"Felix?" Asher scoffed at the name, his expression filled with disdain. "You've got to be kidding me. Those two were Aetherial Realm experts!

"To steal from them, someone must be at least Oceanus Realm, if not higher. Are you seriously saying Felix is already at that level?"

The old man's smile did not falter as he shifted his gaze to Aiden, completely ignoring Asher as though he did not exist.

"If you could watch everything unfold, why didn't you step in to grab the box yourself? Or better yet, kill Felix?" Aiden asked, remaining calm and composed as if the entire conversation was a casual chat.

He continued, "Are you perhaps some kind of friend of his?"

The old man clapped his hands twice, the sound breaking the tension in the room. "Impressive," he said with genuine admiration. "The infamous prodigy of the Greene family. Unshaken even in the face of chaos. I respect that."

He paused before adding, "Due to certain... circumstances, I couldn't attack Felix myself. My role was