Haut watched the girl's face shift through confusion, disbelief, and finally a cold, trembling anger. She looked ready to lunge at him with her empty pistol anyway, logic be damned.
"Killing him was a contract from the Shadow Sect," Haut continued, his voice flat. "But who knows if he's truly dead after the attack? Bodies have a way of disappearing."
"Hmph." Haut looked down at her, she was clearly still shaken, but the rage was gaining ground.
"You're ambitious," he said. "But you have no clue how the world actually works. If you want someone to surrender without a fight, make sure you don't have weaknesses they can use. Otherwise, you submit to circumstance, or you just come off as a desperate nuisance."
He stepped closer, bringing his face close to hers. She flinched but didn't retreat.
"If you want to intimidate someone into emptying their pockets, pick someone who actually looks vulnerable. You don't seem to have any artificacts or Zin with you. "
She tried to back up, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. He leaned in until his face was inches from hers. Then he smiled, slow, sharp teeth.
"Now look at me closely and tell me. Who do you think would win in a fight between us?"
Her whole body trembled. She swallowed hard. "You.. but you don't seem like someone who can refine Zin either, your body is too elegant for a person who goes throug harsh refinemens"
Haut said in a confident tone. "Good. At least you have some sense. But I have methods, do you think I would approach danger without any earlier preparations? Keep that in mind as you decide how to proceed."
He was simply bluffing, he didn't have anything at the moment except his pistol. But pistols were expensive in this world rarely people had them. Even large sects like Shadow sect and Elite squadron still used swords and arrows, only their elite groups or spies had sniper, rifle and pistols or other weapons.
Haut released her wrist.
"Your people are being held captive by the Shadow Sect. I'm not a member, I work independently. No restrictions."
She said nothing, but her eyes flickered with recognition. She'd heard of him.
He smiled. "Look how desperate you are now because of your squadron. What benefits has it earned you? You're no threat to me. Once the Shadow Sect knows you're spying, they'll lock you up for years. Torture. And your sect will go on living peacefully whether you give them anything or not. Who's going to risk a full-scale war over a spy with a few secrets?"
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Good luck out there. But if you want to live in peace, actually live, listen to me. There's a corpse and a bounty. We both benefit."
The girl, Selini, though Haut didn't know her name yet, stared at him for a long moment. Then she nodded, almost imperceptibly.
Haut pulled a folded paper from his sleeve and handed it to her. "Read this on the way. Then swallow it."
He continued: "Don't worry about your safety, I have brought this Grey Oath flower. We will make the oath to not attempt to kill each other."
She replied in a firm tone: "You know that if the person who takes Oath on this flower will receive backlash if they break their Oath and will die. But I accept it. What is the duration of this flower? This is grey, it means it's not a very long term one."
Haut noded: "One year."
After making the Oath the flower vanished
She took the paper without a word and disappeared into the night.
Nothing was impossible in this world if one had enough resources and materials.
Haut thought internally: "I wonder if that white little fairy really exists or it's just a tale. Height of a finger, magical presence and divine capabilities. But they're too pure and hard to subdue. Will the scent of poison really attract her? Who knows. But the probability seems less than one percent."
It was nearly midnight. Haut sat on a rooftop terrace, staring at the stars. The cool night breeze brushed his skin. He let his mind wander, the universe, his place in it, the smallness of everything.
A tap on his shoulder.
He turned. A figure in black stood behind him, face hidden in shadow.
"Who are you?" Haut's voice was cold, unconcerned.
The figure paused, then spoke in a deep, raspy voice. "Someone who's been watching you. I have a message."
Haut raised an eyebrow.
"I've heard you're collecting data. You even got information about the squadron spies, yet you couldn't complete the Shadow Sect's task."
Haut said nothing.
"I have an opportunity. Something for you to gain benefits from."
Haut's eyes flickered with interest, or rather, he allowed them to. "Go on."
"Someone needs to be taken care of. Not a simple job, a very important target. A woman who's a danger to both the Shadow Sect and the Elite Squadron. Neither can kill her yet. You'll have to plan, execute, make it perfect. It's a difficult task. Are you Interested?"
"Tell me more."
The man nodded. "A young girl. Unpredictable in a way that makes her dangerous. But you can handle her. Details are here." He handed over a folded paper.
Haut skimmed it, name, appearance, location, routine. Everything.
"I see." He tucked the paper away. "What's the return?"
The shadowed face smiled wide. "Beyond your wildest fantasies. All your previous exploits will look like child's play. Risky, but the stakes are high. The rewards could change your life. What do you say?"
Haut smiled. "First, as an advance payment, give me two wooden plates and three blue defect artifacts and don't worry. I don't back down from a contract. Consider it done. Just don't interfere before I'm finished. And add my name to your code. I don't want to be mistakenly targeted."
The man nodded. "They will be delivered to you in a few hours. And no questions about how you do it. Just clean. No traces. Fail…"
The man leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "It wouldn't end well for you."
"Understood."
The man melted into the shadows.
Haut sat there a moment longer, then unfolded the paper again. The target's face stared back at him. The same girl from the street.
He smiled to himself. "Interesting."