Chapter 6: Giovanni, The Head of Missions Department
In a quiet corner of the guild headquarters, Giovanni, the Head of the Department of Missions, sat hunched over a stack of test reports. His keen eyes narrowed as he sifted through the data, an air of suspicion settling over him like a heavy cloud. Something just wasn't adding up.
"More than thirty women... upgrading Mana Circuits... and at a pace that's raising eyebrows without the use of any resources… Interesting…," Giovanni muttered to himself, tapping his pen impatiently against the desk.
Word had reached him about this peculiar surge in improvement among a select group of Hunters. The reports indicated a significant leap, from D-tier to C-tier Mana Circuits in a few days.
Giovanni, always the meticulous investigator, decided it was time to get to the bottom of it.
Summoning three of the Hunters who were part of this mysterious cohort, Giovanni eyed them with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Ladies, care to share the secret sauce for this sudden boost in your Mana Circuits?"
The trio remained tight-lipped, their poker faces doing little to conceal the subtle telltale signs of knowledge.
Giovanni, no stranger to the art of reading people, detected the silent acknowledgment of a concealed truth. Frustration mounted within him as he dismissed the trio, their retreating figures only fueling his determination.
Faced with this unyielding wall of silence, Giovanni opted for a more discreet approach. He decided to deploy a Spanish Gang, a group known for their discreet operations.
Selecting three of the gang's members, Giovanni tasked them with tailing the reticent trio.
For days, the gang kept a vigilant watch, shadows trailing shadows in the labyrinthine streets of the city. Soon, they pinpointed a discreet warehouse as the epicenter of the mystery. Instead of barging in recklessly, they chose a more subtle approach: a spy spider bot.
This unassuming arachnid-shaped bot, armed with a camera and microphone, skittered silently towards the warehouse. Its minuscule form crawled through crevices and corners, weaving through the night like an invisible thread. Upon reaching the warehouse, it positioned itself strategically, ready to unravel the secrets concealed within.
Inside the warehouse, the air buzzed with low murmurs as Edwin, masked and enigmatic as ever, presided over the meeting with the thirty women. The atmosphere, once again charged with a blend of camaraderie and secrecy, set the stage for another clandestine gathering.
"I appreciate your dedication, ladies. The improvements have been remarkable," Edwin's voice, slightly distorted by the mask, resonated in the dimly lit space.
One of the women, Camila, couldn't contain her excitement. "Sir Johan, it's like a whole new world opened up! My spells are packing a punch I never thought possible."
Edwin nodded approvingly. "That's what I like to hear. Our little exchange is proving mutually beneficial."
Unknown to them, the spy spider bot, nestled in a dark corner, captured every word and gesture.
Giovanni, glued to the live feed, felt a mix of relief and intrigue.
As the meeting progressed, the women shared stories of their encounters and challenges.
The spy spider bot captured these moments, its tiny lenses recording every nuance.
Giovanni, watching the live feed, furrowed his brows. "What's their game here? And who is this Sir Johan?"
Back in the warehouse, Edwin wrapped up the meeting, his mysterious aura lingering in the air. "Until next time, ladies. Keep honing those newfound skills."
As the women dispersed, Giovanni's operatives discreetly retrieved the spy spider bot.
Upon glimpsing the cryptic proceedings within the warehouse through the spider bot's lens, Giovanni wasted no time. His fingers flew over his smartphone, swiftly dialing up one of the Spanish Gang members.
"Hey, it's Giovanni. I need you one you three on Sir Johan's tail. Find out where he hangs his hat, you know? Get me his address," Giovanni instructed, his tone a mix of urgency and anticipation.
One member of the gang, Diego, immediately revved up his bike engine, ready for a stealthy pursuit. Sir Johan, unaware of the invisible tail he was acquiring, hopped into a cab as nonchalantly as ever. Little did he know that his every move was about to be scrutinized.
Diego, weaving through the city's labyrinth of streets, kept a safe distance from the cab. As the cab maneuvered through traffic, Diego tailed diligently, the rhythmic purr of his bike blending seamlessly with the city's ambient sounds.
The cab eventually pulled up to its destination—an unassuming society known as Whispering Palms. This society mainly had small, rented apartments.
The rented apartment, one in a line of nondescript residences, became the focal point of Diego's watchful gaze.
While Sir Johan disappeared into the mundane facade of the building, Diego, perched on his bike at a discreet distance, took note of the apartment's exact location.
The information was swiftly relayed to Giovanni via a discreet text message, a simple set of coordinates that revealed the mysterious Sir Johan's residence.
"Whispering Palms, Apartment 7B. That's where this Sir Johan lives," Diego messaged Giovanni, the smartphone screen casting an eerie glow on his face in the dimly lit alley where he stood.
Giovanni, now armed with a piece of the puzzle, mulled over the newfound information. "Whispering Palms, huh? Let's see what secrets you're hiding, Sir Johan."
For the next couple of days, Giovanni asked the three gang members, including Diego, to find out everything about that apartment and its residents.
It didn't take long for Diego to discover that the ones living in this apartment were Edwin and his little sister Mira who was a college student.
Apparently, Edwin worked in the Miami Hunting Guild. This caused Giovanni to use his laptop and check up on information about Edwin.
He soon discovered that Edwin was a Miner and a Porter who had been recently fired.
Giovanni found this rather strange as he thought to himself, 'If this Edwin is just living with his younger sister, the loss of the two jobs as Miner and Porter should have caused him to seek out other jobs. However, according to the reports of Diego, this Edwin doesn't leave the apartment much. Also, a man dressed like Sir Johan leaves that apartment every single day and goes to that warehouse before returning back to his apartment.'
It didn't take Giovanni much longer to realize that this Edwin was using the persona of Sir Johan to go to that warehouse and meeting up with those women. He probably didn't want to reveal his true identity to them.
Now…This implied that he had reason to believe that he would be troubled by those women in case his true identity was revealed.
This caused Giovanni to become sure that the reason behind the advancement of quality of mana circuits of those women was most definitely related to this man!
"Well, looks like it's time to meet this man," Giovanni muttered with a grin.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone