As Isaac trekked in the streets of the neighborhoods, he saw the bright Christmas lights adorning every mansion.
A Christmas song lingered in the air, and it was slightly muffled. It was coming from the direction of the Whitelock Residence.
The Whitelock Residence's metal gate was wide open. There were still people entering the mansion with gift packets in their hands.
Isaac's parents invited everyone from the neighborhood to their Christmas party. There were also many relatives, including the servants, and several hundred invited people present.
Isaac entered through the gate with a plastic bag hanging from his left hand. The front door was guarded by two bodyguards, and the sound of music came from the slightly open window.
"Young master!" The bodyguards immediately saluted and opened the door swiftly—they slightly lowered their heads with looks of revere flashing past their faces.
Past year, Isaac's reputation had grown inside White Online rapidly. He was known as the Mysterious Bookstore Owner. Even Top Players acted respectfully in his presence, and that reputation also reached the real world.
Name Isaac Whitelock was already widely recognized in Winterland!
Isaac entered the mansion and saw the servants serving drinks and food. There were effortlessly over a hundred people present. They were mainly hanging out in the large living room and the front lounge's buffet area.
Several curious individuals were strolling on the second floor, checking out the expensive golden-framed paintings.
"Young master!" After the servants noticed him, they greeted him fervently.
The servants' cries caused everyone to turn their gazes toward the front door. Their eyes showed signs of pleasant surprise and slight nervousness.
Isaac nodded and walked past the servants. Everyone stepped away from his path, allowing him to reach the kitchen easily.
Creak…
After opening the kitchen door, he saw Isabella, Rachel, and Mariah chatting while cooking alongside servants. They all wore aprons, making them look like attractive housewives.
"Mom, here." Isaac placed the plastic bag on the table.
"Ah, you are here!" Isabella quickly pressed on the sink's faucet and washed her hands. Then, she gave a quick peck on Isaac's cheek and took the plastic bag.
"Isaac, how are you doing?" Rachel asked gently as her beautiful face was slightly dirtied by the flour.
"Good." Isaac tapped his finger against the desk and asked curiously, "I heard Tom got a promotion. Is that correct?"
"Hehe, he did." Rachel said with a gentle giggle.
Isaac nodded and looked toward Mariah, "Where is Luna?"
"In the backyard with the kids," Mariah replied while stuffing her soft hands into the flour.
"Alright, thanks." Isaac snatched a cookie from the table and left the kitchen.
He got immediately swarmed by several middle-aged men. They tried to act casually, but there was a hint of nervousness in their facial expressions.
"L-Lord Isaac." A middle-aged man with creamy brown hair said with a tiny stutter, "My name is John Karma. It's nice to meet you."
"Lord Isaac, my name is Rick Creek." A middle-aged man with ashen gray said with his right hand on his chest. His garments were a navy blue suit with a black-inlaid cane in his left hand.
"Lord Isaac, my name is Pete Brown. It's an honor to meet you." A short middle-aged man with shoulder-length chocolate brown hair said while fidgeting with his fingers.
Isaac came to a halt and looked at the three men with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, may I help you?"
"Well, actually… We have a business proposition." John Karma said after clearing his throat.
Seeing Isaac's curious look, Rick Creek said, "It's concerning your business in White Online, the Bookstore of Myriad."
Bookstore of Myriad, Isaac's bookstore's name.
"I am listening," Isaac said with his left ear slightly perked up. He had received a lot of business propositions, but not even one had caught his eye. There were few cooperations with other players to increase the number of books in the store, but that was all.
Pete Brown smiled and said, "Since we have been friends since High School, we decided to build a company that deals with book publishing. We managed to do pretty well and managed to make the Company's worth several hundred million.
"In the end, White Online arrived, and we decided to try our luck in it. We began creating our own bookstores there because we knew that the level of entertainment there must be lesser.
"And using our futuristic knowledge, we could make big profits. Then, reality hit us big time. In Summer Realm, everyone was too into slaying monsters, leveling up, and increasing their power.
"Thus, we failed to make our demands. While others invested in Potion Business, we tried our hand in Book Business which failed.
"Then, we heard about you… A bookstore in Spring Realm owned by a single person. We thought you would fail like we did.
"However… You noticed something we didn't. When people reached Spring Realm, the progress became slower… Much slower, thus forcing players to stay in the same place for longer.
"In the end, Players made Spring Realm their home. That's why your bookstore is so incredibly popular because they are not only focused on improving their strength anymore but also are more interested in other entertainment.
''After all, staying in one place for a long time can make people bored. Especially the players who got used to exploring new places!
"You created books that increased your popularity among New-Gen Humans (NPC), then after players came to a standstill, they continued wondering what they should do?
"In the end, they bought houses and started living there, and then they came across your bookstore.
"They found valuable entertainment, and your popularity had explosive rise.
"Am I right?" Pete Brown breathed deeply with a slightly red face. His two friends watched curiously behind him.
Isaac stayed silent and watched the three men curiously. He could see the greed for power and money.
"Sigh…" He sighed and showed three fingers, "First, you are wrong. Second, they don't only read for entertainment but also because they gain something from my books. Third, my popularity resulted from me being able to do something other's couldn't."
The three men frowned and looked confused.
"Let me guess. You three want me to partner up with you?"
They nodded hesitantly.
"Unfortunately, that would be useless for me." Isaac lowered his fingers and walked past them, "You three don't understand how I became popular. Thus, making the offer sour."
"W-W-Wait, please reconsider!" John Karma shouted after him, but Isaac had already stepped out of the back door.
"No… Because my books are excellent…" Isaac smiled and walked into the light, "Unlike others… I can increase the strength of others with only my books."
