Chapter 541: Underground
Far away from the Sand Village, a building stood within the wild, yet strangely enough, nothing seed to notice the structure, not the birds flying around above it, not the monsters and beasts wandering through the area, it was as though the building had never been there to begin with, as though the very existence of the building itself had been erased from perception and reality alike.
Within this building, two floors existed: the ground floor and the first floor, and in another section of the building lay an underground level, concealed and hidden away from any prying eyes; within a chamber inside this underground level, a man sat with certain calmness, possessing black eyes and black hair, and a dark tattoo could be seen drawn intricately across his forehead and down the side of his face. The re existence of his presence caused the air around him to warp and distort faintly, as though space itself bent in subtle reverence to his power.
The chamber was pitch black, as though the man seated within had no need for any external source of light to perceive his surroundings, and before him stood a table, and upon this table rested a large orb, a communication orb of refined craftsmanship.
The next mont, the orb upon the table humd to life, glowing with a deep blue radiance as the darkness within the chamber receded slightly under its illumination. An image of a man appeared within the orb, though the man wore a mask over his face and a hood that concealed his body entirely from recognition.
"What is the reason for your call?" the man seated within the chamber spoke, his voice low and calm, his black eyes shifting toward the orb with asured indifference.
"There has been a developnt, my Lord," the image within the orb spoke in a respectful tone, laced with caution.
"Speak," the man stated with an indifferent expression, his fingers pausing briefly against the armrest.
"Another adventurer has arrived, my Lord," the hooded man reported without hesitation.
Hearing this, the man within the chamber remained silent for a mont before asking, "How many are they this ti?" Earlier, he had assud that the Adventurer Guild had learned their lesson and withdrawn entirely, yet it seed that so adventurers still possessed a reckless fondness for courting death.
"Only one person, my Lord," the hooded man answered swiftly, without the slightest delay or uncertainty.
The seated man narrowed his eyes at the reply; every adventurer who had co previously had arrived in teams, and if this one had co alone, it suggested that he possessed the power, or perhaps the arrogance, to justify such a decision. Even so, he would not make any careless moves; investigation would precede action, and only after certainty was achieved would an operation be carried out.
"The Sand Village is supposed to be our last stop within this region before we depart for another; nothing can be allowed to hinder us at these final monts, or the Sovereign would not be pleased with the outco," the man began to speak, his fingers drumming rhythmically against the armrest in quiet contemplation, "Investigate. Discover what makes this adventurer believe he can move alone with such confidence. If a high-ranking adventurer has appeared, then I will make a move myself, and if it turns out to be a weak fool searching for a quick payout, bring him along with the Sand Villagers; they would make a fine addition to our collection," the man stated in finality, his tone brooking no disagreent.
"As my Lord wishes," the hooded figure replied before severing the connection; the orb dimd until it appeared as though it had never been activated at all, and darkness reclaid the chamber once more.
’Hmmm...’ the man sank into his thoughts as he pondered the presence of a lone adventurer. In truth, they had been kidnapping villagers for quite so ti, even before arriving in this region. They had dealt with the Adventurer Guild stationed wherever they had operated at the ti, eliminating interference efficiently and without leaving evidence... but a lone adventurer acting independently had never attempted such a move.
’Perhaps I should go and see for myself and end this before any mistakes arise?’ he considered silently, unwilling to allow even the slightest possibility of exposure, as they had been far too ticulous in the past to be caught now through carelessness.
After a mont of asured contemplation, he ultimately decided against it; to him, there was no necessity. An exceptional job had been executed thus far, and they had left no trace behind until this very mont. Besides, this was the final village they intended to visit within this region.
Once they were finished with the people they had kidnapped and had achieved their objective, they would depart and proceed toward another region. His eyes shifted briefly to the watch on his wrist, it was already 4 p.m. ’Six more hours,’ he thought to himself as he slowly closed his eyes, allowing patience to steady his breathing.
In six hours, his n would make their move, and everything would be concluded.
"Co," the man stated calmly, his eyes still closed as he sat in composed authority.
At his command, the darkness within the darkness twisted and coiled unnaturally, and a woman stepped forth from the shadows; the mont she appeared, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head, speaking with unwavering loyalty, "At your service, my Lord." She wore the sa mask and hood as the other subordinate.
"Inform the others that they should increase the speed of the process when the last batch of bodies arrives; everything must be completed within a week and a half. We need to relocate to the next region without delay," the man issued the order without even sparing a glance at the woman kneeling before him.
"As my Lord orders," the woman responded before lting seamlessly back into the shadows, vanishing from the place where she had knelt as though she had never been present.
Silence returned to the dark chamber once more as the man waited patiently for further news, and before long, the orb upon the table illuminated again, and the hooded figure from earlier reappeared within its glow.
"We have investigated, my Lord; the adventurer is rely at the Dust Brightstar Life Rank. He will be brought together with the Sand Villagers," the hooded man stated the mont his image materialized.
Upon hearing this, the man seated within the darkness remained silent for a mont, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. ’Is this a trap? A bait?’ he wondered inwardly as he examined the possibility, for why would a re Brightstar Life Ranker accept a mission in which other adventurers had already perished.
Yet in the next instant, he dismissed the notion; nobody of true power would lower themselves to such a rank as deception, nor would they restrain themselves to such theatrics, they would inevitably choose the direct and overwhelming approach, crushing opposition head-on with undeniable force.
"Proceed as planned. I expect your arrival before midnight," the man declared calmly, confidence unwavering in his voice.
"As my Lord wishes," the hooded figure replied respectfully before vanishing from the orb once more.
Everything had unfolded exactly as Asher had planned and anticipated.
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