Guan Tong and Uenoshi entered the bar. They had assumed that since there were quite a few drunks on the street outside, the bar would only have more. Unexpectedly, upon entering, they found this was not the case.
The entire bar was sparsely populated, with only a few tables and some people sitting around the bar. Most of the booths were empty. The stage for dancing was covered in a layer of dust, who knows how long it had been since anyone used it.
Black Star led the two to an empty table and sat down. "What would you two like to drink? The alcohol here is pretty good."
As he spoke, he looked at Uenoshi, who was wearing a mask and sunglasses, and chuckled. "This client is really wrapped up tight. Actually, there's no need to worry. Your identity will absolutely not be leaked here. Please believe in the professional ethics of my line of work."
Uenoshi did not respond.
The scales that had already spread from her neck to her chin and her pair of large serpent-like vertical pupils were far too conspicuous, and she did not want others to see them.
"No need for any extra talk," Guan Tong spoke up. "Let's complete the commission as quickly as possible."
"Alright, then wait a moment, I'll go get it."
After saying this, Black Star stood up and went inside through the bar's inner door.
"Do you think he's reliable?" Guan Tong asked Uenoshi beside him.
"I don't know. But Lijeka is the son of the former Administrator and the older brother of the current Administrator. Is information about him that easy to obtain?"
The commission Guan Tong had posted was precisely related to Lijeka.
The competition between Yelanka and Lijeka for the position of Administrator was no longer a secret. After she took over, related information had been dug up by many people and posted online.
In this era, as long as you can offer enough Ascension Coins, you can buy almost any service or piece of intelligence.
Even in crucial, confidential departments, intelligence leaks are rampant, to the point where many special agencies have no choice but to regularly use lie-detection type items for spot checks or comprehensive inspections.
For Guan Tong to settle accounts with Lijeka, he first needed to know where the man was.
There were only three ways to investigate.
Either search slowly himself; or spend money to buy information; or contact Yelanka and ask.
He almost immediately ruled out the first and third options.
Searching himself was too inefficient because countries and countries are different.
Back when he investigated the incident in Andai State himself, it was because Andai State was a small country, barely having only two medium-sized cities, Antu and Bandzhen, which couldn't even be considered major cities.
Xisiya, on the other hand, was an out-and-out major power, with a land area easily a hundred times that of Andai State! If he really had to search himself, who knows if he could find anything even after several rules had passed? He didn't want to waste that much time here.
Moreover, if he investigated Lijeka himself, it would inevitably involve key departments of Xisiya... Since he had some relationship with Yelanka, and she was now the Administrator, if possible, he didn't want to cause trouble for her.
This was also one of the reasons for ruling out the third method of directly contacting Yelanka.
If there were any other reasons, it was that Lijeka was, after all, Yelanka's own older brother. If she knew Guan Tong was coming to settle accounts, how would she react? Would she ignore it or try to stop him?
After comprehensive consideration, Guan Tong decided to keep Yelanka from knowing about his arrival in Xisiya as much as possible, and to improve the efficiency of finding the target by spending Ascension Coins to post a commission.
"Black Star is quite famous on the forum, to be precise, he's famous in the Xisiya section," Guan Tong said. "He's a well-known Ascendant broker in this country."
"That means an intelligence dealer."
"He's more like a middleman. He himself might not have much intelligence, but he can connect clients with those who have the information, taking a portion of the fee as a commission."
"Then his credibility should be quite good," Uenoshi said.
Guan Tong nodded. The most important thing for a middleman was credibility. Since Black Star was widely praised on the forum, he should be alright.
Of course, the possibility of "fake reviews" couldn't be ruled out. The "Bomber" Wu Wang and his gang had done that before.
Just in case, before entering the bar, Guan Tong had already released multiple shadow lines inside and outside for surveillance, so he could detect any danger immediately.
The two waited for about two minutes before Black Star returned, holding a portable computer.
He placed the computer on the table and opened a folder. Inside were all materials related to Lijeka.
"Is it okay to show me here?"
Guan Tong looked at the other people in the bar. Although the number was small, there was still a risk of information leakage.
Black Star grinned. "Don't worry. This bar is mine, and these people are all my people."
After saying this, he clapped his hands once. The others all looked over in unison. They all seemed somewhat capable and highly vigilant.
Guan Tong gave a slight nod. Seeing his calm expression, Black Star's eyes lit up. "Usually, some clients would worry this is a shady establishment when they see this situation. Judging by your demeanor, client, you seem to have a lot of trust in me."
"I trust myself. If this place were a shady establishment, I'd just dismantle it in passing."
"Uh, haha..."
Black Star forced out an awkward laugh, then showed the contents of the materials to Guan Tong.
The materials contained Lijeka's identity information, various photos, everything was complete. There were even records of his childhood experiences. His current location was also marked on a map.
"This material..."
"Does the client feel it's incomplete?"
"No, it's too complete."
The materials even recorded Lijeka's blood type, hobbies, what he liked to eat and what he didn't. It was as if they were written by someone who had been watching him grow up since childhood.
Black Star seemed to guess what Guan Tong was thinking and explained, "The person providing the materials is, of course, one of Lijeka's most trusted subordinates. It's just... since you, client, are investigating Lijeka, it means you also know about his failure in the competition for Administrator."
"With this failure, he's basically finished. It's also his fault for being too ruthless, leaving himself no room for retreat. And this trusted subordinate of his... *cough*... certainly doesn't want to sink with the ship. So, while there's still time, he wants to sell this information, earn some coins, and run."
Hearing this, Guan Tong looked up and asked, "Is the information reliable?"
"That's something the client will have to verify for themselves. Of course, if there are any major issues, I, as the middleman, will provide after-sales service—I'll provide the information provider's details then, making it convenient for the client to settle accounts."
"Alright, proceed with the transaction with him."
Upon hearing this, Uenoshi, who was beside him, conducted the Ascension Coin transaction with Black Star.
After receiving the payment, Black Star immediately packed up the computer and handed it to Guan Tong, beaming with a smile. "Thank you, boss! Please leave a good review on the forum~"
"I'll give one if I confirm the information is correct."
After saying this, Guan Tong stood up, took the computer, and left with Uenoshi.
After the two left the bar, a woman from the bar counter walked over to Black Star and curiously glanced towards the door. "Those two seemed like they were from Beixing? What do they want with Lijeka's information?"
"That's not something a middleman should worry about," Black Star said with a laugh. "We just need to know this is a big spender."
The woman looked at him. "How much did you get from this deal?"
Black Star held up four fingers.
"40%?" The woman was somewhat surprised. "That really is a lot."
"It's because the information seller is in a hurry."
"Even such important information is being sold off cheaply in a rush. It seems Lijeka really has no chance of making a comeback."
"Who told him to go for the kill back then? According to my information, even the military was involved at the time. That's a major taboo." Black Star chuckled.
"Our current Administrator may be young, but she's not someone to be bullied easily. What do you think she'll do... Also, I heard our Administrator went to Beixing for a period last year."
The woman's heart stirred. "Could those two be connected to the Administrator?"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Black Star gave the woman a push. "Stop trying to join in on the excitement. Go check the forum quickly to see if there are any new commissions. Do you think it's easy for me to support dozens of you people..."
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