The true Qin Jiao Land is not on the surface, but deeply buried underground.
This ancient black market is the heart of the Ibart region; its predecessor was the first mobile city in the Sargon sands many years ago, and its visionary Pasha ultimately died in a natural disaster, perishing with the City of Qin Jiao.
Even after the mobile city's demise, the Qin Jiao people loyal to the Pasha remained here, hoping to re-establish the glory of the Qin Jiao Oasis.
Although this is a permanent settlement, unable to escape natural disasters like the mobile cities on the surface, the Qin Jiao Land has stood firm here for so many years.
However, the Qin Jiao Land Master changed hands several years ago, eventually falling into the hands of a young man.
"Welcome to my laboratory, guests. I've always lived here, and the facilities are a bit crude, so please don't mind them."
Walking at the front of the group, the Liberi man with long orange hair passed countless heavily armed guards and entered a small room.
Each of them was equipped with excellent armor and firearms, and there were even many large firearms explicitly forbidden by Laterano official orders — though openly forbidden doesn't mean they aren't circulated privately.
The more forbidden an item, the greater the profit, and those contraband goods could all be found in this underground black market, dozens of meters below the surface.
And the Liberi man walking at the very front was precisely the current Qin Jiao Land Master.
The moment they saw him, the guards, who had been somewhat lax just moments before, immediately straightened up and nodded in greeting to their leader, showing the immense authority he held in their hearts.
"Stay at the door. No one is allowed in without my command."
"Yes!"
The underground space was a bit low, and the room's entrance was even shorter, forcing Goki to bend down to squeeze into the room.
As for Skadi, she maintained a calm, silent expression in front of outsiders, following the two into the room, and incidentally, directly crushed the metal door frame with a single kick.
Inside the room was a space filled with the smell of metal and engine oil.
Looking at the strange tools and machine tools, Goki immediately thought of the Hunters Workshop in Yharnam, and Boa's messy big-tech workshop.
"Ha, the variety is truly rich. Not long ago, I often stayed with a girl who liked to tinker with machinery. Your laboratory here is much more complete than those in the Rainforest."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Goki. Under difficult conditions, I can only manage these simple setups. There's nothing much to offer — please, have a seat."
With a perfectly appropriate smile on his face, the Qin Jiao Land Master—Elliot Grove—placed three cups of coffee on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
He carefully observed the two people in front of him, trying to find even the slightest flaw in them.
"Skadi, the rest will be boring talk. Eat whatever you want, just don't wander too far."
Goki patted Skadi's shoulder, arranging for her to sit down and eat snacks—Little Orca would definitely have no interest in the boring negotiations to come.
And Little Orca, after sniffing the bitter coffee, frowned.
"So bitter... Goki, add sugar."
"Alright, alright, alright—"
Shrugging, Goki habitually pulled out the freshly purchased sugar cubes from his pocket and added a few to the coffee—Skadi loved sweets, and this stuff was a major expense.
Then, Skadi picked up her coffee, immediately stood up, and quickly ran to the doorway, maintaining vigilance over the surroundings.
In her opinion, this man who could use Originium Arts wouldn't be too difficult for Goki to handle alone.
Therefore, to avoid the unpleasant smell of engine oil, Skadi left the space to the two of them.
Looking at the Liberi man in front of him, who feigned composure but was visibly a little nervous, Goki's lips curved into a faint smile.
[Good heavens, that voice, it's just like Merlin's.]
The man in front of him was the Qin Jiao Land Master, Sha Zu—Elliot.
And in the future, with his wish fulfilled, he would abandon all his wealth without hesitation to become a member of Rhodes Island.
Operator Ifrit, that was his codename.
That's right, he was Merlin, Rohan Kishibe, Suguru Geto, Bruno Bucciarati, Suzaku Kururugi—Koko was tired, so tired.
Not only did he have excellent artwork and a professional voice actor, but his strength was even more impressive!
As a powerhouse who occupied his own tier on the strength rankings, unmatched by anyone else, Ifrit was Rhodes Island's strongest six-star Caster Operator, possessing the largest attack range among all six-star Operators on Rhodes Island—and, along with Leizi / Jingzhe, was known as one of the two Chain Spell Peak masters, a Peak of lightning-based Spells!
Even if he was a 'spook' in gacha pulls, his powerful abilities would move even paying Doctors to tears.
In short, Operator Ifrit, strong! Invincible!
Sixteen years ago, this Genius little boy, framed and about to die at the hands of mercenaries, was rescued by Ms. Kaltsit, that old... big sister, and she successfully corrupted Elliot with her riddler personality, turning him into half a riddler himself.
The current Ifrit looked as if everything was under his control, practically cut from the same cloth as Kaltsit.
Hmm, Goki still preferred the little boy from 16 years ago; this nearly thirty-year-old uncle was not cute at all.
However, he still had something to ask of him.
Only after Goki was seated did Sha Zu slowly sit down.
Flawless, these two people were terrifyingly strong.
Sha Zu did not specialize in combat, but 16 years of life in Qin Jiao had forced him to become a Caster skilled in killing.
But clearly, either of the two people in front of him or at the door could kill him instantly.
Unless he used the Spell buried deep in his mind, which would mean mutual destruction.
The two were master and subordinate; the man in the black trench coat was clearly in a leadership position, while the petite woman was his guard.
And judging by the easily flattened door frame, she was far from as delicate as she appeared.
No racial characteristics could be seen on either of them, nor could their nationality be discerned from their appearance or accent.
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Sha Zu's understanding of the two was limited to some peculiar legends he had collected.
He was the Qin Jiao Land Master, he was "Sha Zu," he was "Zuzu." Though he appeared to be merely a rat in the sewers, in reality, both the King Chief and the Pasha had to tacitly permit his existence.
Sha Zu's influence was not limited to Qin Jiao, nor just the Ibart region; he had eyes throughout Sargon, and even some people within Columbia.
And relying on his vast information network, he had also learned about the events that occurred three months ago on the Sargon border, and a little over a month ago in the Acahuala region.
Although the local King Chief immediately chose to suppress the news, the drunken mouths of mercenaries couldn't be silenced, and soon, Sha Zu learned about the two bounty hunters who "annihilated three major mercenary groups in minutes," "defeated the Flame Giant," "executed the legendary God of Burning Wind Scorched Earth," and "became the Acahuala Chieftain."
Of course, considering the mercenaries' habit of bragging and grandstanding, Sha Zu initially dismissed these reports as just another wild rumor.
But when the two hunters actually appeared before him and spoke the name he himself had forgotten, Sha Zu realized he had welcomed two extraordinary guests.
Regardless of whether the legends were true, Ifrit had to receive the two in front of him; he had reasons why he couldn't do otherwise.
"Elliot, Elliot, it's been many years since I heard anyone call me by that name."
Repeating the name, the Qin Jiao Land Master's thoughts drifted back 16 years, to a time when he was still a research assistant in a Columbia institute.
His teacher, Professor Thorne, was a Genius and ambitious Originium engineer, dedicated to using Originium Arts to revolutionize people's lives.
However, the Sarkaz Originium Arts model he unearthed made him a target of his own treasure, leading to the professor's death, and Elliot himself nearly perished there.
At that time, a woman saved him, bringing him to the Qin Jiao Land.
She was intelligent, powerful, mysterious, and exceptionally cold, seemingly uninterested in everything, yet also appearing to have a firm goal and ideal.
However, Elliot, who was only 13 at the time, refused to leave with her.
He smashed the Spell model that brought death, turning himself into a severely oripathy patient, and remained in Qin Jiao.
Later, he became the Qin Jiao Land Master, became Sha Zu, and throughout this process, he had been searching for that woman.
To express gratitude? Or to reminisce about the past? Or perhaps... to get an answer?
Sha Zu didn't know, but perhaps he just wanted to know why this woman, whom even Old Ysian treated with utmost respect, acted as she did back then.
What was clear was that the two people in front of him were connected to that woman.
When he saw the gold coin Old Ysian had obtained, Sha Zu felt a crack appear in his long-held composure.
This was also why Sha Zu was willing to compromise his own safety and bring these two into his laboratory.
"I would like to ask... you possess that gold coin I once saw. Are you sent by Ms. Kaltsit?"
Taking a sip of coffee, Sha Zu was prepared for any answer.
"If you can provide clues about her, I am willing to meet any reasonable request within my capabilities."
Goki, meanwhile, glanced at the Little Orca nearby, confirmed she couldn't hear, and quietly replied.
"Yes, I am Kaltsit's boyfriend."
He still wanted to be cheeky; he just couldn't resist.
"Pfft—"
Sha Zu even turned his head, just barely preventing the coffee in his mouth from spraying onto his guests' faces.
Alright, Sha Zu admitted, he had somewhat misjudged the man in front of him.
"Hahahaha... I'm just joking, just trying to lighten the mood. But who knows, maybe there'll be a chance in the future?"
Grinning widely, Goki laughed heartily, very pleased with Ifrit's expression. For someone who wasn't an enemy, he didn't like to keep testing the waters with this black market master.
Picking up his coffee cup, Goki took a sip and smiled at Ifrit, saying,
"You're also half of Kaltsit's apprentice, aren't you? Skadi and I need a new, legitimate identity, and a passage to a Columbia city. She's best at this; I wonder how well you've learned?"
Sha Zu, however, recovered his composure after a brief shock—how could that dreadful, only-intimidating, inscrutable woman possibly have a lover!
"There's no free lunch, Mr. Goki. Your commission won't be cheap—what price will you pay?"
Looking at the shining Originium crystal on Ifrit's forehead, Goki nodded.
"There's quite a lot I can do. For example, I can let you know some things about Kaltsit's origins, or..."
Goki narrowed his dark eyes, making Sha Zu feel as if he was completely seen through, like a bird targeted by a crossbow.
"I, you see, am a hunter, and what I'm best at is hunting prey—and you, you are hunting a prey, the Ibart Chieftain. Perhaps, before I leave, I can give you some advice."
Sha Zu's blue-violet eyes suddenly constricted into tiny dots, and golden electric light instantly bloomed in his hand, only to dissipate just as quickly.
The existence of the Qin Jiao Land Master was tacitly allowed by the Pasha and the King Chief, and if the master of Qin Jiao wanted to resist the rulers, then they would certainly not hesitate to use their powerful military might to replace the Qin Jiao Land with a new master.
No one could challenge the authority of the Ibart Chieftain except another King Chief.
However, just as this man named Goki said, his target was precisely the King Chief of the Ibart region.
What Sha Zu had to do was to hold a delayed cremation for his teacher, who had died in Sargon.
"Then, we have a deal, Mr. Goki. May our cooperation be pleasant—I will do better than Kaltsit!"
The man in front of him was definitely not to be provoked; Sha Zu confirmed this point.
Aside from anything else, understanding Kaltsit yet daring to pursue her—most ordinary humans probably wouldn't have that kind of courage.
Perhaps the legends circulating in Sargon—annihilating three mercenary groups, defeating the Flame Giant, and even taming a god... were not entirely false.
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