Chapter 723: A Careful Ploy

Chapter 723: A Careful Ploy

Cajjan City!

The moment they arrived at the city, the eyes of both Duketace and Kowla shone with starlight as the Mental Energy streams from the passer-by poured into them. The Main Character System fragment in them consumed it happily.

But, it didn’t end at that as the verse of the Forbidden Tale was constantly in their minds. This was somewhat influenced by the Main Character System fragments. And thanks to that, they unleashed Mental Energy streams to the source—Pilkan.

After all, that was where Compass Carburettor resided.

This wasn’t just happening with them alone but with everyone that had come into contact with the Forbidden Tale and obtained some benefit from it. The Mental Streams were more pronounced and frequent among those that had comprehended it more.

Observing the Mental Fragments in his Dreamland churning and rearranging themselves faster with the passing of each day, Duketace was rather giddy, ‘Following Lord Pilkan was the best choice I made.’

The father and daughter duo first made their way to one of the most expensive hotels in the city, taking a room there. All the money they had brought with them was only enough for a night of stay.

But, it was what they needed to get the plan into motion. Following that, Duketace and Kowla made eye contact before heading towards a bar, one that served beverages and other drinks for the high society.

The reason was simple: to make contact.

As Cajjan City was the biggest and largest city on the plateau, one where money flowed like water, there were of course plenty of competing businesses there. Moreover, the stream of tourists visiting the city was the highest.

The arrival of tourists of course meant treasures that could be auctioned. Hence, there were spies of established auction houses scattered throughout the city on the lookout for tourists.

If the tourists gave any hint of owning a treasure, these spies would first observe the details before one of their higher-ups would make physical contact. As to how things would proceed from there, one could only guess. Though, it typically went in the favour of the auction house. After all, might makes right.

Duketace was aware of them, for the Gatarakh Clan too was established in the Cajjan City. And he had contacts with the Clan, which was the reason he possessed the Gatarakh Clan Servitude Badge, a badge that allowed him to directly serve an Ascender of the Clan.

Though, the badge was currently in the hands of his son, Fenn.

The reason they stayed in the most expensive hotel was to gain the attention of these spies. Generally, the place one resided was a testament to their status. Therefore, the quality of spies also varied depending on the area one resided in.

The spies in the area around the hotel were those directly reporting to the big bosses managing the auction houses. And as he had expected, the father and daughter duo indeed attracted their gazes.

“Excuse me, sir.” A middle-aged man approached the duo right as they were about to enter the bar across the street, introducing himself, “Do you require a guide to tour the city? I know pretty much all the places in this massive city.”

“Is that so?” Duketace raised an eyebrow before waving his hand, “Sorry, we don’t need any. We didn’t come here to sightsee.”

“Oh, did you come here to buy a souvenir?” The middle-aged man asked, “I know the perfect place for you. They have the best souvenirs.”

“It’s fine, we don’t want one,” Duketace said casually, ignoring the other party while well aware that he was indeed a spy.

Upon seeing the father being rigid, the middle-aged man glanced at Kowla, immediately understanding that she was an easier target, switching over to her instead as he talked with excitement, “There’s an auction happening tonight, miss. You can even buy a couple of Scrolls from there.”

“Scrolls?” Kowla’s eyes lit up genuinely at the word.

And of course, the middle-aged man didn’t let go of the chance, smiling while flashing a fawning attitude, “I can guide you there. My travel agency is touted to be the best reputed in this city.”

He immediately took out a gold-rimmed flashcard, presenting it to Duketace, “This is a family auction card. You can visit the trial auction that happens in an hour for free. And if you like it, you can visit the real auction that happens tonight.”

“Trial auction?” Duketace expressed his doubt.

“The goods sold there aren’t real, per see.” The middle-aged man said, “It’s just a staged play to help tourists get accustomed to the auction culture of the city. It’s because every auction house has a different culture here, so the trial auctions were set up as a result. Though, due to their entertainment value, they’ve been pretty popular.”

“The popularity of an auction house’s trial auction is also a direct testament to their actual credibility and influence.” The middle-aged man said, “So, if you wish to make use of an auction house’s services, observing their trial auction is your best bet to make a decision.”

“Dad, let’s go see one!” Kowla held Duketace’s hands, expressing excitement as she jumped about a little, displaying how enthusiastic she was, even blurting out in the end upon seeing his stoic refusal, “The buyer will only contact us tonight…”

“Shut up!” Duketace said in anger before dragging her away, ignoring the middle-aged man.

“The Starwing Auction House is right around the corner. Don’t forget to check it out, dear tourists.” The middle-aged man waved with a chirpy smile, observing Kowla’s expression of dissatisfaction and Duketace’s tight-lipped attitude.

Once they were out of sight, he hurriedly entered the bar, heading to one of their rear rooms as he took a sheet of paper. With a snap of his finger, a Monkey Invoked Spirit appeared, spanning half his height.

It grabbed the sheet of paper and took out a pencil from nearby, quickly sketching what he thought in mind, instantly making a portrait of both Duketace and Kowla.

“Looks just like them.” He smiled at the realism of his art smugly for a moment before making his Invoked Spirit create multiple copies of the same. He then placed them in a cover and approached a nearby room, entering it to see a man drinking some herbal tea, a tonic labelled to raise one’s immersion in dreams.

This bar catered to all such preferences and didn’t just serve drinks to fuel one’s intoxication.

“What’s up?” The man asked calmly.

“I can feel that the target this time is huge.” The middle-aged man extended the cover to the seated man, “I can bet this on my two decades of experience.”

The seated man pulled up the first sheet of paper, staring at the figures of Duketace and Kowla as he asked, “Any deadline?”

“Before tonight.” The middle-aged man said in a hurry.

“Hmm…” The seated man thought for a moment before ringing a bell, summoning two of his subordinates to whom he passed the cover, “Alert all our spies. This is a high-priority target. Try to convince them before night, but if you fail to do so…”

His tone turned sharp, “Steal the treasure in their possession after erasing them.”