Grand Return System

The Masks of the Treasure Pavilion

"This is the Treasure Pavilion." Cavir Walton explained. He took a few masks from the two servants at the door and handed them to Leon.

The Treasure Pavilion stood at the heart of Ashford City like a silent beast made of gold and black stone.

Its towering entrance was wide enough for several carriages to pass through side by side, yet there was an unusual solemnity to the place. No loud vendors shouted outside. No cultivators gathered in disorder. Even the people entering seemed to unconsciously lower their voices.

A faint fragrance of ancient incense drifted through the air.

Above the entrance hung a massive plaque engraved with three powerful words.

Treasure Pavilion.

The strokes seemed simple, but there was a faint spiritual pressure hidden within them. It was not enough to suppress anyone, but it was enough to remind every visitor that this was not an ordinary place.

Leon glanced at the masks in Cavir Walton’s hands.

They were plain.

Black, without unnecessary decorations, with only a faint Mana fluctuation running through their surfaces.

Cavir Walton selected one and offered it respectfully.

"Respected One, our Treasure Pavilion places great importance on the privacy of our guests. Therefore, every guest who enters the Treasure Pavilion has to wear a mask to prevent others from coveting them and attracting death."

His voice was calm, but there was a seriousness beneath it.

The Treasure Pavilion had existed for countless years. Naturally, it understood that auctions were not merely gatherings where people exchanged treasures for money.

Sometimes, the real danger began after the auction ended.

A cultivator who displayed an astonishing treasure might leave with a smile and never reach the city gate.

A wealthy household could purchase an ancient treasure for an enormous price, only to be ambushed on the road home.

And sometimes, knowing the identity of the buyer was enough to create trouble.

The mask was meant to sever that connection.

Leon knew this very well.

However...

Would this mask really work?

A faint amusement passed through his purple eyes.

According to the plots of the countless novels he had read in his previous life, this kind of mask had almost never worked.

Someone would always possess a secret technique capable of seeing through it.

Someone would always recognize the aura.

And if neither of those worked, there would inevitably be some ancient treasure capable of revealing the person’s identity.

Leon almost laughed at the thought.

The rules of auction houses in novels were practically written in stone.

The protagonist entered.

The protagonist disguised himself.

The protagonist bought something extraordinary.

Then someone offended him.

Then the protagonist casually crushed that person.

Then the auction house discovered that the seemingly ordinary young man was actually an existence nobody could afford to provoke.

But it seemed that this time, the script had changed.

Leon smiled quietly.

He handed the masks to his two students.

He didn’t care about concealing his identity.

After all, he had read countless stories like this.

Normally, the person who could not afford to be offended was the protagonist.

Now...

He seemed to be that person.

The mask might not be protecting Leon at all.

It might be protecting everyone else from knowing who had walked into the Treasure Pavilion.

Selena accepted the mask with both hands.

Her long silver-white hair slipped over her shoulders as she looked at it curiously. Her blue eyes briefly met Leon’s purple gaze.

Rias, standing beside her, also took the mask.

Her long red hair flowed gently down her back, and her large crimson eyes curved slightly with curiosity.

Neither of them immediately put it on.

They simply followed Leon and Cavir Walton into the Treasure Pavilion.

The moment they crossed the entrance, the atmosphere changed.

The bustling sounds of Ashford City disappeared behind them.

The interior was far quieter.

Soft golden lamps hung from the ceiling, their flames burning without smoke. The polished floor reflected the figures walking across it, while faint formations glimmered beneath the stone.

Every few steps, servants in elegant robes passed by.

Their movements were graceful.

Their expressions, however, were strangely empty.

"Rias, this place is so strange." Selena whispered to Rias as they followed Cavir Walton into the Treasure Pavilion.

Her voice was soft enough that only Rias could hear.

Rias looked around.

She had already activated her senses when they entered.

Mana flowed quietly through her body, spreading outward like ripples across a calm lake.

She found nothing immediately threatening.

No killing intent.

No obvious formation targeting them.

No hidden expert approaching.

She turned her head toward Selena.

"Fellow Sister, what’s strange?"

Selena didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze had fallen upon several young women walking past them.

They were dressed beautifully.

Their robes were carefully arranged, their hair perfectly styled, and their movements refined to the smallest detail.

Under ordinary circumstances, they should have appeared elegant and graceful.

But Selena felt something wrong.

Something deeply wrong.

Their smiles were too precise.

Their movements were too measured.

Their eyes...

Their eyes were empty.

There was no curiosity.

No joy.

No fear.

No anger.

Nothing.

They moved like beautifully dressed puppets whose strings were being pulled by someone unseen.

Selena’s brows slowly tightened.

She watched one of the women bow respectfully toward a passing guest before continuing on her way.

The movement was flawless.

Almost frighteningly flawless.

"Those women..." Selena murmured.

Rias followed her gaze.

For a moment, she remained silent.

Then she understood.

"They are all people with hard lives. They have experienced the pain of having their families destroyed since they were young and have no fixed home."

Rias’s voice remained gentle.

There was no judgment in it.

Only understanding.

The young women passing around them had stories.

Stories that perhaps no one here cared to hear.

Rias continued quietly.

"They were adopted by the auction house and trained to be professional maids. They only knew how to be loyal to the auction house. There is no light in their hearts anymore, just as you see. Almost every major faction, household, Powerful Sect, and even the royal family has this situation."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!