Chapter 288: Stroll!
Luis deliberately avoided looking at Cobert.
He was genuinely afraid that the moment their eyes met, he would burst out laughing.
’Hahaha...’
’No wonder he’s so angry.’
’I actually wanted to prank him myself, but since this was an important mission, I decided not to. Who knew Uncle Jack had such a talented subordinate hidden away?’
’He deserves a promotion.’
For some reason, seeing Luis’ face made Cobert feel even more annoyed. He suddenly had the urge to punch him.
Unfortunately, the mistake had indeed been made by Luis’s subordinate. He can’t be blamed for that.
Besides... This matter was too embarrassing to explain.
After remaining silent for a while, Cobert rubbed his forehead.
"Can we get to the main point?"
"You were the one who called us here and paid a ridiculous amount."
"But until now, you still haven’t explained the mission."
His expression gradually became serious.
"So, tell me."
"Who exactly is the enemy?"
"What kind of person requires so many Hawkers to gather?"
He paused before adding calmly,
"Let me make one thing clear first. We won’t take missions involving the royal families of any country."
"Nor will we interfere with people holding high political positions."
Seeing the conversation finally return to business, Luis also put down the knife and fork.
The smile on his face faded.
"Don’t worry."
"Our target isn’t a royalty. Nor is it someone in a high political position."
He looked directly at Cobert.
"The main enemy we’ll be dealing with...is just one A-Rank awakener."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
This time, it was Cobert’s turn to be surprised.
"Though an A-Rank is certainly strong. But it doesn’t require so much effort, right? You even made me gather so many Hawkers."
Luis slowly shook his head.
"It’s not about his strength. A normal A-Rank wouldn’t make me ask for your help."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"This King Rank individual...is extremely troublesome."
Cobert narrowed his eyes and gestured.
"Elaborate. I’m listening."
---
For the next hour or so, Luis and Cobert remained inside the private room, discussing the mission in detail.
Luis patiently went through every piece of information he had gathered and remembered, explaining the situation from beginning to end while pointing out every possibility that might arise during the operation.
He had faced several difficulties dealing with Dark Magician while playing the game and remembered them well enough.
From the movements of the enemy to the possible reactions of the Curse Mark victims, he left out nothing that Cobert needed to know.
Whenever Cobert found something unclear, he interrupted without hesitation, asking questions that forced Luis to elaborate further. By the time their discussion finally came to an end, the relaxed atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.
Cobert leaned back in his chair, his expression turning solemn while his eyes grew noticeably sharper than before.
"...Dark Magician," he muttered under his breath, gently rubbing his forehead. "What a troublesome fella..."
After remaining silent for a few seconds, he looked at Luis again.
"You really have a way to deal with the Curse Marks, right? Without that, we won’t be able to save any of them if the Dark Magician decides to activate the marks."
Luis nodded without saying anything. He tapped his mana bracelet, causing dozens of large boxes to appear neatly across the table.
"These are what I call Cascading Seal Potions."
Cobert picked one up and carefully examined it.
"Once you feed one to the target or inject it directly, the potion will take effect. It can’t remove the Curse Mark itself, but it creates another seal over it, temporarily suppressing its effects. As long as this cascading seal remains intact, the Curse Mark won’t activate."
Cobert turned the small bottle around in his fingers, studying its unusual appearance with a puzzled look.
"Why is it shaped like a bullet?"
Luis answered with a straight face.
"Because it can also be used like one."
"..."
Cobert silently looked at him for several seconds before asking, "And you’re certain it won’t accidentally kill someone?"
"Don’t worry." Luis waved his hand dismissively. "Getting hit by one will only hurt a little. It won’t kill them."
"I hope so." Cobert didn’t care much; anyway, he wasn’t the one getting hit.
---
With everything that needed to be discussed finally settled, Cobert stood up from his seat. Grizz followed behind him without saying a word. There was not enough preparation time left before tomorrow’s operation, so Cobert needed to return to assign responsibilities to the rest of the Night Hawkers as fast as possible.
Watching the two leave the private room, Luis remained seated for a while, absentmindedly resting his chin on one hand.
At this point, there wasn’t much left for him to do.
Most of the preparations had already been handed over to Cobert and the others. His own moves would only begin once tomorrow’s operation officially started.
After sitting there for another minute, Luis stretched lazily before standing up.
"Uncle Jack," he said with a relaxed smile, "let’s go out for a walk."
Jack simply nodded. He didn’t ask where they were going or what they planned to do. As long as Luis had made the decision, he would quietly accompany him and ensure his safety.
The two quickly changed into a set of ordinary, less conspicuous disguises before leaving the hotel together, blending into the bustling streets of Selvas City without attracting anyone’s attention.
While wandering through the streets, Luis intentionally stayed away from the territories controlled by the various mafia groups. Tomorrow was the day of the operation, so there was no need to create unnecessary trouble or affect their plans beforehand.
Somehow, the two of them ended up near the old district of Selvas City. Compared to the prosperous and lavish side of the city, the old district looked rather impoverished. Most of the buildings were old, the streets had lost their former liveliness, and the signs of age could be seen almost everywhere.
Decades ago, this old district had actually been the real Selvas City. However, as the city continued to expand and develop, this place was gradually left behind. Now, it could only be considered close to a slum.
Why close to?
Because even in its current condition, it still wasn’t the worst place. A short distance beyond the old district lay the real slum of Selvas City, where the living conditions were even more miserable.
