The cuckoo clock on the wall continued ticking down.
'It's been an hour; where is he?' Silent thought to himself, but outside, it looked like he was just sitting still, waiting for sothing to happen.
No one else around the table spoke a word.
However, so of them seed impatient and wanted to go either for a quick smoke break or a bathroom break.
Goldie, standing on the sides obediently, checked her tipiece and realized that they had already been waiting for over an hour.
'Master, where are you?'
Szzz...
Suddenly, a static noise ca from inside a wall-at least it seed like it was coming from inside a wall.
"Goldie, co to my office."
The voice was rough-sounding, with a slight tremor in the tone. It was like the person had been shouting for over an hour to cause the voice to turn like that.
"Excuse ." Goldie bowed and then headed upstairs as fast as she could with her heels clicking on the marble steps.
She soon found her way to the office, just a few doors down from the stairs, and then opened the door before entering.
It was a dark room, with the only light coming from the several monitors mounted on the walls.
A man, with his face hidden behind a sunflower mask, sat on a chair that was seemingly a gaming chair based on its design.
He was staring at the leftmost monitor that showed a person with a black mask of stars and moons.
"Master Sunflower." Goldie courtly greeted him.
"Who is he?" Sunflower pointed at the person on the screen.
"He said that his na is Silent." Goldie said. "Is sothing wrong?"
"He hasn't been here before." Sunflower said with a suspicious tone. "I don't like that a stranger ca here unknowingly."
"He knew the knocking pattern, knew about having a secret identity, and even knew the table rulers—no talking before the eting."
"Soone told him all that." Sunflower said and looked at his beautiful assistant. "What do you think? You have always had a good eye for people's intentions."
"I-It's not that good," she stuttered shyly. "I didn't find any malice from him, but this eye of mine is not a superpower, and I can always be mistaken..."
"That's enough, I guess." Sunflower stood up and tightened the clasp on his mask. "Let's get the eting started. Keep an eye on this Silent."
"Yes, master."
...
The lights on the ceiling of the Red Thread dimd down as if it were turning into a night.
A darkness swept over the Red Thread, but the windows of various buildings were still brightly lit, casting light upon the streets.
The city beca even more active after the lights turned off.
The bars were filled with laughter and music, spilling out onto the sidewalks, and the red light district began to co alive with bustling activity.
The hidden building, tucked away in the safety of the underground, turned very dark.
People around the eting table stayed silent while the darkness swept over them. They couldn't see each other.
At that mont, a pair of footsteps ca from the marble steps.
Click, click.
A man with a sunflower ca to the room, using his lighter to light up the path.
The lighter's fire was weak, but it was enough.
He took out a candle from a shelf, lit it with the fla, and then placed the candle at the center of the table.
A deep, yellow light flickered in the room, casting shadows of around dozen figures on the walls
"Welco everyone." Sunflower got seated, and Goldie sat right beside him.
The figures nodded simultaneously.
"We have a new mber, it seems." Sunflower looked straight at Silent. "Mind telling us your na?"
"Silent."
"Buying or selling?" Sunflower asked.
"Only buying," Silent replied.
"Nn."
Sunflower nodded and then turned to a woman with heart-shaped glasses and a mask that only covered her nose, mouth, part of her cheeks, and the chin.
"Heart, buying, or selling?"
"Selling." Heart said with a very pleasant voice.
"Then, you may begin." Sunflower said and laid back on his chair.
Heart stood up while she made sure that her dress was not wrinkled.
"A while back, I got an item in my possession." Heart said with a gentle chuckle. "It is a magician's cane. It has a Fire Orb added to it, which gives 200% extra power with every fire- based attack."
"Any offers?" Sunflower asked.
At that mont, a man with a mask of three different faces raised a skinny hand.
"Three-Face." Sunflower nodded.
"How much?" Three-Face asked with a low voice.
'Definitely soone from the Deadlands.' Silent added inside his mind. 'Everyone from there
sounds like they're half-dead...'
"300,000." Heart said with a smile.
"I'll take it." Three-Face said with a low grunt.
"Yay." Heart clapped her hands and sat back down.
"Finish the transaction after the eting." Sunflower said and turned to a person with a coat
made of feathers. "Birdman, buying or selling?"
"Selling," Birdman replied.
Silent silently watched.
'There are all sorts of groups that sell their in-ga items for real-life money, but this is the
only place to find the really rare stuff.
'I doubt I can afford anything, but I might as well make myself known to them. I might visit this place later, after I have increased my money reserves.'
Birdman stood up and said, "I am selling a painting."
"No offense, bird brain, but I doubt anyone here is interested in a goddamn painting." A man
who was sitting very disrespectfully with his legs on the table said.
He had a mask of sorrowful-looking eyes that made him look like he was perpetually
mourning his own death.
"Penitence, silence." Sunflower sharply replied and turned to Birdman. "May you explain its
functions?"
Birdman cleared his throat and began explaining the painting.
"When the person dies, their consciousness returns to their real body while their virtual
avatar slowly vanishes and joins the matrix of the digital afterlife.
"However, this painting can trap the virtual avatar within itself, preventing it from disappearing. The painting becos the avatar's eternal prison."
"How much?" A woman with a smiley mask asked.
"100,000," Birdman replied.
"I'll take it." Smiley replied and nodded to Sunflower.
"Alright, Smiley, Birdman, finish the transaction after the eting. Thank you."
The eting continued through the night until the early hours of midnight.
Most of the attendees had already either bought or sold so of their items. However, all of them noticed that one person had stayed quiet through it all.
Silent.
'He truly lives up to his na.' Goldie thought to herself while throwing glances in his direction. 'I can't really tell his intentions. What an unfathomable person.'
"That was the last transaction of today." Sunflower stood up and said, "You may now finish
the transactions. Once done, you're free to leave. The next eting is next month, in the sa
place."
Silent imdiately stood up and headed straight to the door.
"Wait for a mont." Sunflower followed after him with a few quick steps. "You're in a hurry
to leave. Is sothing wrong?"
"I am tired." Silent replied shortly and put his hand on the doorknob, ready to twist it.
"You didn't buy anything." Sunflower said. "Not impressed with anything?"
"I couldn't afford anything." Sunflower blinked behind the mask in surprise. He didn't expect such an honest answer!
"Hah." Sunflower chuckled behind the mask and waved his hand. "I am sorry, but that ca
out of nowhere."
"That's fine." Silent replied without much emotional fluctuation in his tone and slowly
opened the door to leave.
Sunflower watched Silent leave, and after the door closed behind him, he put his hidden knife
back into its sheath.
If he didn't like Silent's answer, he would've simply killed him.
'What a strange person.' Sunflower thought with a frown.
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