Valthor. Neraxis narrowed his eyes.
One of the leaders of Eternal Night, here in the flesh.
Honestly, he couldn’t really believe it, but the similar features, along with the overall feeling he got from this guy, were more than enough to convince him it was true.
"I’m sure whatever you’re going to ask, you know my answer," Neraxis said plainly.
"I wouldn’t be so sure," Valthor replied, holding up a pair of documents neatly placed in folders. "Read this."
Neraxis tilted his head and accepted the documents before glancing through each one.
The moment he did, he was met with information regarding himself and his family.
Most importantly, the skills he had were detailed perfectly on the page—all the way from his affinity and rank down to even his main skill.
There were only a few things missing, all related to Evangeline—such as the stigmata and, of course, her skills.
As for his parents, their business was detailed, including some fraudulent activity that had been swept under the rug.
His sister’s document, however, was pretty much blank, with only her school, hobbies, and physical prowess detailed.
"What’s this supposed to be? Some cheap labor blackmail?" Neraxis asked with a raised brow as he used {Aura of the Abyss} to decay the documents.
"I just want you to know that what I showed you is just the tip of the iceberg. I have enough leverage to bury your entire family whole," Valthor stated with an eerie smile.
"And we have enough money to fight it," Neraxis shot back before looking at where he presumed Valthor’s eyes were. "Get to the point."
"I want you to join us as a low-level executive," Valthor said before adding, "We need spies in Havenspire now more than ever. In exchange, I will not target your family."
"A lot of requests for a little chat," Neraxis remarked with a sigh before sending a glare toward Valthor.
However, it wasn’t an ordinary glare, as he stretched his {Aura of the Abyss} outward, covering Valthor from head to toe.
The moment he did, he sped up the process of decay by a thousandfold, watching as the black flames slowly began gobbling Valthor up.
Despite that, he wasn’t dying—only standing there and watching Neraxis with a smile.
Finally, Valthor chuckled and with a flick of his finger, made the black flames disappear.
"It was pretty warm," Valthor said, a wide smile forming on his face. "I might consider making you an officer who warms my coat if you want."
Neraxis nodded—he already expected it to fail.
However, it gave him enough time to recall a few details.
"How’s Rellana?" Neraxis asked, and immediately, the smile on Valthor’s face disappeared.
"...How do you know about her?"
"With a track record like yours, it wasn’t hard to figure out," Neraxis shrugged. "But who knew... the legend Valthor himself has a daughter."
Valthor listened in silence, which made Neraxis continue.
"I don’t respond well to threats, just like you. Therefore, the least I expect from someone who wants to make a deal with me is some common courtesy."
"You’re right," Valthor said coldly. "I came off on the wrong foot. So, what do you say to some negotiations?"
That’s more like it. Neraxis thought, masking his smile.
[Are you seriously going to try making a deal with him?] Evangeline asked skeptically.
Only if the pros outweigh the cons. If it makes the people I know safer while also giving me a closer position to an enemy, I’m all up for it. he replied before glancing at Valthor.
"I’m not sure what there is to negotiate, but I’m willing to hear you out."
"Excellent." Valthor nodded. "Before I say anything, my first term is this: you don’t tell anyone about my daughter, and in exchange, I will erase the data we’ve gathered on you and your family."
Neraxis immediately agreed. "I accept."
"Right then, your value to me has increased exponentially. Therefore, I’m willing to offer you a captain position—do keep in mind, it’s the third-highest possible position," Valthor offered.
"And the catch is...?"
Valthor continued, "The catch is the same. You will be an informant and tell me whenever your headmaster does anything out of the ordinary."
Neraxis pretended to think for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "It feels like a very simple catch for what you’re offering. On that note, what exactly can I do with this captain position of yours?"
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"You can do whatever you want," Valthor said with a smile. "Keep in mind, I wanted to offer you the same deal but just give you a lower position instead. After you revealed your strength and threatened me with my daughter, my image of you has grown. I’m not lying."
He really isn’t lying. Neraxis thought with a sigh. "I want the locations of rifts—all of them up to S-rank. Can I get that with my position?"
"Hmm... that information requires you to be a Commander, which is one rank higher. But I can arrange it for you," Valthor replied before stretching out his hand. "Do we have a deal, Neraxis Valen?"
"We do." Neraxis nodded and accepted the handshake.
Valthor’s hand was cold, likely because he was currently manipulating a corpse.
On that note, there was something else he wanted to add.
"I’m sure you know who my friends are. If you so much as trail them, I will reveal you know what."
"Don’t worry, they don’t interest me," Valthor replied with a chuckle before turning around. "A little warning—the Black Rose faction will soon make their move. My best guess is, they want you to marry their daughter. Do with that information as you will. See you later, Neraxis Valen."
As those words fell, Valthor’s body suddenly slumped, the rotten stench of a corpse permeating the air.
But Neraxis ignored that as he tried recalling who the Black Rose faction was.
Hmm... A crime family—one of the most influential on the continent. This is a pretty big deal... but why me? Neraxis snickered.
[I think it has something to do with that charm stat of yours. But hey, I’ve already fallen for you, so it doesn’t work on me,] Evangeline said with a giggle, making him roll his eyes.
Either way, this conversation was a success, and now the only thing he had to do was inform Amara about it.
However, as he was about to do that, he halted.
<Amara: Congratulations on joining Eternal Night, as a captain no less.>
She already knew and, frankly, he wasn’t really surprised.
<Neraxis: You know I was just about to ask for a favor in exchange for telling you that.>
A few moments later, she replied.
<Amara: Eternal Night is like an ant in the grand scheme of things. I don’t think there are many favors you can get from me with just that much.>
However, he didn’t give up.
<Neraxis: I want to hear about your past.>
It was a big ask, obviously, but if he wanted to piece things together, he needed to find out how Amara was connected to the Sovereigns.
After a moment of silence, she messaged back—and surprisingly, it wasn’t a straight-up denial.
<Amara: If you can kill Valthor, I will tell you a bit. I have some urgent business to attend to, so goodbye for now.>
Neraxis read through that and put his phone away.
While he did get sidetracked, it was time to get back to the real thing.
And that was tracking Lar and Alice.