Chapter 245: Have Faith in the Dark Crow

"What was that all about? We're going to get back at them?"

"Yup."

Calvin casually nodded his head.

He took a seat on the couch and fiddled around the nearby armrest with his hand. Something clicked and the table in front of them suddenly rotated before burying itself deep into the floor. When it came back, the table was now a cabinet filled with cold and hot drinks.

The world of Las Felipinas didn't have refrigerators, but they had their own methods to keep beverages cold and hot.

Calvin had no idea as to what sort of method was the House of a Thousand Thrusts was using to keep their beverages cold. The important part for him was that it was working.

Of course, he knew that this method was wasteful due to the fact that keeping beverages cold and hot always required a lot of energy.

"Interesting, so they are using the evaporation of this strange volatile liquid to keep the temperature down in this cabinet?"

"This is some neat stuff," Calvin commented.

"Volatile? Evaporation?" Christine furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't understand what Calvin was talking about.

"Nothing..." Calvin waved his hand and dismissed Christine's question.

"You still haven't told me about how are we going to get back at them. In the first place, how do you even know the identity of those people that injured Zachary?" Christine asked.

"Oh, you're calling him Zachary now? Is he really that pitiful for you?" Calvin teased.

"Shut up! Just tell me everything!"

"All right, all right, I will tell you, okay? Don't kick up a fuss."

It was only when Calvin told her that he was willing to share his plans with her did she finally stopped kicking up a fuss.

"Fatty told us that the reason why he was beaten up was that he didn't comply with the demands of those loan sharks."

"In other words, the reason why everything escalated to this point was that Fatty still hadn't paid the debt that his mother incurred from those loan sharks..."

"What if I told you that I have a way for us to hurt them while letting us earn enough money for the Fatty so he can pay his mother's debts?"

"Really? We can do that? Let's do it then! Right now! Let's do it!" Christine was delighted.

How could she not be? A way to pay the debt of Zachary's mother while also letting those gangsters feel the heat a tinge in their hearts at the same time?

How could there be a better deal in this world other than this? She was more than willing to execute Calvin's plans knowing that these were its possible outcomes!

"It's not that simple," Calvin replied, "I have to make sure that we are barking at the right tree. It wouldn't be good if we suddenly attacked an establishment, but it turned out that it had no connection whatsoever to those unscrupulous bastards, right?"

"I suppose..." Christine softly nodded.

She couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

She had been too hasty in her decision that she grew short-sighted, unable to see the intricacies of their plans and the conditions that needed to be met before they could make their move.

One of those conditions was that the establishment that they were going to attack must be related to those gangsters.

'Wait, attack?'

Christine suddenly caught the crucial part of Calvin's words and she asked, "Attack? Are we going to attack them? No, no, no. We cannot do that. I can't possibly harm other people for my own benefit..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Calvin raised his eyebrows. "Are you thinking that I am planning on going to one of their establishment with weapons blazing? I'm not that stupid."

He coldly snorted and explained, "In the first place, if I was truly that powerful, then do you really think that I wouldn't have done that already? I hate those bastards as much as Fatty does!"

"Those bastards?" Christine looked at him. "So you really know who they are?"

"I have a hunch. But I still need to confirm it."

"How are you going to confirm that hunch? Wouldn't it be better for us to launch a pre-emptive attack?"

"Also, what kind of attack are we talking here?"

Christine asked in curiosity.

"Hmmm..." Calvin thought for a moment before a smile escaped on his lips. "That depends on what we are facing against. Well, just wait. Let me confirm the facts first, then I'll satisfy that curiosity of yours by telling you everything!"

Without any more words, Calvin fondled the couch once more before pressing a button.

Then, a dim light manifested in front of them.

"W-What is that?" Christine was astonished.

"This is a communication method between the customers of this exclusive room and the manager of the establishment itself. It's impossible to eavesdrop on conversations done using this method of communication, so it is incredibly safe..."

"What's more, the connection is also stable."

Back then, Calvin frequented the House of a Thousand Thrusts not only because he wanted to have fun, but also because only the House of a Thousand Thrusts had a robust communication service that could handle the load and connect with the frequencies that 'those people' often used when conversing with the outside world.

If Calvin wanted to find the truth, then there was no other choice but to use supernatural means.

However, the use of supernatural methods required mystical ingredients that were impossible to find in places like this Hamlet of Azucar.

This was why Calvin had to contact them if he wanted to have what he needed in half a day.

As for how was he supposed to pay the price of contacting those people and their fast delivery services, as well as the prices of the ingredients themselves?

Well...

Money might make the world go round, but for those people that were already too rich to the point that for them—money might be, but a social construct.

Yes...

Those people only looked at money as a mere tool to increase their hidden influence throughout the world.

What they wanted the most was information.

And as someone who had already lived a single lifetime.

Information wasn't something that he lacked.

Calvin smiled.

He lifted his hand and slightly manipulated the inner workings of the communication device using his Mana.

Soon, a cold voice rang from the other line.

"Sino to?"

The other party was speaking in a language that was neither Elder Tongue nor Common Language.

But the moment the words landed in Calvin's ears, a smile crept up his lips.

A smile of excitement.

The rarity of the language that the man was speaking, as well as its age, was similar to Elder Tongue. However, it wasn't as powerful as the latter due to the fact that the deity that had established this language had never become a true god.

But in the hearts of its believers, it was the one and only true creator of the world...

The Father of Shadows and the Creator of the Sun.

Dark Crow.

"Have faith in the Dark Crow, and there shall be no sadness..."

"Have faith in the Dark Crow, and the light shall be forevermore..."

"Have faith in the Dark Crow, gain eternal life."

"Have faith in the Dark Crow, the Father of Shadows, and the Creator of the Sun..."

"Bestowed upon thee shalt be eternal life."

Calvin's throat vigorously trembled as he manipulated his vocal cords to squeeze these words out of his mouth using the dialect of the Dark Crow.

"..."

Yet not a response came from the other line.

Calvin patiently waited.

"What was that?" Christine asked.

She was horrified when she suddenly saw Calvin saying strange guttural words that sounded scary to the ears.

Calvin didn't respond to her question.

He raised his hand, extended his index finger, and placed it in front of his lips indicating that Christine shouldn't speak.

Fortunately, the young lass instantly understood what he was trying to say.

A few moments later, a voice finally came from the other line.

It was a voice of acknowledgment.

After being acknowledged, Calvin was finally able to place his orders.

"How are you going to pay for your order and the express delivery fee?" The voice on the other end of the line had finally calmed down.

It returned to its previous indifference as it coldly asked for Calvin's payment.

"As expected, it's really easy to talk with you people. All right, I'll pay with information."

"Information?" The cold voice was dumbfounded. It didn't expect that Calvin would try to pay with information instead of money.

This was strange since how could the people who know about the Dark Crow Merchant Guild's existence not understand how deep its foundations were?

With its foundation, what kind of information it lacked? Any information that was valuable enough that it could be considered for payment was incredibly rare.

In fact, those that knew of this Merchant Guild's existence don't even bother paying with information.

What a joke!

If this merchant guild didn't know a particular knowledge, how could they possibly know it when they do not have the same foundation as this merchant guild?

Yet...

This man was actually demanding to pay via information?

The owner of the voice on the other end of the call was amused.

Very well, then...

"Am I allowed to pay with information?" Calvin asked.

"Yes, you are. Please proceed."

The voice on the other end of the call seemed to be mocking Calvin for his futile efforts.

But in the very next moment, the information that he had heard seemed to have sent a shiver down his spine.

"The second part of the map related to the Mystical Artifact, Time-Keeper Sword isn't at the Oriental, but at the peak of a volcano with a perfect cone in the south."

"..."

"You..." The cold indifference of the voice was finally broken. It was replaced with disbelief.

But Calvin couldn't really blame the listener.

The Time-Keeper Sword was just far too valuable for the leader of the Dark Crow Merchant Guild.

In fact, it was the basis of their faith itself.

It has to be known that despite being their subject of faith, the Dark Crow was never immortal.

Sure, it had a long lifespan but its lifespan would still end someday in the future.

It might not be today, nor tomorrow.

But it might be in a few thousand years.

This was why the Time-Keeper Sword was necessary.

Legends say that the holder of the Time-Keeper Sword would have their "time" stopped by the sword. Thus, becoming immortal.

The Time-Keeper Sword was a necessary instrument for their pursuit of immortality.

"How can I be so sure that you are not lying to us?" The man couldn't believe what he had heard.

The value of any information in regards to the Time-Keeper Sword was far more valuable than these random herbs that the other party had requested from their merchant guild.

Calvin lightly chuckled. "I will never burn my bridges."

"..." The man on the other end of the call didn't respond for a while. But eventually, he spoke up and said, "We cannot confirm the legitimacy of your information, so we will be putting the payment for the ingredients that you have requested and will request in the future in an indefinite postponement..."

"However, if the information is proven false."

"You will be prosecuted according to the Dark Crow's Code."

"Are we clear?"

"Of course. Just give me a guarantee that the ingredients will be here early in the morning."

Calvin smiled.

"Your request is noted."

The call was cut short.

"Wheeew..." Calvin heaved a sigh of relief. He stood up and opened a cold beverage.

Then, he downed it in a single gulp.

"Ah... That hits the spot."

Christine stared at him with this incredibly curious and frustrated look on her face.

She knew that something good had happened, but she had no idea what it was since she couldn't understand the language that Calvin was using when talking to the person on the other end of the call.

However, when she remembered that the communication device was connected to the management of the House of a Thousand Thrusts...

Could it be that Calvin had ordered some special perverted things for his own pleasure?

Or maybe... he ordered... a few women with specialized skills to fulfill his fetishes?

And that was the reason why he talked in such a strange dialect?

To hide it from me?

Christine felt a shiver down her spine.

She was still a woman!

She might be masquerading as a man right now, but she felt that it would be too much if Calvin did that and actually called in a few women in this room to have fun!

Noticing the pale look on Christine's face, Calvin couldn't help but ask.

"Are you okay?"

Christine refused to speak.

A contemplative look appeared on Calvin's face before he suddenly revealed a teasing smile.

"Let me guess..."

"You're jumping to conclusions again?"

"You..." Christine's cheeks flushed upon being seen through by Calvin.

"Wait, I'm correct? Hahaha," Calvin slapped his thigh as he chuckled. "It's okay to jump to conclusions. I won't ask you to change your nature... Just keep those perverted thoughts to yourself, okay?"

"You're the one having perverted thoughts! Your entire family is having perverted thoughts!"

Christine retorted.

Calvin's boisterous laughter unceasingly reverberated throughout the entire room.

Soon, Christine's laughter also resounded through the room.

Everything seemed harmonious until Calvin dragged Christine to a room.

"Why did you drag me here?"

"Well, I just don't think that we should spend our time in idle chatter..."

Calvin teasingly smiled, "How about we do 'it'?"

"Wha—" Christine let out a yelp. "You..."

"What? Shouldn't it be better if we do some training instead of small talks? What were you thinking anyway?"

Calvin stared at Christine in a disgusted manner which greatly irked Christine for his gaze made her feel like she was the perverted one.

"Wait, why are you locking the door?"

Christine suddenly spoke upon noticing that Calvin had locked the door.

"Oh..."

Calvin promptly unlocked the door, "It's just a habit of my cautious self."

"Take no offense, please."

"A habit?" Christine stared dubiously at Calvin.

She couldn't believe that his actions of locking the door were born of just a 'habit'.

She was convinced that this rascal definitely dragged her here so he can take advantage of her!

But in that case...

What can she do if he actually took advantage of her?

He seems to be stronger than her...

If a fight broke out, Christine wasn't confident that she could defeat him.

Am I supposed to just give it up?

But...

Mother told me that I should reserve my first to the one I love the most...

I might not hate him, but love?

Christine's cheeks flushed.

She stared at Calvin that was already working out a sweat doing some stretches in the middle of the room.

No!

I won't give it up so easily!

Who is he for me to give it to him?

If this rascal dares to take advantage of me again, I'll fight it out with him!

If I lose, I'll kill myself before he takes me!

If I win, then I'll cut his thing off!

And thus...

Christine turned to her defense mechanism and became a tsundere.

Who is this?