Chapter 144: The Fake Marco
Chapter 144: The Fake Marco
The fake Marco scowled and shifted his weight on the sofa. "Why should we risk our studentship for a blind mission? No matter how much silver you pay us, the compensation will never be enough. Getting caught means immediate expulsion and the destruction of our careers."
"You are misunderstanding the assignment," Chenric corrected, swirling the dark wine in his cup. "You simply have to create a distraction somewhere on the grounds. My people on the inside will take care of the actual breakout. Neither of you will be directly involved with the extraction itself."
Solomon raised a hand and pointed a single finger directly at the owl hovering over his shoulder. "Do you realize this drone broadcasts my every single move to the world? Everything we do is live-streamed."
A booming laugh erupted from Chenric’s throat. "You do not have to worry about a floating camera. Nobody in the Eastern Realms can afford the magical data required to watch those broadcasts unless they possess wealth like myself. I can assure you that no one from the sect is watching you right now. If someone happens to tune in by pure chance, it changes nothing."
Solomon firmly planted his boots on the floorboards and pushed himself up from the cushions. "I am turning this mission down. I cannot accept a contract like that."
He tilted his head and analyzed Chenric’s confident grin. "The academy students were just targeted by an evil sect today. If you are asking someone to help an individual escape from the Azure Dragon Sect right now, that must mean your target is actively involved with those exact same cultists."
Chenric exhaled a long breath and stared at the dark wine in his cup. "I genuinely expected more from you, Solomon. You are simply a coward bound by arbitrary rules and pathetic morals. If you insist on walking the righteous path and obeying the laws of old men, you will never succeed. You will just remain a bottom feeder for the rest of your life."
Solomon grabbed the thick hilt of Eden’s Penance and hauled the executioner’s sword onto his back. He stood up from the velvet sofa and looked down at Chenric.
"You sit on a plush cushion surrounded by hired guards while paying teenagers to do your dirty work." Solomon kept his posture relaxed. "A real predator actually hunts its own meals. You are just a parasite feeding off the scraps of desperate people, and calling me a coward while you hide behind a wine cup is the funniest joke I have heard all night."
[Fatal_Beauty: OH MY GOD HE COOKED HIM!]
[1Fizzy: Solo Man never holds back.]
[Chi_Master: absolute verbal execution.]
[IceWaterKat: merchant getting roasted on his own balcony.]
[Grey: bro called him a parasite to his face.]
[Last_Fables: the disrespect is unmatched.]
[James_Hayes: bro chose violence.]
[Dark_Skies: W Solo Man.]
The fake Marco quickly stood up and raised a hand to placate Chenric. "I will take the mission." He shot a quick glare at Solomon. "I will make sure that Solomon does his part as well. Just give me the rest of the information."
Chenric ignored the insult completely and nodded at the fake Marco. "The payment will be delivered in full the moment the mission is successfully completed. We will finalize the coordinates now."
Chenric unrolled a detailed map across the mahogany table and pointed at three distinct extraction coordinates. He outlined the guard rotation schedules and the specific structural layout of the targeted facility.
He avoided mentioning the actual name of the captive asset.
The fake Marco memorized the logistical details and grabbed a leather pouch of advance payment. Offering a quick nod of acknowledgment, he turned his back and exited the private balcony.
Downstairs, Solomon navigated the crowded gambling halls of the Golden Lotus Pavilion. He pushed past groups of cheering patrons and scanned the velvet betting mats for a familiar head of peach-colored hair.
Marco was missing from the lower levels. Solomon approached several waitresses and bouncers to ask about his whereabouts.
An older man smelling of cheap alcohol stumbled out from a nearby viewing booth. He squinted at Solomon and pointed a shaking finger at his chest.
"Are you the kid named Solomon?" the man slurred, hiccuping loudly.
Solomon offered a single nod.
The man reached into his stained robes and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He shoved the note directly into Solomon’s hands and stumbled away toward the bar.
Solomon unfolded the parchment and stared at the handwritten text. The message was written entirely in modern English. It simply stated that Marco had lost all his money gambling and returned to the sect.
Solomon crumpled the note and tossed it into a nearby wooden bin. He grabbed the thick strap of Eden’s Penance and adjusted the executioner’s sword across his back.
He exited the bustling establishment and navigated the dirt roads of Tianfeng City. Reaching the city limits, he bypassed the main mountain stairs and stepped directly onto the overgrown forest trail leading up the cliffs.
The ambient noise of the nocturnal wildlife masked the sounds of the city below. Solomon walked up the steep incline for twenty minutes before his ears picked up a distinct crunch of dry leaves. Footsteps echoed faintly from the shadows directly behind him.
Solomon stopped walking and turned around. He rested his right hand on the pristine steel hilt of his weapon.
"You are stepping on way too many dry branches." Solomon called out into the darkness. "Come out before I decide to throw a rock at your head."
The rustling stopped instantly. A tall figure stepped out from behind an oak tree. The dark brown hair and flowing eastern martial robes perfectly matched the imposter from the balcony. The fake Marco currently lacked the fake beard he had worn just a few hours ago, exposing a sharp jawline in the moonlight.
"You possess decent hearing for an academy novice." The fake Marco rested a hand on his own sheathed greatsword. "I thought you would just keep walking until you collapsed."