After entering the room, Zaos put on clothes he found on his bed. The clothes consisted of a black coat and black trousers and although they were a bit larger than his size, it wasn't that noticeable.
[Where did they find these?] Zaos put on his leather boots and headed outside the room.
As he moved, he couldn't help but ponder.
[The clan will eventually catch wind of my action here. I can hide my identity from others but, from the Qildor clan, it will prove difficult...] Zaos sighed.
[I'll have to start thinking of an excuse that will satisfy them. Although they might be suspicious, they will probably stay their hands as the Red Lotus gang should also be attractive to them.] Zaos mused.
The Red Lotus gang was one of the largest gangs in the mercenary city. Although their strength could not be compared to that of a clan, they were still usable manpower.
Most clans secretly had their eyes on the mercenary city and wished to annex it. But, since these clans were not willing to share the city, they mutually kept each other in check. They could only secretly send some of their members to infiltrate the city; Ronik was an example of this.
With this in mind, Zaos was betting on the Qildor clan's greed over the city to ease the suspicion they might bear towards him.
He shook his head and made his way into the living room on the lower floor. Compared to the dining room, the living room was a bit more elegant. It had a large cushioned chair propped against a wall with smaller wooden chairs around it.
On the ceiling hung a candle chandelier that illuminated the luxurious paintings hung on the walls.
"Leader," The burly Rendov and some other gangster with him bowed to the arrived Zaos.
Zaos nodded at them. He glanced below them and noticed a group of four women knelt on the ground. Their hands and legs were bound by metal chains. They looked at Zaos with a mixture of fear and anger.
"Do you know who we are? Once our husband hears of this, he will have your head!" One of the women with red hair cursed.
"Shut up! You're talking to our boss!" A gang member raised his leg to kick the lady.
Zaos raised his hand, stopping the gangster in his tracks. He didn't say anything and simply made his way to the large cushioned chair.
After taking a seat, Zaos smiled at the woman and said in a neutral tone.
"It seems you're not aware. Your dear Marvid is dead… " Zaos rested his head on his hand.
"Liar! There is no way a husband would die just like that!" The same red-haired female elf screamed while the color drained from the faces of the rest of them.
"Marvid is dead?" A green-haired female among the group muttered with an ashen expression.
"Think whatever you want, I brought you all here to decide what to do with you. I'll count to ten, if you can't prove your worth before I finish counting then I'll kill you." Zaos said with a smile.
An abrupt hush fell on the living room, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
"One," Zaos broke the silence.
The faces of the women present changed drastically, even the unruly fire elf didn't dare speak lightly.
"Two," Zaos continued.
The gangsters present all looked at their new boss in admiration and fear. His words seemed to carry undeniable authority as even though they weren't the ones on the receiving end, they also felt nervous.
"Three," Zaos ignored everything else and focused on his counting.
"Wait! I-I can offer myself!" A dark elf among the group spoke up timidly. The surrounding women looked at her in disgust and were about to berate her when a needle came hurling in her direction. None of them could react as the needle pierced her skull, killing her instantly.
"Trash. Four," After killing the dark elf, Zaos resumed counting.
"Kya!" The female fire elf screamed in terror. She groveled at Zaos' feet, as she begged fearfully.
"Spare me, spare me! I'll do anything you want!" She cried. The earth elf female and the wind elf female looked on with pale faces, although they didn't say anything, it was evident that they were frightened.
"Like what?" Zaos paused his counting and smiled at the fire elf.
The fire elf rose her head and looked at Zaos in hope.
"I–" She stopped mid-sentence as she guessed at her dead companion.
"You?" Zaos teased with a smile.
The fire elf remained silent. She was the last of Marvid's wives and had always been pampered by the latter. She had never had to do anything herself since marrying him so she had no real skills.
"*Sigh* Then you're useless too… " Zaos shook his head.
"No! I–" The fire elf's was cut mid-sentence as a blooded hole appeared in her head.
"You talk too much. Well, I'm tired of counting so the both of you can state your worth or die… " Zaos shifted his attention to the two remaining individuals.
The surprisingly small earth elf and the beautiful wind elf both remained silent. After a few seconds, the earth elf spoke in a resolved tone.
"Kill me. I'd rather die than help my son's killer." She said with a stoic expression.
"Good resolve! You can head over to where your son is now…" At Zaos' words, a blooded hole appeared in her head as he died.
"That leaves only you left," Zaos smiled at the last woman.
"State your worth or join the rest, I have limited patience," Zaos said in a neutral tone.
The wind elf's lips trembled slightly. She looked like she was contemplating a decision.
"Hmm alright, you can die then." Zaos raised his hand slowly.
"Wait!" The beautiful wind elf screamed.
[Heh! So predictable… ] Zaos could tell that compared to the rest, the wind elf was the one who was most likely to cave.
"I can take you to his treasury, Marvid's secret stash." She said slowly.
"Secret stash?" Zaos glanced at the dumbfounded gangsters. They were scared shitless by Zaos' performance and could only stand stiffly by the side.
[Tsk, trash.] Zaos scoffed.
"Yes, I'm the only one who knows about it." The wind elf responded.
"Alright, you may live for now." Zaos nodded.
[I need the mana gems after all] he lamented.
"No, you have to guarantee my safety!" She screamed.
"Shut up! You don't make the demands, I do. I could kill you now if I wanted to… " Zaos released his killing intent on the woman.
The beautiful wind elf gasped for breath. The overwhelming pressure of Zaos' killing intent pinned her to the ground.
"Now, are we clear?" Zaos retrieved his killing intent.
"Y-yes." the wind elf responded sheepishly. She didn't dare raise her head.
"Good." Zaos nodded.
[I wonder what Marvid has stashed.] He grinned as he thought.