Chapter 34: Treasure Hunting (2)

The innkeeper took Zaos' group to the second floor of the inn. There, he led them to the right and stopped before a door on the far right of the hallway on the upper floor.

"T-these are the largest, and most comfortable rooms in the inn. They are all empty and clean, please use them however you like." The dark elf in keeper pointed at the door he was at and another two beside the door. The doors were numbered 001, 002, and 003.

"You all can share rooms 2 and 3. I'll stay in room 1 with Syvis." Zaos declared to the gangster behind him.

He then turned to the innkeeper and asked.

"How much does it cost to stay for two hours?" Zaos inquired.

"I-it's on the house lords," the dark elf innkeeper smiled stiffly. As much as he wanted to earn a living, staying alive was his top priority at the moment. The innkeeper quickly handed the keys over to the group to further prove his sincerity.

Zaos silently agreed. He gestured at Rendov to release Syvis as he opened the door to his room.

"We leave once the stars brighten up the sky. Lateness will not be tolerated!" Zaos ordered.

"Yes, boss!" The group behind him acknowledged in a serious tone.

"Follow me Syvis," Zaos entered his room, followed by the beautiful Syvis. She closed the door behind her, isolating the room from the hallway.

The room had a decent-sized bed on the left of the room. There was a chest opposite the bed while beside it was a bedside table with a candle burning brightly on top.

Zaos walked directly to the fur bed and took a seat. He then shifted his attention to Syvis who remained standing by the door.

"Move closer," Zaos ordered without a hint of an expression.

Syvis bit her lip, she stiffly moved closer to and stopped when she was only five meters away from him. She stood there with her head hung down without daring to meet Zaos eyes.

"Tell me about Marvid's treasure," Zaos placed his head on his hands.

"Huh?" Syvis raised her head. She looked shocked at what she heard.

"Did you grow deaf? Tell me about Marvid's treasure!" Zaos ordered with visible disdain.

"O-okay," Syvis lowered her head again and her long green hair cascaded over her face.

"Um, Marvid's treasure is stored in a secret base he had built in the forest not too far from here. It contains his true wealth amassed over the years as the leader of the Red Lotus gang." She explained as she fumbled with her fingers.

[Then it will definitely be more than what I found in the mansion.] Zaos excitedly gazed at Syvis.

"Can you estimate his wealth?" Zaos asked with enthusiasm.

"No. Even he didn't know the exact amount," Syvis replied softly.

Zaos remained silent for a few seconds as he pondered. He eventually returned his gaze to Syvis and asked.

"It's a secret hideout, right? Did he install any traps?" Zaos asked with narrowed eyes.

Syvis flinched slightly and lowered her head even more before responding.

"Y-yes," She stuttered.

"I see. You should know how to disable them if I'm correct," Zaos pressed further.

"Yes," Syvis responded in a soft voice.

"Then you'll have to make yourself useful when we enter the hideout. For your own good, don't try anything stupid as I won't hesitate to kill you." Zaos released his killing intent onto Syvis, causing her to drop to her knees.

"I-I understand," She responded while gasping for breath under the heavy pressures of Zaos' killing intent.

"Good. You should rest, we will be on our way in a bit. Try not to slow us down too much," Zaos retracted his killing intent. He laid down on the bed completely ignoring Syvis who was regaining her composure.

[Even without Syvis, the traps shouldn't be something I can't handle. However, to avoid a situation where the treasure is destroyed due to forcefully trying to obtain it, I will need Syvis… ] Zaos lay with his eyes closed but he was still aware of his surroundings.

He decided to plan his future moves while he waited for the stars to appear in the sky.

[Once I have a stable footing in the crime circle. I can focus on my training and leave the development of the gang to someone worthy. I have to evolve soon, my current rank is limiting my opinions too much…] Zaos let his mind wander.

He continued contemplating for a few hours before rising to his feet. He looked out the window right next to his bed, the silver radiance of the star had already appeared.

[It's time,] He turned to Syvis who was curled up on the ground.

"We are leaving now," Zaos ordered as he got up from his bed.

Syvis twitched before quickly rising to her feet. She followed behind Zaos who had already walked to the door of the room.

Zaos opened the door and was surprised to see the gangsters of the Red Lotus gang already waiting outside their rooms.

Zaos nodded and turned to Syvis who was behind him.

"You lead the way from now on," Zaos ordered.

"Okay," Syvis replied softly and swiftly made her way to the front of the group. The group descended the stairs. When they made it to the lower floor, the innkeeper quickly moved towards them with a stiff smile on his face.

"Lords, do you require anything to eat," he inquired in a fearful tone.

"No need," Zaos tossed his key at the innkeeper while the rest of the bearers of the other two keys did the same.

"Move along," Zaos instructed as the group left the inn.

"*Phew*, I survived," the innkeeper silently muttered to himself when the group was out of range.

Syvis led the group out of the settlement and into a forest a few meters away from it. The forest wasn't as densely populated with trees as some other forests Zaos had been to so their journey was much smoother.

They encountered no other forms of life as they walked using the torches carried by the fire elves to illuminate their path.

Before long, they arrived at an artificial cavern mouth that led somewhere underground.

"Is this the place?" Zaos asked Syvis who had stopped a few meters away from the cavern mouth.

"Yes. This is the entrance," Syvis nodded in affirmation.

After observing the entrance for a few seconds, Zaos spoke to the group of elves awaiting his instructions.

"Four of you will stand guard here, make sure no one follows us inside," Zaos ordered.

"Yes, boss," four individuals quickly stepped forward; they consisted of two earth elves, one wind elf, and one fire elf.

Zaos nodded and ordered the rest of the group.

"The rest of you, follow me inside. Syvis, I trust you know what to do," Zaos spoke.

Syvis nodded and entered the cavern mouth. The rest of the group except those four individuals followed behind her, Zaos included.