Lith repeats most of what Maria already told me back in the hotel suite, just in case anything was missed, recapping where Arie, Chester, Lydia, and Fisher have been. Then, he gets to the point.

"So, my offer to you, as objectively the strongest and most versatile member of your group, is to offer you the position of the new Sector 2 Leader."

There's a pause, but he expands on the point.

"I have a team of craftsmen that could work under you, and some of the old leader's business dealings could be mended if someone were to step up and take the leadership position in the Sector 2 region."

I stay silent and let him continue his offer, despite my clear hesitation to accept.

"We have all the contact information and trade deals from Sector 4, and Sector 1. With Chester in control of the underground market there soon enough, business may resume, and with me being a large buyer in sector 1, business will go back to nearly normal here. There just needs to be new negotiations done in Sector 3, The Vice Region, and The Apex Region."

My eyebrows raise at the sound of this.

Lith sees my surprised look and continues his explanation.

"The Sector 3 Region is mostly a farming region. A lot of food products come out of that region and supply the entire Dark continent. They're a simple and peaceful sector, as long as a contract is set, I'm sure a new trade deal can be met. The Vice Region, which you're all very familiar with, may be a harder ask. The contact for trade deals is Brutus, your previous handler. You'll need a damn good disguise or separate team that I can provide to renegotiate that deal. They bought mostly upgrade crystals and enhancement items. With a team of a few legendary craftsmen, this can be handled, however, some of the multi-enchanted custom gear orders won't be able to be carried out with the old leader gone. That goes for the Apex region too. With all of the highest grade hunters for the Association staying there, most of the orders were only special enchants, so striking a new deal with them may be out of the question. Though, it's worth a try."

Lith lets out a long sigh.

"That means we won't be getting any more unique armor or high-grade concealment items either. I don't know of any craftsmen on par with his expertise. However, it's not worth getting upset about now. What's done is done. It was good while it lasted.

We sit in silence for a moment, then I finally speak up in a slightly angered tone.

"You expect me to do business with the Vice Region? With Brutus? That old backstabber? The guy who sold out our mission information and screwed me and all my teammates over into this whole mess to begin with?"

I start sitting up from the couch, but Maria holds my left arm back, so I sit back down after taking a deep breath in and out.

Lith goes on.

"Raise the prices on them, make them an offer they can't refuse, or just don't do business with the Vice Region if you really feel passionate about it."

He shrugs.

"I'm not here to force you into anything. I'm just giving you the option to reconnect Sector 2 with that trade partner if you wish."

I ponder the thought, but not even considering this fact, there's way too much that makes no sense in this offer to me.

"Why are you even giving me these options? We met on a whim a week ago, now you're offering to help me take over half of the dark continent with no strings attached. This doesn't seem like a smart business decision for you on the surface. There has to be a hidden agenda. I don't feel comfortable accepting this at all..."

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"Yes, yes. I see how it looks on the surface, but think about your unique position for a moment."

We both stare at each other.

My gaze is full of confusion and a hint of anger, while Lith's is filled with confidence and hopefulness. He continues.

"Our city has been completely taken over by the Dark One. Before it came, I was in total control and ran a much more fair economy. I had nearly a thousand royal guards that watched over the city I managed to build from the ground up using the natural resources from this mountain range."

I murmur under my breath.

"That you stole..."

"That I managed to take under control... The world is full of war and conquest. Only the strongest can call anything rightfully theirs. Unfortunately, the same thing I did to your new friends in the monastery is happening to me, but with a much less peaceful deal. My thousands of troops have been dwindled down to less than 50 remaining. Those guards you saw in the lobby are the real Royal Guard under my command, the ones outside in the platinum district and in the fight arena are being manipulated by the Dark One. They've been turned into Ghouls. Monsters in human's armor, roaming the streets and pretending to protect the people."

"And...? You're hundreds of levels above me. With all the resources in the world? You can't handle this problem yourself?"

He nods slowly with a solemn expression.

"I've been trying to for months, but the issue is only getting worse. At my peak, I can handle one of those Ghouls you took out in the arena if I went all out, but one or two may be my limit... The Royal Guards don't stand a chance. Every time they get into an altercation, the Dark One manages to turn more of my loyal men to its side. Your team, on the other hand..."

His eyes move back and forth between me and Maria.

"Your entire squad managed to control a power that may bring freedom back to my people, and save my decade-long business venture. I thought by letting you win those stones in the auction, you'd go off and kill yourself trying to absorb them and maybe I'd be able to pick up the leftovers for free. But to my pleasant surprise, I witnessed a team of barely ranked-up hunters take out two sector leaders like it was just another Tuesday."

He laughs out loud while thinking back to it.

I reply with an unamused tone.

"So what's your real offer here. Tell me what you really want me to do, and what you're giving us in return."

His expression turns much more serious as well before responding.

"In exchange for granting you a permanent leadership position as the Sector 2 Leader, funding to fix up the region, a team of craftsmen to fulfill orders, and access to high-grade dungeons in Valor City to train and get stronger; I ask that you and your team kill the Sector 1 leader and every last one of the corrupted Royal Guards."

A million thoughts go racing through my mind as I scan the room with my perception skills and senses out of instinct.

The first thing I notice is the extremely strong shielding that is constantly around Lith's body. It's packed with mana and scrambles my appraisal skill, but I'm certain there is no high concentration of Qi within him.

The fact that he mentioned he could take out one of the Ghouls in the arena makes me think maybe there are other ways to defeat them than just the method I've been using. Or, possibly he's absorbed some weaker kind of Soulstone in his past. It's impossible to tell without viewing his status.

Next, my thoughts go over the offer itself.

The lightly tinted green mist that comes off of a person when they tell the truth under the gaze of my lie detector skill constantly pours out of Lith from the very start. He hasn't tried to deceive me one time.

Considering my circumstances, if I refuse this offer I'd just be on the run from the governments of two continents for the rest of my life, just like Maria said back in the suite. There's no point in saying no other than the possible dangers of facing off against this mysterious Dark One, and the responsibility I'll have to take on for managing a massive trade region.

I don't like the fact that Lith would be sending in hand-picked craftsmen to work under me, but that also means he doesn't know that I myself have the Mythic Grade craftsmanship skill.

If I were to take control of any project, I'd be the one picking the people that work for me exclusively. I don't want unknown eyes and ears to be where they don't need to be.

Even with all downsides considered, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to become one of the strongest hunters in the world. Both in political pull and raw power.

I stay silent as my mind continues to race over the possibilities. More than a full minute passes before Lith interjects again.

"Of course, you don't have to accept on the spot. If you'd like to spend some time here in the city and use my resources to get stronger until Fisher and Lydia return with detailed intel, that is fine by me. However, I'll need an answer or counter offer in the next 3 days. We don't have much time."