Starting With an SSS-Rank Goddess Summon!

She walked with undeniable confidence directly toward a roped-off guarded section on the far side of the grand hall.

Two massive iron golems stepped forward to block her path, their glowing red eyes scanning her unimpressive oversized gray hoodie.

Evelyn simply reached into her pocket and pulled out a banking emblem.

The exact second the golems registered the authenticity of the Lord insignia, they instantly stepped aside, bowing their massive metal heads in deep respect.

”Lords have special line-cutting privileges,” Evelyn explained casually to Silas as they walked past the velvet ropes. ”Time is money, and the World knows we don’t have time to wait behind normal people.”

They approached the pristine polished mahogany desk of a senior cashier.

The man behind the glass partition wore a crisp tailored suit and a polite smile.

”Welcome, Honored Lords,” the cashier greeted them warmly. ”How may the Valoria Central Bank assist your expanding territories today?”

Evelyn leaned against the counter, sliding her datapad across the smooth wood.

”I need to authorize a direct immediate capital transfer from my primary holding accounts to his designated one.” Evelyn instructed smoothly, gesturing to Silas standing beside her.

The cashier nodded efficiently, picking up the datapad to review the digital paperwork.

”Of course, My Lady. A simple capital transfer is routine. Let me just confirm the sum of the transaction and we will have that processed for—”

The cashier’s voice abruptly died in his throat.

His eyes bugged out of his skull, bulging wildly behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

He stared at the glowing blue numbers on the datapad screen, his brain completely failing to process the terrifying scale of the wealth.

”S-Seventy-five... million... Spirit Credits?” the cashier stammered, his hands beginning to physically tremble as he held the device.

He nervously looked up from the screen, his gaze shifting directly to Silas.

He took in the rugged handsome face, his dark trench coat, and his clear undeniable youth.

”M-My Lord,” the cashier addressed Silas, his voice cracking violently under the pressure. ”Please forgive my profound intrusion, but... you appear to be quite young. A transaction of this unfathomable magnitude usually requires a verified adult guarantor, or a senior guild representative to physically co-sign the release of funds to prevent fraudulent coercion.”

Silas stared at the trembling man with a cold deadpan expression.

Evelyn didn’t miss a beat.

She leaned against the mahogany counter, offering Silas an arrogant mocking grin that radiated pure spite.

”Oh, dear me,” Evelyn dramatically sighed, placing a hand over her heart. ”It seems my poor, inexperienced little Lord needs a grown-up to hold his hand through the scary bank procedures. Don’t worry, kid. I will gladly sign the guardian waiver for you.”

Silas rolled his eyes so hard it actually hurt his nerves. He crossed his arms, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a verbal reaction.

”This amount of capital far exceeds my clearance tier,” the cashier apologized frantically, sweating profusely as he handed the datapad back to Evelyn. ”I am not authorized to move seventy-five million credits without an executive override. You will have to go upstairs to the Manager’s private office for approval...”

”Fine,” Evelyn replied cleanly, taking the datapad back. ”Show us the way.”

A polite, impeccably dressed receptionist materialized from a side door, quickly guiding the two Lords away from the main floor and toward a private, rune-powered elevator located in the back of the building.

The heavy brass doors of the elevator closed, sealing them inside the quiet, ascending magical chamber.

Silas turned to Evelyn as the elevator rapidly climbed toward the executive floors.

He crossed his arms over his chest with his mind piecing together the logistical nightmare of what they were currently doing.

”Evelyn, explain something to me,” Silas demanded quietly, his voice low so the security crystals wouldn’t pick up the audio. ”How the hell do you manage to make all of this money look entirely legal on paper without revealing that you are actually Lord Sky?”

He knew she used a male disguise artifact and voice modulators on her streams.

But banking required deep verification.

”And furthermore,” Silas pressed, ”why does the Valoria Bank just blindly go along with transferring seventy-five million credits from a mysterious stream account without raising massive red flags with like anyone?”

Evelyn stepped closer to him in the cramped elevator, leaning in so she could whisper directly into his ear.

”It’s called corporate layering, Silas,” Evelyn explained softly, her brilliant mind flexing its corporate muscles. ”I don’t just dump all my stream revenue into a single savings account under my real name... I use Jax, my underground broker, to filter the capital through dozens of offshore shell companies located in the neutral zones.”

She smirked proudly, tapping her datapad against her leg.

”On paper, the bank doesn’t see Evelyn the Lord, or Lord Sky the streamer,” she continued whispering. ”They see a massive diversified business mogul who controls a vast network of mercenary guilds and resource extraction fronts... They don’t ask questions because my shell companies pay astronomical consistent taxes to the city.”

Silas listened intently to her brilliant financial maneuvering.

As she whispered, he couldn’t help but notice the scent wafting from her breath.

The mixture of the cheap toxic tobacco she constantly smoked, combined with the lingering sweetness of the frost-berry ice cream they had just eaten, was a truly chaotic experience.

Silas leaned back slightly, wrinkling his nose in blunt disgust.

”Your breath smells terrible,” Silas stated, ruining the secretive spy moment.

Evelyn’s proud smirk instantly vanished.

Her dark eyes flared with sudden violent offense as she clenched her fist, stepping aggressively forward, looking ready to punch him squarely in his smug handsome face.

DING!

The elevator doors chimed and slid smoothly open, completely saving Silas from a domestic assault.

”You are a dead man,” Evelyn hissed venomously under her breath as she stepped out into the plush carpeted executive hallway.

They were greeted by another receptionist, who quickly and respectfully escorted them down the wide corridor and opened the heavy double oak doors to the Branch Manager’s private office.

The office was breathtakingly luxurious.

The walls were lined with rare, imported mahogany bookshelves, and the floor was covered in a thick, sound-dampening magical rug.

Behind a massive, polished obsidian desk sat an older distinguished man with green hair and sharp intelligent eyes.

”Evelyn, my dear,” the Manager greeted her warmly, standing up from his plush leather chair with a wide, welcoming smile.

”Mr. Thorne,” Evelyn replied smoothly, entirely dropping her aggressive, hoodie-wearing persona and instantly slipping into the polished charismatic role of a corporate elite.

Silas watched the transformation with genuine respect. She navigated the treacherous waters of high-society business flawlessly.

”I will do the talking here,” Evelyn muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Silas before stepping forward to shake the Manager’s hand.

”It is always a pleasure to see you,” Mr. Thorne said, gesturing to the plush leather guest chairs in front of his desk. ”Please, sit. Can I offer you a drink? I have a vintage elven wine that just arrived from the eastern border.”

”That would be wonderful, thank you,” Evelyn accepted graciously, taking a seat.

Silas sat down beside her, keeping his face neutral and stoic.

Mr. Thorne poured three crystal glasses of the glowing, amber-colored wine, sliding them across the obsidian desk. He sat back down, steepling his fingers together.

”So, Evelyn,” Mr. Thorne began, his sharp eyes flicking briefly toward Silas. ”My tellers downstairs informed me that you are requesting a rather substantial capital transfer today. Seventy-five million credits is not a sum we move lightly without understanding the nature of the business... The World Council auditors are incredibly strict this quarter.”

Evelyn didn’t even flinch. She took a slow, elegant sip of her wine, setting the crystal glass down gently.

”It is a straightforward corporate acquisition, Mr. Thorne,” Evelyn lied smoothly, her voice radiating confident authority. She gestured gracefully toward Silas. ”This is Silas Graves... His developing territory in the outer sectors deals heavily in rare resource extraction. Specifically, high-grade mythril and obsidian.”

Mr. Thorne raised an eyebrow, looking at Silas with newfound professional respect. ”Is that so?”

”Indeed,” Evelyn continued flawlessly, weaving her fabricated excuse. ”Over the past few months, my logistics companies have supplied his remote territory with quite a lot of heavy machinery, refined fuel, and specialized mercenary contracts to secure his borders. This transfer is simply the final consolidated payout for those accumulated resource debts.”

Silas sat perfectly still, actively trying not to look impressed. She was spinning a brilliant believable web of lies right to the manager’s face.

”I see,” Mr. Thorne nodded slowly with his analytical mind processing the business logic. ”A massive single-sum payout to avoid the recurring taxation fees of multiple smaller transfers. Very clever, Evelyn. Very efficient.”

Mr. Thorne reached out and pulled a heavy, runic ledger toward himself, picking up a glowing stylus.

”Well, given your flawless credit history with our institution, and the clear business utility of this transaction, I see no reason to delay,” Mr. Thorne declared warmly.

He rapidly signed his name across the digital ledger, injecting a pulse of his own verification mana into the system.

”I am authorizing the transfer immediately,” the Manager confirmed, pushing a button on his desk. ”I will let you execute the final prompt on your end without freezing the holding accounts for review.”

Evelyn smiled brightly, her shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch in sheer relief.

”Thank you, Mr. Thorne. You are a lifesaver,” Evelyn said graciously.

The tension of the meeting finally broken, Evelyn instinctively reached into the deep pocket of her gray hoodie.

She pulled out her slim silver cigarette case and her plasma lighter. She popped a cigarette between her lips and flicked the lighter.

FWOOSH!

She took a deep drag, exhaling a thin stream of gray smoke into the luxurious, air-conditioned office.

Mr. Thorne stopped smiling. The older man leaned back in his leather chair, looking at her with a gentle frown.

”Evelyn,” Mr. Thorne admonished her softly. ”That smoking really isn’t good for your health, my dear. You have far too bright of a future ahead of you to ruin your lungs with that terrible habit.”

Evelyn paused, staring at the glowing cherry of the cigarette. Her dark eyes clouded briefly with a heavy, unspoken burden.

”I know, Mr. Thorne,” Evelyn replied quietly, her voice losing its corporate polish for just a second. ”I know.”

She picked up her datapad from the desk.

She rapidly punched in her complex encrypted security codes and hit the final confirmation button.

BEEP!

The transfer went through instantly.

Sitting next to her, Silas felt a subtle vibration from his own coat pocket.

He pulled out his smartphone, unlocking the screen to check the Valoria Banking app.

The screen glowed brightly.

[ACCOUNT BALANCE: 75,995,500 SC]

Silas stared at the string of zeroes.

His jaw physically went slack, his mouth dropping slightly open in disbelief.

Seeing seventy-five million credits sitting liquid in his own personal account completely short-circuited his brain.

He was quite rich.

Evelyn quickly stood up from her chair, grabbing Silas by the sleeve of his trench coat before he could say anything stupid.

”Thank you again for your time, Mr. Thorne,” Evelyn bid her farewells, firmly dragging the stunned Warlord toward the heavy oak doors. ”We have to run. Business never sleeps.”

”Safe travels, you two,” the Manager waved kindly as they left.

Evelyn dragged Silas aggressively down the executive hallway, pulling him all the way to the elevators and shoving him inside.

The doors closed, sealing them in the descending box.

Evelyn immediately turned to Silas, leaning in close with a massive, incredibly smug grin plastered across her pale face.

”So,” Evelyn whispered conspiratorially, her dark eyes shining with victory. ”How does it feel finally having that sort of real money, Lord?”

Silas couldn’t even hide his genuine satisfaction.

He looked at the phone screen again with a sharp grin spreading across his face.

”It feels pretty damn good,” Silas admitted honestly.

”That is exactly what top-tier Sovereign Network streams pay when you know how to work the algorithm,” Evelyn boasted proudly, thoroughly vindicated by his reaction. ”Maybe we could do more organized combat collabs in the future. We make a lethal team on camera.”

Silas looked at Evelyn. He thought about the massive viewer engagement they had pulled yesterday.

It was a literal gold mine.

”Agreed,” Silas nodded firmly, cementing their chaotic business partnership.

Evelyn’s face lit up with pure joy.

She aggressively pumped both of her fists high into the air, completely dropping her mature stoic persona.

”Fuck yes!” Evelyn cheered loudly in the empty elevator, doing a tiny, highly energetic victory jump.

Silas watched her celebrate.

Despite Evelyn constantly trying to act a lot more mature and ruthless than she actually was, she was still quite childish deep down.

She got genuinely excited over wins, and she cared about the people she worked with.

Silas realized, with a warm smirk, that he actually really liked that specific trait about her.

It made her human.

The elevator doors chimed and opened to the main lobby.

They walked briskly through the grand marble hall, passing the miserable lines of people, and stepped back out into the bright Valoria City sunlight.

”Alright, rich boy,” Evelyn teased as they stood on the top step of the bank. ”What do you want to use your massive pile of money to do first?”

Silas didn’t answer verbally. He pulled out his phone, opened the premium transportation app, and began typing rapidly.

”I am ordering a proper luxury guild cab,” Silas declared firmly, making sure to pronounce the words clearly and deliberately to mock her earlier frugality. ”I am not riding in another yellow death trap.”

Evelyn’s jaw dropped. ”You are wasting credits already?!”

”I have millions of them,” Silas shot back. ”I am buying legroom.”

Evelyn aggressively crossed her arms, glaring at him. ”You are an arrogant fucker.”

Less than two minutes later, a sleek armored dark silver transport vehicle glided smoothly up to the curb.

It looked like a miniature tank designed for high-society comfort. The doors slid open automatically with a quiet hiss of pressurized air.

Silas and Evelyn climbed into the spacious incredibly comfortable leather back seats.

The air conditioning blew perfectly chilled, odorless air.

The driver, a professional separated by a thick pane of bulletproof glass, looked at them through the rearview mirror.

”Where are we heading today?” the driver asked respectfully.

Evelyn leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes narrowing with seriousness.

”Shogitown,” Evelyn instructed cleanly, naming the bustling neon-lit undercity district of Valoria. ”We have someone important to go meet down there.”