William initiated a friendly conversation with the pair and soon became quite chatty.

Glancing at the side, he noticed the uneasiness on Adam’s face but didn't say anything, nor did he stop the conversation. He had to let Adam understand things on his own.

All this while, William had dropped countless hints about demons, demonic seeds, and even the status of the empire.

Jesse and Trader Bill seemed to know the situation quite well, and a consistent back-and-forth of information transpired, shocking Adam greatly.

As the conversation between William, Jesse, and Trader Bill continued, Adam's mind raced. He couldn't believe how casually they were discussing such sensitive information in a public place like the black market. His anxiety continued to grow as he thought about the consequences if they were overheard.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and interrupted their conversation.

"William, what are you doing? We need to be finding a way to save Father, not chatting in the black market about demons and the empire!"

William turned to Adam with a serious expression on his face.

"Adam, you need to trust me. This is all part of the plan. I have a plan to save father, but I need Jesse and Trader Bill's help to pull it off."

Adam was skeptical, but he trusted his younger brother. He knew William was incredibly intelligent and had a knack for developing elaborate plans.

“I didn’t expect the youngest son of baronet Malcolm to have such a vast amount of knowledge; I’m quite impressed.”

Trader Bill said it silently, making their talks come to a halt. Adam stared in horror as William removed the garb covering his face and smiled.

“Old Bill, you sure have your toes deep, don’t you? In fact, we especially came here to seek out your help, but I came across this great instrument, so I couldn’t help but have a small change of plans.”

William didn’t hide anything as he spoke to Trader Bill with no fear on his young face.

Trader Bill laughed out loud at his words, causing many people to glance in their direction, but thankfully, they soon lost interest.

“Indeed, as Irwin said, you are indeed a monster. I don’t know what sort of bloodline Leona and Malcolm have; although Leona comes from a family of merchants, Malcolm was just an orphan, so we don’t really know his true background. In fact, all three of you siblings are monsters. Adam here seems to have entered the aura-emitting stage at the tender age of 17 and has already become a knight. While I heard that you are a third-stage mage apprentice, let’s just say I’m beyond impressed. As for the little girl, she has great talent in combat as well, although she doesn’t seem to know it herself.”

Trader Bill spoke out about their family status as if it were nothing, and William wasn’t fazed by his words.

He expected nothing else from this old man; in fact, he was pleased.

“This is why I came to you, old Bill, but can we first head into a more private place? We don’t want the whole black market to hear the secrets of the empire, right?”

Trader Bill nodded at his words, telling Jesse to gather their stall as he led Adam and William inside.

Reaching a certain area, trader Bill pulled a lever as the floor began shifting beneath their feet, directly pulling them up. The ceiling slid open, blinding light flooding their eyes as they found themselves inside a small office.

“So, what do you want assistance with? I thought blackmailing Pandora was enough, but for you to look for me directly; it seems to be a matter that even Pandora can’t help you with.”

Trader Bill was the one to speak first, prompting William to nod at his questions.

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“That is indeed the case. Although Pandora can provide us intelligence and protection, it doesn’t solve our problem. What we have lost is our nobility, along with our family. Simply protecting ourselves isn’t enough; we need to counteract, and the first step is saving our father from execution. I’m sure you have enough pull in the palace for information to reach the emperor’s ear.

William said, his voice hesitant. Although he knew that Trader Bill had incredible connections, he still wasn’t sure if his plan would work. He was taking a great gamble in coming here, but it was plan A; if it failed, he still had plans B, C, D, and E. If things got so bad that he had to use Plan E, he pitied the Thelwedean empire.

Trader Bill smiled but didn’t answer William's question directly, pulling out a giant glass ball from under his counter and placing it on a stable stand so it would not roll over. He spoke after fiddling with it for a bit, making sure things were as he wanted them to.

“Sure, I can arrange for information to reach the emperor, but what can you do for me? From what I’ve gathered, you seem to understand your standing quite well, so what makes you think that you have something that will interest me? Don’t talk about information or about the demons, since I’ve already known about that since long ago, and I even have my own method of discovering demonic seeds, so your ability is useless to me.”

William frowned at his words, as he truly didn’t know what this old monster would require for him to agree with the deal. He was taking a gamble here.

He knew that Trader Bill had the standing and power that he himself wielded in the future. When it came to information, trader Bill was far ahead of him in terms of the current standing of the world. William knew the future, but that was something that he couldn’t expose easily.

He had to think of something that trader Bill required, something that would give him not only a trade but also an advantage, and thankfully, he had already thought of something even before coming.

After breaking through, the first thing he did was head outside Kelsein to search for something that he had taken an interest in in the past—but in the end, he didn’t have time to do so due to the demon invasion.

He knew that the old man had an insatiable hunger for wealth and power, so that's where he decided to focus.

"Old Bill, I know that you're one of the most powerful and influential figures in the Empire and that you have a vast network of contacts and resources at your disposal. But even you have limits, right? There are things that you cannot do or acquire, no matter how much money or influence you have. That's where I come in."

William paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing.

"I have something that can give you access to anything you desire. Something that can make you even more powerful and wealthy than you already are. I have a map that leads to a secret treasure trove that's been hidden for centuries. It's said to contain riches beyond imagination and artifacts that can grant incredible power to their wielders. If you help us, I'll give you the map, and we can split the treasure seventy-thirty. You take seventy; I take thirty."

Trader Bill raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"And where did you get this map from? Do you have proof that it's real?"

William smirked. The fish had bit the bait; now, he needed to properly take it out, ensuring the hook didn’t get cut off.

“I acquired this map from a thief on the outskirts of the city; apparently he had robbed it from the royal palace. Though I don’t know how such a weak thief managed to acquire it, I can guarantee that it is real with my life. In fact, this map leads to the hidden treasury of the tyrant, Emperor Phillip.”

Of course, the thief wasn’t some random, weak thief, but Eddie Kelley, the most famous thief in the empire. How did William acquire the map from him? Eddie used to be his subordinate, so he had his own way of dealing with him.

Trader Bill opened his eyes wide at his words, his breathing quickening slightly.

"Impressive."

He said his voice had a hint of admiration, but he quickly hid it and asked.

"But you still haven't convinced me that this treasure is worth my time and effort. What do you expect me to do in exchange for this information?"

William smiled, knowing that he was getting closer to convincing Trader Bill.

"We want your help in two ways. The first is to save our father from execution. We know that you have connections in the palace, and we're hoping that you can use them to convince the emperor to spare his life."

"And the second?"

Asked Trader Bill, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"The second is to help us find our mother. We believe that she's being held captive by Baron Max Byrd, and we need your help in locating her."

Trader Bill frowned at William's words, not liking what he heard.

"Finding your mother won't be easy, young lad. Baron Byrd’s backing is elusive, and he doesn't leave a trace behind. And even if we do manage to find her, rescuing her won't be easy either. They are powerful, and they have their own ways of protecting their prisoners."

William grinned, knowing full well that trader Bill didn’t want to put in much effort, so he said something that would be the final pull in this deal.

"I understand your concerns, but we just need you to find her; we will do everything else ourselves.”

Hearing his words, trader Bill sighed and then laughed.

"Okay, then, deal. As for saving your father, you will do the talking directly.”

Saying so, trader Bill revealed an evil smile as the glass sphere on his table shone brightly, and the face of a stern middle-aged man wearing a crown appeared. The man in the sphere was the emperor, Nikolas II Rothsgomery.

“Bill, what’s the matter?”

Said the emperor, his deep and heavy voice rumbling in the room.