Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“This is the place you were talking about?” Chipango asked in a low voice as he carefully examined the scene in front of him. He felt it was necessary to personally inspect the place. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his old friend, but because he was worried Hallister wouldn’t take everything into account. Raphael had already let Sunier, Moxinke, and the rest of his team, including Chipango, know that trying to approach Han Jin emotionally would be a far-fetched plan. This meant that Chipango must demonstrate his potential through this mission, which, in return, meant that everything must be perfect.
“This is the place,” Hallister said with a smile.
“I don’t see anything special about this place?” Chipango asked suspiciously. The store in front of them was like any other, though the exterior looked very ancient. There were not a lot of guests present; the two of them had been watching it for some time now, and aside from the occasional carriage which would stop in front of it, the entire store appeared deserted. The only thing that drew Chipango’s interest was the fact that all the guests who walked out of the carriages were dressed in riches with servants following them. They were obviously people of high status.
“First time here, heh?” Hallister smiled. “Like I said, you don’t understand women.”
Chipango shrugged. “What does this place sell?”
“It’s written up there; look for yourself.”
“Fuck you, I wouldn’t have asked if I understand what that said!” Chipango said angrily.
“Those words are Ancient Elvish – no wonder why you couldn’t understand.” Hallister wasn’t bothered at all. “Let me tell you. This store sells all kinds of female accessories, which are all very expensive, but when you take into consideration their quality… Ha, the price seems trivial then.”
“This place? And you are sure Eva will be here?” Chipango couldn’t believe Hallister. With the hatred that was buried deep in his heart, Chipango’s only goal was to return to the Holy Crown City and kill Gerald, his supposed father. Before then, he wouldn’t waste time on women; if certain natural needs arose, there were prostitutes in inns that could take care of it at any time. But for those prostitutes, this store was a place they could never afford to shop at; they wouldn’t be allowed in, and even if they were, they would never spend their life’s savings on some luxuries! Hence why Chipango had never heard about this place.
“This store sells jewelry, cloth, and perfume produced by the elves from Wild Willow City. As a race whose lifespans are seemingly endless, they have a far better understanding of art compared to us. Oh, speaking of art… do you even know what that is?”
“Fuck off! What are you trying to say?” Chipango was instantly irritated.
“See! Your vulgar language is proof you don’t understand art.” Hallister smiled. “Even if we ignore everything else here, the auction for Moonlight Perfume will be held in three days. From my knowledge, Eva hasn’t won an auction for the past two months in a row, and had almost started a conflict over it. I guarantee you she will be here again this time.”
“Moonlight Perfume? It’s that attractive??”
“As a self-respecting nobleman, I cannot express how much I despise your vulgarness.” Hallister sighed. “Doing so would require some… crude vocabulary.”
“Alright, alright, stop bringing up ‘nobility’ everywhere. If you want to bring back your family’s past glory, this is your best chance.” Chipango looked around again. “Are you really sure Eva is going to come?”
“Of course.” Hallister lightly said, “This place only sells ten bottles of Moonlight Perfume every month. I must say, they are clever businessman; normally, Moonlight Perfume would never sell for this much, but the monthly public auction always raises its price to an unimaginable level… And even then, there are many who leave disappointed.
“Do these people have nowhere else to fucking spend their money?!”
“Why do you still not understand after all that explanation?” Hallister sighed again. “You, for example. Even with your current appearance…”
Chipango promptly swung his fist backward, and Hallister hurriedly dodged to the side. “Can we be more civilized? This is just an example! If you had a bottle of Moonlight Perfume, you could seduce a woman to do anything for you. Of course, that has nothing to do with your personal charm.”
“So what you are trying to fucking say, is that if I had a bottle of this perfume, I could grab a random woman off the street, and she would come home with me willingly?” Chipango said through gritted teeth.
“Well… sure, if you can convince her that it’s the real deal.” Hallister sized up Chipango, then shook his head. “You don’t exactly look like someone that can afford one at the moment…”
Chipango had just returned from the Tarasha Mountains and hadn’t had much time to rest yet. He truly did not look like someone of high status with his extremely unkempt look.
Chipango didn’t know whether to laugh or to be angry. “Fine. Even if Moonlight Perfume is extremely attractive to women, this isn’t an ordinary time. The news of Master Raphael’s return has already spread, which means that Manteco will avoid him at all costs. Are you sure Eva would dare make an appearance under these circumstances?”
“I have seen Eva before. She always uses Moonlight Perfume, but she ran out two months ago. She almost went mad after the auction.” Hallister said, “The magical thing about Moonlight Perfume is that once you start using it, you will feel uncomfortable using any other. She must be at her limit by now, and if she doesn’t win this auction again… she might even rob someone.”
“You were present at the auction?”
“Of course! That auction was a woman’s world. How could I be missing?!” Hallister exclaimed as if he was a bard.
“You…” Chipango pointed his finger at Hallister, then wearily lowered it. He didn’t know if there were words that could describe the bastard in front of him. “Why would you be there? You don’t have the money to buy Moonlight Perfume, do you? Ah, I know, you must be trying to find a worthy woman to hook up with, right?”
“Ah, why do you have to be so harsh, old friend?” Hallister smiled. “Go easy on my dignity. After all, as a self-respecting…”
“I know, I know! You are a nobleman! A self-respecting nobleman!” Chipango cut off Hallister mid sentence, then paused. “Alright, I trust your judgement. Then… if Eva shows up, what should we do?”
“Two ways. One is to follow her secretly and see where she returns to. That’s out of my purvey of skills, so you, my brother, are going to have to do it.” Hallister paused. “But… like you said, this is a special time, and Eva will be on high alert. As for Manteco… he’s even scarier; it’s impossible for them not to have any backup plans. Brother, I’m not trying to be pessimistic, but I am truly worried about whether or not you will return alive from this, Even though you are a high-grade thief.”
Chipango sighed and knocked on the window frame. Hallister was right; even if Eva couldn’t resist the temptation of Moonlight Perfume and showed up at the auction, she would be extremely careful when she left. With his current strength, it would be dangerous; very, very dangerous!
“You said there are two ways? What’s the other?”
“The only two survivors of the Abyss Mercenary Team are Manteco and Eva, and Manteco’s hard work all these years has just turned to dust. They must be very desperate, be it because of their survival needs or desire for revenge. Either way, Manteco will need help!” Hallister slowly said, “If a person of great power approaches and coincidentally meets Eva, what will Manteco think?”
Chipango instantly understood Hallister’s plan. “And you want to be this ‘person of great power’? But… didn’t you say you knew Eva?”
“I’ve only seen her from a distance. I know her, but she might not know me.”
“You can’t be sure! What if she remembers you?” He knew a lot about his old friend; women were just naturally attracted to him. No one could be sure Eva had no recollection of him!
“Not likely. Eva is not only a woman, but also a high-grade magician. Why would she notice an unimportant person such as myself?” Hallister lightly said, “Besides…” Before he finished speaking, Hallister suddenly stood up, poured some of his unfinished wine onto his hand, then rubbed it onto his hair. He then showed his hands to Chipango.
Hallister looked at it, and realized that Hallister’s palm had turned dark. “How…”
“My hair is actually not black, but blonde.” Hallister smiled.
“Why do this?”
“What can I say? I’m simply too attractive with blonde hair. When it comes to women, I can’t satisfy my needs if there are too few, but if there are too many, my health would suffer. Sigh, such a dilemma.” Hallister said with a weary expression. “Besides, do you know why I never shave off my bear stub? Same reason; I…”
“Yeah right, Hallister!” Chipango said in a mocking tone. “You think I don’t know you?! You just want an extra layer of protection when the husband of one of your mistresses decides to come after you, right?
Hallister froze. “But you have to admit…”
“Shut up, I know you are a self-respecting, proud nobleman!” Chipango cut him off with a laugh.
Hallister shrugged and dropped the topic. He was a civilized man and had no need to fight with a ruffian like Chipango.
Chipango considered the situation for a while. “We should go with your plan. Even Gibran wouldn’t be confident enough to follow an extremely vigilant Eva, but… there is not a single damned reason for me to associate you with a ‘person of great power’ right now. Let’s go, I’ll buy some proper clothes for you.”
“That’s not enough.” Hallister shook his head.
“Not enough? What else do you need?”
“How does one pretend to be powerful? I should at least have a couple of guards, right?”
“That…” Chipango froze. Hallister was right; no matter how rich you were dressed, to convince someone you just met that you were powerful, you must have at least some powerful guards; that was the most direct proof of your power and authority.
“Don’t tell me there aren’t any high-grade professionals working for Master Raphael?” Hallister whispered. He still had his doubts, and this was the perfect opportunity to probe this Master Dragon Slayer’s strength.
“Are you fucking dumb?” Chipango never dared to cuss around Han Jin, but he had no such worries when talking to an old friend. “All of us have fought with Manteco and his men before. How do you expect us to fool her?”
“Then what?”
“Wait!” Chipango’s eyes lit up as he suddenly remembered Yalina and her second brother. “Wait here. I must discuss this with Master Raphael!”
