?
As he walked through the busy streets of the Golden City along with Annara, Emery had his head turning left and right, wondering if he could catch a glimpse of his friend Chumo among the dense crowd of people.
Since Chumo still had to have weekly check-ups at the medical center, that meant he still had to be in the city. He couldn't help but think about his Asian friend, wanting to know what he was doing right now.
An hour later, Emery arrived at the capitol building of the Golden City. It was a majestic building made of polished white stone and towering up to the sky, located right in the heart of the metropolitan city.
It was a place built by the founder of the Golden City – the Karat faction – as a platform where a forum was held for all the factions residing in the city, to discuss regulations and make policies for their citizens.
The place was surprisingly packed with people. Dozens of groups were seen congregating, talking to those they knew, as they waited for their request for an audience to be approved.
There were so many people that it took Emery several minutes of looking around the crowd before he finally managed to find Magus Silica.
Without further ado, Emery approached the female magus and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention before saying, "Hello, I came to deliver a message from Magus Yuria."
He could see confusion appear on the magus' face as she tried to recognize his face. Not explaining further, he requested to move to a less crowded and quieter area. That way, their conversation wouldn't be interrupted or overheard.
Emery then dispelled his [Shapeshifting] ability for a moment allowing her to catch a glimpse of his true face.
A look of shock crossed the magus' face, before being quickly replaced by joy.
"Let's go to the tavern," The magus said, pointing at the building across the street.
When they finally had some privacy, Silica started talking about how the loan request was progressing.
Apparently, Magus Silica had gone back and forth through numerous audiences with the Golden City Council. However, there was still no real solution to her request and she was continuously told to wait patiently.
On the other hand, she was advised to join hands with the Raven faction, saying that such action was what was best for the galaxy.
"I'm afraid the Raven faction has convinced them of their plan," said Magus Silica.
"So do you have any other plans?"
"I have sent messages to the others, telling them about the situation. I'm still waiting for their reply." Looking at Emery's concerned expression, Silica smiled and said, "There's no need to worry. We've been through a lot harder trouble than this. I'm sure we'll be able to pull through."
She then "Instead, now tell me why you are here."
Emery told of his desire to enter Atrium planet and asked for her help. Unfortunately as expected, he was told that Terra really didn't have the influence to request entry.
But then Magus Silica's expression changed. With a hint of caution in her voice, she said, "If it's really that important… I think there's a way. But I'm not sure if that's a wise thing to do"
"It is that important. If there is a way, please let me know. "
*****
As the curtain of darkness fell on the sky, Emery and Annara made their way to one of the taverns in the corner of the big city. Compared to the usual rowdy taverns on busy streets, this particular one was located in a dark alley with absolutely no sound of people.
"The Dancing Rat tavern… this is the place," said Annara while looking at the hanging placard. As Emery was about to go inside, she stopped him and said, "Are you sure we want to do this?"
"Yes," Emery replied without hesitation. Meeting her eyes, he said, "If you're afraid, I'll go alone. You can wait for me outside."
Hearing that, Annara rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to like the old you more."
The two of them entered the place and as soon as they did, they found apart from the bald man standing behind the bar, half a dozen men sitting in a corner of the room suddenly stared at them with sharp gazes.
"Are you two lost?" asked the bald man, averting their attention from the group of men.
The bald man was a magus, while the other six were all saint-level individuals. Those who were astute would quickly realize that this place is not just a tavern, and it was for that reason that Emery had come; he didn't come here for a drink.
"No, I'm not. I am here as a customer."
"What would you like to drink?" The bartender immediately answered.
"No, not drinks. I am in need of services."
Saying those words, Emery took out a leather pouch and dumped its content onto the bar counter, ten red spirit stones worth 10,000 each. Looking into the bald man's eyes, he said, "I need you to bring me and my friend here to one of the restricted areas."
The bald man casually touched the red stone before saying, "Which one?"
"Atrium."
A startled expression appeared on the bald man's face when he heard Emery's words. He then seemed to think for a moment before saying, "I need 5 times this amount for a one-way trip, and another five times that for a round trip."
This time, it was Emery's turn to show a startled look. He had expected a steep price, but was still shocked by how expensive it was. To be honest, after giving most of his spirit stones to Yuria, he didn't have much left.
As he was contemplating whether or not to do this, Annara stepped forward and placed another pouch containing 40 red spirit stones on the counter. "Half now, the rest on the way back, and only if we leave right away." She said in a serious tone while looking at the bald man.
Receiving her gaze, the man chuckled and said, "First thing tomorrow morning."
"Good."
With that, the two of them walked out of the place.
When they were out, Emery turned to Annara and said, "Thank you, I'll be sure to replace it as soon as I can."
The red-haired girl threw a side eye at him before saying, "It's not really about the money. You have told them our destination. Therefore we need to leave immediately, or else we must finish them off."
Despite her cruel words, Emery nodded in agreement.
After all, the people they had just made a deal with were a notorious bunch.
Space pirates.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m