Spell Shopping (2)

With how large Silver City was, it was no surprise that it hid a similarly large underbelly. Due to the power relations in the city, there was no singular slum area, but rather several small streets where the poor and criminally involved congregated. Lisa hadn't shown him around any, but Shui figured that as long as he went to more isolated areas he would eventually get a hit even without spreading his spiritual sense. If he allowed his aura to flow as freely as possible, he could become as unperceivable as a ghost, but he also wore a white mask with 'Conceal' so that he didn't get involved in any trouble.

After prowling the desolate streets for a while, Shui spotted a lanky man cautiously looking around frequently as he moved. It didn't look like the man had sensed him, so Shui followed him. The lanky man continued down a series of twists and turns, before entering a rowdy bar with a wooden sign that had the picture of a skull with a flower-shaped crack. This was the sign of the underground guild so Shui knew that he had come to the right place.

The underground guild was similar to the Workers' Association, but generally took the more unsavory type of jobs. There were little requirements for registration and any jobs could be submitted as long as they came with the right reward. There were also specialized organizations like the Tower of Killers that cooperated and competed with the underground guild.

As the underground guild had just as many branches as the Workers' Association, it was almost guaranteed to find one in any city, and while some mayors tried to remove them, they had both the power and information to defeat all such attempts.

Shui entered the bar with some anticipation and regained a sliver of his aura so that he could be perceived. His unusually small presence and white mask gave him a mysterious air so he attracted a bit of attention as he reached the stern and muscular bartender.

"I don't think I've seen you around before. You a new face?"

"You could say that."

"So, are you here to buy or sell?"

"I'm here to buy. I'm interested in rare fire spells."

Suddenly, Shui felt the killing intent aimed at him surge. He didn't feel threatened, but he made sure to release his own killing intent. These men might have killed more people than him, but his soul cultivation armed his killing intent with the power to actually kill. As a few of the offenders felt their hearts squeezed by the pressure, the bartender spoke.

"Back off."

The killing intent targeting him quickly went away so Shui also restrained himself.

"Was that some sort of greeting?"

"Sorry about that, they're a little tense due to some circumstances."

"Interesting, would you mind sharing?"

"...I guess I can give you a freebie. Have you heard of the Darino Gang?"

It was a name Shui hadn't expected to pop up here.

"I think so, but it was just a small group of thugs with some trinkets."

"Sounds like you met one of their dispatch teams. The Darino Gang only recently established itself, but its managed to gain a share in the underground market thanks to their strange gadgets. Rumour has it they have all sorts of crafters from alchemists to forge masters to make them whatever they want, and in exchange they bring them rare materials."

"I didn't expect that there would be a group like that, but their popularity makes sense. I'm guessing you guys don't look at them too fondly."

"Just a little local competition is all. Now about your request, it's gonna be hard to grant."

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, the Darino Gang isn't only interested in rare materials."

"So they've been taking the spells and techniques too? What are they doing with them?"

"Who knows. All I can tell you is that if you haven't given up, then you'll have to look for them."

"Got it. In exchange for the information, I'll get some rats out of your way."

"...I sure wouldn't mind that."

Soon after, Shui left the bar. He certainly hadn't expected to hear about trouble brewing the underworld, but it didn't deter him. He maintained a leisurely pace as he walked away and a pursuer wasn't far behind. The pursuer had skillfully hidden his intentions so Shui wasn't sure if he was hostile, but he knew his affiliation.

The pursuer followed Shui as he travelled aimlessly. As he was trying to get the pursuer to take action first, Shui acted like he couldn't notice him until he exposed his presence on an empty street. Shui immediately stopped, and without turning around, he asked a question.

"Who are you?"

"I'm no one important, but I do have what you seek."

Shui then turned around to see a young man in worn clothes stained by blood and dirt. His cultivation was only in the late Soul Realm, but there was a heavy killing intent that cloaked his body. This young man had been inside the bar, but from this contact it was obvious that he didn't belong there.

"You? How can you have something the underground guild lacks?" 

"Simple. It's because the one I work for isn't the underground guild."

"I see, you must be part of the Darino Gang."

"That's right. As long as you show me that you have the funds to pay for it, then I can give you a look at a very rare fire spell."

Shui appeared to hesitate for a moment, before throwing a space expansion bag at the dirty young man. Once the young man caught it and checked the dozens of high quality spirit gems inside, he nodded with a wide smile. 

"Good, good! Now, I just have one last question. Would you like to kill yourself, or shall we do it for you?"

In sync with the young man's proposal, two more men jumped down from a roof and blocked off Shui's escape routes.

"I thought the Darino Gang knew how to do business. It seems I was wrong."

"No, it's true that you would make for a good client, but since it sounds like you attacked one of us I have no choice but to recover what they lost."

Shui knew that the young man was simply making up an excuse so he merely shook his head.

"Fine. I'll simply have to take what I want from your corpses."

If the young man had stuck to doing business then Shui would have prioritized getting information about the Darino Gang, but considering the situation he chose to settle with reading the young man's memories after killing his two helpers. Shui considered taking out a weapon, but he judged that interference might happen sooner if he spilt blood and decided against it.

Shui confronted his three adversaries calm and unarmed. The young man wondered how he could act so confident and took a look around to see if this was a trap, but he couldn't find any signs. Although he couldn't fully sense Shui's cultivation, he didn't seem to be very strong so he couldn't believe that he could beat the three of them with no weapon. 

'I don't know if it's a bluff or not, but it's too late to back down now.'

"Kill him."