Kain stared at the tower in front of them, where Miranda’s office was, for a few seconds, then let out a quiet whistle.
"Brother... before you go in, you better know who you are going to see."
Lian glanced at him.
"Then tell me."
Kain gave a short laugh, but this time the laugh did not resemble his usual jokes at all. It was more like the laugh of someone who had heard the name of a monster.
"The better question is not who Miranda Night is. The better question is who she is not."
Lian said nothing and waited for the explanation. In any case, just by seeing how others behaved with fear and respect in front of Miranda showed what a high position she held.
Kain continued.
"She is one of the biggest black market traders in the entire region. She owns several commercial pocket dimensions, deals with major guilds."
"She deals with nobles. She deals with the government. And she probably deals with half the criminals on the continent."
Each sentence showed a larger dimension of that woman’s influence. But what he said next made even Lian become a little more serious.
"And the most interesting part is that no one exactly knows how strong she is herself."
Lian raised an eyebrow.
Kain shrugged.
"Some say she has gone through three evolutions. Some say four."
A short silence fell between them.
Then Kain laughed.
"Of course, I hope that last one is just a rumor." But even he did not sound very sure.
Lian also fell silent. Four evolutions is no joke. Someone who has gone through four evolutions is at least level 80 and in a sense has a four-star class.
Level 80 and above are known throughout the world as peak powerhouses. Awakened who alone have power equal to medium-sized countries.
Such people can interfere in the fate of the world and determine the course of many things.
After all, there is a reason they are given the title Overlord.
A few moments later, one of the black market staff approached.
"Lady Night is waiting for you."
Lian nodded, then walked toward the private elevator. The higher he went, the stranger the tower’s atmosphere became.
The lower floors were full of shops and trading, but the upper floors were silent.
Too silent, as if the sound of the outside world could not reach there.
Finally, the elevator stopped. The metal doors opened, and a long hallway appeared in front of him. At the end of the hallway, there was only one door.
A door of black wood, with unknown monster patterns carved on it.
The guard in front of the door opened it without a word.
"Please enter."
Lian entered and paused for a moment. Miranda’s office did not look like a trader’s office at all. It looked more like the den of a legendary hunter.
Massive windows showed the entire pocket dimension.
Tall shelves extended to the ceiling. On each shelf were strange and rare artifacts. Skulls of massive monsters, horns several meters long.
Weapons that just by looking at them gave a sense of danger.
There were even some objects that Lian could not identify at all.
In the center of the room, behind a large desk, Miranda Night sat. In her hand was something, a file. A file with Lian’s name on it.
Lian frowned. How much information did the black market really collect? And wasn’t it a little rude that she was reading his information right in front of him?
"Sit." Miranda said without raising her head.
Lian sat down. A few seconds later, Miranda closed the file, and her purple eyes fixed on him.
"Fifty million dollars is not a small amount. The transfer will take time."
Then she placed a tablet on the desk.
"Your account number."
Lian entered his information, and Miranda glanced at it.
"Good. It will be in your account by tomorrow at the latest."
Then she was quiet for a few moments, as if weighing something.
"But I hope this will not be our last transaction." She then said.
Lian said nothing.
Miranda gave a faint smile.
"Eighteen years old, level ten, two Fallen corpses, one of the survivors of the tenth realm, and more importantly, the family name Vonhelm."
Then she continued quietly.
"Either you are very lucky..." Her purple eyes shone.
"Or you are very dangerous."
The air in the room suddenly became heavier. For the first time, Lian felt that this woman knew much more than she showed.
Perhaps more than anyone he had met so far.
And unlike Aldric and the other Academy professors, she did not call him the only survivor, but one of the survivors. In other words, this woman already knew that others had also managed to escape the tenth Ruined Realm.
But his face remained calm.
"You should know that I no longer have much connection with my family. So if you only want to do business with me because of my family name, that would be foolish."
Miranda laughed. A short but genuine laugh.
"Good answer."
Then she opened a drawer and placed a black box on the desk.
"This is for you."
Lian opened the box. Inside was a black card. The card’s surface was completely matte, with only a silver emblem on it.
The emblem of the black market.
"Special membership. Permanent discount. Access to private auctions. Direct sale of loot without middlemen. And access to special information." Miranda explained.
Then she paused.
And said the last sentence.
"And if one day you need something that the law does not allow to be sold..."
Her eyes fell on the card.
"Just show this."
Even without knowing the details, Lian realized that the real value of this card was much more than discounts and auctions.
This card was the gateway to a part of the world that most people would never see.
"And no, I don’t want to connect with you because you are a Vonhelm. Although I was surprised at first that you are from that family, I just see great potential in you."
"You can see this as an early investment." Miranda then added.
"And I should say I feel sorry for the Vonhelm family for losing such a great genius."
"If that’s the case, I have no objection to friendship." Lian smiled and accepted the black card.
"But I also have conditions. Whenever I bring something to sell, I don’t want to be asked how I got it. Also, I prefer that no one finds out about our deals for now."
"Of course. Confidentiality is one of our business principles."
"If there is nothing else..." Then Lian nodded and stood up.
But before he could finish his sentence, Miranda’s voice stopped him.
"Before you go, I should give you some advice."
Lian stopped and turned around.
Miranda looked at him for a few moments.
"You should know that hiding secrets is not easy." It was clear she knew something and was warning him.
The room fell into silence. Lian was not stupid and could reason what she meant.
Certainly, many people had already noticed him, and just as this woman had been able to find information about him, so could others.
"I understand." But there was no sign of fear or worry in his eyes.
He had exactly thought of such a scenario and had preparations for it.
A few minutes later, he left the tower.
Kain was waiting for him by the entrance and stood up as soon as he saw him.
"Well?"
Lian showed the black card.
Kain smiled at first, then recognized the card, and his smile froze.
"Wait... is that what I think it is?"
Lian nodded. A few seconds of silence passed.
Then Kain put both hands on his head.
"I’ve been coming here for three years! You were in the market for less than two hours! Why is the world so unfair?"
Lian laughed.
Then both left the black market. They passed through the pocket dimension gate, and the cool night air hit their faces.
The city seemed quieter than ever, but Lian knew this calm was temporary.
The fallen city was waiting. The mission was approaching.
And he had not yet tested his new equipment. He looked at the sky. Dark clouds were slowly moving over the city.
Tomorrow... it was time to test the real power of his new equipment.