Scattered throughout different lounges within Sechua City, the group of 30 mercenaries had separated themselves into groups of six with five members each. They were fairly cautious as they made sure that their locations had a fair amount of distance between them. At the same time, they made sure they were still within walking distance, in case they needed to help each other out. It just goes to show that their leader was indeed a veteran in this kind of 'business'.
It was fairly quiet this evening. The leader of this group had taken the initiative to keep the one and only piece of 'loot' that they have gathered during this whole 'unpaid' operation. It did not bear good fruit, but they were pretty sure that this magic weapon would cost quite the hefty fortune. But only if they could find the best buyer that is, and they could only find one within the black market.
That was their top priority. It would be the first thing they would handle in the morning. Staying stagnant within this city is a big no as they would likely be tracked down sooner or later by the golem-commanding man, and it was a danger they do not dare provoke. Placing it within a sack that was tightly sealed, the leader of the group placed the Demonic Carbine beside him as he hugged it tightly like it was his woman.
'This smelly human... Why have you forsaken me? Oh, my human Feihren...' The Ancient Demon Lord sobbed as he remembered the time when he had attempted to escape right in front of Feihren, it was definitely the 2nd worst decision he had made in his entire life. And now... He was with these ugly thugs that he doesn't even want to talk to. He was just too high and mighty for these insects to comprehend. Besides, he could obviously tell that they have no idea how to 'use' him in the first place.
'I just hope that you'd come and try to save me human...' The Ancient Demon Lord could only mutter in silence. It had never crossed his mind that he would actually rely on a human to 'survive'. The inside of this metallic non-ambulant body was only an eternal prison for this demon lord...
...
Inside an ordinary room within the Sechua city lord's mansion.
The City Lord's mansion was indeed an attractive sight to behold within the affluent district. An expensive mansion placed atop an artificial hill within the city walls was quite trendy.
A young man was hurriedly moving the beads of an abacus back and forth as he intently tabulated everything from multiple parchments. His active movements contradicted the tired expression that his face reflects as stress was evident in the lines of this man's body. The single source of light within the room illuminated the tiny portion of the table where those collected papers were gathered.
Allen Romeo, the Lord of Sechua City, was tirelessly tabulating the taxes for the week. At his young age of 17, he was now handling the responsibilities of running an entire trade city. This was even harder due to the fact that the entire city is being dragged down by the rooted corruption amongst the rich. They were ruining the growth of the city by exploiting the system through the means of illegal trades and businesses that do not contribute anything to the city's development.
This has been giving Allen headaches ever since he had become the city lord. He was the prominent son of the previous city lord and thus had been passed such a heavy responsibility even at his young age. His brothers and sisters had all been married or had moved to different neighboring kingdoms, leaving Allen by his lonesome self to handle the entire legacy of their family.
"If I could just throw all these damnable pests out of the city... I could make this place a better one for its citizens."
Frustration was apparent of the face of Allen as he gritted his teeth. He was indeed the city lord, yet within a city that was basically pumping blood from the money these corrupt businessmen make, Allen could only take all this to heart and hide. There was nothing he could do that would not cause the fall of this city...
...
The slight shaking of the ground had awoken a few of the mercenary members as they had immediately checked their surroundings. At the same time, Allen, who had slept on his desk within his work room, was suddenly awoken by the sudden commotion.
The city was as quiet as ever. Even though they were sure that it hadn't been their imagination, the mercenary group had awoken and checked their windows to see if there was indeed some ruckus on the streets. They could not find any trace of what they had felt.
"Maybe it was just a slight tremor? ...We are being too vigilant. It's taking a toll on us. We should be a bit concerned about our well being. Let's just relax and sleep for the night. We'll go to the black market in a few hours"
Their leader had calmed their nerves as he dismissed his members.
Allen, who ran outside his mansion, was sure that something was definitely going on.
"The streets are way too quiet..." Allen, who keenly stared out over the city, muttered. "Then... was it the black market?" He already has a rough idea of where the location of the 'hidden' black market was, but he had zero courage in taking immediate action. He was too afraid that destroying something like that would immediately cause a backlash due to the sheer amount of rich people that 'control' the merchants, trades, and other businesses within the city.
He was still 'too young' for the cruel reality of the world. The strong eat the weak. This was something that Allen was already aware of, yet he could not wrap his head around it. He was simply too naive even though he was renowned for being a genius. This was simply the truth he couldn't swallow.
The sun shone brightly in the cloudless morning sky. It was a brand new day for the Sechua City, and for the 'illegal' parts of it to continue working. Although it seems that the city was a bit less active than usual, the group of mercenaries had gathered and gone to the only entrance of the black market.
The Adventurer's Guild.
