Chapter 477: Money or Blood

“And how exactly do I enter the rift through these… unofficial means?” Luke asked Greta.

Now that he knew the theme of the dimensional rift was tied to the forge of a demon blacksmith, most of the puzzle Azazel wanted him to solve had already fallen into place. Luke was almost certain the demon wanted him to find something inside the rift. That something could be anything. A stone. A plant. An object. Or maybe just a conversation with the right person.

When it came to riddles, Azazel never played fair.

From the chess-based trials in the Forgotten Temple Dungeon to the old enigma involving the correct profession tied to witchcraft, the pattern was always the same. It never mattered how much Luke struggled, or how long it took him. What mattered was reaching the answer.

So he had to be ready for anything. Still, for now, a large part of the work was already done.

“The military locked down pretty much every convenient entrance,” Greta explained. “They shut down a lot of businesses and ended up monopolizing almost everything. But I know people who still have access to one of the rifts and offer passage.”

“I’m interested. Where do I find them?”

She smiled without warmth. “It’s not that simple. It’s not cheap. And I don’t give that kind of information away for free.”

She rubbed her fingers together, the universal sign for money.

“How much?”

“The information costs two thousand crowns. The intermediaries charge ten thousand crowns per person.”

That was a lot of money, and Luke knew it.

“There’s still the risk you’re just stringing me along for cash. Or that it’s a lie. You’re sharing this pretty easily with someone you just met. I’d expect a secret like that to be more… guarded.”

She shrugged. “And who exactly am I supposed to sell this to if not clueless newcomers? Veterans in the city already know where it is. There’s no profit there.”

The logic checked out.

“Then why haven’t the military seized that entrance too? If mercenaries know about it, information like that should be easy to sell. I doubt an informant would turn down the chance to make some money.”

“Not worth the effort,” Greta replied. “It’s far from the city, hard to maintain, and the area’s controlled by a gang. For ten thousand crowns, they’ll let you use the rift entrance they control.”

Technically, I’ll be the only one using it. Charlie and Angie can stay inside my soul.

“I accept,” Luke said.

***

Luke, Charlie, and Angie walked through the forest outside the city as dusk settled in. Greta had escorted them part of the way, then turned back toward Sirius. Before leaving, she gave him strict instructions. No extra money. No flashy gear. Anything that drew attention would get him robbed.

He was to carry only the ten thousand crowns. Enough to be robbed. Enough to negotiate passage to the rift. It could have been a setup. This might have been Greta’s real business all along. He didn’t care.

When they reached a certain point, Charlie raised her hand, signaling them to stop.

“Husb-, I mean… Master Luke,” she corrected herself quickly. “I hear people talking in that direction.”

She pointed into the trees.

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Charlie’s hearing was exceptional. Luke activated one of his rank skills on her. The soul-cat leapt into Charlie’s body. Through it, Luke could see and hear using the senses of whoever housed the cat. With Charlie, the effect was absurdly powerful. Her vision and hearing extended perfectly across a two-kilometer radius. The synergy was excellent.

“It’s them,” Luke confirmed after listening in for a while.

He moved closer and surveyed the area. A camp stood before the mouth of a cave. Two people lingered near a pair of tents, while six others were scattered around the site. Stepping out from the trees, he was already dressed in his assassin’s gear. Luke crouched low and moved forward in silence.

“No one’s brought in anything this week? What the hell is wrong with the pickpockets in this city? Getting soft?” one of the men muttered.

“Next time they miss the quota, we beat one of them half to death in front of the others. That’s the only language they understand.”

When the one who answered turned toward the campfire, drinking from his mug, Luke went for the other. He grabbed him from behind, clamped a hand over his mouth, and slit his throat in a single smooth motion.

[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]

“Don’t you agree?” the bandit asked again.

What he saw instead was Luke driving one blade into his chest and the other into his neck.