"So, we just steal the painting now?" Blood asked after they had all showered and were on the bridge, Bjorn on one of the two massive let-down seats at the back.

"No, Blood, we can't fucking steal it," Beth replied sourly. "We're supposed to be the good guys here!"

"But, he stole it?" Blood said in a questioning tone, looking back over her shoulder.

"He didn't steal it; it was mistakenly sold by the CRA. We can't go stealing something that we genuinely lost by mistake," Beth said in an exasperated tone.

"Maybe we take it and just leave some platinum coins behind?" Sera said, running a hand through her hair.

"That sounds like stealing with extra steps," Kris said quietly.

"It's forceful buying!" Blood exclaimed. "I like that."

"I don't," Beth said with a cutting gesture, shutting it down. "Take us back to the city, Blood, and we'll turn in two of the items. Maybe I can get us credit just for that…"

"Doubtful," Bjorn grunted helpfully from behind them.

They returned to the city and it played out exactly as predicted, with Beth turning the two items in and getting a thanks before being asked where the third item was. And no, she didn't convince the Hall Master to split it into two missions with her final attempt. They would have to head out and find the rich asshole that had bought the painting, not the hard part, and convince him that he didn't need the painting anymore, the hard part.

The man lived in a private estate outside the city, a person possessing the kind of wealth that allowed them to hire a private security firm to handle any beasts, or intruders, that got close to the manor. The team was debating how to approach, but that issue was solved for them when they learned, rather easily, that the dilettante was throwing a ball, couples only, for people who were admirers of the fine arts. On learning that, Sera gave Beth a significant look, getting a blank stare in return, a stare that gradually morphed, to the group's amusement, into a look somewhere directly between horror and resignation. They happened to have two couples on hand and, while Sera was tall and rather draconic, she was much less noticeable and obvious compared to Bjorn. If they wanted to blend in and quietly approach the man, Bjorn was not going to be the most subtle choice. Kris and Beth were quite tame, by comparison, and it was about who would stand out less.

Obtaining an invitation was rather easy, considering their connections and that it was also for a mission for the CRA. Getting to the place was also rather easy, even if they did go fully dressed for the occasion, with Sera wearing a long and low-cut silver dress, while Beth wore a black and red short dress that ended mid-thigh. The two of them did clean up rather nice, and Beth wasn't quite sure that the whole flying under the radar thing was going to work. Well, she couldn't take her eyes off Sera and she was sure that would be a bit of a problem for the evening, but nothing they couldn't work through, or potentially with. They took a cab to the building, which was a bit of a surprise to Beth, not knowing there was such a service on the planet. Sera explained that such secure private transport was available a lot of places and, when Beth saw the bill, she understood why she didn't know about, or use, it any sooner.

The building was set inside an area of several square miles, the whole place surrounded by tall walls layered with hundreds of enchantments. The main building itself was four stories tall and had a huge drive in the front, with a set of a dozen black basalt steps leading up to the silver and gold front doors. Beth wasn't sure if it was inlay or the doors themselves were made of silver and chased with gold, but it was a very clear display of wealth. A row of security guards stood on the top step, Beth giving them a quick once-over and determining that she was far stronger than any of the ones that were readily visible. They presented their invitation to a butler, or a man Beth assumed was a butler, considering he was dressed in a suit with a long-tailed jacket and was checking the guests against a reference list as they arrived. The man's eyebrow twitched faintly upon seeing Beth and Sera walk up, but he maintained his professional demeanor and checked them into the party, wishing them a pleasant evening before moving on to the next couple.

The inside of the mansion was opulent, to say the least, though it wasn't to the point of being overwhelming. Beth would have thought it rather tasteless with the way it displayed the owners wealth, but she was a guest and if people liked their houses to be all shiny, she wasn't going to throw shade. Sera was not quite as reserved, sending Beth a message on their communicators that the place looked like a drunk dragon had hired a blind designer and clueless interior decorator to build the place. Beth thought that a mite bit harsh, but there was absolutely way too much gold and silver everywhere; even the light switches were made of silver with the plate attached to the wall made of gold. There was also art everywhere; on the walls, the ceilings, the floors, on tables, on stands, and even carved into the doors and windows.

There were two good things that Beth noticed, the first being about all the art. Somebody who had so much art was likely to not be particularly attached to any one piece, unless that piece were a centerpiece. Fortunately, the second thing they found out was that the painting in question for them, the magic painting that could influence people's minds, was shoved in a backroom and not well-liked. Beth and Sera had the opportunity to view the painting, talking with a group of other guests in as they moved through the room, and Beth confirmed it absolutely was the painting. Later, they were able to see some of the valued art in the center of the mansion, and Beth knew instantly there was a chance here. The host talked about the value of the art and how difficult it had been to acquire, but he also mentioned how he had too many pieces and some of the older pieces really needed to go.

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"This is going to be easier than I thought," Beth muttered to Sera.

"Don't jinx it," she whispered back, leaning down to speak in Beth's air. "Also, it's not going to be cheap. This guy doesn't understand the value of anything."

"He didn't pay that much for it," Beth retorted.

"He's a rich moron," Sera replied quietly, gesturing at him with her eyes.

"Point taken," Beth nodded with a sigh.

The party was a bit of a bore for Beth, though Sera was enjoying herself, which was all Beth really needed. If Sera was happy, she was happy, though Beth could both be happy for her lover and annoyed at what was making Sera happy at the same time. The evening wore on and Beth was polite, discussing a few things here and there with other guests, but it was really Sera's night, the tall woman getting information and contacts from quite a few of the rich and famous in attendance. Beth gravitated, somewhat naturally, towards the people who were clearly still active Wayfarers. These included a tall elven woman and a very thick-bodied dwarf, both of whom were dressed appropriately for the occasion, but Beth could tell just from looking at them that they were active adventurers.

She spoke with the dwarf first, finding him to be rather jovial, though some of that was likely from his rapid consumption of vast amounts of alcohol. He was kind enough, but Beth didn't really connect with him that much, though she could write some of it off as the alcohol. She then drifted over to the elf, who was far more sober and put together but had a bit of a haughty attitude. Beth wasn't exactly sure why, considering she had only done four rebirths, unless she was hiding her rebirths and was much stronger, which was possible, but not very likely. Beth chatted with her for a few minutes before moving on, chatting with a handful of others before regrouping with Sera. She wound up basically being arm candy for her fiancée for a while, just there to look good and ease people into or out of conversations while Sera really carried the day.

Eventually, they drifted to the evening's host, finding him to be rather well kempt and erudite, if a bit smarmy. Beth was surprised that she genuinely liked the man, even if she did find him a touch grating, and engaged in discussion with him for a while before getting to the heart of the matter. Beth approached it a bit obliquely, with Sera supporting her from the side, and Beth could tell that support was valuable as the businessman, Francois, was quite taken with Sera. He tried to be subtle about it, but there was clearly an attraction there, and Beth was just glad that made the wheeling and dealing all the easier. When the subject of buying art came up, and Sera expressed an interest in acquiring some pieces, he was only too happy to show the two around and talk about his collection. Unlike what Beth had assumed, he was genuinely knowledgeable about the pieces and their provenance, talking about when and where they were painted and by whom, as well as what the subject mattered portrayed was and meant.

She saw an opportunity as they walked and talked and made mention of buying more than one piece, which Francois was happy with, though he did try to push more expensive pieces onto her. Sera skillfully accepted buying an expensive piece while redirecting them to discussing pieces that might be less valuable but good for use as secondary art in less well used rooms. This segue was great, as it let Beth save a little on coin and took them into the territory of pieces like the one that had been accidentally sold. Beth did wind up having to buy a total of seven paintings and one sculpture before getting the piece that they were there for. At least the CRA would be reimbursing them for some of the price, if not all of it, and Beth could hang some of the stuff in the residence section of her gate power, but it still stung to throw quite a few diamond coins around like that. Sera just said she needed to have a bit better taste, which she supposed was true, but Beth was never going to be a great lover of the fine arts. She was more likely to have a pair of swords hung over the fireplace rather than a portrait and that was just fine with her.

The party went very late into the night, and Sera schmoozed plenty more people during that time. If anything, they were getting the contact information of quite a few rich and well-connected individuals that could help with a variety of things, from resource acquisition to funding to investigative cases, so Beth certainly didn't mind the socializing. Sera was in her element, holding lively discussions with everybody at the party, even some of the serving staff, which would normally be faux pas, but she made it seem so natural and polite that nobody batted an eye. The servants, by the way, also had some of the best and juiciest information of anyone there, though Beth and Sera were less interested in who was sleeping with whom and who wasn't talking to who than they were other gossip. Other gossip such as people affected by the closure of some company last year, a company that had something to do with scheduling, and how that had affected two people's fortunes rather precipitously. Sera and Beth shared a glance at that one and made sure to make a note to do some more research later as they could certainly guess what scheduling company it was that had generated the ripples with its downfall.

Though they were invited to stay by Francois, which Beth easily saw through and politely turned down, and to retire with several other guests, the two eventually made their own way back to the city and the CRA Hall. Beth was exhausted, her social battery drained dry after all the talking and subtle interactions during the course of the evening and night, wanting to just sit in a room alone for a day. That wasn't to be, of course, but she could dream, grumbling about so much talking and her jaw hurting as she met with the Hall Master and gave him the painting, as well as presenting him a rather hefty bill. When he choked on that, Beth did remind him about the discretionary expenses, and he then reminded her that those expenses were to be kept to a certain, discretionary amount. They bickered back and forth, but Beth finally got about two-thirds of the price of the art out of the Hall Master and didn't even have to give the CRA the art itself.

After bothering the Hall Master, they reconvened in the suite and discussed their options. They needed one more Gold mission for the group before they were ready for their tests, though three of them could take the tests right now. They had some ideas on where to go, and they discussed the plans afterwards, which would be to push for Enlightened. Bjorn and Kris were catching up still, though they were rather close now, and Beth, Sera, and Blood were ready for their next rebirth, which would be their eighth. That would leave them with two more rebirths to go, though it was not going to be a problem for Beth at all, as she was already meeting all the requirements. For the others, it would be the eighth rebirth, grinding up to the ninth rebirth, the ninth rebirth, then grinding to the tenth. At the tenth, however, was when everybody else was going to need to either have their Mana Physique done, or they were going to need to make their Physique at that point.

Speaking of already having their Physiques, Blood informed them unceremoniously that they would be waiting at their current location for two days. When Beth asked her to clarify, which was more like 'The fuck do you mean?', she was told that Val was about to join them. Beth was a bit surprised, but then again, it had been more than a year since they had started this Gold mission grind, close to eighteen months, and Val had said she would be free within two years. It was a reminder that time sometimes got away from her, and also that it didn't really matter, as she was barely aging, if at all. She would be hitting Enlightened only a little after hitting fifty objective age or so, which was quite fast, and she still appeared, for all intents and purposes, like she was in her early twenties. So did Sera, for that matter, who was a bit older than Beth and had leveled slower when she was young but still looked like she was in her early twenties.

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