“Master Val, a most welcome return,” Wilfred says, bowing slightly. “Our Mistress will be most pleased to receive you. If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

Wilfred leads me back into the auction house. This time, instead of the old meeting room, we head to an elevator, which descends…deep down.

What is with these isekai people and their obsession with digging underground…?

After exiting the elevator, we’re faced with another mansion. This one’s even larger than Caesar’s, and it’s completely underground, carved right into the cavern. It even has its own artificial sunlight. It’s as bright as day down here.

“If you would be so kind as to follow me.” Wilfred’s words snap me back. I follow Wilfred to the side, where he gestures towards what looks less like a hot tub and more like a small, steaming hot pool. Raven reclines in the water, wearing a rather revealing swimsuit, looking as relaxed as ever. She puffs smoke from her long pipe, as always.

"Ooh… my, my… what delightful company we have here…" Raven looks up at me, her voice soft and breathy. She gives a playful tilt of her head.. "Honeybun! You graced me with your presence after all! I was beginning to think that little… contretemps at the mansion might have… discouraged you."

“What are you talking about?” I gaze to the side, clenching my fists.

"Oh? I was under the impression I should be offering you my gratitude,” she replies, puffing another ring of smoke. “For ridding me of that… insufferable Lawrence.”

“I don’t know what’s between you two, but he's already dead.” I blurt out.

“Oh, boo hoo, someone died,” Raven replies dismissively. “People live, people die, that’s just life. You are not a god. And trust me, gods are not benevolent. The Anunnaki never cared about human lives.”

“Do you know who is responsible for this?” I ask, hoping she might have an answer.

“Oh, honeybun,” Raven says in a mockingly innocent voice. “I’m just a fragile little businesswoman. Such… unsavory affairs are quite beyond me. I was rather hoping you might enlighten me.”

Ugh, I really can’t stand her… If I were sure memory extraction has no drawbacks, I’d totally just swipe an Adamantine bar for her memories and get some answers right now.

"Oh, don't look so… intense.” she says, diving into the pool. She resurfaces at the edge, close to my feet. "Now then… what treasures do you offer in exchange for my… precious insights?"

“Keep that notebook safe for me, but here is the money I owe you.” I take out the black metal card I got from Dante. After I hand it over to Raven, she tosses it to Wilfred, who promptly pockets it.

"Wilfred will see to the… formalities upon your departure. Anything else you wished to… discuss?" she replies.

“How do you know what I am… did you read that notebook? What information do you have on Dr. Keyser?” I ask, my tone hardening.

She wiggles a beckoning finger and says in a conspiratorial whisper, "Come… closer… some secrets are best shared in… private."

I kneel and lean closer. She reaches out from the pool and places her hand on my cheek… before swiftly grabbing my collar and yanking me into the water.

How is she so strong?! Completely shocked by the turn of events, I expand my senses around me.

But before I can resist, she pulls me down, swimming deep before we’re both sucked into a trapdoor beneath the pool. We shoot down a watery slide and land with a splash in a large, luxurious bedroom, its walls somehow blocking my senses.

"Welcome to… my little… sanctuary." Raven says, strolling away. Her wet swimsuit instantly morphs into a dark, though still rather revealing, dress. "You didn't actually believe that… Kurtis Keyser was the sole architect of… everything… did you?"

“You helped Dr. Keyser?!” I stare at her in disbelief.

"Let's just say we shared a… mutual… interest. And the Jin family has a rather… rich history with the Keysers. A history… best left… undisturbed." Raven replies, lounging sideways on her luxurious bed.

“Tell me what you know,” I demand.

"Oh, honeybun… such a… serious tone. You're quite the… party pooper, aren't you?" she sighs, affecting a dramatically sad look. “Didn’t I already tell you…” She springs to her feet, closing the distance between us. “Didn't I already mention? Answers are not given freely, honeybun. And frankly… your current… lack of…lack of… sparkle is hardly… intriguing to me…”

Incredibly annoyed, I decide to play along with her act, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close. I whisper into her ear, “Now how do you suppose… I do that?”

She shoves me away with surprising force and returns to her bed, now perched on the edge. Two gleaming, orangey-gold bars rest beside her.

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I instinctively check for the two large Adamantine bars I’d secured in my pockets. Both are gone.

“How did…” I mutter, genuinely confused. I’m sure my senses cover this entire room; how did she get her hands on those without me noticing at all! Increasing my focus on Raven, I realize she is a lot more dangerous than I expected. She knows so much about me, but I know nothing about her intentions.

"Hmm… these will do… nicely as a… down payment on my… wisdom." Raven interrupts, unbothered.

As I reach for the Adamantine bars, intending to take them back, she pushes my hands away. And at that moment, I realize why she is so strong: she is using Qi as well. But her control and mastery are much stronger than mine; she is definitely many stages above me.

"Oh, darling… these aren't quite… yours to begin with, are they? More like… heirlooms, wouldn't you say?" Raven toys with the stolen Adamantine bars, a sly smile playing on her lips. "I'm willing to be… generous. I'll offer you Adamantine of equal weight… or perhaps you prefer… Adite?"

“I’ll take the Adamantine,” I reply, cautiously staring at her. “You are a Qi user?”

Raven doesn’t answer that question directly, but I can sense the Qi around her stirring now. I guess showing is better than telling…

"Now then… answers… where shall we begin our little… exploration?" Raven stands and gracefully places each of the two Adamantine bars into a very ancient-looking box, the markings on the box a bit familiar… but I can’t exactly recall when I saw these before.

“Let’s start with Dr. Keyser, what do you know?” I ask, cutting to the chase.

"Well… Kurtis Keyser… he's quite the… character, shall we say? Rather… infamous.” Raven’s eyes gleam with amusement. “The Anunnaki have a rather… keen interest in him, due to his… fascinating work on artificial lifeforms, including those… intriguing Synthars. I believe you've had a… brief encounter with one yourself." She gives me a knowing glance. “He had such… ambitious ideas about… immortality. And he did achieve a certain… degree of success, living for quite a… considerable time."

"But seeing that notebook and these… lovely Adamantine bars suggests he's no longer… among us. Such a… pity." Raven says with an exaggerated sigh. "As for you, my sweet honeybun… I've been… aware of your existence since… well, let's just say since before you even… existed. We're practically… family, in a rather… unconventional way."

"The Keysers are one of the four great dynasties, you know. Along with the Rovers, the Cartiers, and the… exquisite Mercers. That Lawrence you encountered? Part of the main branch. They won't be… pleased to hear about today's… little incident." Raven says, returning to her bed.

“How do you know about Bailey, the Synthar?” I ask, realizing she already knows about him.

"We've been keeping a… discreet eye on the Mercers. They seem to be… plotting something. The old duke is nearing his… twilight years. You see, Honeybun, the four great dynasties aren't exactly… Besties,” Raven explains.

"What does all this have to do with you?" I ask. She knows a lot—too much, even. Maybe I should just take a peek at her memories. She’s my last hope to find Bailey and save him. "Where did they take him?" I press, cautiously reaching for a bar of Adamantine.

"Crythala, most likely. The… heart of this part of the world. Last I heard, Duke Mercer was… residing there himself." Raven replies softly. Suddenly, she closes the distance between us, grabbing my hand as I reach for the Adamantine. And then she throws me to the ground.

Before I can react, she pins both my arms above my head, sitting on top of me like an immovable object. I can't get her off, no matter how hard I try. Even bursting all my Qi at once doesn't help.

Rexy leaps from my hair, trying to remove her leash with her tongue. "Here… is not the place," Raven warns Rexy in a dark, threatening tone. I sense a dark and dangerous Qi emanating from within her.

"Don't!" I call out. The Qi vanishes instantly. "Rexy, it's okay. Come back," I say calmly as she crawls back into my hair.

You seem rather… eager to find more… mischief, honeybun." she teases, placing her fingers on my chest. "Especially after the… excitement of last night. You do have a knack for finding… trouble."

Keeping my gaze on her, I reply, "I need to go save my friend."

Clap, clap, clap!

Raven claps her hands together. “Friendship… such a… rare commodity these days. Especially for… individuals like ourselves." She leaps off me, and walks over to her closet and opens it, revealing a hidden elevator within. "Find Wilfred, honeybun. He'll have everything… prepared for you. You'll be in Crythala by sunrise. And if you happen to have a card from Kurtis… give it to Wilfred as well. He'll… arrange for it to become a… suitable form of identification. A Keyser’s ID is… unforgeable, of course. But… alterations… those can always be… arranged."

Slowly getting up from the floor, I keep my distance from this dangerous woman. Stepping into the elevator, as the doors close, Raven whispers again, "Honeybun… our paths are destined to… intertwine again. I simply… know it."

She is definitely trouble… trouble… trouble…