City of Desire: Chapter 1023 Ten Questions (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Geldnim Marlais

I looked at the busy market, so crowded there was barely any space, yet more people kept adding to the crowd.

It's a standard Wednesday night at the porters’ market in the outer ring. The working class and the poor prefer it.

In all of Greltheaven, this intersection is the most crowded.

It's why I chose it.

I watched through the window above the butcher's shop.

It’s kind of smelly, but not as smelly as I expected. This city has strict standards, with regular inspections that keep stores in line.

Minutes passed before it finally got crowded enough. I touched the window.

It’s been four days since I have been living here. Watching everything, I have not seen a single person tracking me; not even Lv. 40+ were able to track me without me knowing. 

Here, they do.

I still don’t understand how they could track me. They not only tracked me, but they also removed all my bombs and countered the distractions I had set.

It is like they wove the trap and I fell into it.

For a while, I thought it was the merchants’ and others’ plan to catch me. These bastards are laying traps to catch me. That's why I am so cautious about the jobs I accept.

That doesn't seem to be the case, since Silver didn’t ship me to merchants and others.

He even seemed to resist their efforts.

I pushed those thoughts aside and activated Instant Slip, along with Veil of Anonymity, Empty Sight, and Chameleon’s Veil. I cannot be too cautious.

A moment later, I entered the alley on the other side and climbed out of it easily, while carefully feeling for any eyes.

I didn’t see any danger.

I am effectively invisible, but some people have powerful ocular or sensory skills that could sense me, but I didn’t feel that weight behind my head, not even the faintest tingle, when I feel someone is looking at me.

Still, I remained cautious.

I landed gently on the street and moved into the crowd, weaving through it seamlessly.

When I took the job, I researched the city as I do before every job. I mapped every alley, every road and square, and planned several escape routes.

Last time, I didn’t get to use them, but now I am doing it.

Soon, the crowd thinned as I reached the carriage station, but I didn’t stop; I kept moving until I reached the five-hundred-meter boundary.

In the five-hundred-meter diameter of the house I had chosen. Per the rules, I am safe, but for a moment I crossed; I am fair game.

If they had caught me, I would have to go back to jail and answer the questions the woman had.

The deal she had proposed had been simple.

She would let me stay anywhere in the city and give me a week to escape at any time. She said she didn’t even care if I didn't escape the region, as long as I escaped the city gates, I would be free.

She had written it in the contract, signed by Silver with the power of legacy.

If I failed, I would have to answer her questions. First, she wanted an hour of questioning, but I had negotiated to ten questions.

It was the best offer I could get, because I knew that, until now, they hadn't used unsavory methods. I know I could bear them, but I am not a masochist who loves torture.

Though I fear the merchants, they have methods against which even I can’t remain silent.

So, eventually I might have fed them crumbs to stay here, until I could find a way to get away for good.

To be honest, security in the jail was quite lax, and I was able to break it many times, but I was never able to cross the gate. They would always be waiting for me.

Now, I made the deal. It is a risk, because if I fail, I would give away a lot of leverage.

The only solace I will have is not being sent to the merchant for a year.

Stop distracting yourself. I told myself, pushed away the thoughts, and crossed the boundary.

I paused, expecting my Dangersense to blare up, but nothing of that sort happened. I didn’t even feel any gaze, much less any attack that I had been expecting.

A moment later, I relaxed a little and let go of the hidden weapons and resumed walking.

Though now I am extremely careful, watching everything.

I moved carefully, with my eyes roaming in every direction. I don’t want to miss anything. I looked for anyone keeping an eye on me or following, but the most frustrating thing is that I couldn't sense anyone.

Where the hell are they? I asked.

I want to gouge my eyes out in frustration. I would have been calmer if I saw people following me or looking at me, which I am used to.

What I am not used to is not seeing anything.

I forced myself to calm down and kept walking. A minute passed after, but I didn’t see a single person looking out for me.

At last, I reached the carriage station and joined the line. When my turn came, I faced a young orc woman who looked to be in her early twenties.

“One ticket to Lauryl for eight p.m.,” I said.

“Economy, comfort, or luxury?” She asked in the monotonous tone of someone who had repeated the question thousands of times—which, given her job, she probably had.

“Comfort,” I replied, handing over the payment.

That woman did not give me the money, nor did I ask for it. I stole from a few stores; I have enough money to make several trips to Lauryl in luxury.

She said I only needed to get out of the city gates, but I wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

I collected my ticket and waited with my ticket for my carriage to arrive.

I didn’t sit on it immediately and waited until a few people entered before walking toward it, while gently lowering the power of my skills before turning them fully off.

If they turned them off suddenly, people would be surprised, as my skills effectively make me invisible.

I took a seat in the eight-passenger carriage, keeping my expression closed and uninviting.

“I’m Janas,” the old man beside me introduced himself.

“Carter,” I replied curtly, not bothering to look at him.

He frowned and muttered under his breath, but left me alone after that. Instead, he turned to the middle-aged passenger on his other side.

Soon, the carriage filled until every seat was occupied. When it was sharp eight, the driver sat down, and the carriage moved.

I looked out the window, watching the city pass by. I watched people talking and laughing, not worried about the impending war that could change everything.

I had listened to the conversations, and these people seemed awfully confident of silver.

Especially those people who had been in the city for years. They seemed to have blind confidence in him. I even heard a few complain that real estate prices weren't going down, as they do before every war.

Minutes passed, and the city gate came into view.

My eyes fixed on it, watching it get closer and closer until only a hundred meters remained. Once the carriage crossed it, I would be free.

There are so many things I want to do. I am going to enjoy myself a lot for a while before I accept any new job.

“I hope the few days of freedom have been joyful to you, Mr. Marlais,” a graceful voice cut through my thoughts like a sharp knife cutting through butter.

I whipped my head around and saw a beautiful woman in front of me. She held a small smile on her lips.

Rayna Sable.

I watched in shock, not daring to believe. Before, there was a middle-aged woman in her place, talking animatedly with the woman beside her, but now here she is.

I looked at each of them carefully, used my skill, but found no problem in any.

“How?” I asked.

“You do not need to know that; the only thing you need to know is that you have failed.” She replied with her chime-like voice.

“Not yet!” I replied and leaped at her, pushing Ghostwalk with everything I had.

The contract only stated that I had to get out of the city. It did not put any condition on how. I didn’t dare to run away toward the gate. If she is here, it means there would be others.

I could not get away.

I would, if there were a hostage and someone as important as her.

She is a High-Administrator of Velvet Garden, Grade II, and a deputy leader of the intelligence agency. She is very important, and Silver values her a lot.

As long as I had her, I could cross the gate, and freedom would be mine.

I could also negotiate benefits like an essence potion.

I moved toward her as fast as I could, but to my surprise, there was no surprise in her eyes, much less fear. Instead, her lips seemed to be curling up.

My blade reached near her neck and was about to touch it. When my danger sense exploded, I felt the attack before I could do anything.

It was as if a mighty hammer hit my head. I lost consciousness immediately.

‘Fuck!’

I tried to fight it, but it was useless. The last thing I did before my consciousness faded was to curse.

I don’t know how long it was, but my consciousness returned, and my eyes flew open.

The first thing I saw was a grey roof, and I knew immediately I was back in the cell.

“Oh, finally woke up.” I turned and saw her sitting on her chair, not far away from me, with an irritating smile on her face.

I looked at her green dress and the natural light coming out of the window. The night had passed; no wonder I was feeling slightly hungry.

“I never had a chance to escape, did I?” I asked.

“I thought I was supposed to be the one asking the questions.”

 “But to answer your question, no, you never had a chance,” she replied with a shake of her head.

“Even if we leave the door of your cell open for an entire year, you won’t be able to escape, Mr. Marlais.”

The certainty in her voice sent a shiver through me, but I quickly pushed that feeling aside. There is always a way to escape; I just didn’t find a way, but I will.

“Ask your questions,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm.

It was the last thing I wanted to do. A deal was a deal, and I would answer her questions truthfully—but there were always ways to tell the truth without giving away more than necessary.

“Tell me, in complete detail, about the contract you accepted to attack Greltheaven.”

Fuck!

I cursed her internally, but quickly controlled my expression.

Still, this was manageable. She wanted the contract details, and I would give them to her.

It was a lengthy document, filled with countless clauses and provisions—most of them utterly irrelevant to what she actually wanted to know.