Members of the Thieves Guild were all too familiar with this place—antique treasures stolen from noble houses had to be sold here.
Last year, Swan had come with Liszt, only last time they had stolen from Sefer, but this time they were here to kill and silence someone.
The street, flanked by retro gray and black high-rise buildings, was a narrow passage to the sky, while the evening sky, bloody as a residue of the sunset, shimmered purple.
The road was bustling with traffic, and under the lamplight, the already sparkling window displays shone even more brilliantly, all showcasing extravagantly priced luxuries, and the pedestrians, trendy and stylistically diverse.
"I’m not dreaming, am I? We’re back! All back! This is... the scent of Golden Dragon."
Ben took a deep breath, madly sniffing the perfume of a passing fashionable beauty, going so disturbingly close to smell her and emitting a pervert-like heavy breath.
"Are you crazy? Believe it or not, I’ll call the police on you!" The source of thɪs content is novel-fire.ɴet
This beautiful student from the Yisu Clan was not to be trifled with; she picked up her handbag and fiercely struck Ben’s face.
The metal chain accessory on the handbag critically hit Ben, leaving red marks on his face.
Since the end of the thirteenth month last year, he had been consistently imprisoned in Heaven Port; he never moved away half a step, constantly either tormented or bullied day in, day out, for almost nine months in total.
The days dragged like years, slowly wearing away his violent nature, but upon arriving in Duguli, he could no longer restrain himself, and his whole demeanor changed, his facial contours becoming firm and grim.
"When struck by a woman, the first thing that floats over is the fragrance, then comes the weapon or slap. By the time the fragrance fills your nostrils, it doesn’t feel very painful anymore."
After being hit, Ben didn’t flare up; instead, he immersed himself in it, his light gray skin’s pores dilating, his expression revealing a secret, shameful pleasure.
Despite the female student’s strong-willed character and knowing how to retaliate, she hadn’t ever encountered such a pervert; taking a good look at this Dark Elf’s companions, none of whom seemed easy-going—with some even wearing strange iron masks—she thought better of it and ran off straight away.
"Damn it Zhou Ke’er, they’ve mistaken us for the bad guys now."
Chuan Che felt his lifetime’s reputation was utterly destroyed by Black Sail; these days, his Hall-level adventurer’s face had completely lost its glow.
"Do you sense the position?"
Swan asked Saleret, who had been guiding them using the strange Magic Technique in his eyes. If there were any residues of aura on objects, Saleret’s eyes could lock onto the location regardless of the range.
"The aura has disappeared, they must have used a countermeasure, now I totally can’t feel it, but the last direction was towards Aran Imperial City."
For Saleret, too, it was a long-awaited return to the mainland; he had spent nearly ten years outside in the castle estate of Heaven Port, and was somewhat unfamiliar with the current Western Continent which vastly differed from what he remembered.
Duguli absolutely had the credentials to be ranked among the top thirty cities of the entire Western Continent.
Swan’s face darkened.
The Netherworld Envoy had shown impressive performance in the preliminaries, not only crushing one opponent after another but also displaying flamboyantly technical skills that profoundly impressed the organizers.
She didn’t have to go through rounds of preliminary selections, sparing unwarranted slaughter, as one-sided gambling couldn’t draw much profit, and the governments made no gains. What the Continent Martial Arts Competition sought was strength against strength, top experts against top experts; direct bets in the Imperial City finals would bring in huge profits.
Of course, the importance of the Continent Martial Arts Competition was not only about making money but also about a grand affair that thrills the entire population, which was even more crucial; the Netherworld Envoy would demonstrate her skills at the Stargazing Festival.
Becoming one of the fortunate one thousand.
Just making it to the finals marked one as a genius among geniuses. These thousand, if not dying in combat, would be directly absorbed into the Alan Royal Court, which means they were led by the Emperor, head of the world’s biggest and strongest Military Government.
"Things really became tricky.
You know the Emperor himself will be present, watching the competition."
"The airport is definitely trying to seize this opportunity to inform on others and climb the ladder," Rein sighed deeply, glancing meaningfully at Ben and Swan; he had come to understand that the average member of the Thief Guild was a traitor, probably the biggest weakness of Diaz’s enterprise.
Even if the Netherworld Envoy’s Stealth techniques were top-notch, it was still that man’s palace.
Moreover, even if one were to attempt to see the Emperor through normal channels by submitting requests layer by layer, it would simply be unrealistic; the Royal Court was dominated by powerful ministers and their numerous underlings, not lacking those who would deceive the Emperor.
It was likely the Emperor hadn’t even heard about the incident of Fafna the Dragon being stolen. With his status, he had more important matters to worry about.
Therefore, the Netherworld Envoy’s choice was a correct one—directly revealing everything to the Emperor during the Stargazing Festival finals.
Perhaps the Emperor, such a man, didn’t need Alicia to officially appoint him as the elector, or perhaps he would execute someone with the Overlord’s bloodline in public to demonstrate legitimacy.
After all, Alicia was a legitimate successor to the "Blood of Conquering the World" from two thousand years ago. As long as it was offered up to the Emperor, Kai Deng could enjoy endless blessings, transitioning from the biggest rat in the Thief Guild to someone of high social standing.
"If the Netherworld Envoy really intends that, then we still have three months," Swan calculated.
Meanwhile, in Lostra’s intent from Mulong’s side was to drag out this year, hoping that Morison and Shadi could last that long. They could still return to support Mulong after the Stargazing Festival in September.
"Three months, it’s absolutely like a pipe dream. Would that flat-chested woman obediently wait for us to find her? She must be deeply undercover and also continuously thinking about how to meet the Emperor in person, as discussing this matter is pointless unless done directly with the Emperor. The credit might even be taken by someone else since only information can be offered," Ben judged.
"It’s not that I’m being too idealistic, but it can only be this way. Saleret’s Magic has lost its effect. We can no longer find someone of the Netherworld Envoy’s caliber."
Swan remained silently dejected. From chasing someone from Golden Palm Port to Duguli, they had wasted far too much time, all for nothing in the end.
"So... it seems there is only one way left," Saleret suddenly said.
Since Kai Deng had already entered the finals, the only way to approach her before she could inform the Emperor was clear.
Everyone else remained silent, fully aware of what Saleret was thinking.
The only option was to fight their way into the Continent Martial Arts Competition finals and kill her before the Netherworld Envoy could make her appearance.
Chuan Che would not attend the so-called Continent Martial Arts Competition, not for lack of confidence in his skills, but because there were too many extraordinary Divine figures every year.
Sending others seemed like sending them to their death.
"Forget it, let’s discuss it with Liszt when we see him; he’s also in town, always using someone called Galen to write letters, hiding very well. Goria and Meredith have already gone ahead to find him, let’s follow them," Swan said accordingly.
The handicrafts from Iron Soul Island were also hitting the market in Duguli at just this time, and it made sense that Liszt would appear here, given the crisis faced by the Thief Guild.
"What would happen if, in three months, we can’t stop that flat-chested woman?" Rein speculated.
Being inclined towards dark thoughts, Ben naturally imagined the worst outcome and said, "Upon hearing there’s still a Dragon in the East Sea, the Emperor would be furious on the spot, tearing Fafna apart and crushing Garscek’s skull. Not to mention the Overlord’s bloodline, he would dismember Alicia right away, treating her like previous prey from the Secret Department. Liszt would be made into a specimen, and we would all be sent to the Northern Prison, subjected to mad experiments by a thousand Mikas—but these Mikas are the GAY version, talking eruditely and freely associating."
Ben elaborated quite a bit.
Rein and Swan stopped in their tracks.
These words, not just for the two of them,
Both Hall-level adventurers felt a chill run down their spine to the crown of their heads, a boundless horror, gay Mika, marking that on one’s back.