Chapter 180: The Priest Must Fall
Once you stop looking for what you want, you find what you need.
But Zane could not stop looking for what he wanted and what he needed.
As right now, both were the same thing.
Zane wanted and needed only one man.
The Flamekeeper Horum.
As he mentioned the name, everyone turned serious.
They stopped their talks and gave all their attention to Zane.
They knew the importance.
Those who were standing sat down and those who were closest to Zane like Xavier and Jammy and others also devoted all their senses to Zane.
Seeing every eye on him, Zane began speaking.
"As we all know, Horum has the Relic. There is no rising corruption in Grey Bloom. Jammy confirmed it. So Horum was lying. He is somewhere else. Just like those Wardens were ordered to look for me, we have to look for Horum as well. In three days to be exact. This day is already coming to an end so that leaves us with two days now. Does anyone have some ideas?"
Zane and the others had already filled everyone with what happened to them when they went to take Hena’s money and since Zane was a leader who actually cared for his subjects, he asked them to suggest ideas.
He wasn’t someone who looked down on others just because they were under him.
Soon, hands were raised.
Zane heard all of them one by one.
"All of us can spread out and look for them."
Zane shook his head.
"That won’t work. There are many places where we aren’t allowed. And it’s highly likely that Horum might have left this city altogether."
He turned to another person.
"Then should we use the newspapers and spread that he was the one who stole the relic?"
Zane laughed.
"First of all, no newspapers will accept such news. A gutterborn accusing a Flamekeeper won’t sit right with many people and you will be killed for asking such a thing to be printed. Moreover, the proof we have won’t be enough to convince them."
The man sat down and Zane looked at the next person.
"If he went to another city then isn’t it impossible for us to find him? Aren’t we all doomed? And who knows what he will be doing with the relic. I don’t even know what you can do with it in the first place."
Zane squinted his eyes.
"You make a point. Good."
The woman who said that smiled.
"I am not sure what I did but thanks." She said.
Zane was already ignoring her.
His eyes were on Jammy and Hena now.
But he didn’t look at her face. His eyes remained on her chin.
"Do you know what can be done with the relic?" He asked. "I remember he said he could become an Aristocrat with it. If we know the uses of the relic, we might find something."
"I am not sure but I have heard the Relics are used in the Full Merge to protect us better. The information about it is extremely private. But I know this, not anyone can use it to its full potential. The user has to be someone extremely strong to make use of it."
Zane nodded and turned to Jammy.
Jammy lit up another cigar.
"I am pretty sure Horum wants more strength and power. The relic is a part of the Amnesty Cube and the Amnesty Cube is the part of the Haloheart. The Haloheart grants skills to billions of people. Its fragment would also be capable of great things.
If we have to capture him or find him, we need to look for his friends, his family, his wife, his side chick, or who he last fucked, anyone close to him. Right now, we need information more than anything."
Zane nodded.
"Yes. And refrain from using such words. Milo is here."
"My bad."
"What is fuck?" Milo asked.
Zane glared at Jammy.
Jammy coughed and smiled at Milo.
"It means love, little girl."
"Oh. Then I fuck my brother very very much."
THUMP!
Zane slammed his head on the table.
"... Can you stop doing that everytime?" Xavier suggested.
But Zane once again glared at Jammy.
Jammy coughed harder and turned to Milo again.
"Don’t use that word. Good kids don’t use it. Alright?"
"Okay."
Everyone laughed as Milo managed to remove the seriousness from the room.
But as she went silent, the seriousness returned.
"We need some things." Zane said.
Everyone listened.
"We need things to communicate with each other. We need to spread out as well. We can’t stay holed up in one place. We will go nowhere like this. We have to lose our sleep if we want to complete this mission. Is everyone willing to do that? Those who can’t can simply leave. No one will judge them."
Zane waited for a minute.
No one moved.
He smiled.
"I don’t deserve such good followers."
"We don’t deserve such a good leader either."
All of them exchanged smiles.
"But if we spread out, we will be recognized." One man said.
Zane shook his head.
"You won’t. No one remembers the faces of people like us. At most, they will recognize me. Not you all. But still, some people might question any gutterborn they will see to know about me. You all need to get good clothes to appear as Commoners at least."
Their eyes lit up.
"New clothes?"
"Yes."
Zane extended his hand and emptied his ring on the table.
Not fully empty.
He just dropped a horde of gold Lumens on the table, creating a small mountain.
Everyone watched it with their jaws hanging as their pupils turned golden.
"Take some money from this, all of you. But only for the clothes and daily expenses. Ten coins will be enough for each of you. Remember, this money is for the mission only. No personal uses. Understand?"
Everyone nodded and rushed to the table.
But seeing Zane watching them closely, they behaved.
Each one of them took only ten coins from the mountain and went to stand behind once more.
In ten minutes, no money was left on the table as everyone got their share.
"Wash your faces before going. Make sure to buy shoes, socks, everything a gutterborn shouldn’t have. You have your weapons. Be careful. And if I get captured because of negligence from even one of you, let’s not find out what I will do to them."
They gulped and stood straight.
They would buy the best clothes the first thing after they leave the basement.
"Alright. Now that said..."
Zane stretched his neck left and right and gave one last order.
"Let’s hunt the Priest."
