Chapter 189 - Secrets Of The Union ( 1 )

As soon as Cyril went to his room to take a rest, the black cat suddenly appeared and reported.

"Master, I guarded the store really well as you have ordered." Amaris, or perhaps Magenta, in her current form, reported with some pride.

"Oh, did something happen?" Cyril curiously asked as he looked at the black cat that had just appeared beside the window.

He's already lying on his bed but he's not planning to sleep yet as he wanted to recall all Melody's teachings a while ago.

"Yes, Master. It's about the three preposterous people who entered the shop…"

Amaris then explained what happened to the shop when Brodie Rosemond from Navi Corporation visited the store in an attempt to take it.

When Cyril heard that they even dared to pull out their guns in the office, he couldn't contain his anger and asked the Demoness about their whereabouts.

'Tsk… I didn't expect that we'll be targeted by a large corporation this early. I thought that we just need to worry about burglars when no one is guarding the store.' Cyril couldn't help but be dismayed after this realization.

"They were taken by the police who responded to our emergency. However, we let Bonnie's friend deal with the aftermath."

"Bonnie's friend?"

"Yes. Vanessa Strauss. They seem to have made some agreement and you can confirm it to her later."

"I see. She'll let me know if it's important anyway." Cyril muttered and planned to wait for Bonnie to tell him about it.

"Right, I'm planning to release the five Demon Corruptors as preparation. What do you think?"

Cyril asked out of nowhere which made Demoness Amaris silent.

In truth, Cyril already has 8 Sealed Artifacts containing the Demon Race. Five of them are Corruptors and three Immolators.

Unlike the Corruptors, the Immolators have tough requirements to be unsealed. On the other hand, the former has an easier method they can use.

Apparently, a small mountain of Red Prite Ores was enough to unseal one of them.

If he doesn't have that, he can also fulfill the Sealed Artifact's "wishes". However, it means that he would have to find an Awakened that will be converted as a Demon Follower.

This is also quite difficult because if a person became a demon follower, there will be more harm than benefits.

After all, once you became a demon follower, you would be weak against a certain attribute. There's also a chance that you will be noticed by higher-ranked Awakened and be persecuted. Finally, if you rely too much on the power of the demon given to you, you will slowly change physically until you became a real lesser demon. You will start growing horns, tails, and your skin will slowly turn dark purple.

There is no point of return once you have followed a Corruptor Demon after all. There is only one path and that is to be Corrupted.

"Five Corruptors… That's a good idea, Master. I guess you're already thinking of entering the Dragon World. However, I suggest that you give them a chance to corrupt a few people so they won't be too useless."

Amaris said after thinking for a while. Unfortunately, once a Corruptor Demon was sealed, they wouldn't be able to get back to their peak strength immediately. They would have to start cultivating their Demonic Energy again which is a very unpleasant thing to do.

However, they have no other choice but to do this since they needed to escape the crumbling Arcane World. If not, they would perish together with that world.

***

On the next day, Bonnie informed Cyril about her detailed encounter with Brodie and how Vanessa helped their business temporarily.

"So in order to avoid some future problems, she offered us to join the Golden Grace Merchant Union, is that right?" Cyril asked.

"Mhmm… That's true. It seems that I've been affecting other businesses selling Grade 1 and Grade 2 Potions recently. Although my number of customers is small, they are steadily growing at a fast pace after all."

"I see… I'm sure you've researched about this Union already. I have heard a thing or two about this organization but I'm still pretty much clueless. Well, I didn't that I'll consider joining them so I didn't bother checking it."

"Yes, I found a few articles about this union. Just like its name, this is a large union of talented dealers, crafters, merchants, or merchant organizations."

Bonnie then explained the Merchant Union based on how she understood it.

During her research, she learned that Union has six main members and one of them is the Strauss Family. It is said that they are the ones who founded the Union. Then, any talented Merchants dealing with the matters of the Arcane World would be invited and gain access to an incredibly large market and some secrets or premium information.

Anyway, the difference between the Union and the Black Market is its authenticity and scale.

The Black Market has many scammers selling faulty or fake Artifacts, Potions, Ingredients, and others. However, the Union takes care of these things to avoid fraud and they even have a connection to the international market. Aside from that, there are also rumors that there are otherworldly people included in the Union.

Nevertheless, whether it's true or not, shows that you could fairly find anything you wanted by using the Union's influence.

'Hmm… I wonder if this is safe.' Cyril mused.

It is said before anyone could join, they have to contribute something to the Union. The more unique it is, the better treatment you will receive. This is why Bonnie was invited so there would be some kind of protection for her and her store.

"I would like to speak with Vanessa first. I want to know what kind of creepy organization is this before we consider joining."

Cyril finally said since he was also curious about the Union.

After all, if he wanted Artifacts, he already has access to the Black Market and the Awakened Association's trading center.

There's also the Ascension Tower which is filled with Artifacts in all kinds of Arcane World.

Nevertheless, since the Union seems so grand, there must be something there that would attract a lot of people. There must be something special he's unaware of and he wanted to know about it first.

"That's a good idea. I mentioned to her that you're involved in the business and I can't decide alone. She should be expecting you to speak with her."

Cyril nodded at this and decided to immediately call Vanessa to know more about this.

He wanted the store to run as smoothly as possible so he needs to act decisively... In the end, he was invited to visit her office at the Central Branch of the Awakened Association.

"I thought that it would be a while before I return here." Cyril muttered after seeing the Association Building again.

He just completed his isolation period and he wasn't expected to participate in any exploration for the next few days after all.

Since he was expected to come, he was immediately brought to the eighth floor where Vanessa's office was.

"Sir Cyril, you're early." Vanessa greeted Cyril as soon as he entered. She's wearing a comfortable white dress that perfectly suits her flowing hair… well, it doesn't seem like she's here for work at all.

Nevertheless, Cyril could tell that she carries six or so Artifacts with her. From her shoes to her accessories, they must be at Rank-B Artifacts.

'As expected of the president's daughter.'

Cyril thought. He had never met President Strauss yet but he knows that he really cares for her daughter.

"Ugh~ Yeah… I'm curious about this Merchant Union. I would like to hear more about it."

"Haha~ So you're in a hurry? How about a cup of tea first?" Vanessa offered. Then, a middle-aged lady, who appears to be her secretary, brought a tea set over followed by some light snacks.

Cyril didn't decline as he thought that their discussion might take a long time.

"The Golden Grace Merchant Union not only has human race members but also other intelligent races found in the Arcane World..."

Vanessa suddenly opened up which made Cyril cough in surprise. He looked at Vanessa's attractive face and she seemed to be serious about it.

'This is quite serious… I never imagined this at all. However, it does make sense when you think about it.'

Cyril mused as he considered how fast the human world adapted and learned about the Arcane World. This must be a secret that only a few people know. However, why would he be informed about this? What right does he have to learn such a secret?

"Incredible. I wonder what kind of intelligent race are they? Of course, I also like to know why did you choose our store."

Cyril replied after carefully choosing his words.

Vanessa then smiled and put down her cup.

"Well, we already know that you're an S-Rank Awakened. However, don't worry, we understand why you are keeping this a secret… It's just that I felt that it would be a waste if you're not able to fully utilize your privileges because you wanted it to be a secret."

The lady smiled seductively after revealing the information they have about Cyril.

Of course, the latter was stunned after hearing her reveal his secret so confidently.