Chapter 416: Amulet of Protection [2] Aunt Mei’s eyes had grown slightly misty with emotion, recognising the sentiment behind the gift even if she didn’t understand its true significance. "Of course we’ll wear them, Noah. This is such a thoughtful gift. Thank you, sweetie." She put hers on immediately, the amulet settling against her chest where it would remain, silently protecting her from dangers she’d never even know were threatening her. Uncle Smith followed suit, his initial hesitation about accepting expensive gifts overcome by recognition of how much this clearly meant to his nephew. "We’ll wear them with pride." "Promise me," Noah insisted, looking at each of them in turn. "Every time you leave the house. I’m serious about this." "We promise," they chorused, slightly puzzled by his intensity but willing to humour what they assumed was a sentimental attachment to the symbolic gift. His family was now protected by Tier 5 defensive artefacts that would shield them from virtually any conventional threat Earth could throw at them, and they simply thought they were wearing thoughtful family jewellery. Uncle Smith brought up something that had been weighing on his mind. He set down his cup and looked at Noah with concern evident in his expression. "Noah, wait—what happened with those scammers? Did you ever get your money back? Is everything alright?" The worry in Smith’s voice was genuine and heavy. He still felt tremendous guilt about the entire situation. Noah had stepped in to help when Smith had fallen victim to an elaborate insurance fraud scheme, paying the scammers a hundred thousand dollars to protect his uncle from further consequences. That kind of money represented a devastating loss, especially for someone who had supposedly just started becoming successful in business. Smith had been losing sleep over it, feeling responsible for his nephew’s financial burden despite Noah’s repeated assurances that everything was fine. Aunt Mei also turned to look at Noah with concern, her earlier joy dampened by the reminder of that stressful period. "Yes, Noah—we’ve been so worried about that. A hundred thousand dollars is not a small amount of money. Even with your business doing well..." Ethan shifted uncomfortably, remembering how angry and helpless he’d felt when he learned about the scam that had targeted his father. Noah smiled reassuringly, his expression showing none of the satisfaction he felt internally about how that situation had actually resolved. "Don’t worry about it at all. Everything worked out perfectly." "But the money—" Smith started to protest. "I got it back," Noah interrupted gently. "All of it. Actually handled everything through some legal channels and connections I’ve developed through business. The scammers were dealt with appropriately, and I recovered the full amount plus compensation for the trouble." This was technically true, though "legal channels" was a creative description of using his system and magical capabilities to sneak into the scammer’s apartment. And "compensation" was a massive understatement for what had actually happened. What his family didn’t know—and what Noah had no intention of ever revealing—was that he hadn’t just recovered his hundred thousand dollars. Through careful investigation using resources from both Earth and his magical shop’s capabilities, Noah had tracked down the scammers’ entire financial network. Noah had stolen everything they’d scammed from their victims and more. The scammers had come back from a scam to find themselves financially destroyed, with no way to trace where their money had gone or how it had disappeared so completely. The total take had been approximately two million dollars, twenty times what Noah had initially paid them. He’d kept detailed records of the original victims where possible, planning to eventually return portions to those who had been scammed. But the scammers’ operation had been so extensive and their record-keeping deliberately chaotic that identifying all victims would take time. In the meantime, Noah had effectively turned his hundred-thousand-dollar "loss" into a two-million-dollar profit while simultaneously destroying a criminal organisation that had ruined countless lives. But his family didn’t need to know those details. They didn’t need to know about the methods used or the full scope of what had happened. They just needed to know he was fine and they shouldn’t feel guilty. "Really?" Smith’s expression showed profound relief mixed with lingering concern. "You’re absolutely certain? You’re not just saying that to make us feel better?" "I’m completely certain," Noah confirmed firmly. "The situation is resolved, the money is recovered, and the people responsible will soon face the consequences. You don’t need to worry about it at all anymore, Uncle Smith. I promise." Aunt Mei let out a breath she seemed to have been holding. "Thank goodness. We’ve been so worried, Noah. That was such a large amount of money, and it was all because of us..." "It was never ’because of you,’" Noah corrected gently but firmly. "It was because criminals targeted you, and I chose to help. And honestly, everything worked out better than if I’d never gotten involved at all." That was certainly true—if Noah hadn’t intervened, Uncle Smith would still be trapped in the scammers’ schemes, potentially losing even more money, and a criminal organization would still be operating freely. Instead, his uncle was safe, the criminals were about to be destroyed, and Noah was two million dollars richer while having gained valuable experience in using his resources for purposes beyond simple commerce. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 Ethan grinned, some of his usual energy returning now that the heavy topic was resolved positively. "I knew you’d handle it, Noah. You always figure things out." "Just glad everyone’s safe, and things worked out," Noah said with genuine warmth. "That’s what matters most." Smith stood and pulled Noah into another hug, this one lasting longer and conveying more emotion than words could express. "Thank you for everything. I don’t know what we did to deserve having you in our lives, but we’re grateful every day." Noah returned the embrace. Smith and Mei had always treated him like their own son, supporting him through difficult years and celebrating his successes. Protecting them and helping them when they needed it wasn’t a burden—it was a privilege. "We are all a family," Noah said simply when they separated. "That’s all that matters." As he finally left their house and drove away, Noah felt deeply satisfied with how the morning had unfolded.