He stared at me for a few long seconds, then said, "If I tell you everything I know, you let me walk out of here alive, hide me, and tell the Ferans I am dead when they arrive."
The more I listened, the wider my smile grew.
"Interesting. Very interesting," I said, letting the words hang. Then I introduced myself. "My name is Billion Ironhart, and I am the guardian of Vaythos. We have already crushed the Ferans on Peanu and Vaythos, and we are about to do the same to whoever is behind this. We know your people are planning something."
I pushed the fourth map across his face where he could see the black mark.
"And we know that mark is connected. If you want a deal, you answer every question I ask."
He nodded, fear and relief flickering across his face.
"My name is Anjee Sharka," he said, measured and careful. "I am from one of the Tiger clans in the Feran world. I hold no high rank, no title fit to speak for my people. I speak out of place, but the situation is forcing my hand."
I was surprised by how steady he sounded. Even frozen.
I leaned back and watched him carefully. "Good," I said. "Start from the top. Your only task right now is to make sure you satisfy my curiosity. If I don’t find you lying, you’ll have your deal."
He nodded quickly. "Thank you for your graciousness, my lord."
I blinked.
’My lord?’
He continued without pause. "The Sharka clan I come from is the second-strongest Tiger clan on Feradros. And as someone of your... esteemed strength must already know, politics run deep among our kind. I was born with talent, too much of it. The top clan didn’t like that. They didn’t want us to ever outshine them."
I tilted my head, trying to see where he was going with this.
"It took years of careful planning, pretending, and hiding just to reach the Master rank," he said, his voice steady but his eyes hollow. "I thought achieving that would free me from all the clan’s petty struggles... that I’d finally work for the good of our people."
He let out a slow, bitter sigh. "But I was wrong. The pettiness only grew darker. Every mission became a game of survival. I planned how to live before I planned how to win."
I raised my hand, cutting him off. "Alright, I get it. You had a tragic upbringing or whatever it is among your kind. Can we get to the point?"
He immediately lowered his head. "Apologies, my lord, for wasting your time with my... rambling. But I wanted to show you that I have no loyalty left for those clans. I am hunted, cornered. If giving you information earns my survival, I’ll do it gladly."
I kept my face calm, though inside I wanted to punch him for how rehearsed his desperation sounded.
Still, he continued, voice soft but steady.
"So please, my lord, do not doubt what I’m about to say. I see a ray of light in you, someone who might actually change things. Help me, and I will give you everything. In return... maybe one day, I’ll find the strength to protect my family again."
I watched his eyes, searching for deceit. There was fear, yes, but also genuine exhaustion. It didn’t matter.
"Speak then," I said. "What exactly do you know?"
He took a deep breath before adding, "But I will need your protection, since the one coming as a delegation is not someone ordinary. He is a Transcendent."
My eyes narrowed. "How sure are you?"
He nodded firmly. "I can bet my life on it. We three were the ones who confirmed their arrival. And the one leading them is none other than Vaelix Ranthor, also known as The Butcher. He is a Transcendent being."
I frowned slightly. "So you’re saying the Ferans found something so valuable here that they’re sending a being of that level and even hiding it from the rest of us?"
He nodded quickly and continued. "Yes, my lord. The top Tiger Clan is very scheming in nature. They don’t follow rules, they don’t care for morals, and their influence is spreading to the other clans as well. Even the Turtle Clan, who always stood for peace before war, are now giving in to the bloodlust of the Tigers."
"What’s the name of this top Tiger Clan you keep mentioning?" I asked.
His expression twisted with hatred. "The Ranthors."
I nodded slowly. "Alright. Then tell me, what’s the map about?"
He took a deep breath before speaking again. "This started about a year ago. The top clan... they’re involved in all sorts of dark dealings, slave trading, illegal conquests, and worse. It’s not public knowledge, of course, but many of us know. Through their back channels, they heard rumors of a human selling information about some kind of anomaly."
I kept my tone neutral. "A human?"
He nodded. "Yes. And I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it was none other than Saturn Max, the Emperor of Peanu."
I pretended to already know and gave a small nod, letting him continue.
"Even we don’t know how he came across that information, but in what he sold, there were certain clues. He didn’t understand what they meant but we did. Based on the interpretation made by our scholars, the Ferans concluded it was connected to a Genesis Rune."
I frowned. "What is that?"
He blinked in surprise, as if he hadn’t heard me properly. "Maybe I misheard you. Could you please repeat that?"
I met his gaze. "What is a Genesis Rune?"
He looked at me as if I’d just said something impossible. "How... how do you not know?" he asked, stammering.
"Why should I?" I replied calmly.
"Because it’s a Genesis Rune! Everyone knows about it. Unless..." He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. "Unless you’re a native of this realm."
I nodded. "I am."
He looked even more shaken. "But... I can’t see your level. That means... you’re a Transcendent rank."
That caught me off guard. I didn’t know the system had stopped showing my level or name. Still, I decided to play along. "Yes. A native Transcendent."