Chapter 366: 366 Karmic Bond

No, I was just making that up earlier! How did it actually get delivered to me?

Looking at the gold-threaded purse handed to him, Li Ang's mind went blank, then he scrutinized the waiter with a suspicious gaze.

Could it be… he thought I was demanding a bribe?

But that doesn't make sense—in his eyes, I'm a duke who doesn't lack money. Why would I bribe a waiter? What would I gain?

Unable to make sense of it, Li Ang did not take the purse the waiter offered; instead, he frowned and waved his hand.

"You've made a mistake. This isn't my purse."

Huh?

Hearing Li Ang's words, Jacob's face, which had just relaxed in relief, froze—but he still pressed on.

"Why don't you open it and check? I found it based exactly on the features you described—it should be correct."

"I did say my purse has a lion emblem in gold thread, but that doesn't mean every gold-threaded purse with a lion emblem is mine."

Taking the purse from the waiter's hand, Li Ang flipped it over to the embroidered lion side, then pointed to the name stitched above the lion's head.

"Look—this name, it clearly… hmm?"

What? This is really my name?

"Your Grace, it seems you may have mistaken it."

Seeing Li Ang stunned, Jacob instantly exhaled in relief and smiled warmly.

"The lighting here is dim, so the purse's color looks slightly different from how it appears outside. At first glance, it really doesn't seem similar."

"And as a noble of your stature, you usually have attendants with you and rarely carry your own purse, so you're not familiar with its exact appearance. Not recognizing it is perfectly normal."

"…"

No, this isn't about whether I recognized it or not—my purse is still lying in the Mirror World. It never got lost at all!

"Well… maybe someone shares my name?"

Flustered by the purse embroidered with his own name, Li Ang quickly opened it, flipped to the compartment for documents, and argued firmly:

"If this is my purse, it should have my portrait… Holy shit, it really does!"

Looking at the photo clipped in the document slot—his own face, arrogant and gazing down at the lens—Li Ang's mind went slightly numb. Recalling the director's warning before he arrived, he instinctively grew wary.

Although it was a photograph, not a painted portrait, and not exactly what he'd described, this was still absurd. Could it be… this building is some kind of anomaly? One that makes wishes come true—or creates things out of nothing?

"It seems you simply misremembered. This is indeed your purse."

After glancing at the photo, the waiter Jacob let out a long breath and returned to his cheerful smile, politely asking:

"Congratulations on recovering your belongings. So, Your Grace, now that you've found your purse, would you still like to have a drink on the third floor?"

"No… no thanks…"

Seeing the curious glances around him, Li Ang's lips twitched slightly before clamping shut. Knowing further hesitation might draw attention, he reluctantly accepted the suspicious purse, his face stiff and expressionless.

"I'm going to check out other places. Please escort me out."

"Of course, this way, please."

Seeing the troublesome guest finally leave, Jacob exhaled deeply and led the way, bowing respectfully as he escorted Li Ang out.

Not long after the two departed, a golden-haired little dog curled up asleep at the first-floor bar twitched slightly, then tumbled off his chair with a thud.

As waiters rushed over to help him up and asked if he was alright, the dazed golden-haired dog mumbled two words, "I'm not drunk," then instinctively reached for his waist—and…

"Huh? Where's my purse?"

Finding the spot where his purse hung empty, the golden-haired dog sobered up by half, then, supported by the waiters, staggered toward the main counter near the entrance and slammed his fist hard on the counter.

"Someone! I lost my purse! I need to report it!"

"Of course… Mr. Steven Lane?"

After sizing up the drunken golden-haired dog before him, the clerk at the main desk opened a notebook and asked gently:

"What does your purse look like?"

"I'm Lane! What kind of purse could mine possibly be? Of course it's gold, like my hair, and on the bottom… it's embroidered with the Lane family lion emblem!"

Leaning against the counter for support, the golden-haired dog, clad in military training gear and half-blind with drink, slurred:

"And on the bottom… it's embroidered with the name of the duke I once admired most… and inside, there's his photo… ugh… I'm so damn miserable!"

As he spoke, it seemed some strange switch flipped—the golden-haired dog, face flushed red, suddenly burst into tears, hugging the counter.

"I admired that duke so much, and he kidnapped me and forced me to pilot his power armor! Do you know that?! He attacked… hmm… I can't say that, but he forced me to pilot his power armor and flee!

Ugh… I just said I'd rather die than help him escape, and now I'm forced to pilot his power armor and run away! Now everyone calls me 'Iron-Boned Steven'—I'm famous throughout the Armor Corps! Everyone laughs at me!"

As he spoke, the golden-haired dog grew increasingly agitated, banging his forehead repeatedly against the counter, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Do you know? Ever since that day, everyone laughs when they see me. I can't even stay in the Armor Corps barracks anymore. Secret Investigation Bureau cops know I had contact with… hmm… anyway, they keep blocking the barracks, trying to interrogate me.

They trapped me inside—I couldn't get out. After days of suffocating confinement, I finally jumped over the wall, came here to drink and forget, and now I've lost my purse… I'm so damn miserable!

"Sir, calm down. Your purse may not be lost—I'll have someone look for it right away!"

Grieving over the counter he'd just cleaned, now smeared with snot, the clerk immediately called over a colleague in charge of lost-and-found…

"What? Someone else claimed my purse?"

Hearing someone had stolen his purse, the golden-haired dog wiped his nose, eyes red, and roared:

"Who?! Who dared take my stuff? Tell me their name—I'm going to beat them to death today!"

"Um… the claimant's name on the record is Li Ang Lane…"

"Who? Who claimed it?"

"Li Ang Lane."

Repeating Li Ang's name, the clerk offered a nervous smile:

"We verified it—the badge he presented was genuine. He's the current Duke of Lionheart. He also lost a purse, and its features match yours, so we…

Uh… Mr. Steven, perhaps you should think again—could you have mistaken the duke's purse for yours?"

"…"

"Ugh! I'm really so damn miserable!"