Chapter 209: The eting (1)
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“Would you mind standing guard for a mont?”
“Sure.”
As King nodded, Carl imdiately sat down cross-legged.
He needed to prepare to dissolve the shard of Kylos he had just absorbed.
If it had been in its divine form like before, absorption would have been the end of it, but now it was mixed with impure demonic energy.
If he devoured it as is, it could cause a backlash.
Chzzzz.
Carl operated the Primordial Unity Divine Art and slowly layered Kylos’ shard onto his own energy.
‘No matter how often I see it, this energy flow is always fascinating.’
With his arms crossed, King watched Carl with a curious gaze.
They too had their own mana manipulation thods and training systems.
But Carl’s thod was far more systematic and focused on mana control.
If he had been a bit younger, King would have tried learning it as well, but with an aged body and a rigid nervous system, changing his mana manipulation was too difficult, so he had no choice but to give up.
Crack, crick.
Then ca the sound of sothing tearing from within Carl.
It was the process of the demonic energy detaching from the divinity.
Had this process started from scratch, it would have been quite difficult.
Fortunately, the divinity of Kylos he had previously absorbed still remained inside Carl.
Divinity always had the characteristic of striving to maintain its purity.
This was the sa reason why priests’ skin and bodies were clean.
So, using the pre-existing divinity, he stimulated only the sa type within the mixture to slowly filter it out.
‘As for the remaining demonic energy...’
He considered absorbing it into the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but this demonic energy was too toxic and would likely have adverse effects.
Once the separation was complete, Carl opened his eyes wide and pulled sothing out from his inner pocket.
Pop.
It was the bottle that had contained the top-grade potion he used earlier.
Top-grade potion bottles were magically treated, making them hard to break and easy to store.
So they were usually reused after the potion was consud, but this ti, it was being used for a slightly different purpose.
Chzzzz.
From the tip of Carl’s finger, dark energy dropped into the bottle.
When all the demonic energy in his body had been expelled, the bottle was filled about two-thirds full.
‘I wonder whose demonic energy this is.’
Carl’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the bottled demonic energy.
To think this small amount could corrupt the shard of a demigod.
It was undoubtedly from a high-ranking demon.
“All done?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I managed it well.”
“I didn’t do anything. I just watched from the side.”
King joked that perhaps he should be paying admission to watch instead.
“So what do you plan to do with this place?”
“I had the previously discovered ruins reported and handled by the Empire, but I don’t think that’s necessary here. We’ll recover all the relics and artifacts inside and use this place as a NOX hideout or base.”
“That sounds like a good idea. The location’s decent, and building a facility of this size takes quite a bit of legwork.”
It was essentially a space they had gained for free.
If they sold the wealth stored inside, it would bring considerable profit.
Of course, they’d have to be wary of the Empire’s scrutiny, so they couldn’t flood the market imdiately, but if they sold things gradually over ti, it could be quite lucrative.
“Let’s head back.”
“Have you been living this busily ever since arriving in the capital? No ti to catch your breath.”
“Since I’ve mounted a running tiger, I might as well keep whipping it. There’s plenty of ti to rest once I reach the top.”
“I’ve never t a young man as diligent as you in my life.”
At King’s words, Carl let out a small chuckle.
He wasn’t particularly diligent by nature.
He was rely doing what needed to be done.
It was a habit ingrained in him since his days as an assassin, and it still drove him forward.
As Carl stepped out of the cavern with King, NOX mbers waiting outside greeted them.
“Nine, I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”
“Understood. Also, we’ve received word from Lahan. Organizations from other regions have reached out to propose a eting.”
“A eting?”
It was an unexpected developnt.
Even if they had sorted out a few zones including the Western Third Comrcial District, Lahan shouldn’t be influential enough to receive such invitations.
“They didn’t ntion Lahan specifically—only NOX. They said they wish to et the Master.”
“They’ve realized NOX is behind Madeira.”
“It appears so.”
Carl nodded.
He had expected the other side would begin fishing for information soon anyway.
The fact that they contacted them directly ntioning NOX at such a timing ant that the nobles and influential families behind each underworld organization had stepped forward.
It was highly likely that the information had leaked from within the Imperial Family.
‘It seems my request to Crown Prince Yulian worked out well.’
Crown Prince Yulian had promised Carl that, if he wished, he would prevent the nobles from interfering with NOX.
Though he would use a proxy, it wouldn’t be difficult to suppress them with imperial authority.
However, Carl had realized that this too was a test from Crown Prince Yulian.
“They’re trying to prune. They want to use us to strike down the nobles who have ties with the underworld.”
“I believe it would be wise to send out Dirsen first and gauge the atmosphere…”
Nine cautiously offered her opinion.
NOX's power was impressive, but it was still difficult to go to full-scale war against the underworld organizations.
If it ca to a clash of upper forces, there would be no match.
But countless mbers would undoubtedly die.
The underworld’s organizations were nothing if not vicious and tenacious.
Instead of answering Nine, Carl turned his head and looked at King.
“Would you give a mont to catch my breath?”
“I just follow the Master's orders. Looks like I’ll get to have so fun after a long ti.”
Carl and Johanel had a relationship built on mutual respect.
They spoke informally in private, but in front of others, Johanel took a step back.
Even if he was the strongest in the organization, the boss, the Master, had to uphold his authority.
“Nine, contact the Madeira side. Tell them we’ll attend the eting.”
“Understood.”
The scheduled eting requested by the underworld organizations was set for three days later.
The attending organizations were led by representatives from prominent regions of the Western Comrcial District.
Dirsen of Lahan also attended the eting with the NOX delegation.
“Then I’ll go greet the others.”
“Go ahead.”
At Dirsen’s words, Johanel nodded.
Lahan had been conducting business in its own way.
And thanks to Godok and the Soul-Seizing Technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Dirsen had been completely brainwashed, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Hm.”
Johanel represented NOX at the eting.
To prevent conflicts, each attendee was allowed to bring only one attendant, and Carl, in disguise, naturally accompanied Johanel.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of these parties.”
“I heard you were quite the sensation at social gatherings in your younger days.”
“That I was. Whenever I announced my attendance, all the beauties of the kingdom would line up outside the banquet hall—just to get a glimpse of this old man’s face.”
Johanel chuckled while stroking his chin.
He had tidied up nicely for the first ti in a while to attend the eting.
Perhaps because of his level, he looked much younger than his age.
He walked around the banquet hall with natural strides, exchanging glances and winks with those he passed.
Despite his age, the won giggled at Johanel’s flirtations, chard by his dashing appearance.
“How is it? Sothing like this should suffice, yes?”
“...It doesn’t really seem like you’re acting, though.”
“I’m simply drawing on the mories of my youth.”
A light and frivolous vibe.
That was the boss image Carl had requested from Johanel.
It would make it easier for others to approach with hidden motives.
“But they’re not coming as eagerly as expected. I thought they’d swarm like wolves for those mana beads.”
“They’re either watching carefully or trying to assert dominance.”
Johanel, attending as NOX’s boss, had only spoken to a few people in the banquet hall.
Most of them were won, and others didn’t even glance his way.
Given that Dirsen, the boss of Lahan who had expanded into several regions including the Western Third Comrcial District, was already mingling actively among the crowd, the contrast was striking.
“Not long ago, the Madeira side exposed a kidnapping case tied to the rchants’ Guild.”
“I heard.”
“That might have sothing to do with it.”
Apparently, quite a few underworld figures had been implicated.
Carl wondered if any trace of the Thousand-Mile Tracking Fragrance remained among those present, but unfortunately, he hadn’t caught a scent yet.
“Um…”
At that mont, soone finally approached Johanel.
It was a man with a goatee, a slightly pale but sharp-looking face.
With a knowing smile, he extended his hand toward Johanel.
“Would you happen to be the boss of NOX?”
“They call Johanel.”
“What an honor it is to et the most talked-about figure in the capital lately. I am David, leader of an organization called sh.”
David of sh.
Carl, standing behind Johanel as his attendant, recalled the na.
It was on the list.
Not a large organization, but one that held a notable stake in the distribution network.
That ant they had a strong connection with the rchants’ Guild.
Carl imdiately transmitted that information to Johanel through voice transmission.
“sh. So you’re with the rchants’ Guild. We must have crossed paths before. Pleased to et you.”
“First, let apologize. I deeply regret causing you trouble, however unintentionally.”
“Ah, the kidnapping case, you an? Don’t worry about it. That’s already resolved. I hold no grudge. Business is what matters most, wouldn’t you agree?”
As Johanel raised his glass and laughed heartily, David smiled and responded.
“I’m relieved to see you’re so magnanimous. With so many profits entangled, there are bound to be fools blinded by greed. It’s my failure for not managing the lower ranks properly...”
David wore a genuinely remorseful expression.
Still, why did he keep bringing up the subject?
Was it to apologize for his mistake and gain favor with Johanel?
It all seed a bit too calculated.
“It’s fine. More importantly, could you introduce to so others? This is my first ti here, and I don’t know anyone.”
“Of course. Let’s go.”
David readily agreed to Johanel’s request.
He had probably planned this from the beginning.
Soon, David began guiding Johanel around the banquet hall, introducing him to various people.
“A pleasure. I’m Johanel of NOX.”
“Oh my, what an honor.”
Those who had ignored Johanel when he was walking alone now greeted him with friendly smiles.
Trailing quietly behind, Carl suddenly stopped and turned his gaze toward a certain spot.
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