Hearing that slightly aged voice coming from outside the door, Roy instantly felt a knot in his stomach. He realized he had hit a massive roadblock.
What shocked him most was that, with his heightened senses, he hadn't detected even a hint of the mysterious person's presence until they spoke. If this old gentleman had intended to kill him just now, even a perfect reaction would likely have been too late; he would have been severely injured, if not dead.
How am I this unlucky? Just out on a routine mission, and I run into such a troublesome character? Should I come up with an excuse to slip away? Roy thought to himself.
After a quick estimation of the power gap, he reached a grim conclusion: he was no match for this sand-manipulating Caster. Even if he managed to escape into advantageous terrain, it would be a grueling struggle. One could guess the opponent's mastery simply from the fact that they blocked his arrow through a solid door without even seeing the interior.
"For such an esteemed gentleman to appear here suddenly... could it be you're just out for a stroll? I was only planning to give this friend a little scare; I had no intention of actually hurting him," Roy said, attempting to play the fool. He hoped to smooth things over with some banter and then make a run for it. There were several other excavation teams, after all; losing one lead wasn't the end of the world.
As for whether that arrow was intended to be lethal? That was irrelevant now. The arrow was on the floor, and he could claim whatever he wanted.
"Hehehe... young people these days truly have short fuses, resorting to violence over a simple disagreement. That little kitten over there is the same. I suppose I really am getting old!"
Roy felt another jolt of unease. Who on earth was this old man? To be able to intercept two Lazurites simultaneously while remaining seemingly effortless? He could sense that the old man wasn't even using his full strength yet. Is the water in Lungmen really this deep? You can stumble into a character of this caliber just anywhere?
Thinking of this, Roy pushed the door open and walked out. Standing there was an Elder Zalak, his small, mouse-like eyes fixed on Roy. Seeing the old man's distinctive features, Roy immediately recognized him: the ruler of Lungmen's shadows, the Rat King.
Their intelligence on the Rat King was admittedly sparse. Beyond his Elder traits and powerful Originium Arts, they only knew of his significant status in Lungmen. It wasn't entirely the fault of his subordinates; the Armorless Union had only recently begun expanding into other regions, using that daily necessities company as a springboard. Previously, they only cared about Kazimierz's internal affairs, relying on the Business Federation for foreign intel.
"It seems I was indeed a bit impulsive. I didn't realize this unremarkable place was worth your personal appearance. However... how is my partner faring?" Roy asked, watching the old man warily. He wondered if an attack was coming and what form it might take. The swirling dust around the old man proved he hadn't lowered his guard; picking a fight now would be unwise.
"It can't be helped; the younger generation isn't quite up to the task," the Rat King sighed. "There aren't many who can trade blows with the two of you, so these old bones had to move personally."
It seemed that since they arrived in Lungmen, they had been tagged by the local powers. Roy just didn't know what their stance toward people like them was. If this were Kazimierz and he let an intruder slip away, it would be considered a dereliction of duty—someone would have to sacrifice a Platinum.
"If you're worried about that little kitten, don't be. I just told her to calm down. We don't need any more lives lost at a time like this."
The Rat King felt a deep weariness regarding the events in Lungmen over the past few months. It felt like a return to the chaotic Lungmen of decades ago. Recently, there had been a string of mysterious disappearances of gang members; when found, there was nothing left but ashes. Some had even reportedly set themselves on fire during meetings. This had left the underworld in a state of panic. If another storm hit Lungmen now, the "fun" would be out of control.
"Hehe, no need to be so tense. Plenty of people have come poking around for info lately, and we've let them all leave safely. Though, you're the only one who's actually capable of putting up a fight."
The Rat King seemingly had no intention of fighting. Instead, he chatted casually with Roy about other matters, appearing unconcerned that such dangerous individuals had infiltrated his city.
Not far away, a whirlwind laden with sand and grit swirled around a single point, looking as though it would never stop.
"Tch, how troublesome."
Monique looked at the smooth, snapped arrow in her hand. She knew better than to force her way through the storm; if she did, she would end up just like the arrow. At such close range, anything she tried would likely backfire on her. No wonder this mission required two Lazurites.
Monique stared expressionlessly at the sand barrier, inwardly accepting the failure of the mission, though she felt a prickle of annoyance. Maybe I should change my personality when I get back and dump these troublesome tasks on Platinum. The perk is that if a mission fails, you only have to sacrifice a Platinum.
Before long, the sand lost its momentum and the storm vanished. In its place appeared Roy's annoying smile.
"Why are you here? Did your side fail too?" Monique asked, fighting the urge to smash the eight teeth he was showing her. Although his appearance wasn't unexpected, she was curious about what this frivolous man had done to get the opponent to deactivate their Originium Arts. She certainly didn't believe Roy had killed the person.
"Ah, it was a failure, I suppose. Since we got caught! But it wasn't a total loss. Let's head back first."
Roy didn't elaborate on his "gains," giving a vague answer before vanishing into the dark night. Monique was frustrated by the response—what did "not a total loss" mean? Did the guy just decide out of the goodness of his heart to tell you a secret?
Left with no choice, Monique followed Roy away from the site. Any further plans would have to wait until they were back at their base.
Standing nearby, the Rat King watched their disappearing figures. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and departed. In his younger years, he would have taken at least one of their lives to prove that Lungmen's defenses weren't made of paper. But considering Lungmen's current precarious situation, he chose to give them a path to live.
Another reason was that they were from Kazimierz, and their target was that damned researcher. It was better to let the two factions fight it out—dog eat dog. Thinking of the "information" he had given Roy, he felt a spark of anticipation for the chaos to come.
"What are you smiling about? You look like you're up to no good."
Suddenly, the Rat King heard the voice of his old friend. He frowned slightly—what was he doing out so late?
"I'm just cleaning up after you. Such a big man and you can't even handle this little mess? I have to come out during my busy hours to deal with these kids—and I'm not even allowed to kill them! What a chore!"
Seeing the "Old Dragon," the Rat King's tone turned sour. Seeing the man's casual attire, it seemed he had time for a walk but no time to handle this personally.
"They paid, after all," Wei Yenwu said with a trace of awkwardness. "They just brought a large sum of money to invest in Lungmen; it wouldn't be right to kill their employees."
Wei Yenwu's request had been the reason for the restraint. Too many people had died recently; even he didn't want to add more to the tally. As long as they didn't threaten the safety of Lungmen, they could be handled according to the rules.