CHAPTER 280: GOOD GIFT
Aurora watched her team, who were training with some Goliathus in the area.
Chayambaso’s confrontation was the most disadvantageous because that man was having difficulty facing an A-ranked enemy, even though they both had the same rank.
That he was not specialised was a disadvantage because he could only use psionic energy directly to launch attacks.
On the other hand, Nuur Amadayo was quite skilled and the nature magic within the magic forest made him a deadly opponent. The ease with which he could lift roots, generate thorns or cast other spells gave him a superior advantage over any opponent.
Finally, there was Okello who in his lycanthrope form was an A-rank of great strength and the greatest advantage of lycanthropy was not only the increased strength, but the natural claws that if combined with external claws became lethal.
If Chayambaso had loyalty, Amadayo had potential and compared to both, Okello had both loyalty and potential.
Now he understood why Colonel Makeba prioritised the three of them, sending Captain Sadiya to support her as well.
Chayambaso may have had little chance of advancement because of his age, but he would make an excellent squad or team captain.
Leaving Amadayo and Okello who had greater potential, either for promotion to a higher rank or in the event of the latter reaching S rank.
On the other hand, High Priestess Xaali had brought Joslyn and Vanessa along looking for them to learn and expand their horizons.
Especially Joslyn who was having difficulty ascending to A rank.
They were talking to the fort’s medical team and even communicating with the ‘Rejuvenating Butterflies’ learning from them.
From time to time they both explored the surrounding lands in search of magical plants and as this area was protected by the Goliathus, it was safe for such trips.
Aurora kept her eyes on the training camp and then wandered off towards the temporary prison where the leader of the group of hunters they had intercepted was being held.
Those guys had to be healed before they could be interrogated and even though they couldn’t waste time, it was decided to leave them locked up and wait until they were desperate enough to tell everything once they were interrogated.
Now that time had come and Aurora had already organised it.
The temporary prison was a huge cave created by the Goliathus to hold their prisoners and Aurora could see Pilirani outside, sitting on the ground standing guard.
She could tell the beetle was in a bad mood and the biggest reason was that patience was not his virtue.
It was likely that Pilirani had killed the prisoners in the same way that humans killed magical beasts that caused trouble outside the forest and the only reason he waited patiently was for her and her party.
Pilirani understood that Zerzura City had rules, and he understood human morals, even if he might not share them.
“Is it time?” Pilirani asked in a deep voice.
“Yes, let’s go anytime.” Aurora replied undisturbed as she watched the giant beetle move.
Pilirani tapped the ground with one of his paws and the entrance to the cave was opened and she entered with the great beast at her side.
The entrance to the cave was wide and the interior dark and the only light was the natural light coming in from outside which illuminated the hunters inside.
The hunters were not bound or restrained with devices, they were petrified with earth magic and the stone had covered them from head to toe, preventing them from moving or escaping.
The hunters squinted at the light and then blinked, horrified to see Pilirani approaching and relaxed when they noticed her.
To those outside the magical forest this kind of confinement might be considered illegal and inhumane, but they were involved with the magical forest and those who controlled these vast lands did not mince words.
The magical forest had its own rules and its own sense of morality that not even Zerzura could intervene or change.
Too much had already been achieved by getting them to ally with Zerzura’s forces and those who lived in the magical forest were very territorial.
Criminals like these hunters were treated the same way Zerzura treated dangerous beasts... Basically, they were hunted and executed.
“I have been negotiating with my partner about you, but we have come to a conflict of opinions,” Aurora said giving a glance at that giant beetle whose legs pierced the earth and then turned to the group of criminals.
“We will confess our crimes and agree to go to prison,” replied the leader of the beast hunters.
The criminals looked at their leader and while some revealed anger at having to confess, Aurora smiled realising that she had come across someone who had a modicum of intelligence. Enough to realise where they stood.
“You don’t need to confess to anything. If you ever get out of here, you will be imprisoned by Zerzura City. The evidence is clear,” Aurora pointed out and seeing the leader’s expression change, she stated. “However, you can choose where you will be tried. Whether in Zerzura City or here.”
The evidence was enough for them to be judged according to Zerzura’s laws on allied magical beast hunters.
If one thing was clear, it was that Zerzura was very respectful of the treaty with its allies and the laws were very harsh against those who broke it.
Not only was it murder of an intelligent magical beast that had the legal status of a normal human, but Zerzura’s alliance with the magical forest meant that the penalties were increased.
Aurora did not need a confession because the evidence was clear and the weight of her voice was loud enough to put them away without trial.
However, staying in this place would only lead to one result... Death.
At least in Zerzura City there was the Church of Time and Space, which gave some sense of ‘justice’ and also had its judicial system.
As for the Magic Forest, it all depended on the mood and the tribe in charge... In this case, the Goliathus would slaughter them.
It was for that reason that Aurora was not bothered to see that their expressions were paling.
She wasn’t joking and while they weren’t her objectives for why she came to this place; they were certainly the perfect means to find information.
“I need to know everything about Duala. From the magical beast hunters who are professionals, the missing, the rulers, the crimes of the guilds, of the international organisations. Everything,” Aurora ordered with a serious expression and giving a smile, she added. “Only when I am at ease, will I dare to convince my partner.”
Pilirani pounded the ground behind her back with his sharp paws, and the criminals’ expression paled completely.
Liam was already in Douala seeking information on their targets, but Aurora, if she wished to move, wanted to do so completely.
Taking care of anything that required her attention, and for that she needed information.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
******
Aurora tapped the armrest of her seat with a thoughtful expression.
As she had speculated, this group was not the one she was looking for, but they were still individuals who had a great deal of information and some of that information was about their target.
Their targets unlike these hunters were not only strong but also highly experienced and quite cautious, always well organised.
The group never moved in the same place, hunted with high speed and used space magic, which gave them greater mobility.
They had artefacts to hunt magical beasts as well as being prepared for any circumstance and that meant preventing communication between the beasts.
They would silence an area to prevent anyone from detecting what they were doing and when they finished their work, they would clean up their surroundings before fleeing with great speed.
What was worse was that such individuals were making other mercenaries willing to take risks like this group, raising tensions to a higher level.
All of this information was analysed in relation to the current situation and speculated on in relation to the little information they had and the lack of evidence.
What was clear so far was that their headquarters was in Duala City, but the problem was that the sales of the materials from the hunted creatures were not being made in that city.
With no way of tracing the source of those materials it was difficult to find the culprits when there were multiple guilds and organisations present in Duala City.
Perhaps the ruler of the place forbade the killing of magical beasts inside the magical forest, but all those who went outside could be considered enemies.
Adding the temporary and natural dungeons, the high density of magical energy, the place was perfect for a hunting area and quite a few guilds were present taking advantage of those lands.
“It’s troublesome...” Aurora muttered with a long sigh.
Alice, who was sitting on the nearby couch, gave her a glance and nodded.
“It always is. Though nowadays the difficulty increases. Being recognised as Zerzura authorities prevents us from moving recklessly,” Alice added with a serious tone.
Zerzura City had ceased to be a city in the middle of nowhere and completely unknown. At this point it was a city state with a government of its own and internationally recognised as a nation and they were part of the authorities and therefore limited in the actions they could take.
If they went after a random guild in an overbearing manner, not only would their reputation fall, but the city would lose face.
That was why when they carried out the ‘Assault’ mission in Kenya they had to give a lecture.
If any guilds were conducting illegal dealings, then they were most likely doing so quietly and at least needed proof before moving.
It wasn’t as if the Zerzura authorities didn’t approve of whatever it was they wished to do, but at this point Aurora wasn’t naïve enough to not see the consequences.
Minor or major, Aurora knew that her actions had consequences.
“To hunt magical beasts in silence takes supplies, maybe we should start with that place,” Alice pointed out in a bored tone.
Some magical beasts had artifacts and a large portion of those that lived in this area were equipped with communication artifacts of all sorts.
This area was always a dangerous area to live in, so it was normal for them to be able to carry out emergency communication.
However, for such magical beasts to disappear made it clear that the other side could counter all emergency methods.
Such an outcome meant that they needed to obtain supplies to flawlessly conduct magical beast hunts.
“I think Liam was researching that topic,” Aurora replied and after thinking about it, she commented. “The investigation into the missing people has stalled. If things continue like this and we don’t see progress in this area, we’ll go ourselves.”
Liam was using the connections the Apicius Enterprise had with the local guilds in that city and was also using their information network.
However, the issue was different when they personally went because they could talk to the local ruler and have a better chance of finding information.
The missing persons were worrying, but there was nothing they could do because the person most likely to discover the culprits was Liam.
“I think I’ll end up investing in their information network. It bothers me that I can’t find out anything.” Aurora added in a serious manner.
Alice gave her a soft smile.
An investment would help Liam keep the network in the best way and even expand it and that way she could have eyes and ears everywhere.
If it went that way, she could get all the information she needed immediately.
The missing persons did not bode well, but without information on the culprits, all she could do was focus on the magical beast hunters who seemed to leave clues.
Still, both issues depended on her group’s only source of information... Liam.
******
Liam smiled as he looked at the items they were selling in the shop.
“I’m impressed that there’s such a big shop in this place,” Liam said with a smile to the shop manager.
Right now he was in one of the big local shops in Duala City.
The place was quite impressive and on the walls were all kinds of weapons of different quality, while in other areas were artefacts and in the centre were mannequins with all kinds of armour.
The weapons ranged from cold weapons created by blacksmiths to firearms with different types of ammunition and even in one corner there were several drones on counters that caught his eye.
While it was not a completely legal shop, what could be considered illegal was not of such a high level.
Some cursed weaponry, weapons with poison or stun enchantments, and weapons of war that would not be found in normal shops.
Amongst the enchantments were some effects that were treated as dangerous such as curses and such items would not be sold in normal shops, but here it was available to all.
Liam walked around the counters with the manager at his side and stopped at the hunting section.
“Oh, traps for hunting live magical beasts. That looks impressive,” Liam said looking at a large sphere that glowed in multicolour.
“The spells inside it allow you to put a rank A magical beast to sleep peacefully without having to hurt it. It is a set of S rank spells and its value is quite high,” said the attendant and with a smile, he mentioned. “However, it can trap a magical beast and even try to make a contract. Of course, it only works on those without high intelligence and willpower.”
The artifact was powerful enough to capture an A-Rank beast, and the value was high.
While the tamers of the Cernunnos Academy with whom Zerzura was mostly associated always emphasised friendship with their companions, not all of them did so.
If any individual wished to have a partner, they could use slave collars or force a one-sided contract to tame a magical beast.
Those wild creatures and beasts were the ones that were mostly trapped alive and their tamers would force a unilateral contract with them and that way they could follow all orders, while gaining new ‘weapons’.
In the style of summoners who simply summoned creatures and used them as objects to accomplish their goals.
They did not have the empathy that the tamers of the Cernunnos Academy had and sometimes, as long as that wild beast had no intelligence, it was completely legal.
In the same way that it was allowed to hunt such beasts.
The situation changed when the magical beast had intelligence and that was why the manager simply clarified that they would not work with that kind.
“I am looking for a gift for my bosses. They both have birthdays this month and I wish to give them something interesting,” Liam said with a smile as he walked through the shop.
Liam was connected to the AI in his holographic watch and was now putting in control and infiltrating not only the manager’s holographic watch, but the drones and the shop’s network.
He did it superficially so as not to leave any clues and as an experienced S rank was not being so difficult and even more so when he was so close.
In case of need he was connected to the Artificial Intelligence of the Zerzura Protection System and such AI had a greater capability than his holographic watch.
The attendant pointed out different weapons and armour along with some artefacts with different effects.
Necklaces that generated magical barriers, bracelets with attack magic spells, earrings with telepathy magic for communication.
Liam followed the chatter giving opinions on what he was shown and checking what to buy quite calmly.
In his mind, his AI had already gained access to the manager’s holographic clock and was currently accessing the private network and taking over all his communications and information.
No one knew him in this place and it was likely that no one could identify him as an S-rank.
That was the advantage of deleting his personal information and controlling information about himself.
Then, walking to the back of the shop from his gaze, he focused on a rather strange suit of armour.
“Some bosses like their subordinates to wear this kind of ‘special’ armour,” said the manager and giving a glance at the bikini armour that covered only the important parts of the body, he added. “As revealing as it is, it has a powerful barrier that covers the entire body and even the revealing area.”
What was on the bottom was a bikini armour that only covered the chest and crotch, practically revealing much of the bikini body.
Liam gave a thoughtful glance at the sight of that armour and in reality his concentration had been focused on supporting his AI to break through the security breach without anyone noticing.
“Do you like it?” the attendant asked with an ambiguous half smile.
Reacting to his success, Liam gave the armour a serious look and his expression quivered inwardly.
“It’s a nice outfit, but my bosses are strict. I don’t know if she likes me wearing that,” Liam replied shaking his head with some disappointment.
The shop manager’s expression twitched noticeably and although he opened his mouth, he ended up closing it.
In this case he was the subordinate and that meant he would be the person wearing such revealing armour.
If he dared to give away that kind of armour, Alice would probably cut it into little pieces and give it to some beast of the magical forest.
“I want to give a good gift to get a raise, not to get my throat cut,” Liam said earnestly.
It was enough seriousness that the manager put on a solemn expression and nodded with some pity.
Maybe he thought his ‘bosses’ were some kind of criminals, but Liam was sure they could be worse... After all, they were on the legal side and with his authority, no one would accuse them if he disappeared.
Buying some gadgets in the form of accessories of all sorts, the manager’s eyes sparkled as he started to buy some drones.
Then, someone came from outside walking through the shop, protected by several bodyguards.
Their black suits and cold stares made it clear that they were not local groups or organisations.
“Oh, Greco, you’re back!” The shop manager exclaimed and giving a smile, commented. “I’ve got your order.”
That thin, gaunt man gave a look and waved his hand for him to move.
For his part, the manager, smiling wider than before, gave Liam an apologetic look and went to the back with his new guests, leaving him with another salesman.
Liam simply gave an indifferent look as if he didn’t care about the new guests and he finished his shopping.
He already had control of the network and as for those foreign-looking visitors he was already investigating them.
Now he needed to compile all the necessary information and send it to his boss to get them moving while he concentrated on the missing ones.