"You want to know how we found out about the Emerald Viper? I have a friend in one of the Auction Houses and he informs me the moment he secures any information," Captain Jack replied casually. "We already knew about it for a week but we had to locate and secure the place first. It took some time before we found the right cave."
The hunting team was already done with their matters by the time Miss Black reached the entrance of the cave which allowed them to pull Captain Jack for quick questioning.
"Do you perhaps know who sold this information to him?" Miss Black questioned with interest. "I want to find a few rare Soul Herbs so I need some good sources."
"You can follow us back to the main Academy and I will introduce you to him. I don't think he will tell you the name of the informant but everything has a price," Captain Jack pointed out while passing a pouch to Number One. "Talking about the price, this is your reward for killing the Emerald Viper. We already split the Green Soul Crystal into even fragments and your share is forty pieces."
It was a common practice to cut the Soul Crystals into a universal shape and size to guarantee fairness in business. Number One didn't even inspect his reward though as he had much more important things on his mind. "Thank you. I will keep in touch with you about my end of the deal. The pills should be ready once I enter the main Academy."
"Oh, that would be best but you don't need to hurry your Master that much. You are already part of our hunting team so I trust you won't forget about us," Captain Jack commented with a chuckle and pointed at Badly who was waiting with the rest of the top class students. "I actually decided to send your teammate back with you to the Selection Academy. If you have any errands to run, he will gladly help you."
ƥαṇdαηθνε| The motive was quite obvious but Number One didn't mind it as long as Baldy wouldn't disturb him. He in turn pulled out Liss' student badge and requested, "That's fine as long as I can ask for a favor myself. I have Liss' badge on me and I want to use her contribution points. I hope you will wait with informing the Academy about the seniors' death."
Captain Jack raised his eyebrows and nodded as he withdrew another four student badges. "If that's the case, you might as well take all of them. We already found and buried their bodies but I will tell the boys to keep it a secret. If anyone asks, we will just say we never saw them."
"Perfect. See you next month then," Number One acknowledged and they finally joined Darius to return to the Academy.
Miss Black was quite happy with the outcome and followed the hunting team to confirm the source. Number One's theory could be confirmed fully if they managed to find out who spread the tips but he didn't really need it. Just the fact that his Master was not chasing after him personally was enough proof for him.
'Don't worry, we might not know what your Master is planning but it's good that we found out early. Now we can prepare for what is coming at us in the future,' Nami assured while rubbing his waist. 'We will be ready for the next challenge your Master might prepare for you.'
'I'm not worried about that. I just want to know why,' Number One replied honestly. 'He is the reason why I lost everything I had. He knows my grudge very well so why would he watch over me and train me in secret? I'm sure he was the one who informed the Council about me and ordered them to send assassins to kill me. All of that to train me through pain and suffering.'
'Didn't he give you the name Number One? Maybe he just wants you to be the number one Soul Expert in the Inner World. The only way to achieve that is through tough training,' Nami guessed affectionately. 'At least we know he doesn't have bad intentions. We can use the logs he throws at our feet to our advantage. If not for him, you wouldn't be the man you are today so I wouldn't hate your Master that much.'
'It doesn't matter how good he is,' Number One expressed while kissing Nami's forehead for being the support she was. 'Even if he gives me the whole world, I will still kill him. That's one thing that will never change.'
------
Even with the high speed of Soul Wings, one needed a whole day to cross the entire region. It was already the next day when Miss Black reached the Winged Soul City, the third biggest paradise for high-ranked Soul Artists. It was only losing out to the Capital and the Dungeon City which surrounded the main entrance to the Dungeon.
One could only reach the Winged Soul City with the usage of their Soul Wings which was the main reason why everyone loved that place. The absence of mortals was always a perk for the rich and influential Soul Artists. Another reason was naturally the Winged Soul Academy from which the city took its name.
"Which Auction House is your friend working at?" Miss Black questioned Captain Jack as she observed the floating islands in the distance. The Winged Soul City had hundreds of small cities on top of massive pillars so it was sometimes hard to navigate.
"It's the one on the main island. Just follow us since we go there anyway. We have many ingredients to sell," Captain Jack replied as he led the way for the team. It wasn't long before they finally reached the place but everyone hovered in the sky in confusion.
"Where did the buildings go? Did they relocate the whole Auction House?" Someone commented on what everyone was thinking. The place underneath them was completely empty as if someone leveled the whole area to the ground.
Captain Jack frowned as he looked around and they found City Guards to ask them what happened. The two men only shrugged in response. "You are the fifth person asking in the last hour alone but we don't really know what happened. Many testify that an expert with Golden Wings appeared at night and fired a beam like Soul Art that lit up the sky. The whole building melted together with everyone inside. I think you will need to find another Auction House for the time being."
Miss Black frowned immediately before recalling Number One's Soul Art that he displayed. Only his Master could know that Soul Art.
'So it's all true... His master must have heard us and came to cover the tracks...' Miss Black muttered as she watched the destruction spanning tens of meters in diameter. 'I guess I need to be nicer to Number One...'
The thought alone made Miss Black shudder and she left it for further consideration.
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