Chapter 221: Purchasing Information
Staring at the ugly, smiling, bearded little humanoid, Seth felt Malgo bore an uncanny resemblance to a goblin image he had seen a few years back.
Arranging his black coat with his little arms, Malgo stretched out five little fingers out of the six he seemed to have as a reply.
"Oh, five crystals?" Seth asked.
Malgo’s smile disappeared. "Five? That can’t even get me a proper meal for the day!"
Seth frowned. "Fifty?"
Malgo shook his neckless head, his frown deepening.
"Five hundred!?" Uriel couldn’t help but call out in a gasp.
And Malgo’s crooked smile returned, bobbing his tiny red head. "Bingo!"
"Let’s get the fuck out of here, guys. We’ve heard enough from this scammer." Seth announced, walking past the little man. His team of three followed behind as they headed straight towards the safe residences, ready to rent a building.
"Heyyyyy! You don’t just back out of a deal like that! That’s rude, you know!" Malgo yelled from behind.
"Whatever!" Seth waved, not bothering to give the little man another chance.
"Tch! I’m rooting for those tree-obsessed folks now! I hope you lose your head to the Treants!" Malgo yelled in frustration.
He had tracked these four race figures because he assumed he had an offer they wouldn’t be able to refuse.
The fact was that they were on the hit list of the Treant race prodigies, and those green folks were currently scouring the entire Greenfold settlement in search of them!
He would have loved to sell information about these four’s whereabouts, but with his race’s relationship with the Treants, he didn’t dare risk it.
Suddenly, Seth halted, causing the imp’s beady eyes to light up, his nose twitching. ’Hehehehe, I smell hope.’
Dusting his cloak, he pretended to walk away in a huff.
"Wait!" Seth turned around to call him back. "Say that again?"
Malgo pretended to halt, forcing down a smile as he yelled again. "I said I hope you lose your head to the Treants!"
This was the beauty of communicating via Will. Seth had never heard of the name Treants, but the moment the Will containing those words was invoked...
His eyes, along with his friends’ eyes, flashed, an image branding itself into their psyche. An image brewed by the Will infused within the noun Treant.
An image that was familiar at that!
Dark skin glistening with flowery emerald glyphs, a pair of black scleras holding within them a pair of verdant green pupils.
How could any of them forget this image?
The team that had sent them fleeing from the Origin Realm the first time—wasn’t this their race?
The similarities were a crystal-clear indicator...
A premonition stirred in Seth as the same haunting feeling resurfaced. Seth had suspected something might happen when they returned to the Origin Realm.
Was he right?
He glanced at his friends, his Will flowing directly towards them for direct mental communication.
"What do you guys think?"
Surprisingly, it was Jack who responded, and loudly at that. "Don’t worry, I will pay! Let’s hear what the little man has to say..."
The imp’s eyes lit up. Glancing at the sky, his red face flashed a hint of concern. "Well, let’s not dally then. Let’s find a more secure, comfortable place to chat. The walls have ears and the skies have eyes, you know."
Seth and the others didn’t dispute following Malgo as he led them down a crooked path. After a turn or two, they burst out into a more secluded area.
With fewer evolvers walking around, the street lamps dim, the orange cascade of rays from the sunset did a better job of lighting the street.
Malgo walked before a loud tavern, pushing both doors open, and silhouettes of rowdy evolvers could be seen.
Uriel leaned over Seth’s shoulder, whispering, "Is it wise to trust the little alien? For one, we can’t confirm his words. He might just be leading us to a trap for all we know!"
Seth shook his head. If anything, communicating via Will obstructed elements like lies and deceit. It would be too easily detected.
"I doubt it... but just in case, you guys should warm your Origin Gates. We might be needing them if push comes to shove. We can’t risk anything!" Seth didn’t speak verbally, but his Will transmitted his words directly to his friends’ minds.
And only by hearing this did Uriel’s guard ease up somewhat.
With that, all four entered the bar. The moment Seth pushed the door, he was hit with a warm, foul stench.
"My God, it seems alcohol carries the same putrid odor no matter where." Elaine cursed, pinching her nose shut.
The rowdy tavern suddenly turned silent, with various silhouettes turning their way. Seth scanned the myriad figures staring at them, then proceeded to head after Malgo, who was waving at them from behind the bar top.
Bearing the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd of alien evolvers, Seth and crew walked to the bar top and found themselves some empty stools to sit on.
Beside Malgo, an overly obese figure sat—a hulking mass of green flesh and three pure black eyes...
To be fair, Seth couldn’t really tell if the exaggerated size was more of a racial thing or a personal thing.
Malgo turned to the hulking figure. "Boris, go brew some Star Dew Nectar. I’m sure our friends will appreciate it!"
With a heavy guttural grunt, the hulking mass named Boris responded, walking to the side of the shelf to take out some dark vial wine.
"I’m sorry, we don’t drink!" Elaine quickly announced, but Malgo just chuckled.
"Why don’t you have a sip? Then you can reject it if you want. I don’t care." With that, rubbing his hands together, he climbed the bar top, stretching his small six-fingered hands towards Jack.
"Pay up!"
Taking Malgo’s hand, the spatial link was established and the essence crystals were transferred. It seemed Seth was the only one who was broken.
Closing his eyes, his senses washed through the small mound of essence crystals that dropped into his inventory. Malgo’s smile turned satisfied.
"Good, hehe. Now that’s what I call good business."
Licking his lips, he glanced at the four. "Where do I start?"
"Well, let’s start with you telling us who the fuck the Treants are in the first place?"
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