Chapter 699: Last chance
"Oh." Richard turned to look at him. "Something good?"
"Yes, although I don’t know how certain people will take it," said Maverick, unconsciously glancing at Matthew from the arena.
Richard didn’t miss the opportunity to ask a question as soon as he saw that.
"You know, I’ve been wondering about something for a while..." He pinched his nose. "Do you know anything about this little participant?"
"Your actions toward him aren’t normal, you see. And since he’s in my city..."
"Your city, sir?" Maverick interrupted him and shook his head. "Are you claiming the territory?"
Richard remained silent, staring at him.
"Do I need to answer that question, dear commander?"
Maverick smiled. He understood what he meant.
Although his friendly and charismatic attitude might not suggest it, Richard is extremely possessive of this city, which he considers his own. And he’s not entirely wrong; he stands out above all the city’s leaders in terms of power and has amassed the greatest wealth possible in such a small place.
Some say that all the city’s businessmen secretly serve him.
In addition, he has dominated the city’s Martial Arts Tournament for hundreds of years, losing only when special people came, such as the Heirs.
Maverick couldn’t say anything about it, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. He would like to say that without Morgan’s approval, he wouldn’t be here, but he didn’t want to antagonize the Brooks with the Morgans.
"I can’t say anything about that, Mr. Richard. People’s identities must be kept secret, as long as they wish. So please, avoid asking me about it."
"Tsk." Richard grumbled and looked at the sand.
’A little guy capable of getting Mr. Maverick himself to take notice, huh. Interesting.’ Richard smiled.
"Go ahead, tell me what you found." He insisted.
"Several of the city’s high-ranking officials have been corrupted to a moderate degree. Apparently... the dark guild wants to take control of ’that’ forest, which is said to have an exit to the Dark Kingdom."
"I see." Richard nodded thoughtfully. "And there’s no better place to serve as a gateway between that forest than this place..."
That was problematic.
"Do they want to kill someone inside the Dark Kingdom?" he wondered, not realizing he had said it out loud.
"It’s likely."
Richard sighed. "In any case, they would first have to get past old Wukong. Do you think they are capable of that?"
"Wukong is strong, but the Dark Guild has Sunlight, and we don’t know how strong those Pillars of Rumor are. Some say they have reached the mythical Immortal Vampire."
"Oh, do you suspect they have an alliance with that new church?"
"If they are as powerful as they claim to be and it’s true that some Vampire Clans have fallen under their command, do you think the Dark Guild can do anything other than submit?"
"They know how to hide," Richard said.
"From an Independent Clan, and from us, yes, but I don’t think it’s possible to hide from a power like the Vampire Clans."
"You’re right about that. The Vampire Clans have a lot of power." Richard nodded.
"That’s why I don’t think Wukong is enough to stop the Dark Guild."
"Hmm." Richard put his hand to his chin. "Should we let them go to the Dark Kingdom?" he wondered, once again letting his words slip out, although this time they were truly dangerous.
"If someone heard that and told the leaders of the Dark Kingdom, you would be in serious trouble, sir," Maverick reminded him.
Richard smiled apologetically. "I was just thinking that, on our own, we can’t stop those guys either if they’re allied with someone so powerful."
"Yes, I agree." Maverick sighed. "I think this is completely beyond our control and ability."
"How troublesome..." Richard looked at him again. "Are you going to report this to Mr. Lennon? I heard he has a powerful bodyguard and specifically requested to be informed about this..."
"I have to report it, Mr. Richard. That’s why I came to tell you. We may have to fight."
"Hm?" Richard looked at him suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "To stop those guys from coming in? Are we going to become suicide bombers?"
Maverick smiled. "Don’t worry about whether we’ll be suicidal. As long as your daughter knows how to make good friends, or even more than that, she should be able to save herself and you. The bodyguard in question is a man who is said to have a harem of beautiful women, so..."
Maverick fell silent as soon as he saw Richard’s dangerous gaze.
"My daughter will not serve as a bed warmer for a powerful bastard, Mr. Maverick. If that is your trusted source for our survival, you should go leave a will with the Morgans, so they know you’re dead."
"Hahaha, I didn’t say that, Mr. Richard." He laughed. "It was just a figure of speech."
"Hmph."
"In any case, Mr. Richard." Maverick spoke again. "Choose your side wisely. The world is changing, and it tells us that soon things will not be as simple as they have been for the last thousand years."
After saying this, Maverick said goodbye and left the room, leaving Richard deeply thoughtful, though still annoyed by his words.
Knock*
Knock*
"Sir."
Richard was snapped out of his thoughts when the voice of one of his most loyal subordinates woke him up.
"It’s open," he said.
The man then stepped forward and stopped several paces behind him.
Richard frowned. "And this guest?" he asked without turning around.
"A distinguished person wants to speak with you."
"Who is it?" Richard asked.
"A distinguished person," his subordinate replied.
Richard turned slightly to scrutinize him and then glanced at the "guest’s" body, not lingering long before returning his gaze to the fight.
"Go ahead, then. I happen to have some free time to listen."
"I’ll leave it to you, sir." His subordinate bowed to him and motioned for the guest to pass.
"It’s not common for a distinguished guest to come see me covered head to toe in black clothing. I think that draws more attention than if you came with your real face. I don’t think you’re overly famous, after all."
"In this place, my face would attract attention like honey attracts bees."
"Honey, huh. I think you could have used the analogy of shit and flies better, but I’ll respect your decision to compare yourself to honey." Richard sneered and turned to stare at him.
"Well? It’s not common for a human to come to these parts. Although I should say that lately my city is full of those rats."
The man smiled under his robe and removed his hood. A completely red face, as if too much blood had accumulated there, greeted him. His pointed ears revealed his identity... he was not human.
"It seems I’ve tricked you."
Richard grimaced in contempt. "Trick me? The Sewer Elf used to call himself ’Son of Mud’ when he was human. You can’t fool me. I know your world too."
For the first time since he arrived here, this man was speechless, unable to speak for a while.
"Enough talk," Richard said. "I wouldn’t want to be seen meeting with a human at such an important moment. Get to the point."
If this man had been anyone else, Richard would have kicked him out. But against the Sewer Elf, a famous assassin on the list of the Cursed Assassins, even he would find it difficult.
If Maverick had been nearby, perhaps, but the guy had even managed to hide from him... There was nothing he could do.
The Elf sighed and decided to ignore the fact that he had been discovered before removing his hood. He took out a token and placed it on the table.
The token of the Dark Guild.
"I come as a representative. This is your last chance to cooperate," he said...
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