Chapter 224: Mentor Elias Blackwood

The room, bathed in the warm glow of antique brass lamps, exuded an air of quiet opulence. The walls, paneled with dark oak, bore the weight of centuries—each grain telling a story of wealth amassed and lost. The bookshelves, stretching from floor to ceiling, held a treasure trove of leather-bound tomes: financial treatises, ancient scrolls, and whispered secrets.

The desk, a polished mahogany monolith, stood at the room's center. Its surface was a mosaic of ink stains and coffee rings, evidence of countless late-night calculations and clandestine negotiations. A quill pen, its nib as sharp as Elias's gaze, lay poised beside a ledger thick with columns of numbers.

Behind the desk hung a portrait—the mentor in his prime. His eyes, twin galaxies of knowledge, followed anyone who dared enter. His fingers, long and elegant, seemed to reach out from the canvas, beckoning the curious to unravel the mysteries of wealth.

The window, draped in heavy velvet, revealed a view of the city below—a