Chapter 82: Star Breaker
Cillian watched the streets and the posters plastered around most of the houses and boards he passed by. They were filled with slander targeting the Sorcery Academy, the Lord of Viola, and the House of Commons and Lords.
He merely ignored him and made his way towards the mission he’d start investigating today.
After all, he needed money.
When Cillian tried to ask for money from Willow and the rest, well, sort of extorting them, obviously, they didn’t give him any money.
It almost looked like they were changing their views of him until he blatantly asked for money in exchange for their thanks. Talk about being a total scumbag.
But it made sense to Cillian. If he were given a choice between receiving a bag of gold or empty words of gratitude, he would definitely choose the former.
That’s why Cillian had to work for his money.
’This job pays well and doesn’t pose any risk. Yeah, this will be fine.’
Eventually, he reached a very isolated area with a few abandoned houses around. Still, it had become apparent why only a few people lived here, mostly the people who had no choice but to do so.
It was an abandoned suite of a Runic Gate appearance.
There was a huge crater in the middle that had created a massive hole underground. This crater was where the previous Runic Gate had appeared before disappearing after being cleared, probably choosing the second option of destroying itself. Surrounding the hole were people tasked with investigating the area due to the recent disappearance of the nine people.
But something made him quite troubled.
As he continued to approach, Cillian became certain why he appeared troubled.
[Black Flag x15]
’Oy, oy, I thought this was a normal mission. Why the heck do these people have black flags above their heads?’
Someone was able to spot Cillian from afar and immediately came over to meet him, speaking kindly, though somewhat crassly.
"Kid, this place is a restricted area. A recent accident happened, so we’re not allowing any kind of people meddling with our business—"
Afraid that the guy would continue talking, Cillian merely showed his badge, which belonged to the Broker Guild.
The man examined the badge and was able to spot the name of the guild before sighing. By the looks of it, he understood what it meant for one of the ghost guilds that the Viola Family owed to come here.
"I’m merely a low-ranking officer here. You can ask the Official Ruiners who are in the meeting area about what you would like to know. The name’s Cale, by the way."
As if he were treating Cillian as a proper man and not a kid who came to disturb this place, Cale offered him a way inside the restricted area.
But Cillian only had one thought inside the mind the moment Cale replied to him earlier.
’This guy had no flag, and did he just say Ruiner?’
Cillian was excited to see what kind of abilities he would be able to mimic once these official Ruiners started showing their abilities.
Eventually, Cillian reached the part of the area where a lot of people gathered... and the possibility flags were increasing.
[Black Flag x30]
"Ma’am, an investigator from the Broker Guild has come."
"Oh?"
The woman turned around and looked at Cillian, who was dumbstruck when he spotted her. After all, he had seen her before.
"Cillian?"
It was his neighbor from the Training Mall, Eve.
’What the fuck.’
Cillian discarded his initial thoughts and carefully examined the insignia on her uniform, allowing him to conclude that she was an Official Ruiner. There were also many people around who wore the same insignia and uniform.
Then, Cillian calmly greeted.
"Good afternoon."
Eve had a very petite frame, and it was definitely the first thing people noticed from her. Barely reaching the shoulders of taller adults, she looked more like an academy student than someone with over a decade of adult experience behind her.
She had sparkling eyes and a very approachable demeanor, which is one of the reasons why Cillian told her his name, seemingly appearing not hostile.
"Who is this Eve?"
A very poised man asked before Eve introduced her squad to Cillian.
"Cillian, these are my squad, and we belong to the same guild called Star Breaker. We’re the strongest bunch out of every official Ruiners you can see in the Viola. This guy right here is Orion."
Cillian calmly gave a nod to this Orion.
He stood tall with a lean, well-kept frame. Neatly combed hair, exposing sharp features and calm eyes that rarely show emotions. His tailored uniform Ruiner attire, and posture gave him the air of a noble.
"This is Harry."
There was another man that carry years of hardship just by looking at his face. Broad shoulders, calloused hands, and numerous faded scars that speak of encountered battles. His short, cropped hair and stern gaze made him look intimidating even when standing still.
Lastly, there was this person who spoke in a scholarly manner just by his attire alone. His physique was unimpressive, bordering on frail, but his intelligent eyes carried a quiet confidence. He had messy hair and a pale face that was partially hidden behind the book he was holding, while ink stains covered his fingers.
"That weak-ass looking dude is Quintin."
This is Eve’s squad. The strongest Ruiner’s Guild in the Viola Family.
If what she said is true, that is.
Cillian wouldn’t blindly believe that they were the strongest unless he saw it himself, but it wasn’t a bad thing to know that there were Official Ruiners who might be among the strongest here.
’Still, black flags. That’s bad news, isn’t it?’
The flags above their heads are an indicator that even if they are strong individuals, what they are trying to uncover here is something dangerous.
Cillian had no time to look into these people or the reason behind their presence because he was already preoccupied with Arthur’s matters.
’I’m just planning on earning some quick bucks using the mission. Hahh...’
Cillian inwardly sighed.
Still, he had already accepted this mission, and he had to return with valuable information if he wanted to receive those gold coin rewards.
"May I know what you have found so far regarding the mission people?"
He would try to use what they had gathered so far from their search. If he found something useful, Cillian would plan to connect the pieces together. Once he was finished, he could return it to Leo.
As much as possible, Cillian wasn’t going to fully involve himself in this search.
...
A few hours later.
After writing everything from the notebook given to him, Cillian was ready to leave before he asked one final question.
"Are there any similar cases regarding this incident. If it does, then it might be beneficial for future investigations."
Eve paused for a while before shaking her head.
"No."
Seeing that his final question was answered, Cillian slightly bowed his head and asked to leave.
"I will return tomorrow."
"Sure."
Eve waved goodbye to Cillian as she watched his back disappear from the area. Once she had fully seen him leave her sight, a small sigh escaped her lips before she looked at one person.
Orion, Harry, and Quintin also looked in the same direction, where Cale had been quietly observing Cillian from the side the entire time.
"Boss, what do you think about that kid?"
Cale turned around and calmly answered Eve.
"Let’s observe for a while. We don’t know if the Viola Family is involved in these missing cases, but we can’t rule it out. For now, let’s observe how their informant moves."
In the end, the Star Breaker Guild resumed their meeting and began conducting extensive research on the missing people from the expedition.
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