Chapter 510 (2/2)

*****

“Ah, our main guest arrived!”

Griffith smiled coolly at Ricky Stain as he hurried over to greet him at the door.

Griffith knew why Ricky wanted him here; Ricky was only a Tier 1 Citizen and wanted the legitimacy that Griffith provided. As a Tier 2 Citizen who had gone with the initial exploration party into the borderlands, Griffith’s influence was not small. His presence at this party would likely give weight to the appeals that Ricky was making. Besides, Griffith’s appreciated the significant upfront money Ricky was willing to pay, as well as the portion of his business that he would give to Griffith in exchange for his appearance.

It wasn’t fear that drove Griffith away from the expedition after the initial disasters, but rather a seemingly impassable wall. Although Griffith was almost Level 40, he had felt helpless before those Level 60 monsters in the borderlands. They were too quick to hit with a plasma rifle, and even when you did, they often could survive the shot long enough to kill five men, under constant fire.

It was a bitter realization. But Griffith accepted it. So he returned to the relative safety of patrols and made some money where he could on the side to make up from the decrease in pay from his change in employment. This one night would do a lot to relieve the financial burdens in which Griffith currently found himself.

“Come in, come in!” Ricky was saying, his eyes slightly glassy. “The party is going very well! The steelworkers are taking the bait, hook line and sinker, hahah!”

Ricky handed him a drink, but Griffith was relatively unamused. As he was going to be owning a part of Ricky’s business, he would like to see some proof before he relaxed. “Where are they?”

After leading him out to the pool deck, Ricky pointed to two Hispanic men who were taking shots off of an Asian woman’s stomach. “There are two. And the others…. Uh….. Oh, there they are.”

Griffith followed Ricky’s upraised arm to a group of three that was strolling towards a beautiful-

Griffith almost dropped his drink. When he looked at the group of three, one of them was gazing back at him with sharp brown eyes. That gaze cut right through him, left him feeling just as bare as if he was being hunted by a Level 60 monster. But just as soon as their gazes met, the other man looked away, turning towards the beautiful woman. Griffith instantly became serious.

One thing he learned in the borderlands was to trust his instincts. And instantly, his instincts warned him against letting his guard down around this man.

Ignoring the throbbing beat of the music, Griffith turned to Ricky. “All those three are steelworkers?”

Ricky nodded, an empty smile plastered on his face. After a deep breath, Griffith breathed back. “Then let’s go and introduce ourselves.”

*****

Tatiana looked up a with a smile as the three approached her as if she had only just now noticed their approach. As if she hadn’t tagged them gently out into the party with a smile a minute ago. “Do you three believe in magic?”

The three of them stopped. The tall woman who led them seemed to be the drunkest of them all and was completely flummoxed by the statement. The lean old man next to her seemed strangely gleeful, but she appreciated how his gaze flickered over her body, but he had the presence to not linger overmuch on any of her.

The final man was tall but was somewhat pudgy. But his eyes were sharp and direct, gazing with an innocent curiosity at her.

She laughed in a self-deprecating way as she spread her hands wide in invitation. “I mean, it’s silly to say now, isn’t it? But I’m not talking about that boring magic. I’m talking about the future. Would you like me to tell your fortunes?”