Jaune didn't know that the most powerful and influential man in this world, Ozpin, was currently talking about him and the origins of his "magic."
He was simply attending to his shop like normal, meticulously organizing the shelves and waiting for any potential customers to wander through the dangerous Lower City Slums.
"Hello…"
A soft, slightly frail voice drifted through the door.
An old lady, dressed in plain but well-maintained clothes, walked in.
She looked genuinely lost and slightly frightened, clearly disoriented by the grime and chaos of the industrial district.
Jaune, the sweetest boy, immediately reacted.
"Hello, Ma'am! What can I do for you?"
The old lady told him that she was completely lost. She had arrived in Vale earlier that day to visit her grandchildren, but the city was enormous and navigating its confusing public transit system had failed her.
She only had the vague address of her son's home.
"I am not very familiar with this part of Vale either, Ma'am. This city is too complicated,"
Jaune admitted truthfully.
"But I think I can certainly help you find this place. The main thoroughfares are easier to navigate."
Jaune closed the shop for the day, flipping the sign to 'Closed.' It didn't seem likely that anyone else would venture into the slum at this time anyway.
He took the old lady's arm and gently led her out of the district, guiding her toward the more respectable residential sectors.
The journey was long, but eventually, they arrived at the address she had given him.
The old lady did not look wealthy at all—she looked like an ordinary, kind, retired woman.
However, her son's home was anything but ordinary.
It was massive, a genuinely extravagant, three-story mansion with wrought-iron fences and manicured grounds.
Vale's real estate was notoriously expensive, but to possess such a grand residence meant her son was extraordinarily rich and highly influential.
Jaune felt a wave of relief that she had stumbled into his shop before she had encountered the real dangers of the slum.
"Mom! I have been searching for you!"
A man, dressed in expensive, sharp clothing, ran out of the mansion and toward the old woman, hugging her tightly.
The relief on his face was palpable; he thought something terrible might have happened to his mother in the city's underbelly.
"Next time if you want to visit us, please let me know so I can pick you up,"
The man scolded gently.
"You almost gave me a heart attack. And who is this young man?"
He looked at Jaune, curious about the handsome young stranger who had delivered his mother.
He briefly wondered if Jaune was a celebrity due to his almost ethereal good looks.
The old woman explained quickly that Jaune had saved her.
She had lost her way deep in the slum and he had acted as her escort.
"Oh, My Oum! That could have been disastrous. Thank you so much, young man. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
The son asked, his tone sincere. He was used to people demanding payment or favors, especially in this city.
He was pretty famous as the owner of the largest Vale Entertainment Company after all.
Jaune shook his head.
"It's alright, sir. I just did what any good citizen should do."
Jaune genuinely meant it; he hadn't expected any reward.
"Really, but I feel bad if I don't do anything to repay you back,"
The man insisted.
Jaune paused, a thought striking him.
He might not need Lien, but he certainly needed mcc.
He discreetly asked Ciel about the man's potential.
[Scanning target... Detects terminal illness inside a child's body residing within the mansion. The ailment is severe and untreatable by local science. Please sell him Remedies or a cure. He has the potential to become a Gold Rank Customer.]
Jaune's eyes widened. Two potential Gold Rank Customers in one day?
His luck was truly turning.
As Jaune was about to broach the topic of the potent Remedy with the father, a loud, racking cough echoed from an open window on the second floor.
Cough! Cough!
"My baby!"
The man's face instantly shifted from polite gratitude to sheer parental terror.
He immediately ran inside of his mansion, abandoning the conversation.
"Young man, can you help me inside?"
The old woman said, speaking to Jaune softly.
She also wanted to go check on her sick grandchild.
"Yes, I will help you,"
Jaune replied, gently assisting the old woman up the grand steps and into the opulent, silent foyer.
Later, as the family was distraught over the latest coughing fit, Jaune caught their names in the frantic conversation.
The man's name was Quarz Schnee.
The old woman's name was Camilia Schnee.
Jaune felt a flicker of familiarity with the surname Schnee but couldn't place it in his memories.