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The entire Night Raid, with the exception of Najenda, moved out, infiltrating the Imperial Capital during the night, all in search of the missing Leone.
They split into two groups. One group dispersed into various corners of the Imperial Capital to search for clues and traces left behind by Leone. The other group focused on searching the places Leone was most likely to have gone.
The search for places Leone might have gone was undertaken by Akame, Mine, and Lubbock. These three went one after another to several entertainment venues Leone frequented, but their efforts yielded nothing.
Finally, the three of them arrived at the bar where Uchiha Madara had previously gotten Leone drunk.
Standing outside the bar, looking at its flashing red and green neon sign, a wave of anxiety washed over them. If they couldn't find any trace of Leone here, then things would become truly troublesome.
The Imperial Capital was so vast; searching for one person, Leone, would be like trying to find a needle in an ocean – utterly meaningless!
Without further ado, the three slowly stepped into the bar.
The noisy, lively atmosphere of red and green lights inside the bar was something only Lubbock could adapt to. Akame and Mine, being relatively more conservative girls, felt uncomfortable. Stepping in and inhaling the air, thick with smoke and liquor, they couldn't help but furrow their brows in discomfort.
Although uncomfortable, what needed to be asked still had to be asked.
The three of them immediately assessed the bartender who was slowly and meticulously wiping glasses behind the bar.
Generally, this kind of bartender would take in the entire situation of the bar and know everything. Asking him would be most suitable.
The three of them walked over together, not sitting down, but standing directly in front of the bar, staring at the bartender.
The usually taciturn and reticent bartender saw that someone had approached. He stopped wiping, put down the glass, and looked at the three with an expressionless face.
The experienced and knowledgeable bartender instantly recognized that these three people weren't here to drink:
"Three guests, how may I help you?"
The three exchanged glances, and Akame was the first to ask:
"Excuse me, have you seen a woman with long golden hair, dressed boldly, and with a rather outrageous personality, in your establishment today?"
With Akame's brief description, the bartender immediately knew who she was talking about. Recalling the scene when Leone was first gotten drunk by Uchiha Madara, what else was there to not understand? These people had come looking for her.
However, the bartender did not intend to speak so readily. He looked at Akame, saying nothing.
Akame and the other two paused simultaneously. As assassins, how could they not understand the bartender's reaction!?
If the bartender had directly and straightforwardly told Akame and them that he hadn't seen her, then it would have been true that he hadn't seen her.
But now, in his state of complete silence, it was clear he knew something about it. The reason he remained silent was that such words, which might offend someone, could not be spoken so easily.
Akame and her companions were already familiar with such situations. When encountering such circumstances, they only needed to...
Akame also remained silent, looking at the bartender. Unhurriedly, she took a gold coin from her pocket and placed it in front of him.
Seeing this, the bartender picked up the gold coin and put it into his own pocket. He continued wiping glasses, and began to recount to Akame and her companions:
"Indeed, there was a woman exactly as you described who came in for a drink this evening. She also sat in this very spot and ordered a large glass of whiskey to drink heartily."
"During that time, quite a few men came over to flirt, but they were all fiercely rebuffed by this woman."
"However, in the end, another man came. This man was quite extraordinary; in just a few words, he enticed this woman to drink with him. The two of them switched to extra-large glasses and began drinking high-proof vodka, thus starting a drinking contest."
"These two were truly capable drinkers. They drank continuously from around eight in the evening until about eleven o'clock."
"The two of them just kept drinking competitively, pouring drinks for each other. The most astonishing thing was that the man remained completely unaffected, no matter how much he drank, as if alcohol had no effect on him whatsoever."
"But the woman couldn't handle it. As she continued drinking, she was continuously plied with drinks by this man. The man also took advantage of her drunkenness to get close to her. Finally, the woman couldn't bear the heavy burden of her drunkenness and passed out!"
The bartender's detailed narration left Akame and the other two both surprised and worried. Lubbock couldn't help but ask:
"And then?"
"And then? What else could happen? Then this man carried this woman out of our bar! Oh, by the way, look at that small blackboard over there. The top two lines of text show their drinking stats!"
Akame and the other two looked at the small blackboard in unison, and then saw written boldly on it:
[Single Highest Record: High-Proof Vodka, Extra-Large Glass, 197 Cups!]
[Single Second Record: High-Proof Vodka, Extra-Large Glass, [censored] Cups]
Akame and the others' expressions immediately darkened.
Clearly, the highest record belonged to that man, and the second record was Leone's!
My goodness, one hundred and twenty-three extra-large glasses of high-proof vodka—is Leone alright now?
She definitely wasn't alright. A beautiful woman who drank herself drunk in the middle of the night being carried away by a man—what happened to Leone was almost self-evident. It was quite possible Leone had already fallen victim to foul play!
Akame and the other two's faces were grim. Akame continued to press the bartender:
"What was that man's name? What did he look like?"
"Hmm... I don't know his name. As for his appearance... black eyes, black hair, slender build, outstanding demeanor... there was really nothing particularly striking or distinctive about his looks."
Mine also eagerly asked the bartender:
"When did they leave?"
"Around eleven o'clock. After eleven, that man carried the woman away!"
There was nothing more to ask. Akame and the other two left the bar with heavy hearts.
Having finally obtained information about Leone, Akame and her two companions immediately sought out their comrades. When all the Night Raid members had gathered, they informed everyone of the intelligence they had uncovered.
Everyone was extremely worried about Leone being plied with drinks by some unknown man and then carried away. Helpless, they continued to split up and search for more traces of Leone.
Although they now knew how Leone had disappeared, the same problem remained: searching for one person in the vast Imperial Capital was truly like trying to find a needle in a haystack!
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