CHAPTER 142: OLD BUILDING

The word ominous flashed through Shaan’s mind the moment they reached their destination. No wonder—the building’s walls peeled like dead skin, every layer cracked and abandoned. Damp patches crawled across the surface and turned it pitch-black, the kind of sight people often connect with something... unnatural.

"Mr. Courier, are you sure this is the place?" Shaan rubbed his eyes repeatedly. "I mean... we’re far from the busy areas, and I don’t see anyone around."

"Yes, this matches the address." Mr. Courier blinked his eyes and pointed ahead. "Look at that. It says here that it’s house number 6. Rosefield residence," he nodded his head confidently. "Come on, we have to go inside and find the customer who ordered this.

"O-okay..."

Their footsteps echoed clearly as they stepped into the building. Just as Shaan had said, there was no one here except for a pile of items covered in white cloth.

’God... I didn’t expect the place to look like this.’

He had goosebumps as he walked behind Mr Courier, who was a few steps ahead. How could it not? The silence felt unnatural, and the only light in the entire place came from an old lamp wrapped in spiderwebs.

I can’t imagine Nalira—or even Chelsie—walking through this place. Shaan shook his head as if the two women actually stood there with him. I’m pretty sure they would—

"Shaan, what are you doing?" Mr Courier turned toward him. "We have to check upstairs; there might be someone there."

"Yeah, I know." Shaan raised his hand, trying to block the courier’s bright gaze. "But, please can you—"

"Shaan? What’s wrong?" Mr. Courier frowned at Shaan’s pale face. "What—"

"S-someone’s standing in front of you." Shaan’s voice shook as he stared at the silhouette waiting at the top of the stairs.

Hearing Shaan’s words, Mr courier turned his gaze forward and saw an old woman standing in front of him.

"Hey, you! Move that damn light somewhere else!" the brown-coated old woman snapped. "Do you want to blind me, huh?!"

"I’m sorry, ma’am," Mr. Courier said quickly. He blinked twice, and the light in his eyes faded out. "I didn’t mean that at all."

"Hmph. Kids these days..." she grumbled. Her eyes narrowed sharply. "What are you two doing here?"

"We just want to meet Mrs. Rhea."

"That’s right. That’s exactly right," Shaan shouted, immediately running upstairs. "We are both members of Dr. Marshal’s team assigned to meet with Mrs. Rhea. Do you know her?"

The old woman et out a short breath and gave a slow nod. "Ah... so you two finally arrived." Her gaze traveled from their shoes all the way to their heads. "You’re speaking to her right now."

Shaan and the courier exchanged looks immediately.

"Wait—hold on. The report we received..." Mr Courier flipped open a folder labeled Customer Data and skimmed it. "It says our client’s age falls somewhere around forty to fifty." He scratched his head. "And the photo shows a pretty young woman. But you... You look much older."

Grandma Rhea chuckled. "I used a photo of myself when I was young, and the rest... I made up."

"Made up?" Shaan furrowed his brow. "But why did you do that at all?

"If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have come." Grandma Rhea smiled, revealing a full set of teeth. "No one would bother coming to an old building for a lonely old woman like me."

Shaan glanced at Mr Courier. ’Damn... this old lady’s more cunning than I expected.’

"But what exactly do you need Homunculus for?" asked Mr. Courier curiously. "Why are you in such a hurry to use it?"

"I need a Homunculus to help me move my belongings from this building to my new home." Old Rhea pointed toward the back of the house. "The place sits quite far from here, and I don’t have the strength to carry everything anymore. A Homunculus will speed things up."

Mr Courier slowly nodded his head. "All right, I understand. But why don’t you ask the police for help? They will definitely be ready to help, and you won’t have to spend money to move all these things."

"I already tried." Rhea let out a short, irritated snort. "But the police... well, they’re busy preparing for the Lunaris Revia event. They don’t have time for an old woman who walks too slowly."

"Ah... I see." Mr. Courier nodded. "If you don’t mind, I can help you move all these things... Your work will definitely be done much faster than if you just rely on these two homunculi."

"Yes, I agree with Mr. Courier." Shaan nodded enthusiastically. "We don’t mind helping you at all."

Old Rhea’s eyes widened. Surprise washed over her face. She fell silent for a moment, clearly not expecting anyone to offer her help.

"Grandma Rhea, is everything okay?" Shaan asked curiously. "If you have any objections, we won’t—"

"No... no, young man." Grandma Rhea shook her head slowly and smiled. "I don’t mind. Not at all."

"Then let’s get to work."

***

"Ah... Finally." Shaan stretched his body, walking away from Grandma Rhea’s new residence. "I didn’t expect her belongings to pile up like that."

Mr Courier nodded quickly. "Yes, it’s a good thing we helped her. Two homunculi weren’t enough to move all those items quickly."

"That’s right... I agree with you."

"Now, we’d better walk as fast as we can through the town square. Sir Marshal will definitely be looking for us."

"I agree."

They quickened their pace and soon reached the town square—only to find it far more crowded than usual. Workers bustled around, setting up small stages across the plaza. Others hung banners that read "Lunaris Revia Festival."

"Shaan, look. The Lunaris Revia event is about to begin."

"Yes, I understand." Shaan nodded his head. "I’m just curious about what the event will be like..."

"Shaan?" Mr Courier furrowed his brow, noticing how Shaan suddenly froze. "What’s going on—"

"Mr. Courier, wait here," said Shaan. "I’ll be right back."

His heartbeat thundered in his chest. Sweat rolled down his face as he shot forward, chasing Sebastian’s figure through the crowd. Shaan felt certain Sebastian was searching for his missing pocketbook—and Shaan had to get it back before he lost Sebastian.