Chapter 271
“The salt mine?”
As Zeke repeated the question, Ankel snapped back to his senses, instantly regretting why he had answered him.
But the water was already spilled.
Ankel let out a sigh and nodded.
“That's right. Between the Lawless Zone and Tahuani, there's an area where there used to be a rock salt mine. The mine is closed now, so it’s just a small village where few people live… but that’s where they’re sending the children they bring in.”
After hearing Ankel's words, Zeke looked at him and said,
“You were keeping an eye on their movements even before I asked.”
“...Don't misunderstand. I was only trying to see if they were dangerous elements who might disrupt the Black Market.”
Zeke nodded.
“Fine. In any case, since you’ve accepted my request, I must pay the price.”
Zeke took a potion from his pouch. Seeing the potion, Ankel said,
“Are you trying to pay the request fee with a potion?”
No matter how valuable the potion, a single one could not cover the fee for a request to the Thieves Guild.
Zeke looked at Ankel and said,
“Aren't you curious what kind of potion it is?”
“A potion is a potion. What could be different?”
Zeke uncorked the potion, took a sip, and swallowed.
Then, he offered the rest to Ankel.
“There’s no poison in it. Drink it and judge for yourself.”
Ankel hesitated, looking at the potion Zeke offered him.
With the Flower of the Desert, Shadia, a specialist in poisons, right beside him, he couldn't easily let his guard down.
He looked at Zeke and said,
“Can you swear it on your title as the Knight of the Sea Lord?”
“I swear on my title. This potion contains no poison, nor anything else that could harm you.”
Only then, with a reluctant expression, did Ankel take a sip of the potion Zeke had given him.
The moment he swallowed, Ankel was stunned.
‘My body feels lighter?’
The potion Zeke had given him was ‘Wings of the Firmament,’ which increased agility. It was one of the Ancient Potions that could be crafted with just ingredients, without consuming Karma Points.
Ankel drank the rest of the potion.
He could feel his body becoming lighter and his reflexes sharpening.
‘If it has this effect on me, it will be even more effective on my subordinates.’
For a thief, agility was as important as life itself.
It was more important to get out of a place quickly than it was to snatch the targeted item perfectly.
Ankel had bought potions from quite a few alchemists, but this was the first time he had ever seen one with such an effect.
With a completely different expression from before, Ankel asked Zeke,
“How long does this effect last?”
“It varies from person to person, but roughly 30 minutes.”
Thirty minutes was more than enough time to make an escape.
Just then, Zeke took a chest out of his inventory, placed it on the table, and opened the lid.
Inside, it was filled with Wings of the Firmament potions.
“That’s one hundred of the potion you just drank. Will this be enough for the fee?”
Ankel's jaw dropped at Zeke's words.
It wasn't just enough.
For a special potion like this, they could name their own price.
Therefore, giving him a hundred of these potions was a clear signal that he wanted to continue doing business in the future.
Ankel hesitated for a moment, then, as if having made up his mind, bowed his head to Zeke.
“Sir Zeke Draker, please forgive my earlier rudeness. I am deeply impressed by the trust you have shown.”
Zeke smiled and replied,
“I'm glad you think so. I hope we can continue to have a good business relationship in the future.”
“Of course. Our guild will be Sir Zeke's best friend, so please feel free to use our services without hesitation.”
Ankel's attitude was now completely different.
Maintaining neutrality was all well and good, but in the end, the Thieves Guild was a gathering of thieves.
It was their virtue to change their stance immediately if it seemed profitable.
And Ankel smelled a huge jackpot in Zeke.
Zeke received a pass from Ankel indicating friendship with the King of Thieves and left the guild building.
Zeke tossed the pass he had just received to Shadia and said,
“Shadia, it would be better for you to have this. You’ll have more use for it than I will.”
“Is there another matter to investigate?”
“No, not for the time being. Let’s go check out the salt mine together.”
Zeke spoke of the suspected hideout of the Abyss as if he were going on a picnic.
The two of them left Black Market City and galloped in the direction of Tahuani.
***
DONG! DONG! DONG!
As afternoon arrived, the bell of an old monastery in the middle of the village rang.
With the sound of the bell, the villagers gathered toward the monastery, smiling.
In the place where the villagers had gathered, people in robes were boiling something in a large cauldron.
The villagers lined up with bowls in hand, received the soup these people were giving out, and then entered the monastery to take their seats.
At their seats were white bread, unwatered wine, and a variety of fruits that were rare in this region.
Soon, after all the villagers had entered and taken their seats, an old man in a robe came forward.
He smiled at the villagers and said,
“Everyone! Before we eat, let's all have a big laugh! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Following the old man's words, all the villagers opened their mouths and laughed, making 'Ha! Ha! Ha!' sounds.
Only after they had laughed, clapped, and recited a prayer they didn't even understand, according to the old man's instructions, were they allowed to eat.
As long as they did these things, they were provided with three warm and delicious meals every day, so the villagers followed their words without complaint.
The people in robes had come to the village a year ago.
There was a time when the entire village was wealthy thanks to the rock salt mine, but after the mine was closed, most of the young people left, leaving behind mostly the elderly.
The village itself was barren, and with only old people left, life inevitably became more and more difficult.
Then, when those people arrived, vitality returned to the village.
It didn't matter where they came from or who they were.
The villagers also didn't care much about why children were constantly coming here from the outside, or why the children staying in the village changed periodically.
All that mattered was that their own bellies were full.
After dinner, the villagers would gather in the community hall and pass the time by smoking tobacco.
The tobacco they provided would make one's mind hazy and feel good, helping them sleep well at night.
As usual, the villagers gathered in the community hall, lay down on mats, and smoked tobacco while staring blankly into the air.
Meanwhile, the ones in robes were moving busily.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
In the darkness, a carriage quietly entered the village.
The carriage stopped behind the monastery.
The man driving the horses jumped down swiftly and said to a robed man who was waiting, “This week's supply.”
The robed man went to the back of the carriage, opened the heavy lock, and checked inside.
Inside, children were bound in chains, trembling.
The robed man counted the children and tilted his head.
“There’s one more than the record shows?”
At his words, the driver waved his hand as if it were nothing.
“It’s a good thing if there’s one extra, what’s the fuss? It was probably just omitted by mistake during the count.”
The robed man nodded as if it were a common occurrence.
“Alright. When is the next schedule?”
The driver took out a parchment from his pouch, looked at it, and said,
“We’re skipping next week. It’s scheduled for the week after.”
“No supply next week? We have a big contract next week, what are you talking about!”
At those words, the driver stepped back and said,
“I-I just deliver the message, I don't know the details.”
The robed man ground his teeth, then gestured roughly as if to say he understood.
The driver then quickly unloaded the children from the carriage.
CLINK! CLANK!
More than ten children had their hands and feet shackled.
The driver who had unloaded the children quickly drove the carriage away and disappeared.
Once the carriage was gone, the robed man gestured to the children as he headed into the monastery.
“Hurry up and follow me.”
The children followed the man into the monastery.
The robed man took the children down to a door leading to the basement and ushered them inside.
“Move it, quickly!”
The robed man treated the children like prisoners, browbeating them.
The frightened children could barely breathe, carefully descending the stairs so as not to trip over one another.
Down in the basement was an incredibly spacious area.
The robed man used a key to unlock the chains on the children's legs and arms.
While the children with freed cuffs rubbed their raw wrists and ankles, the man, as if it were routine, brought over two prepared baskets from one side.
“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully. Put the clothes you’re wearing in this one, and change into the clothes in this one.”
The children, terrified, followed the man's orders, fumbling as they took off their clothes and put on the ones from the other basket.
The rag-like clothes were all marked with numbers.
Once the children were all dressed, the man counted them again.
“Huh? What the. The number's right again.”
The man tilted his head.
Then, concluding that he had simply miscounted earlier, he clicked his tongue and put the handcuffs back on the children.
He then grabbed the chain and led the children away again.
The children walked on the cold stone floor with their bare feet, shivering.
Moving again, the man arrived at an underground prison.
He opened a cell door and pushed the children in, four to a cell. Then, he locked the door and threatened them.
“If you cry, whine, or scream, I'll show you a harsh time, so stay quiet.”
At his words, the children held their breath in fear.
Having finished his work for the day, the man whistled as he left the prison.
Once the man left, the prison was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
A chill continuously rose from the cold floor. The children huddled together, trying to warm themselves with each other's body heat.
It was then that something slowly walked out from the darkness.
‘Worse than beasts.’
It was none other than Zeke.
He had followed the carriage heading to this village and had disguised himself to hide among the children and see what happened to them.
‘First, I need to figure out what kind of place this is.’
Zeke opened his minimap and studied the structure.
It looked like the monastery's underground storage had been renovated, and surprisingly, a deeper path was connected to it.
Zeke left the prison and examined the other area connected to the basement.
Concealing himself with his Stealth Skill, Zeke moved around and discovered a passage leading to another location.
‘This place is?’
When he went inside, he found it was a path connected to a mine shaft.
‘So the monastery's basement is connected to the decommissioned mine.’
Zeke recalled the conversation between the man in the robe and the carriage driver.
‘He said there was a big contract next week. If by contract, he meant a contract with the demon race…’
Zeke’s eyes sharpened.
‘There's a high probability that this is the place where the Abyss performs its contract rituals with the demon race.’
If Zeke's guess was correct, it meant he had finally caught the tail of the Abyss.
The mages of the Abyss possessed Demon Eyes that could see through stealth skills, so before moving deeper, Zeke drew on the power of his Soul Relic, the Will of Silver, to completely conceal his presence.
As Zeke went deeper into the mine, he suddenly sensed a presence up ahead.
He hid his body in the darkness.
CLOMP! CLOMP!
A group of figures appeared from the darkness.
Zeke recognized them immediately.
‘Demonoids and mages of the Abyss.’
Demonoids in black armor and mages of the Abyss in black robes were heading somewhere.
Zeke followed them cautiously, making sure the mages didn't notice him.
The mine was a complex maze of tunnels.
The mages passed through the maze-like paths and arrived at an area deep inside.
In front of the entrance door, Demonoids stood guard, holding spears.
When the mages approached, the Demonoids moved their spears aside and opened the door.
RUMBLE...
As the door opened, the mages led the Demonoids inside.
And soon, the door began to close.
Zeke, who had been watching, considered his options, then gripped his scabbard and used his Spirit Form skill.
WOOONG!
Standing on the boundary between the Spirit Realm and the Physical Realm, Zeke was able to pass through not only the Demonoids but also the already closed door without any trouble.
Once inside, he began to follow the mages and Demonoids again.
Only after passing through one more door inside did the mages finally stop.
Zeke deactivated his Spirit Form skill, erased his presence, and looked around the place they had arrived at.
‘Here?’
The place he had arrived at was none other than the site where the Abyss's baptism ceremony was performed.