The CBC courier delivered a large envelope containing the first advance check for Percy's voice acting contract, made out directly to the Perseus Star Trust, per Mr. Harding's instructions: $7,000.
Liana's eyes lit up. "See, Percy? This is real income. Professional. It proves your genius." Relief washed over her—finally, the money was entering the trust through a perfectly legitimate, verifiable paper trail. The CBC of all places—it completely erased the nervous energy left from the lawyer's audit warning days earlier.
Percy, however, had his attention fixed elsewhere. He clutched the remaining $800 cash from his initial delivery, intent on using it to pay off the last outstanding debt to his logistics contact, Vic, for the initial gold exchange. "I want to come with you to the bank," he told Liana, "to practice counting the deposit." She smiled at the chance to teach him another lesson in financial responsibility and gladly accompanied him to the CIBC branch near their apartment.
While Liana chatted with the branch manager about setting up a joint account for the new CBC funds, Percy quietly slipped away with his envelope of cash. He found the discreet 'safe drop' box near the front entrance, normally reserved for the Bay Street lawyers. Inside, he placed the envelope along with a simple note for Vic, instructing him to retrieve the funds and clear the balance from their initial exchange.
It was Percy's final logistical maneuver—clean, precise, and untraceable. The $800 would no longer be linked to their apartment. The black market dealings were closed.
Returning home, Liana immediately began imagining a new, respectable piece of furniture purchased with the first paycheck. Percy, meanwhile, settled on the rug, spreading out a fresh set of colored pencils. He began to draw a large, exacting grid—not a childish sketch, but a geological map.
The money, the cover, the planted map—all were in place. The next step was operational: ensuring that when Liana discovered the grid, she would know which academic contacts to mobilize for exploration.
Percy's hand hovered over the grid, then he took the thick, gold-colored pencil and drew a cross-section, marking the precise axial plunge of the Golden Giant Mine structure from his vision. With a single, coded symbol—the Perseus Star—he marked the spot. The gold was no longer just a vision, a forgery, or a criminal exchange; it had become a tangible geological problem waiting for his mother to solve.