Chapter 121

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Episode 27 - First Mission [5]

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The whole team slowly climbed more wooden stairs toward the second floor.

The floor creaked softly beneath the weight of the four people.

The footprints Julian had mentioned became evident on the stairs.

At that moment, everyone else already knew the villains were on the second floor.

Each of us used mana on our feet to avoid making noise.

A few seconds later, we reached the second floor.

A hallway covered with worn paintings, filled with cobwebs and dust, stretched along both sides of the walls.

There was rubble, shattered paintings scattered across the floor, and broken glass, probably from chandeliers.

There were also three-meter-tall wooden doors along both walls; perhaps they led to large halls.

In any case, the team began moving forward slowly.

I used my senses to listen to the villains’ voices.

They were coming from the other side of a door at the end of the hallway; it had to be the largest room.

Using the badge, I said:

’At the end of the hallway, I can hear a couple of voices.’

Zoey nodded and said:

’Then let’s go through the adjacent room. After that, we’ll circle around the hall where the villains are, and make sure to record everything.’

The team nodded. Shortly afterward, we walked to the end of the hallway and entered the room near the main hall.

As soon as we entered, Zoey used mana and opened the ceiling above us.

Then she did the same with the wall leading outside.

All of it without the slightest noise or disturbance.

’You two circle around the hall from the outside.’

Zoey said that to Julian and Diana. Both of them nodded and left through the opening Zoey had created.

Then Zoey turned toward me and said:

’We’re going up.’

Before I could ask anything, Zoey jumped through the crack she had created in the ceiling and went inside.

Using my senses, I noticed there was enough space above to move around freely.

Then I jumped and reached where Zoey was.

Before me was something like an attic. Using my senses, I noticed it was the place where pipes and other installations passed through.

I had to crouch slightly when I realized I was almost touching the museum’s ceiling.

I was standing on a wooden walkway, and Zoey had already moved ahead before stopping.

I followed her as she said:

’They already circled around the outside.’

Julian’s voice came shortly afterward:

’Yes, leader. We’re listening from the side of a large window, and I also placed the pin at a perfect angle.’

Zoey nodded and said:

’Good. Now don’t make any noise or move around. The masks you’re wearing also reduce your presence, so as long as you don’t let yourselves be seen or make too much noise, the villains won’t detect you.’

’We’ll keep that in mind, leader.’

Then Zoey turned toward me and said:

’The two of us will do the same.’

I nodded without saying anything.

Zoey placed her pin near an opening from which the inside seemed visible.

After placing it, she used mana on her ears, probably to sharpen her hearing and listen to the conversations.

Then both of us remained motionless while listening to what was happening beneath us.

***

Twelve people were seated around a circular table with candles at its center.

The twelve individuals, both men and women, held several documents in their hands, as if reviewing certain matters before disappearing.

Clap! Clap!

Someone clapped, drawing the attention of everyone present.

A man wearing an elegant suit, apparently a noble, said:

"There are four days left before the gates of Black City open. Today, we are here to review whether the entry cards have been delivered, as well as decide who will be responsible for guarding the entrance to Black City here in Malovia."

Some murmurs echoed throughout the large hall they were in.

Black City was like a Black Market, but on a much larger scale.

Important individuals who worked in or searched for things within the underworld of every continent entered Black City.

The gates of Black City only opened once every ten years.

Whenever they opened, villains and Awakened entered that city.

Naturally, it was a city that should not exist; it was the equivalent of a Black Market, but on a global scale.

It was located on a different Plane that could only be accessed through a special Teleportation Array.

And that array could only be activated using the Power of Chaos, not mana.

Clap! Clap!

Once again, the same person drew everyone’s attention.

"Please calm down and remain silent. This time, the auction in Black City will be far greater than any held in recent centuries."

Silence returned to the hall as the same man continued.

"So we need to avoid infiltrators this time. The distribution of the entry cards has undergone a slight change; some of them have an engraving that grants access to the Auction. Without it, no one will be allowed to enter the Auction."

"It doesn’t matter if spies enter Black City. What matters is preventing them from entering the Auction, which will be the most important event this time."

"In any case, the total number of special entry cards for the Auction is only one thousand five hundred, and..."

He pulled something from his pocket and showed it to everyone. It was a card with a golden eye at its center.

"The golden eye means it is an entry card for both Black City and the Auction. Now, let us discuss who will be responsible for guarding the entrance here in Malovia."

Shortly afterward, a discussion began.

Holding responsibility over an entrance to Black City and even receiving a guest with one of the Special Cards the man mentioned could become the most important moment of their lives, or the downfall of their lives.

’It’s an enormous responsibility.’

’Even if it’s only guarding the entrance...’

’If we receive a special guest and that person turns out to be a spy...’

’They’ll definitely kill us.’

’But if everything goes well...’

’It will be the best thing that could happen to us.’

’Even so, the risk is still extremely high.’

Such thoughts crossed the minds of everyone present.

Indecisive, they weighed the pros and cons.

In any case, the man explaining everything continued.

"To make things easier, how about we hold a vote? In total, there will be three people in charge of guarding the entrance here."

At his words, some of them began to consider the offer more seriously.

’Three of us.’

’If everything goes wrong, we could split the punishment.’

’But we’d also have to split the rewards.’

’And depending on how serious the situation becomes, if something unexpected happens during the Auction, the punishment would be even harsher, so dividing it among the three of us could lessen it somewhat.’

Of course, none of them were foolish enough to take responsibility individually.

If there were three people, then at least the responsibility would fall on all three; that was better than having it fall on only one person.

In that case, some of them raised their hands.

"I vote for my sister."

"I vote for myself..."

Some voted for themselves, while others who seemed to know each other voted among themselves.

Not long afterward, the three people responsible for guarding the entrance to the Malovia Museum were chosen.

Then the man proceeded to explain a few things to the three selected individuals.

Finally, one of them asked a question.

"But how will we know if someone forges a Special Card, or how will we know if all the Special Cards have already been registered and an extra one appears?"

At the question, the man smiled.

"Ah, that. Don’t worry. Like I said, the Special Cards have that golden eye. Well, that’s a spell circle personally created by the Sorcerer King. Unless there’s another Warlock at his level, nobody can replicate the spell." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"And as for an extra Special Card appearing, then it’s definitely fake. You’ll have a counting device; once the number reaches one thousand five hundred, it means all the special guests have already entered."

"Don’t worry. The Church of the Black Dawn, the Abraham Clan, the Order of the Red Roses, the Fallen Angel Sect, and the Devil Cult all worked together on the security and background verification of every special guest and their Special Cards."

Some of the villains present could not help widening their eyes.

The five largest organizations from each continent working together for the first time in centuries just for a single Auction.

To everyone present, that meant this year’s Auction would be the greatest one in centuries.

One of these organizations operated across each of the Five Continents.

Of course, they had branches on every continent: the five villain organizations.

In any case, a round of applause echoed throughout the entire room.

Some of them were euphoric after learning more details about this year’s Black City.

There was surprise and excitement all around.

"Well, we already discussed other matters a couple of hours ago, and with the Auction and Black City, we’ve finished today’s meeting."

Then he turned toward the three individuals who would be responsible for the entrance to Malovia.

"And you three, take these Magic Items and artifacts. You’ll also receive instructions in about three days."

"Return here, to the old Arlumeria, on the day Black City opens and receive the invitations. And, if you’re lucky, you might even receive a special guest."

With that said, everyone slowly began to leave. Some simply vanished as though they had never been there at all.

Meanwhile, Zoey and the others had recorded and listened to everything in silence, without making the slightest sound.