Moving out of the black market, we reached the surface and from there it didn't take much time for us to reach the store. All the more because we were walking at a much faster rate than before.
Getting inside the store, a strange form of relaxation occurred, washing our tiredness away and making us feel pretty much refreshed within a few seconds. Though it was just another array, I placed within the store.
"That was… quite something," Leena spoke as she shook her head and began removing the cloak, while I helped Anna on the floor before taking out a pillow for her to sleep on.
With that out of the way, I then focused on Leena, who was humming as she stretched and then spoke without turning,
"MMMmhhh… So, are we going to discuss now, or do you have something else to do as well?"
As she stretched forward and bent, her booty became apparent. I won't say that I didn't like it, but wasn't this girl a little too relaxed now?
"Like it?" She smirked as she turned around without changing her position and I could only sigh as I looked at her shameful behaviour.
"Might have smashed you if not for the current situation and my own schedule," I answered her honestly, making her turn red a little.
She put her hands on the floor, and then using her arm strength, she did a slow front flip and got back to standing position.
"Leacher," she clicked her tongue as she moved to the chair and took a seat.
"Look who's talking," I smirked back at her before sitting on the chair beside her.
"Since there are a lot of things to ask, I will let you be the one asking questions," I said calmly as I took out a cup of tea and warmed it using another array. Doing the same thing twice, I gave her one as well.
"Okay so. Let's start with Morpheus," she asked me, quite curious.
This made me go back to the point when I arrived in the city. Honestly, when I first came here and looked at the condition of the city. Sigh. It made me wanna kill everyone present here.
Which I kind of did before I found that the entire underground market is run by three SS-ranked Adventurers. And not only that, but this was just a side market and the main one was somewhere else.
"When I came here, or to be exact, the underground market, I needed 3 things to secure my business in the city," I began speaking as I raised 3 of my fingers.
"One was information. You can never go wrong with this step. As long as you have information, you can survive any or all circumstances by playing the right cards. Doesn't mean if you are strong or weak.
Second was connections. As long as you have connections, you will keep getting updated on the important news. They may or may not help you in times of need, but small exchanges on premium goods might be possible as well.
Finally Protection. Even if you do have the above two, it can never be too much to increase the protection you can get anywhere. Whether it is through mercenaries or through an artefact or maybe a deal with the devil, anything goes."
She looked at me as she finished her cup and asked for a refill. Filling her cup, I reached the main point which she asked about.
"When I was looking through the Mercenaries, I heard about a newcomer who appeared a few days before I did. Since everyone was talking about him, I pretty much got interested as well.
It was Morpheus. A Dark Mage who used chains and a black fire to burn down his targets. As cruel as his methods were, he was pretty skilled to make up for that. They say that he has a hundred percent clear rate and never missed any targets.
It was as if he knew where the target was before taking the quests.
Though he is also a half psychopath. Even if you poke him a little, or rub him the wrong way, he will immediately kill you with no sympathy. If you look through the missions, you will find a couple of them targeting him as well."
I kept looking at Leena's face, but there was no change in the expression of hers. She calmly sat there, gracefully taking a sip from the cup.
"So. He is strong, huh?" She confirmed, and I nodded," very much so."
I pondered before adding my reasons for giving the mission,
"He is strong, so he is perfect for the job. People might now know, but he is someone who will take all jobs as long as they give him money and are aligned to his morals or something. At least that's what my informant said.
By morals, I meant the…. Hey! Are you listening?" I spoke in a bit loud voice, making her shriek a little.
She turned to me with a slight stupor as she spoke," uh… sorry… What were you saying?"
"..."
I want to slap her right now.
"Sigh….. From where should I even start again… What was the last thing you remember?" I asked her, feeling exhausted already. Why do I feel like it is going to be a really long night?
"Umm… Morpheus is very strong… ???" she spoke as I looked at her with a blank face.
A few moments of silence before I calmed myself down and stood up before speaking.
"Just go to sleep tonight. I will explain everything slowly one by one as time passes, not that we have much to do, anyway."
"But-"
"No buts. I am tired now. I already answered a few questions and you look tired as well. Go rest. We will talk tomorrow," I said, making her nod slightly.
I then took out two mattresses and placed them on the floor. Giving them blankets and pillows, I then turned the Air cooling arrays ON. Then I helped Anna on the bed from the floor.
"All right then. Have a nice and relaxed sleep. See you guys tomorrow," I spoke as I walked out of the shop waving at Leena and she too weaved with a half tired expression.
[Mana Sense!]
'Doesn't seem like there is anyone here yet,' I thought as I checked the area around before going to a nearby dark alley.
And then, I used my ring to create a dark aura around me, as I took the shape of a mage clouded in darkness. I took the shape of Morpheus.