Lachlan sat stiffly across from Axel, his once-arrogant demeanor now completely shattered.

  “In order to compensate for the… unfortunate misunderstanding, the Moncrief family is willing to provide reparations. Mr. Axel, please—state your conditions.”

  The difference in his tone from before was almost comical.

  Axel glanced around. Besides Vince, three unfamiliar faces sat with him. But from the way they carried themselves, he knew exactly who they were. More Whisper Syndicate operatives.

  One of them, a woman with a mischievous smile, leaned forward.

  “Hey there, I’m Kaia,” she said casually.

  Before Axel could respond, another man cut in immediately, grinning like he’d just found his long-lost brother.

  “It’s all good, it’s all good! You’re not as handsome as me, but that’s alright! Brother, I’ve been waiting for you! Finally, no more grunt work for me—oh, right, I’m Vincent.”

  Axel blinked. …His new teammates were not what he expected. They looked young—only a few years older than him at most.

  A cold voice cut through the moment. “Shut up, you two. He’s not your teammate yet.”

  Axel turned his attention to the speaker. Rosaline.

  Unlike the others, she wasn’t trying to be friendly. Even in a simple dress, she carried herself like a queen among assassins. Cold, unreadable, and absolutely not someone you wanted to cross.

  She gave Axel a once-over, and for the briefest moment, there was something like surprise in her eyes. But it was gone just as quickly.

  Kaia and Vincent exchanged glances before backing off, looking a little deflated.

  Meanwhile, Vince just stood by, grinning. He wasn’t saying anything.

  Lachlan, still tense, cleared his throat.

  “Mr. Axel, please. Name your price.”

  Axel leaned back. Conditions?

  Under normal circumstances, Lachlan deserved to be torn apart. But since this was now a negotiation, it meant the Moncrief family was desperate to clean this up quietly. And that meant money.

  Of course, the Whisper Syndicate wouldn’t take the money. But him? He wasn’t officially Syndicate yet. And Axel wasn’t the kind of guy to turn down free resources.

  His Force-recovery pills were running low. He barely had half a life crystal left. Lachlan was practically handing him the perfect opportunity.

  Axel glanced at Vince. None of the Syndicate members spoke. They wouldn’t demand anything for him. That would be blackmail. Which meant it was all up to him.

  A slow smirk crept across Axel’s face. “Oh, come on, Mr. Lachlan,” he said smoothly. “It was just a misunderstanding. How could I possibly ask for compensation?” He waved a hand dismissively.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Silence. Vincent and Kaia’s jaws dropped. Cassia visibly tensed. Only Rosaline remained neutral, though she shot a curious glance at him.

  Vince? He just chuckled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Here he goes, he thought.

  And sure enough— Lachlan’s face drained of color. Axel’s words sounded forgiving. But his intentions were anything but.

  This wasn’t a misunderstanding. And if Lachlan lowballed him, the Syndicate wouldn’t see it as a negotiation anymore.

  Lachlan swallowed hard, his mind racing. He had planned to let Axel name a number and bargain him down. But now? Now he had no choice but to go as high as possible.

  Axel just sat there, waiting. And watching him sweat.

  “No, I insist. You have to accept it, or I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

  Lachlan’s face burned red with frustration. He was used to controlling situations, not begging for them.

  Axel gave him a thoughtful look, then let out a small sigh. “Well, since you’re so adamant, I suppose it would be rude to refuse,” he said, shrugging. “But don’t go overboard. If it’s too much, I won’t accept it.”

  "Bullshit," Lachlan cursed internally. If Axel had refused outright, he could have found a way to lower the price. Now he was trapped.

  To avoid any further negotiation, Lachlan immediately named his price.

  “Five Force-Recovery Pills, plus sixty Blood Refining Stones.”

  Silence.

  Vincent and Kaia’s eyes went wide. Even they weren’t expecting that. That much cultivation material was worth nearly ten million dollars. Yet Axel didn’t react. No excitement, no satisfaction—just silence.

  Lachlan frowned. Was he dissatisfied?! Even Rosaline furrowed her brows slightly. This amount is already generous. If he pushes for more, that’d just be greedy.

  Lachlan’s patience started to fray. "If Mr. Axel finds this insufficient," he said in a lower voice, "I can make a call and—"

  “No…” Axel finally spoke—but instead of negotiating, he awkwardly scratched his head. “…Uh, I just need to ask… what exactly is a Blood Refining Stone?”

  Vincent: "…….."

  Kaia: "…….."

  Vince actually laughed. He had expected something, but not this.

  “You don’t know?” Kaia asked, blinking.

  Vince stepped in before Axel could embarrass himself further. “Alright, listen up. There are three levels of raw stones: ordinary, fine, and blood-refined. Blood Refining Stones are top-tier. They go for about a hundred grand a piece.”

  Axel’s eyes widened.

  “The amount of raw force inside a Blood Refining Stone is 30 to 40 times that of an ordinary stone,” Vince continued. “And for someone at your level, you’d absorb them three times faster.”

  Axel barely heard the rest. "Holy shit." He had been struggling to maintain his life crystal supply, and now he was suddenly swimming in high-tier cultivation resources. Lachlan, my dear friend… you are a goddamn angel.

  Axel looked at Lachlan again—this time with genuine affection.

  Lachlan, for some reason, felt an uncontrollable chill down his spine.

  "...Fine," Axel said, clearing his throat. "Since Mr. Lachlan is so sincere, I’ll accept it."

  He scribbled down an address on a piece of paper and handed it over. “This is my place. Just mail it directly.”

  Lachlan took the note, his expression blank with defeat. For the first time in his life—whether in business or in the underworld—he had never seen anyone this shameless. Without another word, he turned and walked away. Like a man whose soul had been drained.

  The moment Lachlan was gone, Rosaline turned to Axel, crossing her arms.

  “…Tell me something.” Her voice was ice-cold. “Were you always this shameless, or is this a recent development?”

  Axel, now ten million dollars richer, flashed her a bright, innocent smile. “Vice Captain Rosaline, thank you for the compliment.”

  Rosaline stiffened. Vincent and Kaia? They erupted into laughter. For the first time in Whisper Syndicate history, someone had actually left Rosaline speechless.

  “Alright, that’s enough,” Vince grinned, shaking his head. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I’m starving. Dinner’s on me.”

  As the group turned to leave, Cassia lingered at the back, hesitating. She wanted to say something. But in the end—she stayed silent.

  The team settled into a large private room at the Dune Hotel. As soon as they were seated, Vince took charge, formally introducing everyone.

  “Rosaline—Deputy Captain of the Obsidian team. Level 5, mid-grade awakener.”

  “Vincent—Fire support. Level 4, low-grade awakener.”

  “Kaia—Scout. Level 3, upper-grade awakener.”

  “And as for me,” Vince said with a grin, “Level 5, mid-grade.”

  Axel nodded as they spoke, but Cassia… Cassia was in shock.

  She had met awakeners before—but not like this. Not this strong.

  Axel, on the other hand, expected as much. After all, the Whisper Syndicate wasn’t just some second-rate gang. Their standards were brutal.