“Our Mistress will be most pleased to receive you. If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

  This time, instead of the old meeting room, we head to an elevator, which descends…deep down.

  What is with these isekai people and their obsession with digging underground…?

  After exiting the elevator, we’re faced with another mansion. This one’s even larger than Caesar’s, and it’s completely underground, carved right into the cavern.

  It even has its own artificial sunlight. It’s as bright as day down here.

  Wilfred leads me to the side, where he gestures toward what looks less like a hot tub and more like a small, steaming hot pool.

  Raven reclines in the water, wearing a rather revealing swimsuit, looking as relaxed as ever. She puffs smoke from her long pipe, as always.

  "Ooh… my, my… what delightful company we have here…" Raven looks up at me, her voice soft and breathy.

  She gives a playful tilt of her head.. "Honeybun! You graced me with your presence after all! I was beginning to think that little… contretemps at the mansion might have… discouraged you."

  “What are you talking about?” I gaze to the side, clenching my fists.

  "Oh? I was under the impression I should be offering you my gratitude,” she replies, puffing another ring of smoke. “For ridding me of that… insufferable Lawrence.”

  “I don’t know what’s between you two, but he's already dead.” I blurt out.

  “Oh, boo hoo, someone died,” Raven replies dismissively. “People live, people die, that’s just life. You are not a god. And trust me, those who pretend to be? Humanity is rarely their… concern.”

  “Do you know who is responsible for this?” I ask, hoping she might have an answer.

  “Oh, honeybun,” Raven says in a mockingly innocent voice. “I’m just a fragile little businesswoman. Such… unsavory affairs are quite beyond me. I was rather hoping you might enlighten me.”

  Ugh, I really can’t stand her… If I were sure memory extraction has no drawbacks, I’d totally just swipe an Adamantine bar for her memories and get some answers right now.

  "Oh, don't look so… intense.” she says, diving into the pool. She resurfaces at the edge, close to my feet. "Now then… what treasures do you offer in exchange for my… precious insights?"

  “Keep that notebook safe for me, but here is the money I owe you.” I take out the black metal card I got from Dante. After I hand it over to Raven, she tosses it to Wilfred, who promptly pockets it.

  "Wilfred will see to the… formalities upon your departure. Anything else you wished to… discuss?" she replies.

  “How do you know what I am… did you read that notebook? What information do you have on Dr. Keyser?” I ask, my tone hardening.

  She wiggles a beckoning finger and says in a conspiratorial whisper, "Come… closer… some secrets are best shared in… private."

  I kneel and lean closer. She reaches out from the pool and places her hand on my cheek… before swiftly grabbing my collar and yanking me into the water.

  How is she so strong?! Completely shocked by the turn of events, I expand my senses around me.

  But before I can resist, she pulls me down, swimming deep before we’re both sucked into a trapdoor beneath the pool.

  We shoot down a watery slide and land with a splash in a large, luxurious bedroom, its walls somehow blocking my senses.

  "Welcome to… my little… sanctuary." Raven says, strolling away. Her wet swimsuit instantly morphs into a dark, though still rather revealing, dress.

  "You didn't actually believe that… Kurtis Keyser was the sole architect of… everything… did you?"

  “You helped Dr. Keyser?!” I stare at her in disbelief.

  "Let's just say we shared a… mutual… interest. And the Jin family has a rather… rich history with the Keysers. A history… best left… undisturbed." Raven replies, lounging sideways on her luxurious bed.

  “Tell me what you know,” I demand.

  "Oh, honeybun… such a… serious tone. You're quite the… party pooper, aren't you?" she sighs, affecting a dramatically sad look. “Didn’t I already tell you…”

  She springs to her feet, closing the distance between us. “Didn't I already mention? Answers are not given freely, honeybun. And frankly… your current… lack of…sparkle is hardly… intriguing to me…”

  Incredibly annoyed, I decide to play along with her act, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close. I whisper into her ear, “Now how do you suppose… I do that?”

  She shoves me away with surprising force and returns to her bed, now perched on the edge. Two gleaming, orangey-gold bars rest beside her.

  “How did…” I mutter, genuinely confused. I’m sure my senses cover this entire room; how does she get her hands on my Adamantine bars without me noticing at all!

  Increasing my focus on Raven, I realize she is a lot more dangerous than I expected. She knows so much about me, but I know nothing about her intentions.

  "Hmm… these will do… nicely as a… down payment on my… wisdom." Raven interrupts, unbothered.

  As I reach for the Adamantine bars, intending to take them back, she pushes my hands away. And at that moment, I realize why she is so strong: she is using Qi as well.

  But her control and mastery are far superior to mine; she is definitely many stages above me.

  "Oh, darling… these aren't quite… yours to begin with, are they? More like… heirlooms, wouldn't you say?" Raven toys with the stolen Adamantine bars, a sly smile playing on her lips.

  "I'm willing to be… generous. I'll offer you Adamantine of equal weight… or perhaps you prefer… Adite?"

  “Adamantine,” I reply, cautiously staring at her. “You are a Qi user?”

  The Qi around her is stirring up. I guess showing is better than telling…

  "Now then… answers… where shall we begin our little… exploration?"

  Raven stands and gracefully places each of the two Adamantine bars into a very ancient-looking box, the markings on the box a bit familiar…

  “Let’s start with Dr. Keyser, what do you know?” I ask, cutting to the chase.

  "Well… Kurtis Keyser… he's quite the… character, shall we say? Rather… infamous.” Raven’s eyes gleam with amusement.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “The Anunnaki have a rather… keen interest in him, due to his… fascinating work on artificial lifeforms, including those… intriguing Synthars. I believe you've had a… brief encounter with one yourself." She gives me a knowing glance.

  “He had such… ambitious ideas about… immortality. And he did achieve a certain… degree of success, living for quite a… considerable time."

  "But seeing that notebook and these… lovely Adamantine bars suggests he's no longer… among us. Such a… pity." Raven says with an exaggerated sigh.

  "As for you, my sweet honeybun… I've been… aware of your existence since… well, let's just say since before you even… existed. We're practically… family, in a rather… unconventional way."

  "The Keysers are one of the four great dynasties, you know. Along with the Revers, the Cartiers, and the… exquisite Mercers.”

  “That Lawrence you encountered? Part of the main branch. They won't be… pleased to hear about today's… little incident." Raven says, returning to her bed.

  “How do you know about Bailey, the Synthar?” I ask. She already knows about him? And about our encounter?

  "We've been keeping a… discreet eye on the Mercers. They seem to be… plotting something. The old duke is nearing his… twilight years.” Raven explains.

  “You see, Honeybun, the four great dynasties aren't exactly… Besties,”

  "What does all this have to do with you?" I ask. She knows a lot—too much, even. Maybe I should just take a peek at her memories. She’s my last hope to find Bailey and save him.

  "Where did they take him?" I press, cautiously reaching for a bar of Adamantine.

  "Crythala, most likely. The… heart of this part of the world. Last I heard, Duke Mercer was… residing there himself." Raven replies softly.

  Suddenly, she closes the distance between us, grabbing my hand as I reach for the Adamantine. And then she throws me to the ground.

  Before I can react, she pins both my arms above my head, sitting on top of me like an immovable object. I can't get her off, no matter how hard I try.

  Rexy leaps from my hair, about to remove her leash with her tongue.

  "Here… is not the place," Raven warns Rexy in a dark, threatening tone. A dark and dangerous Qi emanating from within her.

  "Don't!" I call out. The Qi vanishes instantly. "Rexy, it's okay. Come back."

  You seem rather… eager to find more… mischief, honeybun." she teases, placing her fingers on my chest.

  "Especially after the… excitement of last night. You do have a knack for finding… trouble."

  Keeping my gaze on her, I reply, "I need to go save my friend."

  Clap, clap, clap!

  Raven claps her hands together. “Friendship… such a… rare commodity these days. Especially for… individuals like ourselves."

  She leaps off me, and walks over to her closet and opens it, revealing a hidden elevator within. "Find Wilfred, honeybun. He'll have everything… prepared for you.”

  “You'll be in Crythala by sunrise. And if you happen to have a card from Kurtis… give it to Wilfred as well. He'll… arrange for it to become a… suitable form of identification.”

  “A Keyser’s ID is… unforgeable, of course. But… alterations… those can always be… arranged."

  Slowly getting up from the floor, I keep my distance from this dangerous woman as I walk into the elevator.

  "Honeybun… our paths are destined to… intertwine again. I simply… know it."

  She is definitely trouble… trouble… trouble…

  "Master Val, the remaining nine million." I snatch the card from Wilfred.

  From my pockets, I pull out a black metallic card engraved with the name "Keyser," taken from Dr. Keyser’s closet.

  Raven definitely knows more than she lets on… it’s like she’s been watching me the entire time. How far can her senses reach?

  “Let’s get to Crythala. Raven said you can turn this into my ID.” I hand the card to Wilfred.

  "Most assuredly. I shall attend to that en route. If you would be so kind as to follow me." Wilfred leads me back up to the auction house roof.

  Perched there is a large, sleek black vehicle—a private jet, but fancier. "One of Mistress's fastest conveyances," Wilfred explains. "We shall arrive in Crythala with remarkable speed."

  We board the vehicle. It’s surprisingly spacious, and oddly, there’s no pilot. We take off from the roof, the dome city shrinking beneath a sea of clouds.

  "Our Mistress has thoughtfully provided some refreshments for your journey, Master Val."

  Wilfred opens a compartment, revealing a veritable feast. I release Rexy, and we both partake of the provided delicacies as we soar through the night sky. The view is magnificent.

  My eyes are drawn to the red moon. Upon closer inspection, it appears distinctly odd. It lacks the craters of the moon from my past life. Instead, it’s covered in strange lines and patterns.

  "What's with this moon?" I ask Wilfred, genuinely curious.

  "I beg your pardon, Master Val?" Wilfred gives me a confused look.

  "Let's just say I've been living under a rock. Enlighten me. Why does the red moon look so different from the blue one?" I rephrase.

  "Ah… Allow me to clarify. The crimson moon is known as Nibiru," Wilfred replies.

  "NIBIRU?!" I nearly choke on a piece of… something meaty and unidentifiable. "NIBIRU, THE HOME OF THE ANUNNAKI?!"

  "It is the celestial home of the Harbingers," Wilfred corrects me with a gentle hush. "We exercise discretion in referring to them by name, particularly in public discourse."

  "Many in this world would take grave offense at the direct invocation of the Harbingers' names," Wilfred explains.

  We even have Nibiru now… a few more pyramids, and this isekai will be a conspiracy theorist’s ultimate fantasy.

  "When did they come here? The Harbingers," I continue.

  "Their presence predates both humans and Luthraks. It is widely held that most life on this planet owes its existence to the Harbingers—with perhaps a few exceptions," Wilfred says calmly.

  “So there really isn’t any record of when the red moon arrived,” I muse.

  Wilfred’s eyes widen in surprise for a fleeting moment before returning to their usual placid expression.

  "No… all available evidence suggests that the Harbingers and their world, Nibiru, have existed since the very dawn of life here."

  "Master Val," Wilfred says, his tone now laced with a stern warning. “I strongly advise against discussing these matters with others. ”

  “Right, right. Got it.” I nod. “Ok, one last question, then I’ll leave it. Have you seen them? How do the Harbingers come to earth? Do they have spaceships? Do they visit often?” I rattle off, my mind racing.

  These god-like beings should be able to destroy this body and set me free…

  "Oh, no, Master Val. They require no such devices,” Wilfred replies diligently. “They manifest through portals that open spontaneously.”

  “Their public appearances are infrequent, occurring only once every few centuries. They typically refrain from direct intervention in our world's affairs.”

  “Their last public visit… concerned rather tragic events some centuries past. Regrettably, I was not yet alive to witness it."

  After we finish the meal, Wilfred gathers the plates and returns to his designated resting area. I continue to stare at the red moon through the window, while pondering my next move.

  Bailey's been transferred for five days. The longer it takes me to find him, the slimmer his chances of survival.

  If Bailey is still alive… they must be keeping him somewhere incredibly secret. They can’t allow the Anunnaki to catch wind of what they’re doing…

  Which makes these gods not quite as all-powerful as you’d think. At least, they’re not all-knowing. Instead of gods, they’re more like… a more advanced civilization. Aliens.

  This isekai is turning into an awful History Channel documentary.

  Taking advantage of the relative privacy, I decide to overhaul my outfit. And hey, I just noticed something new! There's an eye color option in the outfit settings. I scroll through and pick a more discreet blue.

  Before long, the first rays of the sun peek over the horizon. A massive city, one that would dwarf any metropolis from my past life, sprawls across the landscape.

  No longer covered by domes and pristine, the city, much like the ones in my memories, stretches endlessly, a maze of sleek skyscrapers and towering structures.

  Small rivers, like veins, cut the city into dozens of districts. Even though it’s only morning, the streets are already buzzing with people.

  How am I supposed to find Bailey here?! It’s like finding a needle in a haystack… more like finding a needle at the bottom of the ocean!