our eyes, he's just the chief of a small village..."

"You've misunderstood my meaning."

Loren interrupted William, emphasizing:

"What I mean is, in my eyes, whether it's you, the King of Gedlan, the head of the Chailros family, or the attendant who just brought you a chair, there's no difference at all. You're all ordinary Bountiful followers, all equally providing faith to the God of Bountiful Harvest. Nothing sets you apart."

While expressing his disdain for William, Loren was also elevating the discourse to a higher plane, making it impossible for William to refute.