Chapter 283 The Land Of Dreams 3 (1/2)
The Land of Dreams. ???????
A barren expanse, a soulless plain, a divine heritage. All of these were descriptions that aptly fitted the famed Land of Dreams. It didn't have any resources, nor did it have any prominent civilizations that thrived there. Yet, just a mere five hundred years ago, this small land had made history and came close to toppling the fragile balance of the three major superpowers.
Once a powerhouse in the international stage, many of the gorgeous buildings that stood had been reduced to rubble. Returned back to mother nature, not many would venture into the numerous ruins that were littered all around the country.
”That fucking Himmel Empire… Why must they come and ruin all the fun?!” An exasperated cry echoed out in the emptiness of the land. ”Now we can't proceed as planned!”
Inside of an abandoned, destroyed house, a few figures were gathered about in the dining area, each one with their own expression. Cyphia, the top courtesan had a nervous face while Star Face had rid himself of the disgustingly bright smile that he was known for. On the other side of the room, a handsome viridian haired boy stood behind a Black Mask who bore the mark of a crescent moon. His look was placid, and no one could really tell what he was thinking.
”On the surface, it looks like they're only conducting a joint training exercise, but the timing is too coincidental...” The Kshatriya's flat voice sounded out. ”Ever since the fall of Aldrich's Keep, the Himmel Empire has been keeping an eye on all of our operations. It would be safe to assume that information about this one had been compromised.”
”We have a rat?” Cyphia treaded dangerous waters with her annoyed tone.
”We can't be sure… That's why I asked only the two of you to join us today. We checked the both of you, and you're clean.” Junius came out with his own explanation.
”You investigated us behind our backs?” Star Face raised his eyebrows. Instead of feeling angry that someone came snooping in his backdoor, he was surprised that the Black Masks had infiltrated his defences that easily.
”I hope you won't take offence… We had to be a hundred percent sure.” Junius smiled as he bowed. Evidently, he didn't feel guilty at all that he invaded someone else's privacy.
”No, I understand… That's how criminal syndicates worked after all...” The corners of Star Face's mouth twitched as he addressed the boy who was at least a decade younger than him. For some reason, it seemed like the viridian-haired youth held more power than the Kshatriya that sat before him. ”So now what? Are we going to give up on the operation?”
”Of course not! We can proceed as planned. Based on our intelligence, the joint training session would only last a month. During that time, we can just lie low, and slow our progress down.”
”Won't it be safer to not proceed at all during that one month?” Cyphia added. She was just a frail Spirit Adept and had minimal experience in close combat. If a fight truly broke out against the military of the Himmel Empire, she had serious doubts on whether she could protect herself.
”That's a good idea, Cyphia, but after some consideration, we can't simply halt all operations in the area, especially at Mort Bay.” Junius patiently explained. ”Even if we don't do anything, traces of our operation would still remain. Thus, what we need to do is cover our tracks so much so that not even the most sensitive nose would know what's up.”
”So this month would be clean-up?” Star Face interjected. His strong arms were in full view as he folded them lazily.
”That's right, senior. However, that's not all. We would lie low, but that doesn't mean we won't be doing anything at all. Our organisation hopes that the two of you could go undercover in the main hub of the Land of Dreams, just to monitor everything that's happening in the city.”
”Hoho… And risk our lives for your cause?” Star Face narrowed his eyes. As a mercenary, he had done some of the most atrocious deeds back in his day. However, there was a line that he would never cross when undertaking a job, and that was risking his own life. As much as he liked money, what good was gold when he couldn't be alive to spend it.
”I would hope not! We still need your expertise in the years to come!” Sensing that the conversation was going the wrong way, Junius raised his hands to explain. ”All we need you to do is listen to the whispers in the Land of Dreams. Being a mercenary and a woman of the night, I'm sure you would get to the heart of society much easier than any of the Black Masks. We don't need you to fight anyone, let alone risk your lives. That I assure you.”
”... You have a glib tongue, has anyone told you that?” Cyphia chuckled and smiled at Junius.
”I don't think so… We all play with the cards we have.”
”Hehe, I'm starting to like you more and more!” Turning to the muscular man that sat beside her, Cyphia tried to understand what was going on in his head. ”Star Face, what say you?”
”Senior Kshatriya… Is that the will of the syndicate?” Instead of giving a direct reply, Star Face addressed the most influential person in the room, who had been awfully quiet during the entire exchange.
”Junius speaks for all of us.”
”I see… I accept this new mission of yours for one additional condition. When you find the rat, give their portion of pay to me.” In the end, it all boiled down to the money.
”That's all? Hmmm, that should be fine.” The Kshatriya replied. ”I assume that Miss Cyphia would want the same?”
Instantly turning solemn, the lady of the night considered all of her options. She was already given a share that could make nobles drool in envy, and a pay rise would essentially mean that she could retire and spend the rest of her life in luxury. ”Star Face… Share?”
”Share.”
”Good, so it's decided!” The Kshatriya clapped his hands at the start of the new union. However, almost instantly, his voice turned cold as he leaned in on the table. ”The Black Masks has spent a significant amount of resources in this operation… I hope there would be no more birds that sing.”
”Don't worry about that, senior…” The two Spirit Adepts gulped down a mouthful of saliva and bowed to the Black Mask in the room, before taking their leave.
”Junius… What do you think? Can we trust them?” Once they were left all alone, the Kshatriya turned and addressed the viridian-haired youth that stood behind him.
”Trust? Of course not. There's no one in this world that you can trust a hundred per cent. However, I believe in the personalities. Based on intelligence, Cyphia has been looking for a way out from the underground, while Star Face is a money-nabbing whore that takes almost any job that paid the right amount of price.” Junius carefully explained why he called only the two of them here today. ”With the amount of gold we are putting on the table, they would fight tooth and nail for us. Furthermore, if they do get caught, we could just silence them.”
”I share your sentiments.” The Kshatriya rubbed the bottom of his chin. After a while, he stood up and tapped the young adult on his shoulder with praise. ”Look at how far you've come… I'm sure your father would have been very proud.”