273 Trader
Holding the carbide lamp aloft, “Giant” Simon trailed behind Lumian for a few steps, his keen eyes picking up on the inconsistencies in Lumian’s words.
“Ciel, the Boss knows you’ve turned into a Pyromaniac. He won’t just toss you aside recklessly, will he?”
Lumian gazed ahead at the tunnel bathed in the yellowish glow, a smile playing on his lips as he posed a question without turning around.
“How long have I been with the Savoie Mob?”
Both “Giant” Simon and “Rat” Christo had a moment of enlightenment and found themselves in agreement with Lumian’s explanation.
It was true that Lumian, a Beyonder with a dubious past who had recently joined the mob, had brought with him a crucial ingredient for a potion. Such a person couldn’t be trusted right off the bat. They had to undergo a series of tests in the form of missions.
And if Lumian were to meet his demise during one of these missions, it would simply be chalked up to his ill luck. Losing a foreign Beyonder was far less painful for the Boss than losing a subordinate he had meticulously groomed.
The two leaders of the Savoie Mob hesitated no longer. They cautiously followed Lumian, maintaining a distance of two to three steps. It was a familiar arrangement, much like when they traveled with a few mobsters stationed at similar positions behind them.
In the midst of their journey, “Giant” Simon donned gloves and applied a small amount of Scorpion Poison to his dagger, bayonet, and boxing gloves. He then returned the canister to Lumian.
The trio descended into the tunnel marked on the map. Despite their soft steps, the special environment caused their footfalls to echo faintly in the dark, eerily silent underground.
Nearly 45 minutes later, they passed through the area marked as an ancient tomb and arrived at the entrance of a concealed passageway.
It led to an abandoned quarry cave that had lain dormant for ages. The ground was uneven, covered in moss. In the distance, the sound of an underground river could be heard, occasionally accompanied by the rumbling of a steam subway passing by.
Lumian observed for a moment, clenching the ring of the carbide lamp between his teeth. With both hands, he grasped a protruding stone wall and climbed to the cave’s summit.
Then, extending his right hand, he pushed an apparently ordinary stone behind him, wedging it between the side wall and the cave roof.
A pitch-black hole materialized, allowing someone as tall as Simon to bend over and crawl through.
The hidden tunnel had been fashioned using a long-forgotten ventilation system that already existed in a nearby quarry.
The three of them hunched over and strode deeper into the underground tunnel. Gradually, the sounds of the underground river and the steam subway faded away.
Apart from their own breathing and footsteps, the surroundings were silent as a tomb.
After nearly half an hour, Lumian and his companions followed the markings on the map and leaped from an exit, emerging into an already existing underground cave.
From high above, stalactites dangled like the menacing teeth of a terrifying beast lurking in the darkness.
Lumian didn’t rush to enter another hidden tunnel at the cave’s base. Instead, he turned to “Giant” Simon and “Rat” Christo, who had accumulated a fair amount of dust on their heads. Wearing a grave expression, he spoke.
“Before we proceed, let’s confirm something to avoid any mishaps. We won’t have time for verbal communication.”
“Alright.” Both “Rat” Christo and “Giant” Simon accepted Lumian’s words without question.
With a subtle nod, Lumian replied, “Firstly, from the moment we enter the second tunnel until we return here, no one is allowed to speak. Make use of physical gestures as much as possible. If that’s not feasible, you must obtain my permission before uttering a word.”
This precautionary measure stemmed from Gardner Martin’s advice regarding the lack of need for communication with the trader. Lumian had expanded its scope and made it absolute to prevent any potential mishaps.
Christo and Simon recalled the Boss’s counsel and nodded in agreement.
Observing their response, Lumian pressed on, “Secondly, no matter what anomalies occur, unless something attacks both of you, stay calm and act in accordance with my lead.
“Thirdly, I won’t force you, but if you wish to survive, it’s best to heed my instructions.”
These two requests were met with resistance from “Rat” Christo and “Giant” Simon. They would be entrusting their safety to Lumian’s intelligence, skills, reactions, and knowledge. It was a departure from their usual reliance on their own wild Beyonder instincts.
After a few seconds of hesitation, “Rat” Christo forced a smile, recollecting Ciel’s strength and previous performances.
“I’ll follow your arrangements, but if you fail to react in time and Taffy warns me of danger, I’ll take matters into my own hands.
“Dammit, the longer I’ve been in this smuggling business, the more I dread Trier’s underground.”
“Giant” Simon chimed in, “I’m with you on that, ‘Rat.’”
Lumian felt a sense of satisfaction, having successfully “tamed” the two Beyonders who also served as leaders in the Savoie Mob. He didn’t push further and simply nodded in agreement.
“No problem.
“Fourthly, I will be the one to make contact with the trader later and retrieve the box the Boss desires.”
Upon hearing this, “Rat” Christo and “Giant” Simon looked at Lumian as if they were seeing Ciel in a new light.
They had expected the Pyromaniac to leverage his strength and authority to assign one of them to interact with the trader and handle the riskiest part of the mission. Alternatively, they thought Lumian might suggest drawing lots to determine who would handle the task. To their surprise, Lumian volunteered to take on the responsibility himself.
Ciel is quite fair… “Giant” Simon couldn’t help but sigh.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to do the same if he were in Lumian’s position.
This realization made both “Rat” Christo and “Giant” Simon less resistant to following Lumian’s instructions.
Though the lighting was dim, Lumian managed to observe his two colleagues’ reactions.
He couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
If it weren’t for the fact that you two Beyonders lack mystical knowledge and might cause trouble during the box exchange, I wouldn’t be taking such a risk myself.
Lumian sighed from the depths of his heart. Sometimes, weakness could be an advantage.
Emphasizing that they were to maintain silence, Lumian picked up the carbide lamp and made his way to the bottom of the cave. He gestured for “Giant” Simon to embrace a rock about half his height and move it aside.
The rock was incredibly heavy, posing a challenge even for Simon’s strength. It took him some time to shift it, revealing the deep entrance to the hidden tunnel.
The tunnel wasn’t particularly long, and it took them only seven to eight minutes to crouch down and make their way through. They arrived at a mineral cave that had suffered significant collapse, leaving only a limited space.
This was their destination—the Albert Mines.
Lumian surveyed the cluttered gray-black stones and turned to “Giant” Simon, who was dressed in a black formal suit. He pointed at his chest.
Understanding the unspoken request, Simon produced an iron-gray pocket watch and opened it with a snap.
The dial revealed numerous tightly clenched gears, exuding a sophisticated yet cold mechanical beauty.
“Giant” Simon held up his pocket watch, showing it to Lumian and “Rat” Christo, indicating that there were still over ten minutes until the designated time of the transaction—noon.
Lumian nodded and remained silent, patiently awaiting the appointed hour.
After a while, he subtly turned his head, listening intently for any signs of movement around them.
He sensed an unusual sound emanating from underground, as if a multitude of people were screaming, roaring, and fighting.
Beneath the illumination of the carbide lamp, Lumian glanced at Simon and Christo, noticing their similar reactions, as if they too had caught wind of the commotion.
Observing Simon and Christo’s gazes fixed on him, Lumian lowered his right hand, signaling them to refrain from being affected.
Intermittently, they could hear peculiar movements. The three of them stood at the edge of the Albert Mines, silently waiting.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the mine, as if someone in leather shoes was approaching from an unusually quiet tunnel dozens of meters away.
Is that the trader? Lumian mused, casting his thoughtful gaze in that direction.
The footsteps paused and then resumed, resonating through the Albert Mines.
When they were merely a few meters away from the entrance, they mysteriously ceased altogether.
After a brief wait, Lumian and his companions spotted a figure emerging from the opposite mine entrance. It was a man over 1.8 meters tall, donning a white shirt, yellow vest, black formal suit, and dark pants. He clutched a small brown leather suitcase in his hand.
The man wore a silk top hat pulled low, casting a shadow over his face. However, Lumian’s Hunter eyesight allowed him to discern the man’s appearance with the aid of the three carbide lamps.
The man had short auburn hair, brownish-red eyes, slightly unkempt and thick beard, and thick eyebrows. He resembled a starved male bear, exaggeratedly thin.
The collar of his shirt was tightly fastened, as if he dreaded the cold.
Lumian held the carbide lamp and was about to approach the man.
But then, Christo tugged at his arm.
When Lumian turned his head, Christo anxiously and fearfully pointed at his right pocket.
Does this mean that Taffy, the peculiar rat, has issued a warning of danger? But judging from Christo’s behavior, the threat hasn’t materialized yet and is still manageable. Otherwise, he would have already turned and fled… Lumian interpreted the signs and nodded at Christo, indicating that he would proceed with caution.
Christo didn’t stop him. He watched Lumian with concern as he advanced toward the trader.
As he closed the distance, Lumian’s gaze carefully assessed the man’s physique, analyzing every detail.
His clothes are slightly oversized, as though they don’t quite fit him… He seems fearful of something, yet his eyes hold anger and hatred… His hands don’t extend beyond his sleeves, and they’re concealed within, including the handle of the suitcase… His feet…
Lumian’s pupils dilated as he noticed that the trader wasn’t wearing shoes but rather a pair of gray socks.
This contradicted the sound of leather shoes they had just heard!
Could it be that the footsteps didn’t belong to him but someone else? Lumian grew increasingly vigilant.
With limited space remaining in the Albert Mines, he swiftly arrived in front of the trader.
The man, resembling a starved bear, chuckled and inquired with a hint of amusement, “Did Gardner Martin send you?
“Was he scared out of his wits after receiving a message from his companion, who went underground to search for the entrance to the Fourth Epoch Trier, months after disappearing, claiming to possess an important item to deliver to him.”