The terms said to bring a party of five, but deciding on the party members was a hard task.

Rin wanted to take Shelly and Albus with him. Reina was also a given since she was the reason Girl’s Battle Frontier had initially approached them. That left the last spot vacant and it had more than a few contenders for it.

The strongest ones were Collin and Teressa, but it was hard to choose between them.

Teressa would be a better choice to take as a manipulator, but Collin had less of a chance to betray him.

’Or maybe, the best option would be to not take both of them and look for another choice-’

"Young Master, are we going to adhere to the agreement? What if the other side brings more than five people?"

Collin asked in a worried voice. Before Rin could give an answer, Albus spoke up.

"I doubt a group as large as theirs could go back on their words...or so I hope."

The first sentence was spoken with conviction and the last part was added to show that he doubted his words.

But knowing Albus, he was speaking this from experience and not because he believed in such words.

"It should be fine for us to take 5 people. I will also take Myth with me for added safety. I doubt GBF (Girl’s Battle Frontier) will say anything about it."

His butler did not agree and his disapproval was clear. That helped Rin make a quick decision about his last choice.

"I will take Shelly, Reina, Albus and Teressa with me for this meeting. Collin, I want you to take charge of this settlement with Amelia and make sure it runs smoothly without our presence."

Collin sighed with an unhappy face but he complied with Rin’s orders.

With this, another problem was settled.

...

Two days passed in a flash and everyone got ready to head out.

Since the decision was to meet half-way between their bases, Rin did not need to make a long trip. They all took one car and reached their destination within four hours.

GBF had arrived already and their leader was a middle-aged woman dressed professionally. Her face looked gentle but sharp and her eyes had a sharp glint in her eyes.

Beside her stood a slightly taller female who looked very much like her. Her cold expression made it hard for anyone to approach her or look at her for much longer.

The next person behind them was Mellisa and her Nanny, followed by the Messenger.

As expected, the whole group was made up of women and they confidently walked toward Rin.

Rin did his best not to look intimidated, but he did feel a little out of his element facing such intimidating women.

"Are you the leader of the Kalos settlement?"

Madam Yao asked while extending her hand toward Rin.

"Kalos Settlement?"

This was the first time Rin had heard of that name, but it did make sense that his settlement got the name of his parent’s last name.

Madam Yao did not even bat an eye as she replied to his question.

"That’s what we call your settlement. Is this your first time hearing this name? I am sure you will get to hear it a lot in the future."

Madam Yao predicted this with a smile on her face. Her confidence made it seem like she knew the future...

cough

"Madam, we should hurry with the negotiations."

the messenger reminded Madam Yao and she let out a giggle.

"Have some patience. We will get to the negotiations when it’s time. Before that, I would like to do a reading on you all. You must have heard that I used to be a shaman, right? The system also gave me similar powers. I promise I won’t hurt you. So how about you allow me a glimpse into your future?"

Madam Yao openly offered her service but no one volunteered.

Being able to know the future was something everyone wanted,but the trust issue made even Rin hesitate.

"What’s wrong? Did my offer come too early? Hmm, what can I do to assure you that I don’t want to cause you harm-"

"It’s fine. I will volunteer to have the reading done."

Albus stepped forward and extended his hand. Madam Yao made a slightly disappointed face but she quickly grabbed his hand to examine it.

"Hmm, let me see. Your past life...is interesting. I cannot see a lot, but what I can see is...not something I should repeat. Anyway, I should look into your future now. Oh wow! It’s all a mess."

Madam Yao pulled back with a smile that hid her true feelings.

"So, what did you see?"

Albus asked with eager curiosity. Everyone else looked just as curious as he did which made Madam Yao stall even more.

"Your future...? It’s brilliant. I saw you getting powerful to the point where no one will challenge you. But you will also become alone. That’s all I can tell you without looking more. But we have other people to look into so that’s all I will tell you for today."

Rin was surprised at how accurate this sounded. According to the story, there was a time when Albus ended up all alone. It made Rin wonder if that was what Madam Yao saw in his future.

Madam Yao did not linger on Albus for long and quickly pointed at Reina instead.

"It’s your turn. Come, I will see your future as well."

Reina hesitated but stepped forward next.

Madam Yao grabbed her hand and closed her eyes. She kept them closed much longer than she had with Albus.

"Your past is rather normal. It shows stability. As for your future...how weird. It should have been cut off long ago, but you are somehow still alive. That means your future is a blank slate that is constantly being rewritten. It seems like we have a wildcard among us."

Rin tensed slightly at Madam Yao’s words. He was becoming more and more concerned that she was the real deal.

She had even managed to see into Reina’s death.

’Is she...really looking into our past and future. I wonder what she will see in mine? Should I ask next-’

[Rookie, this system has another task for you... Were you in the middle of something? Ah, fortune reading? The system would like to warn you not to put too much emphasis on what you hear. All you would feel is disappointment.]

What a way to ruin his mood.