A waiter asked with practiced politeness, "Ma'am and Sir, what would you like?"
Hope waved her hand and said, "Water is fine for me."
But Zixin dismissed her reply, responding as genuinely as he could, "I'm paying so feel free to drain my wallet dry."
Hope's eyes shone with brilliance as if a mischievous idea had just come to her mind. She covered her lips with her hand, darting her eyes around while chuckling with what Zixin could describe as 'mindly threatening.'
She let out a fake cough, clearing her throat, and told the waiter, "I would like to purchase one of every meal."
The corners of Zixin's lips twitched, as his thoughts moved to create a comical response, Apologies my wallet…
"How about you sir?" The waiter turned to him.
"I'm fine." He said lightly.
The waiter finished writing their order and left, a smile forming.
Is he happy that Hope is a big spender?Business I suppose. Zixin commented after noticing the waiter.
A few minutes later, their orders reached the table and Hope's eyes gleamed with even more light.
Zixin sighed internally but after the scent of the dishes before him came over, he let go of all his stress, wanting to enjoy the meal.
Zixin soon questioned Hope, sounding curious yet also composed, "Why did you order everything? Are you starving? If so, why didn't you eat earlier?" He added, "What could I do to repay you for saving my life?"
Hope continued to stuff her mouth full, showing a complete lack of manners. She took a sip of water, wiping her lips clean, and replied, "I just wanted to eat good food. Nothing too crazy right? And as for owing me your life… we can talk about it later can't we?"
"It's your choice." He commented.
He asked, the flame of curiosity burning brighter, "Can you elaborate further on the details regarding this village?"
Hope stopped for a moment before continuing to mercilessly stuff even more food into her mouth. She muched down her food, taking one huge gulp of water after.
She sighed, already feeling the weight of her meal adding up. She finally replied, her expression seemingly exhausted, "Oh… sure."
She first transferred the rest of her order into one bowl before deciding to start her explanation.
She said, sounding like she couldn't care less, "Because of the strange nature of Mount Lorebale and the constant production of monsters, it became a hunting ground for Hunters. Since there's profit to be made when hunting monsters, several Companies were built to increase efficiency and capitalize on the opportunity but only two actually managed to make good use of it, the rest are just branch companies."
"Do you know how Hunters earn their income?" Hope asked with a mischievous expression.
Zixin answered with ease, "They sell the remains of the monsters that they had previously hunted down."
She took one huge gulp of water before replying with a know-it-all tone yet even this seemed sarcastic, "Correct but you left out a few details. Whenever Hunters sell their loot to the Companies, they only obtain a portion of the profit since the Companies take a portion of it. But they only take a portion of the profit because the Hunters are members of it." She continued, "Because of this, Hunters usually hunt in large groups and they don't tend to have good relationships with one another."
They don't like each other? Do they hate cooperation? No, that's quite unlikely, it's probably because the Companies take such large portions of their hard-earned income. Understandable. Zixin pondered for a moment, before continuing to listen to Hope.
But Zixin's interest soon turned into wariness after witnessing Hope chuckling maniacally, What is she thinking?
Hope's expression returned to normal as she explained, "Not long after, a group of individuals found a hidden passage which led them into creating the underground market."
"Passage?" Zixin wondered.
Hope took one last sip of her water before continuing, "Yes, a hidden passage. Do you remember when the Innovation Bloodline's rise to power began?"
Zixin pondered for a moment before replying, his words coming from memory, "If I am not mistaken, the Innovation Bloodline rose to power nearly two hundred years ago. How does this tie back into this underground market?"
"Simple really, the Innovation Bloodline left behind large chunks of dug-out areas. The underground market is one. That's why about half of its infrastructure has the Innovation Bloodline symbols on it." She elaborated calmly.
Oh? How intriguing, it seems like the mark left behind by the rise of the Innovation Bloodline still remains even after such a long time. The corners of Zixin's lips curved, forming a smile.
She continued while stretching her arms, "The underground market is of course, filled with scammers so skepticism is the most important trait for survival, second is luck. But some individuals are trustworthy, unlike most of the Hunters."
Zixin thought in response, Skepticism, huh? If my self-assessment is anywhere near correct, I should be one. As for luck… I despise the unpredictability that it holds. For skepticism, I can at least gauge how trustworthy someone is but luck is a different matter. It's an uncontrollable variable.
Hope let out an obviously fake cough before continuing, "The underground market quickly gained attraction to the point that the Companies used it to… deal with their competitors. Because of how significant it is, they made sure to hide its existence but cracks formed, leading some of the common folks into learning about it."
"Did they report it?" Zixin asked, tilting his head slightly.
"They did but the Hunters managed to win them over by letting them indulge in their desires. Underneath the surface lies a nest filled with deceit." Her expression slowly darkened the longer she spoke.
"Did you learn all of these from these so-called 'cracks?'" Zixin probed, curious but wary.
Hope's smile returned as she responded with confidence, "Most of it is speculation but you can trust my intel!"
Zixin started eating his meal, only choosing the leftovers. While eating, he asked, "Why did you order such large portions? Were you hungry?"
She laughed dryly, scratching her cheeks, "He-he-he…"
Her laugh confirmed Zixin's suspicions. Sigh, she's such a bother but… I feel comfortable with her–odd.
…
A few hours later, both of them were strolling down the streets.
Hope strolled with a carefree smile while Zixin carefully searched for anything suspicious. But he found nothing, making him wonder, Was Hope exaggerating?
Suddenly, he heard muffled footsteps that came from a dark alley. After turning to give it a quick glance, Zixin's expression became deadpan, almost comedic.
He saw a person dressed in a dark cloak carrying an unconscious lady on their shoulder.
At this very moment, his curiosity has reached its peak. He tried taking a step but Hope noticed right at the nick of time.
She pounced at him, causing both of them to fall to the ground.
Zixin groaned but his pain lasted less than a second before Hope started spewing nonsense.
"Don't leave me! Are you going to leave just like that because you found someone else?!" Hope's tears flowed but Zixin's confusion only rose.
He noticed the passerbys giving Hope pitiful looks.
One of them muttered, "What a shame, even Hope fell for a liar."
"Right? Men these days."
"Leaving a maiden alone like this, tsked!"
After hearing the passerbys, Zixin's thoughts came to a conclusion: Hope was trying to stop him by creating a scene.
He sighed internally, a little tired but not enough to stop him from acting kind, "I… I won't leave you."
"Really?" Hope replied, her eyes already dyed red.
"Yes, I won't."
…
Hours after Hope's commotion, they both sat at a bench.
Zixin took this opportunity to confirm his suspicions, "Were you trying to stop me?"
"Yes, I was." She added, "Being a hero is no good, you know?"
Zixin's eyes slightly widened before returning to normal, "I was acting upon my curiosity, not out of heroism. Heroes aren't even needed in the current era."
Hope's smile widened, one without deceit, "I'm ready to tell you my favor."
She rose to her feet, telling him, "It concerns a Contract, one that waits to meet its completion."
"Please do follow me."
Contract? Based on words, it seems this Contract has already been made but has yet to be completed. This sounds like pain but I owe her my life so I can't stop now. Zixin's thoughts ran before deciding to follow her.
She led the way, leading them into Mount Lorebale.
Not long after, Hope's footsteps halted in front of a strange formation of rocks. The rocks formed a circle yet it didn't even seem suspicious, it almost felt normal.
Hope walked towards the center and Zixin followed behind her.
She spoke with a mischievous smile, "Fang Hau."
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light engulfed them.
When Zixin finally regained his consciousness, he was already transported into a completely different room.
The walls were made of luxurious green jade, each emanating nature's embrace. The pillars stood tall, holding the room together each different in its own way. One was glowing like the stars, shining with purity. The second glowing like the moon, producing phantom imagery. The last glowing with the brilliance of the sun, fierce yet composed.
The ceiling was bright–a miniature night sky. In front was a purple carpet, leading towards the center.
At the center was a small pond surrounded by flowers of all kinds. Some were blooming while others withered. A small yet firm pedestal sat at the very center. A purple cube about the size of a hand sat atop it. Large lily pads floated in the pond, large enough to carry a person.