The vehicle eases down into the city, landing once again on a rooftop. Rexy, quick as a wink, scurries back up my arm and settles into her little pouch.

  Wilfred reappears, handing me the altered Keyser ID. Val Keyser, twenty years old, member of the main family.

  As we step off the jet, a suited guy slides a hefty black suitcase to Wilfred, who promptly passes it to me. It's packed with small, individual bars of Adamantine. I start stuffing them into my pockets, feeling the satisfying weight.

  Best not to keep all my eggs in one basket, though... I'll need to find another spot to stash some of this stuff later.

  Wilfred explains that Raven specifically told the Jin family to stay out of anything concerning the Mercer family. He’s forbidden from offering any assistance related to, or even possibly related to, the Mercers.

  “Rexy, can you find Bailey?” I ask, hoping for a miracle. No such luck. Rexy shakes her head.

  Wilfred leads me out of the building, which, surprise surprise, is another auction house.. Before he heads off, he gives me a watch device that projects a map and GPS.

  It can also make calls, among many other things. So, a smartwatch… Nice, at least I won't get completely lost.

  The city sprawls before me, a crazy quilt of eighteen distinct regions. The outer eight, where the less fortunate cram together, are a dizzying maze of high-rise apartments and factories.

  Then there are the middle six regions, the playgrounds of the elite. Green spaces actually exist here, and entertainment and shopping centers beckon with promises of luxury.

  It's the kind of place where you can actually breathe, and maybe even find a decent cup of coffee.

  Finally, the inner sanctum: the four central regions. These are the private domains of the four dynasties, sparsely populated but home to colossal, palace-like mansions.

  While the middle and outer regions are open to anyone, the central regions are strictly invite-only.

  Sifting through Caesar's memories, trying to gain some insight into these exclusive zones.

  The central regions are huge. Even with a Keyser ID, I can't just waltz in and start searching for Bailey. They must have a ton of properties to hide people.

  There's little chance they'd hide Bailey in such obvious places, but you never know. However, as soon as they realize someone is looking for Bailey, they’ll definitely hide him deeper.

  So, being discreet is, once again, top priority.

  Hopping into a driverless cab, I decide to take a quick tour around the inner sanctum. As I drive around the edge of the fenced-off inner areas, my senses reach into them as far as I can.

  Nothing particularly interesting hits me, so I hop out in a busy area of the middle region.

  Casually strolling the metropolis's streets, I watch the morning sun climb. The malls and shops—they're so familiar, yet oddly alien.

  Fashion and design stores display incredible stuff, but everything is a nanobot file.

  Aside from the clearly futuristic backdrop, this place is practically an Earth metropolis. It almost feels like home, almost.

  There are no monitors, no surveillance cameras, no billboards, and not a single ad or graffiti in sight. No homeless, no beggars, no street performers, or vendors either.

  Come to think of it, it's the same in Petralis. This pristine and nearly empty city space creates an illusion of peace, but it's a little unsettling, isn't it?

  A large guy with long, curly black hair strolls out of a building, a massive heart-shaped emblem stamped with the word "Rev?Я" glaring from its facade.

  Looks like my lucky day! Or, well, maybe not his.

  "Dante, looks like you're all patched up." I walked over, startling him so badly he rubs his eyes, trying to get a clearer view.

  Dante doesn't recognize me, not with the mask gone and in the bright daylight. Still, my voice seems to jolt something in his memory.

  His eyes widen with a flash of fear, and he spins around, scrambling to get back inside the building. "He..."

  A quick dash, and I have my hands clamped behind him, mimicking a gun. "Just want a little chat, maybe even offer you a job. So, let's not make a scene, yeah?"

  Dante gives me that awkward, strained smile again. "Al... alright, if you insist."

  We slip into a small cafe, the place smelling of warm pastries and calming herbs. The relaxed vibe seems to ease Dante's nerves a little.

  "Way better than that dark little room where we first met, huh?" I grin at him.

  I take a slow sip of my tea. "Look, I still can't stand you for what you pulled with my friend, but I'm willing to give you a shot at redemption."

  "Alright, fine. What's the... task?" Dante asks, his hands still trembling as he nervously sips his own tea.

  "Find him again. I know the Mercers have Bailey."

  Tea explodes from Dante’s mouth, spraying all over my face. "Me... Mer... Mercer...?"

  "Yep. The Duke of Mercer has Bailey." I wipe the tea off my face, and Rexy giggles from my shoulder.

  "No, no, you don't understand. That's the Mercer family. One of the four," Dante whispers, shaking his head. "They're untouchable. They could erase me like I never existed."

  "Name your price."

  "What?!" Dante stares at me, wide-eyed.

  "You're a bounty hunter. Your life, your help—it has a price. Name it." I take another sip of tea.

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  Dante sinks into a deep, troubled silence, while Rexy happily munches on her lunch, seemingly oblivious to the tension.

  "Alright," Dante says, his voice still a little rough. "Two million… I'll need a team to find your friend. Three others, minimum."

  "Deal!" For Bailey, two million is practically pocket change.

  Dante looks genuinely surprised, then lets out a low, mocking laugh. "Some lives are worth more than others," he murmurs to himself.

  "Down payment?" Dante asks, holding out a hand.

  A reasonable request, but I don’t have a card on me with that exact amount. Seeing my awkward wince, Dante offers another option—anything of known value.

  A couple of Adamantine bars do the trick. Dante says he’ll need the rest of the day to prepare and get the team together.

  "Are they close?"

  "For two million? They'll be tripping over themselves to get here," Dante waves a dismissive hand as he exits the cafe.

  After Dante departs, Rexy makes a confused, questioning sound.

  "Don’t worry, we’ll follow him," I say, already moving.

  My senses lock onto him, maintaining a discreet distance. While I believe he’s mostly truthful, something feels off. Dante healed too quickly, and he arrived here remarkably fast...

  Dante travels to the outer regions. This area is significantly busier, almost…packed. The streets teem with life, a stark contrast to the middle regions.

  People in various attire rush past—workers heading to their jobs, a couple of old-timers returning from the market, kids on their way to school.

  Dante slips through an unassuming door. It's got the same sign as the bar back in Petralis.

  Are they a restaurant chain? I mean, bar chain?

  After a quick change of outfit, I follow Dante inside. Déjà vu hits me hard. A bartender stands behind the counter. Everything is identical to the bar where I encountered Dante.

  My senses probe behind the counter again, and yep, there's another hidden door. I walk up to the bartender. "I'm looking for the party," I say, pointing behind him.

  The bartender pulls out that same machine, just like before. Ding! The back door swings open.

  No rave this time, though. The music's low and moody, the whole place has a dark, almost creepy vibe. Another bartender leans against a counter in the back, and a few customers are scattered around the dim room.

  Taking an empty corner seat, ordering a drink, and letting my senses reach out. Turns out, this place is a chain. A discreet one for bounty hunters.

  The bounties here are dark. I overhear whispers of assassinations and kidnappings. The cost for such acts is merely thousands.

  Dante buys some information on Mercer's movements and directions. Apparently, the Mercers are very keen on two things and offer a high bounty for them.

  They are seeking anyone with information about the massacre at Petralis. There’s also a hefty price on Caesar's whereabouts or capture. News travels fast in this world.

  Dante's next stop is the vault. It's not easy to pierce that place with my senses. When he finally walks out, he looks relieved.

  Finally, after a quick dinner, Dante heads to a run-down hotel. As he slips into his room, I join him through the window.

  "You've been following me," Dante says, not sounding particularly surprised. "I track people for a living. It's kind of my thing. Of course, I noticed you."

  "Interesting. Got any leads?" I ask, completely unbothered. If he hadn't noticed me, then I'd have to seriously reconsider his usefulness.

  "There isn't much to go on," Dante says, giving me a curious look. "Unless you have information on what happened back in Petralis."

  "You sound a bit too calm for what we're about to do," I reply, staring back at him. His sudden change in attitude is a bit strange.

  "You've bought our lives. No point worrying about the details now. We'll earn our keep," Dante muses.

  "You're the one who sold your life away for money," I retort, looking away.

  "Oh... the devil has no pity. When I was forced into hell, I abandoned all hope... until he came..." Dante's voice trails off. "The amount you offered... no one pays that much for a job."

  Dante says his team will arrive around noon tomorrow. After warning him about keeping my identity a secret, I leave him for the night.

  While Dante sleeps, I'm busy with cultivation in a room above his. Remembering what happened with Raven, I realize just how vulnerable I actually am.

  Reaching the next stage of cultivation is another one of my priorities. The "infant" stage, the notes from Dr. Keyser say, allows one to slowly manifest its own Qi, among some other ability enhancements.

  I continue to absorb and circulate the Qi within my body. I can feel I'm very close to achieving the next stage, yet nothing happens after an entire night of cultivation. Such... inefficiency...

  Morning arrives, and my senses drop into Dante's room. His first friend, Verge, a man of similar build, is already there.

  "I’m only here because you begged," Verge announces playfully.

  Verge works in the Rever’s care center during the day; bounty hunting is a side gig, and he is the one who helped Dante recover from his injuries.

  Verge knows the city of Crythala like the back of his hand. He wastes no time, marking every known Mercer property, and a few suspicious unknowns, on the map.

  Before long, Trixie, an elegant lady who looks nothing like a bounty hunter, shows up at the door. She arrives with a ton of useful intel.

  She confirms that the Duke of the Mercer family is indeed in Crythala. He arrived a little over a week ago. However, there have been no public sightings of him since.

  She also reveals he’s nearing the end of his life, and the Mercers were figuring out who would replace the old duke to lead the Dynasty, until news of the Petralis massacre broke.

  The updates on Petralis: no one has found Caesar yet, nor has a body been located. The rest of the bodies have been accounted for; everyone died of brain hemorrhage.

  Brain hemorrhage?! Was it really me that killed them all? Did I cause all those brain hemorrhages?

  Dark thoughts plague me once again. But looking at Rexy, I ask, “Do you feel fine?” Rexy gives me another reassuring nod.

  "Brain hemorrhage. Which is extremely strange. I mean, it’s a ten-minute prevention treatment at any Rever care center,” Trixie says to the group.

  She continues, laying out the rest of the intel. There appears to have been a massive fight within the dome that night. But, of course, no live witnesses, so it's all hearsay.

  The Mercers are offering a hefty bounty for Caesar, or anyone with information. The duke hasn’t made any public appearance regarding this incident either.

  Last to arrive is Bern, an older gentleman who commands the respect of everyone in the room. He’ll be in charge of operations, the brain of the group.

  The questions start flying at Dante, thick and fast. Too many uncertainties plague them. This job is, as Verge puts it, a straight-up trip to hell. Going against one of the four Dynasties? Unheard of.

  Dante’s being tight-lipped, as he should. At the end, it always comes back to one thing: cold, hard cash.

  He just reminds them about the down payment they already pocketed. That pretty much seals their lips. Any lingering concerns vanish like smoke.

  The professionals get to work while I keep my senses on them from the room above. Gotta make sure no one's planning to double-cross anyone.

  As the sun sets, they gather once more for a briefing on tonight's plan—prime time for scouting out potential locations to find either the Duke or Bailey.

  Their plan is simple enough:Find a Mercer from the main branch and figure out what they're up to.

  Perfectly efficient. I like it! Efficiency is the key.

  Bern points out that Bailey's arrival in Crythala, so close to the duke's, makes him a likely key component in whatever the Mercers are brewing.

  Before they head out, I meet with Dante again. He tells me he'll let me know once they locate Bailey or the Duke, but that's all. Rescue mission is not on them.

  I agree, and he hands me a small device. "Follow it when it beeps," he says. I also remind Dante of my… intolerance to betrayal.

  They leave the hotel without me, unaware that I've been eavesdropping on their entire conversation. Their first target? A Mercer brothel, known as The Clubhouse.