Chapter 157 - The Precious Pawn

The auctioneer looked at the wrapped blade behind Marvin's back and smiled as he spoke, "While you get the money, you can leave your weapon behind, and once the ten billion is paid off, you can take your weapon back with you." 

"..." This option sounded much worse to Marvin. 

Hecathe chuckled under his breath as he heard this but said nothing to help the boy. 

Marvin sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and muttered, "I should be getting paid for having to deal with this." 

LeiLei snickered as she managed to hear the boy. 

"How about it?" The auctioneer asked with a smile as he looked at Marvin. 

Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and shook his head as he refused the offer. 

"How about I pawn something else more precious?" Marvin asked casually and the smile on the auctioneer's face seemed to have faltered for a second in confusion as he wondered what Marvin was trying to pawn. 

"What is it?" The auctioneer tilted his head slightly as he asked and Marvin immediately unwrapped the saber on his back but instead of taking out his own double-bladed saber, he took out another sword that was wrapped along with the saber but was completely hidden by the huge saber. 

The auctioneer seemed to have recognized the sword as his eyes widened in surprise. 

Hecathe also had a sharp memory and he almost choked on empty air as he recognized the sword.

"How about I keep this sword here till I get you the money?" Marvin asked with a small smile. 

This sword had been bought by Marvin from this auction house only and was priced for a fair twenty million Lenix. It did not cost as much as Ten billion Lenix but since it was a one-of-a-kind precious treasure, it was only natural that the auctioneer would let the man pawn it. 

"Whoa!~" It was LeiLei who sang enthusiastically as soon as her eyes landed on the sword, "Doesn't that sword belong to the great Edler?"

Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head and confirmed, "You're right." 

"And this fool is willing to pawn it so easily?" LeiLei asked in disbelief as she looked at Marvin. 

"I'll buy it back so it's not a bad deal," Marvin spoke up as he defended himself. 

LeiLei opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the auctioneer who spoke up at the moment. 

"If you are not able to bring the money in a week's time, this sword would be auctioned off once again." 

"..."

Hecathe frowned as he heard this and he looked to be much more affected than Marvin who simply nodded his head and agreed to the man's demand. 

"I'll be back here within the week," Marvin responded with a nod. 

"Are you sure?" Hecathe asked with a frown and Marvin smiled but said nothing as a response to him. 

"Then that makes things clear," The auctioneer beamed as he took the sword from Marvin's hand, "The one percent would be transferred to the great Orgon." 

Hecathe nodded as he heard this and went along with the man to complete the paperwork. Since Marvin was also involved in this deal, he was called and made to sign a few agreement papers as well. 

While the two went on ahead with the auctioneer, LeiLei decided to roam around the auction house. 

After a day's auction was over, people were normally not allowed to roam the auction house freely without permission, but since LeiLei had come with Hecathe and Marvin who had just bought a small part of the auction house, it was only natural that there were exceptions made for her. 

The girl didn't really expect to find anything and she was merely trying to explore the place but oddly enough, she heard someone speaking in one of the corridors and the voice was oddly familiar which made her want to eavesdrop on the conversation. 

"Are you sure?" The man with the familiar voice questioned. 

"Alphius is surely in Zeblor. The guards have confirmed it," The other man spoke as he answered the man but this was someone that LeiLei did not recognize. 

"Then who is this new pest?"

LeiLei peeked to see who the owner of the familiar voice was and she was surprised to see that it was the masked man that was believed to be Asgarian. 

"Sir, we are still searching." 

Asgarian gritted his teeth as he heard this response, "You people are useless!" 

LeiLei gulped and immediately covered her mouth as she dare not let the other two know that she was here. 

It really had been a long time since she heard this man's voice and now that she was hearing the man again, she started recalling the incident from her childhood where she had met the man. 

There was no doubt anymore... This was definitely her father's friend... 

LeiLei's eyebrows creased together as she recalled an unpleasant memory that didn't quite make sense. 

It was a memory that was rather insignificant and so she had buried it deep among all the other forgotten memories. 

This man was her father's friend... Or at least, that was how her father had introduced the man, but in reality, the man was not exactly a friend.

When LeiLei was little, she had seen the man smile in front of her father and the moment her father turned his back on the man, the man looked at her father with pure evil glinting in his eyes. At that time, the mere glare from the man had scared the little LeiLei so much that she had started crying right then and there. 

When she talked about it with her father, he told her that it was a mere misunderstanding and that there was no hatred between the two of them. LeiLei was naive and she believed her father's words, accepting that it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. 

After that incident, she didn't really see this man a lot and whenever she did, it was so short that it was hardly enough to be remembered. 

LeiLei unknowingly felt a tear trail down her cheeks as she remembered her father. 

If she had also looked for her father's killer just like Marvin, would she have been able to find him? 

Did it matter if she started now or was it already too late for that...? 

The two men who were talking ended their conversation and went away, leaving LeiLei behind, lost in her own thoughts and regrets. 

Suddenly someone tapped on her shoulder from behind and LeiLei gasped as she turned around and stared at Hecathe in shock and fear. 

Hecathe frowned as he saw her face and asked, "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" 

"And why are you crying?" Marvin also frowned and questioned as he saw her moist cheeks stained with tears. 

"Sir... I want to find him," LeiLei muttered with a weak voice and Hecathe's frown deepened as he heard this. 

"Who?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head in confusion. 

"The one who killed my parents," LeiLei answered and Hecathe's eyes widened just a bit as he heard this. 

Marvin side-glanced at Hecathe but said nothing as he waited to see Hecathe's reaction to this. 

Hecathe gulped as he asked, "Are you really that determined this time?" 

LeiLei nodded her head as she confirmed it, "I am." 

"Even if you won't be happy with the answer you get at the end?" Hecathe's eyes narrowed down on the girl as he asked. 

LeiLei was a bit reluctant this time but in the end, she still nodded her head as she once again confirmed it. 

"Even if you find out that your father was killed by me?" 

Marvin's eyes widened and he gulped as he looked at Hecathe in shock. He certainly didn't expect the man to give LeiLei the honest answer this soon...

LeiLei was left stunned for a few minutes before she sighed and shook her head, "It's not you. I'm sure of it." 

Hecathe didn't know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this response. 

It took a lot of courage for him to reveal the truth like this but the girl simply refused to believe it. 

"Why do you think that it's not me?" Hecathe asked as he raised his eyebrows. 

"Because it's not you," LeiLei stated without much thought as if she truly believed that Hecathe was innocent. 

"LeiLei, I killed your father," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Your father was one of the three willows of spring, wasn't he? He was said to be killed by Alphius, wasn't he?" 

LeiLei frowned as she heard this and blankly looked at Hecathe with an indecipherable expression plastered on her face. 

"I am Alphius," Hecathe revealed a bigger truth that was certainly shocking for the girl. 

A few minutes passed in silence before LeiLei sighed and asked, "What makes you think that my father was one of the three willows of spring?" 

"Eh?" 

"And why would Alphius be the one who killed my father?" 

It was now Hecathe's turn to be shocked and confused.