Phuket City, also known as the city of Count Marco, is likewise a large city with a population of fifty thousand.
The night was deep, and the cold wind howled, as if it wanted to strip a few layers of flesh off people. It was around midnight, and the streets were completely deserted. The surrounding houses were shrouded in darkness—at this hour, everyone was asleep, except for those with special intentions.
"So cold… Why do these bounty hunters insist on taking jobs at this hour? Do they have rocks for brains?" Jesse pulled his animal-hide coat tighter around himself, shivering in the icy wind.
He was extremely dissatisfied. After searching for many days and spending a significant amount of money, he had finally managed to find out where the bounty hunters accepted jobs.
Today, he had finally managed to find out the exact location, but the bounty hunters would only take orders at night. On top of that, the client had to show up in person—otherwise, they wouldn't even be allowed through the door.
Of course, this might have had something to do with the fact that Jesse was a rookie. In the bounty hunter and assassin trade, secrecy was everything. Without discreet dealings and unusual timing, they would constantly be at risk of being hunted down by the local nobles.
After all, assassins were dangerous individuals. No noble or city lord would want such people operating within their territory. There was always the possibility that one day, a group of knights would suddenly surround them and wipe them out.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
The surroundings were pitch black. Apart from the occasional chirping of nocturnal insects, the only sound was Jesse's own footsteps. This made him shrink his neck slightly, glancing warily over his shoulder into the darkness behind him.
"Did they follow me or not?" Jesse muttered under his breath. Not far behind him, a few knights trailed discreetly—they were there to protect him from the shadows.
"Huff… huff…"
Jesse panted heavily, striding toward the location etched in his memory. Before long, he arrived at a remote part of Phuket City.
A tavern.
A very secluded tavern.
A tavern that had already closed for the night.
"Did that bounty hunter scam me? Sell me fake information?" Jesse gritted his teeth, glaring at the tavern's entrance. There wasn't the faintest glimmer of light seeping through the cracks of the door. It was clear—there was no one inside.
Wait a minute… He recognized this tavern. Wasn't it just an ordinary place that operated during the day? A completely normal tavern—how could it possibly be a gathering spot for bounty hunters and assassins?
"Damn bastard! He actually dared to scam me out of a silver coin! If I ever catch him, I'll chop him up and feed him to the wolves!"
Jesse stomped his foot angrily. The cold was starting to numb his body. At this hour, he should have been inside, wrapped around his concubine, not freezing in some godforsaken alley.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, a hoarse voice broke the silence of the night. Jesse's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He stumbled backward in panic, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at the tavern.
"Creak…"
A noise came from the rooftop. A figure dressed in black stood there, bow drawn, arrow nocked, aimed directly at Jesse.
"Creak!"
The tavern door suddenly swung open, and a raspy voice drifted out from within.
"Here to place an order? If so, come in."
"Y-Yes!" Jesse stammered. He had clearly seen the archer on the roof pull the bowstring even tighter. If he had said no, he had no doubt he would've been shot on the spot.
"Go inside." The black-clad figure's voice was as cold as the night air.
"Yes." Jesse nodded hastily and hurried in. He swore to himself—once he completed his father's task, he would send knights to wipe this place off the map.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
Jesse stepped cautiously into the pitch-black tavern. After only a few steps, the door behind him slammed shut. Before he could even turn around, something cold pressed against his waist.
A husky voice murmured from behind him. "Move."
"Y-Yes." Jesse's face turned deathly pale. This was his first time experiencing something like this, and his mind was completely blank.
Jesse fumbled his way forward in the darkness. Up ahead, a faint candle flickered atop the bar counter, casting light over only a few meters. As he got closer, he finally saw them—figures seated around the bar, their faces concealed by scarves or animal-hide masks. Not a single person showed their true face.
At that moment, even if Jesse had been a complete fool, he would've understood what was going on.
That damn bounty hunter had set him up! All because he had shorted him a single silver coin! The bastard hadn't even warned him that he needed to disguise himself before coming here. No wonder they had treated him with such suspicion—he was obviously an outsider.
"Tch… A little rookie, huh?"
"Wait a minute… Isn't this Viscount Jesse? What the hell is he doing here?"
"Oh? A noble? Showing up in person? What a joke!"
Muffled chuckles and whispers spread through the room. Jesse's face turned red with both embarrassment and anger. He had walked straight into a den of wolves—completely unprepared.
The mocking laughter around him made Jesse clench his teeth so hard he nearly cracked them. These damn sewer rats—how dare they ridicule him?
"Cough, cough, cough…"
A cough sounded from behind the bar. Instantly, the entire tavern fell silent. The murmurs, the laughter—everything vanished in an instant.
"Bring him in."
An aged voice drifted from behind the counter.
"Move."
The raspy voice behind Jesse urged him forward, punctuated by a sharp jab to his waist.
"Alright."
Swallowing his anger, Jesse obediently stepped forward. He walked around the bar and saw a small door. With another nudge from behind, he pushed it open and entered.
Inside, it was pitch black—just like the tavern outside. The only source of light was a small, flickering candle.
The candlelight in this room was even dimmer, illuminating an even smaller space. Half of the flame was obscured, casting long, flickering shadows. Behind it, Jesse could just barely make out the outline of a figure seated in the darkness.
"Viscount Jesse, please sit."
The aged voice spoke again.
"Alright." Jesse nodded and stepped forward, lowering himself onto the chair. His body was tense, and he squinted, trying to make out the person behind the candle. But the light was too blinding in contrast to the darkness, making it impossible to see clearly.
"A nobleman visiting at this hour… What business do you have?" the raspy voice asked.
Jesse took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.
"I'm here to hire an assassin."
"That can be arranged."
The aged voice remained utterly unfazed. It was no surprise—after all, nobles were the most frequent clients of assassins. In this business, the majority of contracts came from aristocrats.
"Who is the target? And what's your budget?"
"A baron named Lucas. He's the lord of Sedona City," Jesse quickly replied. "I want someone ranked within the top hundred."
There was a pause before the old voice responded, this time tinged with surprise.
"A mere baron… and you need an assassin from the top hundred?"
The skepticism was clear. "You realize assassins of that caliber don't come cheap? Are you certain?"
"How much?" Jesse asked warily. He wasn't about to get swindled into paying for a top-ten-ranked assassin—that would cost a fortune.
"For an assassin ranked within the top hundred, the starting price is 130 gold coins." The old man stated it casually, as if discussing the weather.
"What…?" Jesse froze for a moment. That was far higher than what he had expected.
From what he knew, 130 gold coins should be enough to hire someone ranked around 80th or 90th. Yet this was only the starting price? Something wasn't adding up.
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