Chapter 55 (1/2)

Chapter 55: The Syndicate

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Once they put all their things away, Jacker put on his new steel armor and reached for his new steel round shield and hammer. This new set of gear, combined with his seven-foot frame, made him look as bulky and imposing as a tank. Gildern was ready with his new set of gear too.

Link changed into a lightweight leather armor so he would be able to move more freely. The three then quickly made their way to the market on the eastern side of the River Cove town.

King’s Lane ran through River Cove town. It was a small town with an area of just about a square mile due of its proximity to the capital, Springs City. Hence, the town was always full of travelers from all walks of life hustling and bustling about. For this reason, Link and the mercenaries could easily blend in with the crowd. After walking for about five minutes, they reached the entrance to the town market.

There was a great deal of livestock trading in the market. It was where the farmers around the Girvent Forest came to buy or sell cattle, sheep and other livestock. These animals were of high value, so to prevent them from escaping, a wooden fence encircled the market and two militiamen guarded the market entrance. There were more patrol officers inside, policing any ruckus or commotion.

Jacker was a mercenary, so naturally, he was on good terms with the militiamen. He walked up to one of the guards and slipped a silver coin into his hand. “Jon, did anything unusual happen here today?”

“No, everything was in order, there wasn’t even any bickering,” replied Jon, as he shook his head and rolled over in his hand. He was politer than usual to Jacker.

“Oh, I see. Did you see Lucy?” asked Jacker.

Lucy was a beautiful woman, and she had an alluring figure. She liked to wear form-fitting leather armor because it enabled her to move much more freely, but this also meant that her luscious curves were exposed too. Because of this, she was well known in the town, and was the woman of the single townsmen’s dreams. So, everyone in town knew Lucy. Even if they’d never seen her, they had at least heard of her.

Jon knew Lucy, in fact, he was one of Lucy’s greatest admirers, although Lucy herself had never spoken to him.

“I didn’t see her, she didn’t come here today, otherwise I would’ve noticed her!” said Jon, shaking his head.

The minute Jon finished his sentence, Jacker, Gildern, and Link all frowned and furrowed their brows. It seemed something terrible had really happened!

“What’s the matter? Isn’t she with you guys?” Jon asked nervously as he saw their reactions.

Jacker thought it was just the expression of a man worried about the woman he desired, but Link sensed there was something more.

Jon looked genuinely worried, but as he was speaking Link noticed that his eyes were looking suspicious, as if he knew something that he was not telling them.

Link immediately walked up and furtively revealed two gold coins in his hand, gleaming in its golden sheen. At the same time, Link checked the surrounding area and made sure to block other people’s view to ensure that Jon was the only one who saw the gold coins.

Link asked in a low voice, “Tell me what you know Jon, and these two gold coins will be yours.”

Jon was still hesitant and made no reply.

“Do you know why Lucy has always ignored you?” Link asked.

“Why?” Jon asked without thinking.

Link sneered, then said, “She once told me that you are the type of man who was unreliable and that you could never make her feel safe. I had thought that it was just an excuse, but now I know it’s the truth. Even now that you know Lucy is in danger, you’re only thinking about your own safety, and you still have the audacity to desire her?”

“I’m not just thinking about my own safety! Don’t you know who you’re messing with?” Jon retorted in shame and anger, his face reddened.

“Who?”

“…I can’t say!” said Jon, stopping himself at the very last moment.

Link revealed five gleaming gold coins in his hand. Jon gulped. This was the amount of money he would earn in half a year. He looked furtively to his left and then his right, and when he was sure no one was looking, he finally said in a very low voice, “If anything happened to Lucy, it must have something to do with the Syndicate. That’s all I can tell you.”

After finishing his words, Jon stared wide-eyed at the gold coins in Link’s hand.