Aron chuckled softly, shaking his head. Of course.

  With the knowledge of The Hollow Verge now in his grasp, Aron had his next destination.

  But the fact that it had been deliberately hidden meant there was more to it huh…

  And if Velstara had been willing to part with this information, even if it was to lessen his so-called debt, then it was only a matter of time before Aron found out whether there was something else going on or not.

  For now, though, he had what he came for.

  After saying some farewell words, he turned on his heel, striding toward the exit of the grand hall.

  Behind him, Velstara watched, his fingers once again tapping idly against the armrest.

  “The Hollow Verge… Let’s see if you can survive and understand its secrets, Mora.”

  Velstara was not the type to owe anyone. Yet, there was an unspoken history between him and Aron, one that few knew and even fewer understood.

  After the ministers returned to his side once more, Velstara still stood silently, his unreadable expression never faltering. Whatever lay ahead, the noble had already played his part, and would be watching closely to see how Aron handled the rest.

  …

  "So it's in that place, huh..." Aron muttered, his gaze distant.

  He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like this is gonna be another headache..."

  With a nod, he stepped forward into the city, toward the next chapter of his quest.

  Aron pulled up his datapad again and searched for "The Hollow Verge." Unlike The Rusted Spire, this place actually existed. Or at least, there was data on it.

  A holographic map flickered to life, highlighting a sector of District 17 that had been marked under restricted access.

  "It’s there huh..." he muttered, scanning through the details.

  The datapad provided coordinates, leading deep into the industrial sector of District 17. According to the logs, it had been a processing hub in the past, possibly for scrap or repurposed materials. But at some point, the records dwindled down, as if the area had simply been abandoned.

  Or erased.

  It could just mean that it was truly left behind and forgotten, or it was still very much in use, just not officially.

  And knowing how things worked in this city, Aron was betting on the second option.

  “Hollow Verge…” he murmured while rolling his shoulders.

  Whatever waited for him there, it was time to find out.

  Aron looked over his interface with a hum, his fingers swiftly navigating through the underground forums on his datapad. The official records had given him just enough to confirm that The Hollow Verge existed, but not enough to get him satisfied.

  He knew better than to expect easy answers. In places like this, information was a commodity, and if something was buried, he could only pay for a price.

  After digging through a few dead-end threads and rumor-filled posts in glance, he finally came across something of a discussion from weeks ago, where a user had hinted at a hidden entrance and the possible dangers within. The thread had been locked after only a few replies, which meant either the info was real enough to be worth something or there was just something else entirely.

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  Either way, it was a lead. So Aron didn’t waste any time and went forward to it.

  Of course, he could feel that the real information wasn’t going to be free.

  After contacting a seller through encrypted messages, Aron negotiated a price for a map overlay and reports regarding the Hollow Verge.

  Expensive? Maybe. Worth it? Definitely.

  Time is of essence after all. I don’t wanna bother myself going through it on my own.

  The transaction was quick. A few moments later, a new data file popped up on his datapad, expanding the map details far beyond the vague markers from before. After mixing with his own, the Hollow Verge now had a better layout of sealed corridors, underground tunnels, and what looked like an old security checkpoint.

  There was no doubt now.

  This place wasn’t just forgotten. It had been shut down and locked away on purpose.

  Aron exhaled, closing the datapad as he stood straight. Now he had what he needed.

  Time to move.

  Since The Hollow Verge wasn’t particularly secret, obtaining information this way wasn’t a problem for Aron. Unlike The Rusted Spire, which had been completely buried, this place existed in records. It just wasn’t a place people talked about openly.

  The forums, data sellers, and underground contacts all had pieces of information scattered about it. It was the kind of place that had history, but people avoided unless they had a reason to go.

  What mattered most to Aron was keeping District 17 a secret. If people found out he was searching for the Rusted Spire, it could attract the wrong kind of attention. By only buying data on The Hollow Verge, he avoided raising suspicion.

  To everyone else, he was just another player digging into the quite publicly known place, not someone uncovering something far more important.

  With the newly purchased data in hand, Aron had what he needed to proceed.

  Now, it was time to see what waited for him inside.

  …

  After journeying through the industrial ruins for a while, Aron finally stood before the gate of Hollow Verge.

  The entrance was massive. A towering set of reinforced steel doors, weathered by time but still intact. Faded hazard symbols and old corporate insignias were barely visible beneath layers of grime and rust. Debris covered the ground, suggesting that, officially, not many had passed through here in years.

  And Aron understood some things.

  The data he purchased mentioned that the Hollow Verge wasn’t entirely abandoned. There were still movement reports and other signs of activity.

  He took a step closer, running his fingers along the cold metal surface of the gate. Up close, he could see the faint outline of a locking mechanism, long deactivated but still intact.

  There were several ways he could approach this.

  Find a manual override, If the old security system was still active somewhere, there could be a way to force the doors open.

  If the main gate was sealed, there had to be another way in. The data mentioned underground tunnels.

  And If someone was using this place, then they had a way in. Maybe all he had to do was watch and follow.

  Aron hummed. Either way, he was getting inside.

  And just as he was about to go to that very Hollow Verge, he sensed some individuals watching over him.

  As Aron took a step forward, his intuition flared brighter.

  A subtle, almost imperceptible change in the air. The kind of feeling that came when you were being watched.

  He didn’t turn his head immediately, nor did he break his stride. Instead, he adjusted the datapad on his wrist, using the reflective surface to get a glimpse behind him.

  There. Two figures.

  They were good. Not standing still, not obviously tailing him, but lingering just enough to be noticed by someone trained to look.

  One leaned against a streetlight, pretending to browse a vendor’s stall, but his posture was too rigid. The other sat on the edge of a crate, pretending to adjust the laces on his boots yet he hadn’t moved for the past thirty seconds.

  Aron kept his movements natural, but his eyes sharpened.

  The two individuals weren’t just tailing him anymore. They were closing in. Subtly and somehow looking expertly.

  Most people wouldn’t have noticed. No sudden rush, no obvious aggression. While the gaps between them were closing inch by inch.

  A casual pedestrian wouldn’t think twice.

  And thankfully or not, Aron wasn’t just the so called casual pedestrian.

  His grip on the datapad loosened as he took in their approach.

  You guys are preparing to act, huh.

  Aron exhaled through his nose.

  With a maneuver in footing, he angled his path toward a dimly lit corridor between two towering buildings. An area with fewer civilians and fewer eyes.

  “Fine.”

  “I was expecting some kind of a greeting but it was kinda late honestly. Nevertheless, welcome, I guess.”