Chapter 35: The Man in Silver Mask

My eyes focused on the man who was standing in the shadow. The light from the lantern was not enough for me to see him.

I decided to activate my Locksmith’s Eye. My vision became clear and detailed.

The man looked like he was in his forties and wore a long dark coat. His hair was gray, and a simple silver mask covered the upper part of his face.

I could clearly see his eyes behind the mask. He was smiling and amused by what he was seeing.

He stopped several steps away from me and stood firmly.

"It’s not nice to meet you, Silvester," he said calmly. There was no trace of fear or threat.

I did not say a word and just looked at him, trying to get some hints of his personality.

"You’re younger than I expected." He chuckled, and there was a hint of mockery.

"Nah. You’re actually older than I expected," I replied.

The man’s laugh echoed inside the warehouse. A real laugh showing his amusement.

I remained in my position as the man walked toward a crate. There was a small wooden box sitting on it. It was just a common box at first glance, but if you tried to look closer, something was different.

I immediately noticed the distortion of mana threads around it.

"Are those the space crystals?" I asked to confirm what I saw.

The man nodded and tapped the box. "Yes, three pieces of it are what you are looking for, Silvester."

"Can you just get to the point? What do you want? I don’t want to waste my time," I said, staring at him, watching his moves.

"I need you to open a lock," the man said, tapping the box.

That made me more confused. "A lock?"

The man remained silent. But later he nodded.

"That’s all?" I asked again.

"Space crystals are not just for a simple request, Silvester." The man smiled.

I did not say anything and let him continue what he had to say.

"I found out recently that you successfully opened the sacred chest inside the Voulstridge child."

"It’s just a simple chest. Nothing special," I lied.

"You know that a child must not lie."

"Those are just rumors, and rumors aren’t true." The man chuckled and walked closer to the box.

"I also heard that the Duke personally gave you fifty gold coins himself as a bonus reward. Isn’t it too sweet?"

He really knew a lot of things, but how? I asked myself.

I remained calm and firmly stood still.

"You know what? Just ignore the rumors. They will just affect your mental health."

"Hahahah. I pay people to confirm if the rumors were true, Silvester. And my mind is completely healthy." The man laughed. His fingers were touching the edge of the box.

I made no reply and touched the iron wrench inside my coat’s wrist.

"You are really interesting. Relax, I won’t kill you for now." The man laughed again.

"So what lock are you talking about?" I said, crossing my arms.

The man stopped laughing and reached into his coat. He pulled out a black key.

It was an old key made of black metal, but something was odd.

"A key with no teeth?" I frowned.

I also noticed that the key’s handle was shaped like a twisted circle and had no visible marks.

"That’s why I need your service, Silvester."

"What kind of lock?"

The man in the silver mask threw the key upward and caught it quickly.

"A spatial lock. Pretty familiar, yes?"

My eyes narrowed on him. The room was completely silent. The flicker of light from the mana lantern made the shadows move around us.

Thoughts of spatial locks dominated my head, thinking that this man was more capable than I expected. His connections might surpass every single guild in the Commercial District.

The man slowly leaned against the crate and shook off some dust from his shoulder.

"It’s just simple. You want the crystals, and I need a locksmith’s hand."

I couldn’t deny the crystal part. He was really good at getting what he wanted. I could already assume he had an idea why I needed those crystals.

"I see. You already know why I need those crystals. Then why are you offering them?" I said, looking at the small box.

The man smiled behind his mask. "I’m bored. I want to see something new and what you’ll do with them."

My fingers tightened, realizing that his answer was really suspicious.

This isn’t a normal illegal transaction anymore.

"Who the hell are you?" I let my thoughts slip.

"Hahaha. You know what, Silvester? Let’s not waste our time answering unnecessary questions. Come and I’ll show you the real business."

The man turned around and opened a door on the floorboard. It was a stone staircase leading down into the darkness.

I sighed and immediately shook my head.

Following him would mean I agreed to his terms.

"Hurry up, kid. Time is ticking." The man was already walking on the edge of the staircase.

My instinct was telling me that I should get my ass out of here, but I needed the crystals. There was no assurance that I would find any of those after this transaction, and it would take years to find a chance to have them.

"Fine. I will go, but if you try to kill me, I will make sure you’ll be a cold corpse inside this warehouse."

"Oh... I’m scared, kid... hahaha." The man laughed, mocking my threat.

He picked up the wooden box containing the space crystals and picked up the lantern. He walked down the stone staircase.

I just stared at him and thought.

He knew the agreement between me and the Duke. He knew the exact material that I needed. He knew almost everything.

The man wasn’t just an ordinary smuggler. He was different, and it piqued my interest. If this transaction went well, he would definitely be a good ally in the future.

I could only pray to the gods that I would make it tonight.

I sighed and decided to take a step forward and follow him to the basement.