(Twin Fang Planet, Outer Housing Ring, Leo's Apartment, One Day Later)
After returning to Twin-Fang Planet, Leo did not rush to report the success of his mission. Instead, he made his way straight to his apartment, choosing to isolate himself from the outside world in order to sit down and truly think things through.
His time in the Time-Stilled World had been enlightening in many ways, but if there was one lesson that had etched itself deepest into his bones, it was to trust his own gut, even when what it said seemed to be far fetched or unlikely to be true.
His instincts, sharpened by years of survival and forged through countless battles, was often more reliable than any logic or instruction manual ever could be, and currently it raised some important questions that he never thought about before.
'Why do the Black Serpents want the origin metal?'
'What makes it so valuable that Zhanrok, a being dead for thousands of years, still stirs at the mere thought of it being stolen?'
The questions burned in his mind as he walked through the quieter lanes of the Outer Ring, back towards his apartment.
*Thud*
*FSSHHH—*
The first thing he did after closing the door behind him was take a long, scalding shower.
The steaming water spilled over his tense muscles, tracing the remnants of bruises and shallow cuts, cleansing the dirt and the lingering taint of the Time-Stilled World, as it allowed him to feel fresher once that awful smell of stink finally washed off his body.
And yet, even within the comfort of a hot shower, Leo clung to his paranoia.
His spatial ring and pouch, both remained strapped to him the entire time, as he did not let them out of sight even for a second, even within the locked walls of his own apartment.
Once he stepped out, body clean but mind burdened, he pulled on a pair of dark training slacks and dropped onto the edge of his soft, high-density mattress, the bed dipping slightly under his weight, as his mind kicked into full gear.
"Well, I can't take too long to report the mission's success. Delaying would only raise questions and might make me look suspicious."
His brows furrowed as he rested his elbows on his knees, fingers steepled in front of him.
If he took too long to report the mission's success, the higher ups could get suspicious of him and might try to silence him through underhanded tactics, as when items of such value were involved, it was not unusual to be backstabbed.
He needed to have a full-proof story, and for that to happen, he needed to report the success of the mission within a few hours of his return, giving him very little time to think about other moves.
"Giving up something that could be worth more than the gold they're offering... would be a stupid choice….. Instinct tells me that this metal block might be worth a hell of a lot more than the 6.5 billion they're offering…."
His eyes drifted toward the satchel sitting near the foot of the bed.
"But what if I only gave half? What if I handed over one of the two ingots I recovered? The mission brief only asked me to retrieve 'origin metal'. It never specified a quantity."
The idea settled in his chest like a stone, and slowly, that weight became stability.
"If I can receive the same reward by offering just one block... while keeping the other to investigate later... why shouldn't I?"
The logic felt sound and harmless enough, as after thinking about it some more, Leo decided to hand over half the metal and report the success of the mission, while keeping the second half for himself to research its value later.
"If I trusted the Cult, maybe I'd hand over the metal to them and ask them to reward me fairly," he muttered, leaning back, voice dripping with quiet cynicism. "But I don't trust them."
His jaw tightened at the thought.
"The bastards have tried to kill me twice now."
His memories spiraled back. The attempt at the Grand Arena. The ambush by Karl inside the Time-Stilled World. Two separate operatives from the same so-called organization of 'higher ascension' had tried to end his life—and he had no intention of forgiving that.
Whether they had known who he truly was didn't matter.
The simple fact that it happened—twice—was enough to cast deep shadows over the Cult's structure.
If they couldn't even coordinate internally to protect their own asset, then what hope did they have in the greater scheme of things?
If the one grooming him had to keep his identity hidden from the other higher-ups, then that alone revealed a terrifying truth.
The Cult of Ascension was not a unified organisation.
It was fractured.
And Leo had no intention of blindly putting his faith into something that couldn't even manage its own internal feuds.
"Yes…. I think that the best course of action is to not contact the Cult for now.
I'll contact Faye after I've reported the success of this mission to the Black Serpents and secured my opportunity to enter their Treasure Vault." Leo concluded, as he put on a fresh pair of guild robes and headed out.
But not directly towards the missions center, as he went to the merchants district first.
—-----------
(Twin Fang Planet, Merchants District, Orange Panthers Store)
The Panthers Store Branch Shopkeeper was overjoyed to meet Leo when he walked into the store, as he smiled brightly and rushed towards the door to greet him near the entrance.
"Mr.Skyshard! You're alive and well…. I am most relieved—" The shopkeeper said, as he gestured for Leo to enter the store with a big smile on his face.
"We were all very worried when we found out that an Evil Cult operative had snuck into your team. But I'm glad to see that you're okay!" The shopkeeper said, as Leo's eyes widened in surprise as to how common the news of Karl's real identity was on Twin Fang Planet.
"Yes I was lucky to survive the Cult Bastard…." Leo replied nonchalantly, as the shopkeeper nodded and rubbed his palms in delight.
"Your streak of goodluck continues Mr.Skyshard, because as promised, I not only negotiated a sale price of 50 million for your formula! But I also went on and negotiated your royalty split, increasing it from 10 to 15% on all future sales!" The shopkeeper said proudly, as Leo quietly nodded in approval.
"Well done. You have truly earned your commission on this deal, as well as the extra one percent I promised you on top," Leo said with a soft smile, as the shopkeeper humbly bowed in acceptance, before passing over to him the signed papers of his new agreement.
Leo gave the papers a once over, before storing them below his arm pit, as he leaned over and asked the shopkeeper a question in a hushed tone.
"Say I want to send something securely over the galaxy.
Something like the original formula to this poison, so that in case someday I die abruptly due to a money related dispute, the poison formula can still be held by my confidants, how would I do it?" He inquired, as the shopkeeper's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not look too aghast.
"I see you're a very careful man, Mr Skyshard, I can respect that.
Well in that case, I would go to the United Carrier services and tell them to discreetly deliver a package.
Which I would submit well sealed.
They are known for their professionalism and will deliver it at the fastest speed" The shopkeeper advised as Leo nodded and thanked him before leaving the store.
—-------
He went to the United Carriers Store next, where he mailed one of the two origin metal ingots, alongside a blank cheque for 10 million MP, to a certain 'Chaosbringer' on planet Terra Nova.
Knowing full well, that if there was one man that could keep it safe with his wits and glib tongue.
It was that man.