In recent years, a mysterious man calling himself Grey Hat has stolen a series of gemstones worth more than two billion.
Three days ago, Grey Hat sent a letter announcing that he would steal the P City Museum's treasured exhibit Tears of Sorrow tonight.
The museum director Mr. Gray stated that he has contacted the famed swordmaster clan to take over the case and vowed that Grey Hat's undefeated streak ends tonight.
Reporting for our station, this is Jessica.
The cafe was packed.
After a long day of work, Jace Cross took off his uniform and settled by the window, enjoying the evening breeze.
The golden light of sunset washed over him, highlighting a face that made girls swoon. You could say a third of the cafe's revenue came from him alone.
But Jace's attention was fixed on the news playing on the mounted TV.
Grey Hat.
He had appeared three years ago and since then pulled off more than a dozen major thefts. At first he acted like any normal thief. Owners went to bed with everything in place and woke up to find their treasures gone.
But starting from the third heist, Grey Hat sent notice letters before every job. This brazen habit made him famous fast.
Tonight's mission became fuel for lively customer chatter.
Do you think Grey Hat will pull it off this time
Of course he will. He is at least a level 20 class holder in the Thief path. He may not be a frontline fighter, but when it comes to running, he is unmatched.
I am not so sure. The Stormveil family is stepping in. He might crash hard this time.
Jace ignored the gossip, focusing instead on the last rays of sunlight and checking the time now and then.
Maxwell walked up behind him and dropped a stuffed folder onto the table before sitting down.
What you asked for.
Jace's eyes brightened. He tore it open, skimmed a few pages, and chuckled softly.
Maxwell, you're amazing. You really got the museum's defense layout.
Ten years ago, Jace escaped from a flipped car with nothing but his life. His parents died on the spot. An old man took him in along with two other kids of the same age.
The old man taught them the path of class holders, and Jace chose the weakest combat class among the big five: the Thief.
No one, not even the old man, expected that choice to produce a legendary thief.
Jace's talent showed quickly. His rise in rank was so fast it felt like he had strapped himself to a rocket.
As Jace tucked the file away, Maxwell lowered his voice.
Be careful tonight. Those sword freaks are nasty to mess with.
In this world where martial arts thrived, everyone knew the Stormveil family. They were a gigantic powerhouse built entirely on swordsmanship, holding the highest tier sword breathing and combat arts.
People even said there were only two kinds of sword users in the world: Stormveil disciples and everyone else.
It sounded like flattery, but no one had ever disproved it. The Stormveil heirs were simply too strong and far outperformed any class holder coming through regular exams.
Jace said calmly, Relax. The old man will cover me if things go south. And look, you wrote it right here. They are sending only the younger generation.
Since when have I ever lost to someone my age
Maxwell fell silent.
Among the three siblings, Jace dominated from basic martial school all the way to martial university. Even if the other two teamed up, they had never beaten him.
The old man always said they were both rare geniuses. Jace was simply on another level entirely.
Boss, one strawberry latte please
A regular female customer called out.
The two men exchanged a look. Maxwell stayed put, expression unmoved.
Jace gave in with a groan and stood up. Fine, fine, I am going.
Maxwell allowed himself a small smirk at finally seeing Jace lose one round.
That smirk did not last long.
Damn it, where is my lighter
Behind the counter, Jace ground fresh beans with one hand while twirling a newly acquired lighter between his fingers.
Trying to scam me Not happening.
He tossed the lighter into the hat.
When he reached in again, he pulled out a handful of coffee beans as if from thin air.
Good stuff. Out of the three of us, you complain the most about being broke, yet this lighter is apparently priceless.
It was his birthday gift from the old man three years ago.
Its power let him exchange items for something of equal value.
At first Jace thought it was just a fun toy. Over time, he realized something was off.
The hat operated on pure conceptual value. As long as the worth matched, there was nothing it could not produce.
He had even received a Thief breathing method from it, authored by who knows who, with effects so absurd that no known breathing technique could compare.
Through repeated testing, Jace figured out the hat's rules.
Value went beyond money. Difficulty mattered too. The harder an item was to obtain, the better the result.
So he targeted small gems that were easy to exchange and publicly announced his heist schedule so the target would increase its security.
He traded stolen gems for rare and powerful techniques no one else could even find. Repeating the cycle again and again, the thief god was born.
Because it worked like a conceptual grey market, Jace called it the grey hat.
As the TV kept playing news about Grey Hat, Jace's grinding motions grew a little stronger.
Confidence was good, but he was not reckless.
So the young Stormveil heirs want to use me as a training dummy Anyone bold enough to go public surely has someone backing them or some hidden trump card.
Reputation mattered for families like theirs. Their young talents represented their future. If they failed tonight, other factions would whisper about it for a long while.
The Stormveil family would never risk that without absolute certainty.
The door chime rang.
Welcome to... Jace greeted instinctively, but his voice caught halfway.
A wooden stick hit the floor with a dull thud.
Then a strangely dressed girl stepped inside.
Her outfit was retro, white on top and a red skirt below, covered by a white robe embroidered with cherry blossoms.
Her sleeves were wide, but her frame was delicate. She looked about one seventy.
Her skin was pale and flawless, her long white hair falling past her waist, her pink violet eyes unfocused.
Everyone in the cafe turned to look at her.
Too beautiful.
Like a snow spirit who had wandered into the mortal world.
Jace snapped out of it and smiled. Welcome. What would you like to order
She held a plain wooden guide cane, her gaze unfocused.
One look told him she was a blind girl who loved cosplay.