"Rational. But what if my aim was to bring down the establishment? Something like executing a revenge." Starboy questioned.
"Nah, I don't think you can do that." Skylar shook his head faintly. "The chap mentioned they have some kind of unique heritage or value. Someone that stands on business will just buy it and capture you easily. For instance, me."
Skylar turned his head a little rightward and smiled at Starboy who frowned faintly upon hearing his last words.
Coming out of his thought after a while. Starboy resumed, "How much do you know about this? You called it an illusion dungeon?"
"Settle me first." Skylar replied him and turned his face to the right a little to catch his that is facing rightward of him. "Why exactly were you stealing panties?"
On hearing Skylar's follow up question and before responding, Starboy paused for a while—looking expressionless yet a bit thoughtful.
"She had a baby here in the simulation she hasn't been taking proper care of—"
"Oh...Your baby?" Interjecting, Skylar eyes widened in realization.
"No, someone else's. My boss."
"Seriously?" Skylar exclaimed dramatically, showing a shocking reaction to Starboy's reply as he leaned away from the chair's backrest in one motion. "Wait. The idea of her selling comfort, who is it?"
"My boss. He needed funding to start his faction. So he convinced her to help." Starboy, unbothered by Skylar's responses so far, replied somewhat matter-of-factly, further shocking Skylar extremely.
"Ila mummy!" Skylar exclaimed once again, his eyes widened in shock. "Do the the two know you are aware of their affair?"
"Its not an affair. I am only engaged to her in the real world. In here—in the simulation, she can do whatever she wants... Its common practice." Starboy said matter-of-factly again, then he gave Skylar a quick side glance, checking for his reaction.
"Oh, I get it. One of the unique stuffs going on here." Realizing what Starboy means, Skylar nodded in agreement. "But why do you care about their child?... It has nothing to do with you as you just said? Or you think otherwise? You dont like her choice but you have to accept it because its the trend."
"Its none of your business." Starboy retorted snappily, maintaining his expressionless look.
"Okay, whatever." Skylar chuckled, then he leaned back on the chair's backrest before continuing. "So... how many lords have fallen victim to your illusions so far? Its gotta be many."
Responding, Starboy smiled, "All I have come into contact with, except five."
"Wow! There are five people that can resist this?!" Skylar replied with a shocking expression on his face.
"Its not that they can resist it." Starboy corrected. "Their mental strength is just on another level... I can barely even leave a mark on their mental defence."
"Wow! Who are they?" Shocked with his eyes widening expressing it, Skylar questioned.
"Matron Ila and Lady Pretty from Lavender, The Celestial Emperor from Celestial, lady Eris from Spartan Sanctuary, and Moon princess, Lord Aaron younger sister." Starboy replied—gesturing as he listed by counting with his finger.
"What about Alexa from Lavender, you know her?" Skylar questioned.
"Yes. But I have never had contact with them; they rarely leave their base." Starboy gave Skylar a sidelong glance.
"I understand; she is a bookworm." Skylar chuckled. "What about the Blood Queen?"
As Starboy heard Skylar, he froze right away, looking pale like he saw a ghost. Also, his hands starts shaking along his big brown protruding eyes that is going around in a circle, looking comical.
Seeing this, Skylar like he understood the reason for his reaction smiled.
"I understand. She is a scary human being; you must have been traumatized?"
"Actually not." Starboy replied as he calm himself, placing a hand on his chest after he took a deep breath. "Its just that, the thought of getting close to them scares me a lot. Whenever I plan to target them, I willl have these nightmares that when I wake up, I will feel like an entity is looking at me. They are definitely not simple. I am not even surprised its someone like you they submit to..."
"You know that too?" Skylar sounded a bit surprised.
Starboy smiled simewhat excitedly. "Of course, its still a big news. Most people and factions are curious about you. They can't wait to know more about the mysterious man who did not only subdue the Blood queen but is also a guest at Lavender that doesn't welcomes a man. Even my boss have been commissioned by many big factions and individuals to dig up all your info—especially your background info and the one where you slay a flaming boar in one hit when you first made your appearance..."
Skylar chuckled. "I wish them good luck. So what does he do? Your boss."
"Here or the real world?" Starboy glanced at Skylar.
"Both." Skylar replied, returning his glance.
Starboy resumed. "In the real world; he works for an international detective agency, he is a captain and I was his assistant. And here in the simulation; he owns a share of an intelligence faction he founded... he is one of the bosses."
"I see. He is kind of a great guy." Skylar sounded impressed, nodding faintly with a smile. "What about you? What is your faction?"
"I don't belong to a faction, I am a user." Starboy replied, sounding unusually softer, maybe because Skylar's praise of his boss make him feel uncomfortable.
"Wow! You are one of a kind." Skylar, anyways unbothered by his tone, showed a genuine expression of awe. "A user and you are on this level. What will happen when you become a player?... You will become a top five Gold ranker the next day?"
"It doesn't work like that." Starboy shook his head, disagreeing as the smile that came to his face when Skylar exclaimed just now and that he has been doing his best to suppress broke free, coloring his chocolate brown face in muted expression of excitement and glee.
"I get it." Skylar responded, looking and sounding casual—unbothered about Starboy's obvious reaction that still persist.
He continued. "So, you an expert at gathering intelligence."
"Mm." Starboy nodded faintly—answering. Then Skylar stare blankly into space—thinking briefly—before he returned his focus to Starboy.
"You will work for me." Skylar broke the brief silence. Then smiling at Starboy as he glanced at him, he continued. "You will basically collect information for me, something like leading an intelligence agency that answers only to me."
Starboy having clearly heard and understood Skylar's words that is like a question he expects him to reply positively to, paused for a bit and lowered his head, thinking.
A moment later, he lifted his head and replied, "Its not that its hard to create a top tier intelligence ring. The only problem I will have is funding. If it will be only answering to you, most probably, it will require a lot of regular funding to sustain. So—"
"I get it." Smiling, Skylar interjected. "Like how much will you need to set up one?"
"Ehm..." Sounding unsure, Starboy twiddling with his short taper-faded locks, narrowing his eyes in subconscious thought. "Something like millions." He later replied, glancing sheepishly at Skylar who then smiled.
"Okay, I will give you five hundred." Saying this, Skylar turned his face to the side to look at him.
"Five hundred thousand?!" Starboy exclaimed, glancing at Skylar and meeting his eyes. He continued, "We should be able to cover ten safe zones and the wild around them with that in two weeks, its just—"
"What are you talking about?" Skylar interrupted, making his trademark face that express contempt plus confusion—he guppled—while also meeting Starboy's confused face that glanced at him.
Chuckling, he continued, "I meant five hundred million. I will transfer five hundred million gold to you in three days... you can start making your preparations."
"But lord." Looking surprised, Starboy, called the attention of Skylar, prompting him to turn his face that just turned from him back to him. He continued, "If we are going to cover the whole simulation and the real world, it might take us very long like a month to set everything up?"
"What's the whole simulation and the real world? Who told you that?" Stunning Starboy with his words, Skylar sat up on the chair. Chuckling, he resumed, "I am only interested in the western half of Brave. For now, let's focus on it... the others, if they will happen, they will come much later."
"So, how long will it take you to set it up?" Skylar keep his eyes on Starboy who look frozen and in shock, awaiting a reply that only came after a short while.
"Less than a week. But Lord, half a billion is too much for an intelligence ring that will only span one half of brave. Five million should be enough." Starboy replied, persuading.
Skylar smiled and faintly shook his head, "You don't get it. You mentioned sustaining right?"
"Yes." Starboy eagerly nodded his head.
Skylar continued, "Whatever remains after setting it up is for sustaining it. And who knows, we might really have to expand to the other halfs depending on my mood in the future. You get it?"
"Yes, I understand Lord... But ehmm..." Starboy's voice dragged. "Sustaining it for the next twenty years, if the simulation doesn't end, shouldn't cost up to—"
"Let's close that chapter." Soundung authoritative while interrupting, Skylar stood up, standing about a head taller than Starboy who is seated on the table right in front of him. Stretching his muscles as usual, he continued, "There are two things you will do for me first after you set everything up."
"Okay boss." Starboy nodded his head enthusiastically like a chicken.
Boss?... Skylar chuckled, finding what Starboy called him amusing. Then he turn to look at Starboy who has just gotten down from the table and his standing, looking at him with a sharpened focus like he doesn't want to miss a bit of the moment and the forthcoming ones.
Smiling, Skylar resumed, "The first thing I want you to do is make my lord title known everywhere in the west. I want to hear it on everyone's lip."
Skylar paused and looked at Starboy who look a bit perplexed by his instruction. Then he smiled and continued.
"You know what the lord title is?" He questioned.
"No boss. One hit lord?" Shaking his head, Starboy replied, guessing in the process. However, Skylar shook his head, disagreeing.
"Its Lord of the West." He said, smiling at Starboy who has a mix of surprise and confusion on his face briefly before nodding his head eagerly.
"Okay boss, I will see to it."
"Great." Smiling, Skylar nodded faintly. "The second task is I want you yo build a false reputation for me. You know what I mean?"
"???" A look of shock flashed on Starboy's face. "Boss, you mean propaganda?" He whispered.
Looking amused, Skylar nodded. "Something like that. You just spread certain informations about me, you bombard people with those information to the point its rooted in their inner mind."
"..." Really shocked, Starboy's protruding eyes widened greatly. Recovering, he nodded, "Boss I understand. I can do it."
"Great." Skylar smiled. "Do you know what the reputation I want is?"
"Boss is a great man and a powerful man?" Starboy replied, sounding absolutely certain.
"No." Smiling, Skylar shook his head, disagreeing. "What I want is people to either fear me or hate me. What is it people frown at a lot lately?"
Starboy replied, "Rape, torture, forceful impregnation, child abduction and abuse, cannibalism—"
"Wait." Skylar interrupted. "What's a child doing in the wild? Who is bringing them into the simulation?"
"Most are not really children." Starboy replied "Its just that the governments alliance termed anyone under the age of fifteen a child. Previously it was eighteen, but because of the pressure from some lords and great lords, they had to lower it to fifteen. So, anyone under the age of fifteen is a minor according to the goverments alliance memo."
"I get it." Skylar smiled. "So, what about forceful impregnation?"
Starboy squinted his eyes briefly. "Its just some players going around to forcefully mate with people they capture. Although it goes both ways, the government alliance only care about the ones where a woman is the victim—"
"You mean, women kidnap men too and forcefully mate with them." Skylar interrupted.
"Yes, its very common." Sounding eager, Starboy nodded. "I heard there are a lot of women dark factions that are center around it."
Looking contemplative for a moment, Skylar smiled, "The wild is really wild."
"Yes very wild and extremely dangerous. Sane people shouldn't be leaving the safe zones." Nodding non-stop, Starboy replied matter-of-factly.
"I see." Skylar smiled. Then he turned around and starts walking towards where the door outline is on the room chameleon glass wall.
"About the last task—my bad reputation... I will get to you later. I need to compile what I want you to spread exactly." Skylar added, projecting his voice to Starboy behind him.
"Okay boss." Starboy too projected a reply.
"Wait." Skylar turned around. "Let me give you a code name.... you will be my fifth shadow. Let's see..."
"You will be K5, Ghost Raven." Skylar smiled.
Starboy nodded, "Aye boss. I like it."
After nodding too, Skylar turned around, and about to resume his march towards the door outline on the chameleon glass wall, he paused and turned around again, looking at Starboy who is now busy writing whatever on a G-tablet with a G-pen.
"How do you leave this place?" He questioned him, interrupting what he is doing, which in turn made him lift his head to look at him.
He replied, "Boss, you just go to sleep on the bed, and when you wake up, you should be back."
"Okay." Responding then accelerating, Skylar seemed to vanish and reappeared close to the 3x-queen bed against the chameleon glass wall of the room perpendicular to the one where the outline of a door is before climbing it and lying supine on it.
My guess about this place was right. Its the ground zero of the illusion. Chuckling, Skylar pull the blanket to cover himself before closing his eyes in order to drift to sleep and therefore exit the illusion.