Connection was the key to earning more money, faster. The citizens were good customers, but Lucian needed access to people with more money and influence─the nobles.
With that in mind, he began to reshape the Badass Gang hideout into a display garden.
He was still a ten year old boy and didn't have a way to attract the attention of the rich, but if the garden was beautiful enough to catch their eye, they might seek out his services:
A landscape contractor.
It sounded innovative and original, and it was, because it was a business that didn't exist yet. Gardeners usually worked for one noble or at one town, never for several nobles or towns.
Lucian could distribute new species of flowers and plants across the whole continent. Build special greenhouses to keep the delicate species from dying from the weather, and use the seeds to grow more of them. It was a perfect idea for a new business!
'Can you track out Jax, Voice?' Lucian asked. He needed employee number one to help him out. Voice could give the assassin the tracking ability so why not use the same ability to find Jax?
'No,' Voice replied.
'Useless voice,' Lucian muttered.
'Who is useless? The powers don't depend on my will, they are based on the desires of the person who makes a deal with me,' Voice explained, 'Blame your cheap needs.'
'I'm a humble man,' Lucian retorted, trying to balance his childish features with his 'mature' insides, 'I don't need a lot.'
If he could make Celine redraw him his garden, he would be able to start advertising it even more efficiently.
And since Lucian was now a wandering vagabond, they were bound to meet sooner or later. Again.
He overheard the rumors about Celine getting sick and not being able to leave her bed. Lucian was very sensitive toward anything bedridden related and couldn't help but worry for her.
Especially after she had helped him deal with her father's men. No assassination attempt had followed since the shackled incident. His worries were eased a little.
'What are you doing?' the voice asked as Lucian combed his hair with his father's comb before a mirror above the sink.
'How do I look?' Lucian asked. The money he earned had allowed him to afford a new set of clean clothes and a barber to trim his hair.
The little boy still abused his young age to stay in churches, and the priests couldn't do anything about it because they had to keep their image as the good guys.
He would act like an abandoned child and get shelter for the night for a few pennies or free of charge. It was cheaper than an inn and buying his own house would be a stupid decision at that point.
'You look like a kid,' the voice said.
Lucian grunted, 'Should I grow a beard?'
'You didn't even grow any armpit hair yet, and you want to grow a beard?' the voice scoffed.
'It's not my fault. I'm a late bloomer,' Lucian defended himself.
'...' the voice sighed. It was no use arguing with a kid, 'Why do you care about your looks all of a sudden this late in the day?'
Lucian stepped down from the stool that helped him reach the sink and put the comb inside his shoulder bag where he kept his valuables, 'It's important to look presentable, and since the nobles are my target group now, I have to appeal to them.'
'Admit it. You just want to look good to impress that duke's daughter.'
'What are you talking about?' Lucian's face turned red at the insinuation, 'I'm not!'
'Hmm...' the voice hummed in doubt, 'I'm in your mind, you know?'
Lucian's face turned redder as he grabbed a bouquet of flowers and stormed out of the church and into the streets, 'She is a duke's daughter...She is too far from my reach! And she is not my type! And I already have a future wife! And─'
He continued to babble on his way to the inn where Celine was apparently staying. He was just going to check on her to see if she was okay, nothing more.
'You are going to get into trouble, again,' the voice warned, 'You should keep a distance from her.'
'I'm just going to see if she's okay, then I'll leave,' Lucian said, 'Don't worry.'
'Me? Worry? Hmph!' the voice harrumphed, 'Don't drag me into your troubles again. I don't care if you live or die.'
Ignoring its words, Lucian entered the inn to buy a stay for the night.
"Good day, one room, please," he said, pulling out a few coins.
The woman at the counter gave him a once-over before taking the money and handing him the key, "Breakfast at seven, and if you want a hot bath, you need to pay extra, kid."
"Thank you, Ma'am," he said, handing her a flower from his bouquet, "To match your beauty."
The woman blinked in surprise, "Aren't you a sweet boy," she chuckled, "Who taught you to be so charming?"
"My Dad," he replied with a bright smile.
"I see, he raised you well," she nodded, searching around her counter, and pulled out a small piece of candy, handing it to him, "Here, for being such a sweet boy."
"Thank you, Ma'am," he said, accepting the treat, and then shuddered as he felt a chill run down his spine.
Lucian turned around to see a girl staring at him from the stairs, her mouth set in a grim line. She was glaring at him. Her forehead was a bit damp and her breath a little heavy, as if having a fever.
Lucian, who didn't receive murderous intents often, could swear that she wanted him dead. He knew the look of a murderer very well, having almost been killed by one.
He immediately turned around to return the candy back to the woman, but she had already walked away to tend to her chores.
"..." Lucian looked back at the girl again.
She was gone, and so was the chilling feeling of murder in his heart.
Lucian slowly made his way to the stairs and to the second floor, looking around cautiously to avoid being ambushed by the said girl.
"Lady Celine, you must eat something, you will get even sicker if you keep starving yourself," he heard one of the maids say from the room at the end of the hallway.
"I'm not hungry," a familiar voice replied, "Just leave me alone."
"...but my lady..."
"Leave!"
"Yes, My Lady," the maid said dejectedly and exited the room, closing the door behind her.
Lucian quickly entered his own room, closing the door behind him. His heart was pounding in his chest as he opened the window. This was his chance.
It was dark outside. After making sure that there was no one in the alleyway, he climbed out of his window and hung onto the ledge, reaching for the window of Celine's room, which opened into a small alleyway next to the inn.
A creak of a window startled him, and he froze, not daring to make any sudden movements.
Her head leaned over the window's ledge, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw him hanging on for dear life.
"Umm," Lucian hesitated, not knowing how to explain himself, "Don't push me, please."