"The Nak?" Clifford questioned, confused by Khan's statent.
Even people who had lived their whole lives in those distant reaches of the universe knew about the Nak. Still, Khan spotted sothing strange in Clifford's reaction and mana, and his senses didn't imdiately provide an explanation.
"Is sothing wrong?" Khan asked.
"No, no," Clifford shook his head, suddenly recalling Khan's status. "Prince Khan. It's just … I wouldn't know where to begin."
"What do you an?" Khan questioned.
"Well," Clifford muttered, conflicted about his thoughts. "Let's pretend I were knowledgeable about this area for a second. I'm not saying I am, but I would have too many pieces of information to share in that case."
Khan had to admit he didn't expect a similar reaction. Clifford didn't only seem to hold a great deal of information about the topic. He didn't even consider it valuable. His admission proved as much.
"Drink," Khan ordered, and Clifford finally tasted the booze. The tense atmosphere tried to ruin the pleasant burning sensation filling his mouth and throat, but he had learned long ago to enjoy those rare monts no matter the situation.
"Let's pretend," Khan agreed. "What do you know about the Nak?"
"What everyone knows," Clifford declared. "They ca, they destroyed, Earth defeated them."
"How can you be so indifferent toward them then?" Khan wondered.
"They are old history, Prince Khan," Clifford announced, "And everything they left lying around is broken or useless or both. I'm more worried about going through today. Maybe even tomorrow if I feel optimistic."
Different people had different problems and priorities. The Nak were connected to a universal threat, but Clifford wouldn't waste a single thought over it even if he knew about that. Surviving another day in that terrible environnt already filled his mind and schedule.
Khan didn't bla Clifford, but that delay was becoming annoying. Clifford was still trying to dodge the issue's core but was smart enough to address sothing before Khan could lose his patience.
"However," Clifford continued. "I do know where to find more traces of the Nak, and I'll share it for free since we are pretending and being reasonable."
"Where are they?" Khan directly asked.
"Everywhere, Prince Khan," Clifford revealed. "You can't go two planets in these quadrants without finding sothing that belonged to the Nak. Anyone who explored this area knows that."
Khan found it hard to believe Clifford, but his mana carried no lies. Still, the idea sounded ludicrous. After struggling for nine years to search for the most obscure and flimsy remains of that infamous species, Khan couldn't accept that they were so easy to find in those quadrants.
"What kinds of remains are we talking about?" Khan questioned. "Allegedly, of course."
"Allegedly," Clifford uttered, "Random pieces of tal, bones of so Tainted creature, and even broken and unusable pieces of technology. Anything valuable was scoured and repurposed before I settled in this area."
The explanation made the claim more reasonable, but Khan still struggled to trust it. He diverted his eyes as countless simulations ran through his mind. In a different situation, that environnt rich in Nak's remains would have been a gold mine, but it actually troubled Khan now.
Khan had ventured into the area to find more detailed information and clues that could stretch the four paths deeper into the universe. Ideally, he hoped to obtain sothing that could unite those routes, uncovering the road to his final destination.
Instead, a zone dense with Nak's remains could provide more data but would also cloud what Khan had already obtained. It could derail Khan's search for months and years, wasting his probably short ti.
'Was I too confident?' Khan wondered. 'Did I delude myself into thinking I was close after Chuwei?'
Truth be told, Khan could find a reasonable explanation for Clifford's claim. Maybe those quadrants had been rich in life in the past. Even if they didn't, the Nak had attacked rcilessly anyway, tainting them forever. Chances were they did that even with dead planets just to spread the mana further.
The unregulated nature of the area had also played a part. With no one interested in occupying those planets, the Nak's traces would have just remained there, occasionally plundered by random pirates and travelers. Their density was still unnaturally high, but everything was too old to find complete explanations.
Khan didn't care about explaining the past, either. He only needed what could lead him to the azure star system, and the answer had to be sowhere out there. Such an area dense with remains had to have a high chance of providing better clues, but Khan had to restrict his search sohow.
"I'll need a map of all the places that had or still have Nak's remains," Khan announced. "Yet, is there anything better? I don't know. Peculiar, maybe? Even alive would work."
Clifford emptied his drink, falling silent. Khan refilled it, but the leader retained his pensive stance. Machinations unfolded in his brain, highlighting problems. The information in Clifford's possession wasn't exactly valuable, but a Prince wanted it, and that made it priceless.
Nevertheless, Clifford had already admitted that Khan could find that information everywhere. He had done that to remain on friendly terms, but nothing stopped Khan from purchasing it elsewhere. Clifford didn't want to lose that buyer but didn't know how or when to ntion his price.
"Just tell what you want," Khan stated, interrupting Clifford's ntal machinations. "Now or later doesn't matter. I'll stay true to my word and deliver on your request."
Clifford felt like cursing but used the booze to hold himself back. He couldn't explain why, but shivers ran down his spine whenever Khan responded with a more serious tone. Moreover, those glowing eyes seed to see through everything, including his thoughts.
"A mber of my crew is sort of an aficionado," Clifford announced, deciding to earn Khan's goodwill before ntioning a price. "He should know more about the Nak. I can call him for you."
"No need," Khan exclaid as soon as Clifford started to stand up. "Five of your n are outside, probably trying to eavesdrop on our conversation."
Khan pointed at the thin wall behind his back with his thumb, and Clifford's black eyes widened before a snort escaped his mouth, followed by an angry shout.
"Hughie, get your ass here!" Clifford shouted at the wall, "And tell the other idiots I'll take five percent off their share for the next trip!"
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