Into The Wilds [4]

They ate in silence. He didn't plan for it, but Gio did end up listening into the conversation between the two men at the bar while he looked for an opportunity.

"...it's not worth it. Everyone's going over there, so even if we don't get killed by the beasts, we'll get killed by people."

"Maybe, but what if we don't? We'll earn big. Also, didn't you hear? 'They' are going over there to recruit. This could be our way out."

From what Gio had gathered, there was a sudden change in an oasis nearby. The beasts there had changed or something had been unearthed, creating a slew of chances for Sequencers to earn money and strength. 

That much was a normal occurrence that didn't need to be focused on. What drew Gio's attention was the part at the end. 

It was the same for Seb.

"Are they actually going? Usually, when people say that, it's a trap."

"That's true, but this time, it's confirmed. An envoy passed by the city and spread the news personally."

"He used the flame?"

"He used the flame."

Gio's expression faltered slightly as he buried his face in his food. 

'The flame? They must be talking about Bloodrend then.'

In this world, beasts and monsters weren't the only enemies. Humans turned against humans as well. 

There were two brands of them.

The first were called Djinns. 

Naturally, when Gene Sequences came into existence, laws and regulations were created around their use, as were ways around those laws and regulations. Nightreign was one of the highest earning existences in the world. 

The people who wanted to commit evil deeds with their sequences used Nightreign and other illegal channels to attain their Sequences. There were many different groups of them with some being small and petty and others being massive organized syndicates, but they all shared one term together that defined their entire existence. 

Djinns. They were evil people because they were evil people. If they had to give a reason why they stood against humanity in these trying times, they could only say it was for fun.

There was another group of people who sold their souls to monster races. They were known as Asuras. They were smaller in number than Djinns, but they were far greater threats.

Bloodrend was a notable Djinn group that operated in the Wasteland. Their scope of existence didn't extend past this world, but that didn't matter. 

They were more than enough of a pain for the people of Haven. In fact, it was as if their sole purpose in life was to destroy Haven and take over.

Bloodrend was wiped out alongside everything else when the Wasteland was conquered by monsters. Gio didn't have much contact with them in this life or the past. 

Seb, however, was different. 

He stood up the moment he heard those men mention "the flame."

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

With a few short words, he left Gio behind and approached those two men.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I was interested in the conversation you were having before. Do you mind if I join in?"

Seb smiled with his eyes closed as he placed his hands on the bar between them. They gave him nasty looks, preparing to cuss him out, but that was only before he moved his hands. 

When he did that, they saw the silver cards he'd placed on the table, containing 10,000 credits each. It was more than enough to buy their cooperation. 

"Well, we can talk about it, but not here. Come with us if you wanna know."

They stood up, leaving some coins on the bar before walking to the door and waiting for Seb to follow. 

"Ah, I came with a companion…"

The men looked over at Gio before smirking. 

"We don't need any kids coming with us. Leave him here. Matilda will take care of him real good."

The grins on their faces weren't assuring, but Seb still looked back at Gio with a somewhat pleading look, as if asking him to stay put for a little. 

Bloodrend had been causing too many problems for the Old Lady. If he could find a method to approach them this time, it would be a great boon. 

He had to take this opportunity.

And he was lucky that Gio was a very understanding person. 

Gio nodded slightly, giving Seb his approval. Seb gave him a look of appreciation before turning to follow the men out of the bar. 

Their conversation continued, but it wasn't worth following. 

After all…

'...how did this chance find me so conveniently?'

Gio hummed happily as he swiped Seb's cup off the table and carefully stashed it in his belt. Around the same time, the woman behind the bar, apparently named Matilda, approached him. 

"Kid, you can stay here for as long as you want, but it's not going to be free."

The glint in her eyes made it clear she saw him as an easy scamming target, but unfortunately for her, she was dealing with an unruly fellow. 

"That won't be necessary."

Gio grabbed a bronze card he'd prepared before and flicked it to her. 

"That's for the meal and your silence. If he comes back, you never saw me leave."

That was the end of his interaction with the woman named Matilda. She caught the card and returned to the bar, completely ignoring his presence.

Five minutes later, he was out of the restaurant. 

'It would suck if that place was across the city, but this is a good spot. If I run, I can get there in five minutes.'

Seb would definitely check his location soon, but as long as he didn't stray too far, it wouldn't be enough to distract him from Bloodrend. 

'His obligation to follow that lead is more than just moral. He has no other choice, so unless something extraneous happens, he won't give up on it.'

In other words, until the moment Gio left the city, Seb wouldn't realize something was wrong. 

'Let's go.'

Gio took off running. The shops lining the streets, the people walking them, and the atmosphere were all different, but the layout of the city never changed. 

He weaved left and right through the streets, traveling towards the eastern part of the city. 

He followed the streetlights until he found the single light that glowed white in the sea of yellow. 

When he turned onto that street, he found what he was looking for.

'It's like a miniature black market.'

Unlike Nightreign, there were no stalls. In fact, the entire street was empty.

But when Gio entered through the doors of the tallest building on the street, the entire environment changed. 

There were people everywhere who'd turned the rooms of the building into shops. They were selling anything one could think of, mostly services since most goods could be sold in Nightreign. 

Any goods found here couldn't fetch a good price on the black market, so they had to be sold in person. 

Gio didn't come for goods. He traveled the halls until he found an elevator which he took to the fifth floor. After he exited, he walked until he reached the cubicle at the end of the hall. 

The inside was entirely black, illuminated by the light of countless holographic displays. It looked ominous in one sense, but there really was so much light that not a single piece of the room was left dark despite the blackness.

Sitting within the room…

'That's not him.'

…was an old man with short grey hair and so many wrinkles that it was hard to make out his facial features.

'But that…'

Sitting next to him, watching him work, was a boy roughly around Gio's age. 

'...I think that's the man I met in the future.'

The person he was looking for was still a child who clearly wasn't very skilled, but if that old man was the one who taught him, Gio didn't need to worry about the trust aspect.

He entered the shop without a shred of doubt and smiled at the duo who looked up when they noticed his presence. 

"Are you guys open?"