Chapter 57: Aron

'Hmm, although they are useful information, I need more important ones.' Raven pondered before asking.

"Can you tell me which streets did Aron manage? If possible, I also want to learn his house address,"

A sly grin appeared on Franco's face.

"I already gave you enough information for ten silvers, lad. If you want to know Aron's house address, the cost will be ten times higher."

"1 gold coin? Isn't it too much?" Raven frowned.

"That's how we live as informants. If you search for him by going around and asking strangers, you will end up revealing yourself to the Gold Thieves. Moreover, not everyone in the North Borough knows about these underworld gangs. They always kept a low profile and rarely reveal their real identity." Franco revealed his white teeth and smiled greedily.

"Haa, what a crafty old man!" Raven grumbled as he removed his hat, put his hand underneath a gap, and sneakily took a gold coin from the inventory.

To outsiders, it looked more like he hid a gold coin in his hat!

"This is surprising." This time, it was Franco's turn to be surprised.

Then, he suddenly turned his gaze towards the dumbfounded slim waiter and ordered.

"Recheck him."

But Raven raised his hand and spoke in an annoyed tone.

"I suggest you stop your petty action, Mr. Franco. I'm not in the mood for your games."

As he spoke, he put the gold coin on the table and quietly waited.

Meanwhile, Franco also stopped the waiter and spoke with a nod.

"12E Foundry Lane. That's Aron's house address. The streets he managed are Foundry Lane, Steel Mill Road, and Forge Avenue. Is it enough?"

Raven shook his head and spoke.

"You haven't told me about their base."

Before Franco could open his mouth, Raven suddenly raised his hand like he was tossing something and continued.

"This is the payment for this information."

The next second, a gold coin flew from his palm, flipped continuously in midair, and slowly moved towards Franco.

"11A Street Mill Road. It's an old cotton mill factory and an isolated area." While responding, Franco caught the gold coin and put it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Raven pondered deeply and asked.

"What is the name of Greedy Chargers' boss?"

"Oh, people call him 'Boston,' but only his few trusted men know his real name." Franco paused and soon decided to give out information for free.

"It's Richard Greyhound. Only a few people know his true face, and I'm one of them. Do you also want information about Greedy Chargers?"

Before Raven could respond, Franco said firmly.

"Unfortunately, he is a benefactor of mine. Even if you give me ten gold coins, I won't sell him out."

"I just asked out of curiosity." Raven waved his hand.

'He is baiting me for sure. Why did you even sell out his real name if he is your benefactor?'

Clicking his tongue, Franco took an iron key from the drawer and gave it to him.

"Keep the key to yourself, Mr. Franco. I won't be staying here." Saying so, Raven turned around and started walking towards the exit.

As soon as he reached the exit door, he thought of something and spoke again.

"If you find some interesting information about the 'Palace,' I might buy it at a good price next time. I'm curious about this 'Sword Princess' you see."

Then, he left the Inn and soon mingled with the crowd.

"Palace? Royal Palace? Information about some street thugs to Royal Family matters?"

As Franco watched the young boy disappear from his gaze, he couldn't help but look at the ledger.

"Thomas… I need to look into this person."

"Why did you let him leave like that, uncle?" The young waiter named Palmer arrived near him and asked in anger.

"Fool! That guy is an Official Walker. If he had punched you a little harder, you might have been admitted to the hospital for months." Franco glared at the foolish young man and shook his head.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Let's get back to work. The customers are waiting." Saying so, he turned around and walked into the kitchen.

…

Meanwhile, Raven quietly walked away from Albert Street and started moving towards Foundry Lane.

Before long, he reached a single-storied house near the end of the Foundry Lane and soon saw an old wooden door.

It was Aron's house.

"Shall I start my plan?" He muttered as he took out a needle and made a slight wound in his fingertip.

At the same time, Raven moved closer to the entrance and soon heard a grumbling noise from inside.

"Damn it, these guys are creating mess after mess."

Raven took two steps forward, arrived before the wooden door, and knocked on it twice.

A silence followed, and soon, the door opened with a creaking noise.

Aron sized Raven up and down and furrowed.

"What are you doing here, stupid beggar? I don't have money to give. F*ck off before I kick your as*." He said in an annoyed tone.

At the same time, Aron felt a strange drowsiness and yawned.

"Haa, screw off, lad. I need to take some rest now." He said while waving his hand and turning around to get inside.

A smirk appeared on Raven's face.

"You are still working for Greedy Chargers. No, you never betrayed them at all. Was it our Boss's plan?" Raven asked curiously.

'Our Boss? Who is he? Did Leader Richard send him to inform any important news?'

Before Aron could understand, Raven pushed Aron aside and stepped into the small house.

"What are you talking about? What are you doing?" Aron almost got flustered and tried to grab his shoulder reflexively but noticed a change in the young boy's speed.

'He is a Walker like me! He might be a new Greedy Chargers member.' His face turned serious as he closed the wooden door and stared at him cautiously.

Meanwhile, Raven looked around the living room and quietly sat on the chair near a wooden table.

Then, he picked up the rum bottle on the nearby table and poured it into a glass.

"Boss said that Count Andres will take action within a day or two and rescue 'Thomas Holmes.' It might happen much earlier."

His words made Aron froze.

"What happened all of a sudden? What did Boss tell you?" Aron walked closer to the table, picked up the glass of rum, and took a sip before sitting on another chair.

"Didn't Inspector Bennett promise that he made some agreement with Count Spade? Haa, I knew that inspector would do something like this." As Aron spoke, he saw Raven's face becoming blurrier.

'I'm getting tired and also feel sleepy. I should send this guy away and sleep quickly.'

While he was thinking, Raven answered with a smile.

"I'm just an informer,"

"'Yawn' You are arrogant for being a new member, lad. Then, is it the right time for us to strike? Did Boss Boston tell you anything else? Will we use this opportunity and swallow up the 'Gold Thieves'?" His voice contained a trace of curiosity.

In truth, the kidnapping of a fallen noble was a secret that even many Gold Thieves knew nothing about. But hearing from a beggar-looking boy made him confused at first. However, the boy's actions and earlier words made Aron completely misunderstand Raven's identity.

At that moment, he was 99% sure that this young boy was an informant sent by Richard.

But he still chose to test out the waters.

Meanwhile, Raven quietly leaned on it and spoke casually.

"Boss Richard said we will strike them after Count made a mess of the Gold Thieves."

“In-tere-stingg.” Aron gulped down the whole rum and placed it on the table.

"BUTFH.. Butfu… 'Cough' 'Cough.'" Aron suddenly coughed out blood and felt his hands were shivering.

"P-Poishehfc." He tried to say something but felt his mouth wasn't responding correctly. What shocked him was that he felt his strength was weakening rapidly.

"Oh? I didn't expect a single drop of my blood could be this deadly." Raven said as he stood up from the chair and walked towards Aron.

As soon as Raven spoke, Aron suddenly felt a sharp ache. At that moment, his blood pressure started to drop drastically, followed by a strange dizziness.

“W-Whattfe didfef yofut doff?” He was shocked by the sudden change and grabbed his chest tighter.

"Nothing much. I need your identity for a day, so please stay in your house and rest until then."

Before Aron could understand the situation, his vision got blanked out.

Raven watched Aron pathetically falling on the floor and soon breathed a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect my 'Blood Control' spell to be this powerful," he said solemnly.

From the start, Raven had been using the 'Blood Control' spell on Aron, making his blood pressure drop slowly. Thanks to this ability and craftiness, he didn't even lift a hand to subjugate him.

[That's because he hadn't unlocked his spirit power yet. As long as one's spirit power is high, he will have a high chance of resisting physical abnormalities. If you had used this spell on Franco, the result would've been entirely different.] Zera said.

Raven nodded his head and moved closer to touch him.

Then, he squatted down, activated the 'Face Morph' spell, and memorized his facial structure.

Soon, his facial structure changed and transformed into Aron's one!

[You are a little taller than him. And he is even a bit bulkier.] Zera commented.

"I don't think they notice such a small difference. I can achieve my goal if I don't talk to anyone." He slowly looked around and picked up one of Aron's dresses before wearing them.

Then, he covered his head with a hat and walked out of the house before locking up.

"Will he be all right?" He asked as he walked on the road.

[Don't forget he is a walker too. Although he is poisoned, he won't die that easily. He might be unconscious for a day or two and will recover on his own.]

"That's good." Raven nodded and continued to walk towards the Steel Mill Road.

…