Capítulo 213: She Discovers The Origin Of The Black Merchants Guild
Fest blinked in surprise, then sighed in resignation. "This is Robin, the Hero that emerged in Ekkinshire kingdom, recently."
"The Hero! That's great!" The man exclaimed in relief.
"Ahem! Hero Robin, this man is Marin, the wizard in charge of overseeing us wizards during this disaster." The magician who led Robin's group introduced.
Robin was surprised. After seeing all the decadence and art on the way here, Marin's robes were not similarly bedecked in affluence. The only difference was an extra gold stripe around the neckline of the robe.
"I'm not the owner of the tower, here. I'm just the overseer." Marin explained, seeing Robin's expression. "The owner and most powerful of us are busy protecting the important merchants in town."
"Ah. That makes sense." Robin nodded, then noticed something odd. "A wizard, you say? Are wizards different from magicians?"
"Not really, no." Marin shook his head. "I can cast magic just as well, but my mana capacity is smaller than normal. A lack of mana can be a fatal flaw in spellcasting. So, in order to make sure I have enough, I rely on enchanted items to store the different types of mana that I need."
"So, if all your items run out of mana, you're toast?" Robin asked.
"Basically, yes." Marin admitted.
"Ahem!" Keith interjected their conversation, seeing that time was short.
"Ah, right. Wizard Marin, All the monsters at the explosion site have been subjugated, however, there are still magic beasts running around in the sewers below the city. Do you have any kind of magic surveillance that can detect their locations?" Robin asked, getting back to topic.
"Well..." Marin glanced at Fest, then frowned, looking away. "No. I don't. But there is someone who does. And he's being a right stubborn man, too."
"Badmouthing me in front of my face is it?" Fest rolled his eyes.
"Better than behind your back, I say." Marin replied, making a sour face at Fest.
"Fest, you have surveillance, down there?" Robin asked.
"Mmn. But I can't use it." Fest replied.
"Why not?" Robin asked.
"Because I had an agreement with the creator of the black market." Fest replied, morosely.
"At the time, people were dying from a certain illness, and the only known cure was being monopolized by the nobles. By law, it was forbidden for merchants to sell the cure, or to give it to anyone other than a noble, punishable by death."
"That's a stupid law." Robin scoffed.
Fest adjusted his glasses. "I agree with you. But a law, it was. And my old friend couldn't wait until the next lawmaking meeting for it to be overturned."
"Why not?" Christian asked.
"His wife and child had caught the illness. Many of our neighbors had also fallen ill." Fest sighed."That was when he came to me for help."
"You?" Robin asked.
Fest nodded. "He knew that I had placed surveillance in the sewer systems. But if he could use the sewers to circumvent the soldiers'checkpoints, he could save not only his wife and child, but also many of our friends and neighbors. All he asked was that I say nothing about what his group did from then on. At the time, I agreed not to use the surveillance, nor to speak about them to the city authorities until the group was disbanded."
"But...?" Robin noticed.
"But even though he died, the group didn't disband. It grew larger and was passed down to less moral descendants until it became what you see now. 'Obtaining the illegal, yet neccessary' turned into 'obtaining the necessarily illegal'. Its upright beginning is now being trampled under the dirt by its unworthy descendants."
"Wait. If you can't say anything to the city authorities, how come you're being so chatty with Robin, here?" Christian asked.
Fest smirked. "I said 'city authorities', didn't I? For a prince, you're not too bright on the uptake."
"But Marin's here. Doesn't he count as a city authority?" Christian asked.
"Was I speaking to Marin?" Fest asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Anyways, I can't turn the surveillance back on until the entire group has been caught, or removed from the sewers."
Christian thought for a bit. "How many people did we tie up, Keith?"
"74." Keith replied.
"And how many people are in the dark guild group?" Christian asked.
"The original number was 12. However, it has grown to 75 in this city." Fest replied.
"So we are missing one." Christian sighed bitterly.
--------
Liam had easily dispatched every Magic beast they encountered on their way there. They had already almost breached through to the central area of the Dark guild's base. All that was left was the main hall, ahead, and the treasure room behind.
"Urp! I am suddenly regretting deciding to come with you." Jasmine, said, feeling somewhat nauseous at the stench wafting from a nearby tunnel.
"That's the way to the sewers. Don't go there." Chelsea warned cheerfully.
"So we're just here to grab the dragon pearl and leave?" Jasmine confirmed.
"Partly." Chelsea replied.
"Oh? We rescued the people, and the dragon pearl is just ahead of us. What other reason do we have to be down here?" Liam asked, wondering what else they had to do.
"You see, there's one person left that we need to bring along." Chelsea informed.
"We didn't rescue everybody?" Jasmine asked, confused.
"Well...This one is a bit reluctant to leave..." Chelsea shrugged. It was no use telling them ahead of time. It was better just to do it, and learn about everything after the fact.
"Ah, the main hall!" Jasmine noticed, after they turned a corner.
"Well, it seems they left in a hurry." Liam noted.
An overturned brazier had scattered coals across the stone floor. A few coals were still glowing a dull reddish brown at their core. Various items were also strewn on the floor: art pieces torn by claws, broken emergency magic defense items, Severed staff and spear bits. The weapons rack by the door was empty, as was the throne that sat at the back of the long room.
"And I can see why." Jasmine noted. What was thought to be a piled of furs had gotten to its feet upon hearing their voices.
Thick, sinewy limbs, Snow white fur scored regularly by ebony black stripes, eyes reddened in bloodlust and madness: it was clear to all that this was a Greater White Tiger. And it stood between them and the throne.
"Wait, shouldn't it be shaking in terror from your Dragon Might, Liam?" Jasmine asked.
"It would, if it had even a small bit of sanity remaining." Liam sighed in pity. "It's a shame. This descendant has lost his mind completely. The only thing it can do now is kill and seek blood. In respect to its ancestor, I have no choice but to put it down."
He unsheathed his blade and stepped forward.
--------
Several minutes later....
--------
Jasmine gazed at the surrounding mess. "So...where is this pearl we need to get?" She asked.
Liam pointed to the throne at the back of the room.
"Ah. Of course..." Jasmine facepalmed.
They made their way through the mess. Shattered porcelains, and broken crystal showed just how much wealth these rogues had amassed. Instead of the dark merchant guild, it should have been called the thieves guild. There were no side rooms or doors along the way. When they stood before the throne, Jasmine examined it.
It was a carved throne made of expensive green jade. Burnished gold lined its edges like what could sometimes be found upon the lips of exquisite porcelain tea cups. However, there was one thing wrong; there were no pearls on it.
"Where is that Dragon Pearl?" Jasmine asked, once again. Liam pointed at the throne.
"There's clearly no pearls on that throne. Are you sure?" Jasmine asked. Did they have to break apart the chair to get to the pearl?
"Not on the throne. Behind it." Liam said.
"Behind it?" Jasmine asked.
"Think, Jasmine." Chelsea pointed out. "We've come through all the rest of this place, and we still haven't come across the treasure room, right? Obviously, they wouldn't keeo their true wealth outside in plain sight. Therefore, there must be a hidden room somewhere. And what safer place is there than behind the head honcho's chair?"
"So, all this time, the leader's been sitting in the doorway?" Jasmine asked.
"Basically." Chelsea said. "There should be a mechanism on the chair somewhere..." She sat down in the seat and started exploring the carvings on the throne. Liam and Jasmine stepped up to help her.
Eventually, a curlique on the left hand side was pushed in, and the throne spun around, taking the three with it into the room beyond.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder