Julian had finally left Leyi Thornhart's palace.
The night was quiet.
He walked through the dark streets for a while before remembering the youngest member of the Little Robbers.
Their little brother.
Julian changed direction and returned toward the jungle.
He eventually reached the enormous tree where the Little Robbers had built their tree house.
Julian looked upward.
"Huhh…"
"So this is where the youngest one has been staying."
He easily climbed the tree.
Within moments, he reached the tree house.
Julian opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was small and poorly furnished.
There was almost nothing inside.
Then Julian noticed someone sleeping on the ground.
He stopped.
His entire body became still.
It wasn't because the child was sleeping on the floor.
It was because Julian recognized him.
Julian stared at the sleeping child.
"...You?"
Casil Village
Meanwhile, far away from the jungle, Verl Ouzen had arrived at Casil Village.
Verl hadn't been able to find peace in any village recently.
Genevieve De Monfort had placed wanted posters for him in many locations.
As a result, staying anywhere for a long period was dangerous.
Verl had only one real solution.
Kill Genevieve.
But Casil Village was different.
There were no wanted posters of him here.
So Verl decided to stay.
He rented a room at a low-class hotel.
Casil Village was extremely poor.
Many villagers struggled to obtain enough food for even one meal a day.
Some went to sleep without eating.
Years of poverty and poor nutrition had left many people extremely weak.
Verl looked around the village.
Despite everything, he was somewhat happy.
At least he had found somewhere where nobody was immediately searching for him.
He entered the hotel.
The receptionist immediately became happy when he saw Verl.
Verl noticed this.
"Hey, Mr. Why are you so happy?"
The receptionist smiled.
"Sir, I'm happy because travelers rarely come to this village."
"We haven't made much profit."
"Sometimes thirty days pass without a single traveler staying here."
"But today you came."
He looked at the coins Verl had paid.
"I'm happy to earn something."
Verl nodded.
"Yeah."
Then he remembered the receptionist's expression when he had first entered.
"But when I opened the door, you didn't look happy."
The receptionist became embarrassed.
"Because, Sir…"
"I thought you were a beggar."
"Most of the people who come here asking for money are beggars."
"I'm sorry for misjudging you."
Verl waved his hand.
"It's okay."
After receiving his room key, Verl walked upstairs.
He looked at the staircase.
This hotel is pretty poor.
Even these stairs look like they're going to break soon.
"Huhh…"
He continued toward his room.
Inside the room, Verl sat down.
His thoughts immediately returned to Genevieve.
How am I supposed to kill her?
He thought about it for a long time.
But he couldn't find a realistic way.
Genevieve was too powerful and too well protected.
Verl finally came to a decision.
I'll hire an Assassin.
He began searching for information about assassins operating in the area.
Eventually, he discovered that a Junior Thief Rank Assassin lived nearby.
Verl decided to visit him.
The Assassin's house was in terrible condition.
The walls were partially broken, and the entire building looked as though it had been abandoned for years.
Verl entered cautiously.
"Hey."
"Mr. Assassin?"
Suddenly—
The Assassin attacked.
Verl barely dodged the first strike.
Huh.
He's fast.
The Junior Thief Rank Assassin glared at him.
"Hey, Traveller!"
"If you want to stay alive, give me your backpack!"
Verl raised his hands.
"Hey, wait."
"I don't want to fight."
"I just came here to ask you something."
The Assassin didn't listen.
He attacked again.
This time, Verl moved directly toward him.
Bang!
Verl struck him in the stomach.
The Junior Thief immediately lost consciousness.
Verl sighed.
"Sorry, friend."
"But I didn't have any other option."
He tied the Assassin with a rope and waited.
While waiting, Verl analyzed the fight.
His speed is good.
But his experience, durability, and reflexes aren't good enough.
After some time, the Assassin regained consciousness.
He immediately panicked.
"No!"
"Don't hit me!"
"I didn't do this shit work!"
Verl looked at him.
"Hey, wait."
"I didn't come here to hurt you."
"I came here to ask you something."
The Assassin slowly calmed down.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Verl repeated himself.
"I just want to ask you something."
The Assassin laughed.
"And what will you do if I don't answer?"
Verl frowned.
"Hey, don't talk like that."
"I'll pay you for the information."
"I'll give you three silver coins if you answer my questions."
"I think that's a good offer."
The Assassin became confused.
Is this guy brainless, or is he actually a good person?
I'm already tied up.
If he wanted information, he could threaten me.
Instead, he's offering me money.
He thought for a moment.
Huhh…
I think it's a good deal.
The Assassin nodded.
"Okay, okay."
"I'll answer you."
"So what do you want to know?"
Verl replied immediately.
"I want complete information about the Assassin Club."
The Assassin's eyes widened.
"Huhh?"
"Complete Assassin Club information?"
"That will take a long time to explain."
Verl answered without hesitation.
"Okay."
"I'll give you five silver coins."
The Assassin's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Good!"
"I'll explain everything."
"Now untie me."
Verl shook his head.
"No."
"I don't trust you."
"You'll run away."
"Tell me everything while you're there."
The Assassin sighed.
"Huh…"
"Fine."
"But after I give you the information, you release me."
Verl nodded.
"Yeah."
"Deal."
The Junior Thief Rank Assassin began explaining.
The Assassin Club
"First…"
"The Assassin Club has many different rooms and facilities."
1. Corrosion Smith Chamber
"The Corrosion Smith Chamber is a special smithing section."
"The smiths create and repair weapons."
"They can also modify weapons according to an assassin's requirements."
"Assassins usually write down exactly what type of weapon they want and which materials should be used."
"You can also provide your own materials."
"If you do, the price becomes cheaper."
"There are four chambers."
"Corrosion Smith Chamber 1."
"Corrosion Smith Chamber 2."
"Corrosion Smith Chamber 3."
"Corrosion Smith Chamber 4."
"All four perform essentially the same work."
"They were separated mainly to control the number of customers."
2. Night Party Zone
"The Night Party Zone is a large hallway used for entertainment, meetings, and business."
"Most assassination jobs and client meetings are arranged there."
"And, as the name suggests, it's mainly active at night."
"People can drink and dance there."
"But it's more than just a party."
"Drug dealings and assassination contracts are also discussed there."
Verl listened carefully.
The Assassin continued.
"It's one of the places where clients can easily find assassins."
3. The Black Cell
"The Black Cell is the Assassin Club's interrogation and punishment section."
"There are one hundred rooms."
"The Black Cell 1."
"The Black Cell 2."
"The Black Cell 3."
"And so on…"
"Until The Black Cell 100."
"Assassins use these rooms when they need to interrogate targets or punish someone."
"One room costs one gold coin to book."
"The price is high because the rooms contain specialized equipment and facilities."
Verl remained silent.
He continued listening.
4. Personal Room
"Personal Rooms are private rooms for assassins."
"One room costs three gold coins to book."
"But you can also purchase one permanently."
"Most high-ranking assassins eventually buy their own Personal Rooms."
5. Reception
"The reception has female receptionists wearing masks."
"If you want information about assassins, politics, or the Assassin Club, you can ask them."
"If you want to know an assassin's location, they may also have that information."
"Each piece of information usually costs one gold coin."
"But most clients don't bother going to the reception."
"They ask the bartenders instead."
"The bartenders also have information, although usually less than the receptionists."
"Giving information to a bartender isn't necessarily illegal."
"Simply asking for information isn't a crime."
"And the price is much lower."
"If you give a bartender four silver coins, they may tell you what they know."
"Sometimes they might even answer without payment."
"They won't necessarily cause trouble if you don't pay."
6. Golden Bar
"The Golden Bar is where people sit, drink, and relax."
"Bartenders work there throughout the day and night."
"Most bartenders aren't afraid of low-ranking assassins."
"Even so, they generally treat them respectfully."
"They're friendly with low-ranking assassins."
"When dealing with Hidden Shadow Rank assassins, they become more formal."
"And when dealing with Dark Shade Rank assassins…"
The Junior Thief paused.
"They become extremely careful."
Verl raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because Dark Shade Rank Assassins are extremely dangerous."
"They usually don't care much about ordinary consequences."
"And if a Dark Shade Assassin kills a bartender, the Assassin Club isn't going to punish them in the same way it would punish an ordinary member."
Verl frowned.
"So the Assassin Club is afraid of Dark Shade Rank?"
The Assassin quickly shook his head.
"No."
"It's not about fear."
"The Assassin Club simply doesn't want bad relations with Dark Shade Assassins."
"If the relationship becomes too bad, a Dark Shade Assassin could simply leave the Assassin Club."
"And losing powerful members would be a serious problem."
The Assassin continued.
"So remember the rules."
"Bartenders can speak casually with low-ranking assassins."
"They're friendly with them."
"They become formal with Hidden Shadows."
"And extremely formal with Dark Shades."
"The Assassin Club itself tells bartenders to maintain proper manners when dealing with Dark Shade Rank Assassins."
7. Collar and Pets
The Assassin hesitated before continuing.
"This is one of the newer sections."
"It's essentially a slave-trading section."
"People sell and purchase slaves through this part of the Assassin Club."
Verl's expression became serious.
The Assassin explained that the section had emerged after the collapse of Vuikalen Market, which had previously dominated the slave trade.
The Assassin Club had gradually absorbed many of the businesses and services that Vuikalen Market once provided.
The section included different categories of slaves and servants, including minors who had been exploited and people forced into servitude.
Verl's expression became increasingly uncomfortable.
The Assassin continued.
"Rolist masters also commonly use collars on slaves."
"Some wealthy masters treat collars as a status symbol."
"This entire business became especially profitable after Vuikalen Market collapsed."
Verl asked,
"What happened to Vuikalen Market?"
The Assassin answered.
"It's a long story."
"But I'll explain."
The Fall of Vuikalen Market
"Vuikalen Market had five founders."
"It was once extremely successful."
"But then its workers in the Art Hett, Art Sett, and Art Iett sections suddenly began resigning."
"Three days later, a massive fire broke out during the night."
"The fire caused enormous damage."
"Vuikalen Market suffered tremendous losses."
"After that, customers gradually stopped coming."
"Day by day, their numbers decreased."
"Eventually, the business was barely functioning."
"Then one day…"
"All five founders died."
Verl looked at him.
"All five?"
The Assassin nodded.
"On the same date."
"That was effectively the end of Vuikalen Market."
"Afterward, it permanently closed."
"And then…"
He gestured toward the Assassin Club.
"The Assassin Club began offering many of the services Vuikalen Market once controlled."
"Slave trading was one of them."
The Assassin finally stopped.
"That is most of the important information."
Verl remained silent for several seconds.
He had asked for information about the Assassin Club.
Instead, he had learned about an entire underground system.
Finally, he nodded.
"Huhh…"
"Thank you for the information."
"I really appreciate it."
Verl untied the ropes.
Then he placed five silver coins into the Assassin's hand.
The Junior Thief looked at the coins.
He smiled.
He had expected trouble.
Instead, he had earned money.
"Thank you."
Verl simply nodded.
"Take care."
The Junior Thief didn't attempt to attack him.
Verl left the ruined house and returned to the village.
As he walked through Casil Village, he began thinking about everything he had learned.
The Assassin Club is much bigger than I thought.
And if I want Genevieve dead…
I'll have to find someone capable of doing it.
Verl continued walking through the poor village.
But he didn't know that, somewhere else, an old connection had just resurfaced in Julian Arkwright's life.
And that connection was waiting inside a tree house.