Chapter 39: Meeting

He took off his clothes and washed the blood off of his body. After making sure he was clean, Zaos made his way to his bedroom. He left the blood-soaked clothes in the bathroom so that it could be clean.

After changing into a new set of clothes, Zaos made his way downstairs. On his way out, he instructed a maid to handle the clothes in the bathroom before leaving the house.

He traversed through the trees surrounding the manor and entered the tunnel leading to the underground market. Zaos moved quickly through the tunnels, he arrived at the large cave where the market was held.

"Boss, the Venom Order's leader is awaiting your presence in the meeting room." A wind elf male walked up to Zaos.

Zaos nodded and followed behind the former. The wind elf led Zaos to an isolated construct in the busy market. The construct was wooden, it had no windows and was shaped like a box.

"This way boss," The wind elf attendant opened a door on the pitch-black wall of the wooden box.

Behind the door was a brightly lit room filled with extravagant furniture and decorations. The room had two large cushioned chairs facing each other with beautiful landscape paints hung on the walls.

Sitting on one of the two chairs in the small room was a man with short black hair, bright blue eyes, and a skinny physique.

Immediately the door was opened the man turned in its direction, but the calm look on his face quickly changed when he saw Zaos' figure.

"A child?" He muttered with a surprised expression.

Zaos donned his leather assassin outfit with his Superior-grade dagger and other weapons tucked in different spots of his attire. He looked rather intimidating if not for his small stature and immature face.

"Is this your new boss?" The Venom Order's leader rose from his seat and pointed at Zaos as the latter walked into the room.

"Y-yes," The attendant answered fearfully. He wasn't a fighter and didn't know much about the new leader, so he was obviously fearful when a renowned figure like the Venom Order's leader addressed him directly.

The Venom Order's leader was known as Venom Order. He was a renowned assassin who enjoyed using poison to complete his assassinations. The Venom Order was his creation. The organization gained notoriety because its members took on any kind of assassination mission as long as they were paid.

"Good day, Venom Panther. I would like for us to have a chat," Zaos ignored the man's earlier comment and took his seat on the opposite cushioned chair to the Venom Panther.

The Venom Panther did not respond immediately. He scrutinized Zaos for a few minutes before taking a seat. He would at least hear the other party out first before making a decision.

"Alright. I came here for the same reason after all." Venom Panther said after taking his seat.

Zaos nodded at the former. Yet, despite his calm demeanor, he remained vigilant against Venom Panther. After all, Venom Panther was a high-elf who was skilled at using poison.

[I can't be careless!] Zaos focused his attention on him while silently observing his surroundings for any oddities.

"I-I will take my leave now sirs," The attendant bowed and closed the door to the isolated construct.

The room remained silent for a few seconds after that before Zaos broke the silence.

"I want to have a cooperation with the Venom Order," Zaos stated his purpose.

Venom Panther narrowed his eyes and asked in a skeptical tone.

"A cooperation for what exactly?" He leaned forward as he stared hard at Zaos.

Zaos smiled and answered in a neutral tone.

"To suppress the other Underground Organizations in the mercenary city," Zaos stared back at the Venom Panther.

Venom Panther went silent. He looked at Zaos for a minute before replying.

"I came here to see what kind of individual the new leader of the Red Lotus gang is. Who would have thought that it was a kid with wood aspirations…" Venom Panther spoke slowly.

Zaos continued smiling. He didn't interrupt the other party but his vigilance was heightened in case of a sudden attack.

"I will only consider your proposal if you prove to wield enough strength to accomplish your goal," Venom Panther spoke in a serious tone.

"How do I do that?" Zaos asked simply.

"The Thieves Guild's leader seems to have some doubts about you. He might attack your gang anytime soon. As long as you can take him down, I will join forces with you to suppress the others," Venom Panther stood up from his seat and slowly made his way to the door.

[The Thieves Guild… ] Zaos eyes flashed with a ruthless light.

The Thieves Guild was an underground organization in the mercenary city formed by a large group of bandits.

"Alright, I will look forward to your cooperation when it's done," Zaos also rose from his seat as he addressed the Venom Panther.

Venom Panther said nothing else and simply exited the room.

[Who would have thought that the Thieves Guild would willingly offer themselves as scapegoats to test my strength…

[Well, it doesn't matter. Once the Thieves Guild is taken down, I can incorporate it into the Red Lotus gang. Then, with the cooperation of the Venom Order, the other forces would have no choice but to surrender.] Zaos made his way out of the room.

[Once that happens, I'll be free to train in peace without having to worry about useless gang wars.] Zaos returned to his mansion.

[I can't secretly assassinate their leader this time. A statement needs to be made otherwise I'll still have some fool coming to challenge me…

[Although this might expose some of my abilities, it's better than having these matters interfere with my training.] Zaos sighed as he made his way through the tunnels leading to his mansion.

He planned on undergoing a long training session that might last for multiple months. He needed to raise his strength before anything unexpected occurred.

After returning to the manor, Zaos made one of his guards gather the fighters in the Red Lotus gang at the headquarters.

He took his seat on the cushion chair and awaited the arrival of the members.

[This battle will gather the attention of the clans who are interested in the mercenary city. The Qildor clan won't be an exception.] Zaos sighed. He would have to answer to the Qildor clan after the battle was concluded.

[I'll deal with them when the time comes…] Zaos temporarily stopped his pondering as the members of the Red Lotus gang began to assemble.

When a sufficient crowd had gathered, Zaos stood up and addressed the members of his gang present.

"Tomorrow, we will be going to battle with the Thieves Guild!"