He stalked in the blazing midday sun, and the cloak on his body seemed to shroud his whole being in shadow, though there was no shadow at all in the place; And even the ubiquitous dust didn't seem to be able to get on his body. The souks were as noisy as ever, with vendors and patrons shouting for every copper coin. Thieves hide in their best spots, the busiest and most crowded places, where they can steal their wallets completely undetected, and if they do, they can disappear into the crowds of people instantly.

Artemis? But Entreili knew exactly where every pickpocket was. He could tell with a casual glance whether a person was here to buy something or to steal, and he didn't have to, and he didn't need to dodge the thieves. He deliberately passed by each of the thieves, even pulling his black cloak aside so that the pickpockets could see his bulging wallet – and the famous gem-encrusted dagger that protected him and himself. This dagger is his emblem, one of the most feared weapons in Port Carlin.

Ndrri was pleased with the respect shown by the young thieves, and even more pleased that it was a well-deserved reward for his efforts. He's the best killer in Port Carlin, and it's taken him years to gain that reputation, but he's getting old. Maybe he's losing that dazzling aura on his body. That's why he's so brazen in provoking all the young thieves—he never would have done when he's young—in the hope that one of them will come forward and try to attack him. He walked through the busy street to a food stall-style tavern. The crowd was bustling here, but Eun Triri spotted his contacts at a glance, lavishly dressed in a signature bright yellow turban. Ozur. Ntreili walked over to the table. Sharaj wasn't alone, but in Ntriri's opinion, the three people sitting at the same table with him weren't his friends, or even knew him at all. The other three were talking, laughing from time to time, while Sharaj leaned back in his chair and looked nervously around.

Ntreili came to the table, looking at the three uninvited guests with a puzzled look, and Sharaj shrugged his shoulders in awkwardness.

"We've booked this table for lunch, didn't you tell them?" Ntrili asked calmly.

The three guys stopped talking and looked up at him curiously.

"I've tried to explain to them......" Sharaj wiped the sweat from his dark forehead.

Euntreuri held up a hand to stop him from continuing, then stared majestically at the three impudents. "We have important matters to discuss here." He said.

"And we have food and drink to destroy." One of them replied.

Ntreili didn't answer, just glared at the mouthy one more fiercely, while also spying on the other two with his peripheral vision.

The other two whispered a few words, but Euntreuri continued to stare fiercely at the first guy who dared to challenge as if he hadn't seen them at all. As the minutes ticked by, Ntrili still didn't relax in the slightest, and even strengthened the oppression in his eyes, which seemed to cut open the man's chest, allowing him to see what kind of willpower he was facing, and such perfect determination and ability to control the situation.

"What do you want to do?" The other man was stunned, and he stood still next to Endrili.

Sharaj muttered the universal prayer.

"Don't pretend to be deaf." The man reached out to nudge Eun Triri's shoulder.

The killer moved slightly, grabbed his hand upward, immediately grabbed the offender's thumb, and with a slight twist and press, he immediately subdued the man.

During the whole process, Eun Trili didn't say a word of nonsense, his expression didn't change, and even his eyes didn't move at all, he still kept staring at the first person who dared to speak directly across from him.

Endrieli added some more force to his hand, and the man standing next to him screamed in pain, and reached for the curved dagger he carried with him with his other hand.

Sharaj recited another prayer.

The man stepped over to the table under Entreri's watchful eye and motioned for his friend to remain calm and take his hands off the weapon.

Ntrili nodded to him, then motioned for him to take his friend and get out of here. He let go of the man who dared to offend, who still clutched his aching thumb and stared at Ntreuri sinisterly. But he didn't bother again, and his friends didn't do anything, just picked up their plates and walked away carefully. They didn't know Ntreuri, and he didn't reveal his dagger, but the strength he showed was enough to make them aware of the fact.

"That's what I want to do." Sharaj chuckled and commented. The three uninvited guests left, and Eun Trili sat down across from him.

Ntreuri stared at him, and noticed that the guy was still as annoying as ever. Sharaji's head was large, with a large round face, and his body was even more thin and small in comparison, making people wonder if the bones of his body could support the big head. And there was always a smile on this big round face, and the white teeth shone brightly, which contrasted with his black skin and dark eyes.

Sharaj cleared his throat again. "I'm surprised you came to meet me in person." He said. "Your rise to prominence in the Bashadoni Guild has made you an enemy of many. Aren't you afraid of betrayal, great man? He ended his speech with a bitter sarcasm and giggled nervously.

Eun Trili still didn't answer, just continued to stare at the other party. He does fear betrayal, but he needs to speak to Sharaj personally. Kim Murray? Obroza, the Drow Psychic who worked for Jalaso, had previously thoroughly examined Sharaj's mind and was convinced that he was not involved in any conspiracy.

Of course, considering the source of the source – a Dark Elf who had never liked Ntreili – the killer didn't fully trust the report he got.

"You know, for powerful people, it can be a cage for them." Sharaj continued. "It could be a stronger cage than they are. Did you know? There were many Pasha who did not dare to step out of the house without bringing more than a hundred guards. ”

"I'm not Pasha."

"You're not, but the Bashadoni Guild belongs to you and Charlotta." Sharaj replied. Charlotta? Vespa used the conspiracy to become Pasha Bashadoni's lieutenant, and survived the Drow's invasion of the guild and became the puppet leader of the guild. Since then, the guild's power has grown rapidly, reaching heights that no one had ever expected. "Everybody knows." Sharaj giggled in disgust again. "I knew you were amazing, my friend, but I never knew you were so good!"

Euntreri smiled back, but the reason he smiled was because he fantasized about severing Sharaji's throat with his dagger, because he couldn't stand the lowly parasite otherwise.

However, Ndrri had to admit that he needed Sharaj, and that was the only reason the infamous whistleblower had survived to this day. The art of survival in Sharaj is all about telling anyone anything they want to know – for a fee, of course. His skill is so well known and familiar with everyone in the ruling family of Port Carlin and the street villains that his presence is extremely important to the guilds that are constantly at war, and no one wants to kill him and take all the risks.

"Tell me, then, what kind of power is hidden behind Bashadoni's throne." Sharaj grinned. "There must be something there, right?"

Ndrri tried to keep his face from showing any expression, he knew that any one of his expressions would reveal too much information, but in fact, he wanted to laugh at Sharaj, who knew nothing about the inside story of the New Bashadoni Guild. Sharaj would never know that an army of dark elves had established a base in Port Carlin, and that the Bashadoni guild was their outpost.

"I guess we're here to discuss the Dalabad Oasis, right?" Eun Trili asked rhetorically.

Sharaj sighed and shrugged. "We have a lot of more meaningful things to talk about," he said. "I'm afraid Dallabad isn't one of those things."

"Then you can say it."

"Nothing has changed here in twenty years." Sharaj said. "There's nothing I know and you don't know all these years."

"Colin? Surez still occupies Charron's Claws? Ntrili asked.

Sharaj nodded in response. "Of course." He replied with a chuckle. "Still occupied, and will always occupy. It had served him for decades, and when Surez died, one of his thirty sons would undoubtedly inherit it, unless that wild girl Adania? Surez got it first. Colin? Surez's daughter is really ambitious. If you're asking me if he'll sell it, you've got the answer by now. I think we should talk about something more meaningful, like the Bashadoni guild. ”

Eun Treli's gaze suddenly drifted a little, but it was only a matter of moments.

"Why is Surez selling it now?" Sharaj asked, waving his arms, his thin arms in stark contrast to the massive head. "My friend, this is the third time you've tried to buy that sword, right? That's right! The first time you were a child, and you only had a few hundred gold coins in your broken purse - I suppose it was a gift from old Bashadoni, right? ”

Ntrili flinched, though his will, and his knowledge of Sharaj—who, for all of Calling, was the best person to deduce the truth from his expressions and movements—would not allow him to do so. However, that memory, along with recent events, triggered a throbbing deep inside him. On that day a long time ago, it was indeed Pasha Bashadoni who gave him some extra gold coins, not because of something remarkable that the promising lieutenant had done, but only as a gift. As he remembered this, Ndrri realized that Bashadoni was the only one who had ever given him a gift without expecting anything in return.

And Ntreuri killed Bashadoni just a few months ago.

"That's right, that's right!" Sharaj said, more like talking to himself. "And shortly after Pashapuk hung up, you offered to buy the sword. Ah, what a terrible death that guy had! ”

Ntreuri just continued to stare at him. Sharaj suddenly realizes that he is pushing the dangerous killer further and further, so he unnaturally clears his throat. "I told you then, it was impossible." He said. "Of course it's impossible."

"I have more money now." Ntrili whispered.

"There is not enough money in the world combined!" Sharaj shouted.

Ntrili didn't even move his eyelids. "Do you know how much money there is in the world, Sharaj?" He asked calmly—too calmly. "Do you know how much money is in the treasury of the Bashadoni guild?"

"I think you mean to say, the Entrili Guild." Sharaj corrected.

Ndrri didn't deny it, and Sharaj's eyes widened in surprise. That's it, no spy can get more accurate information than that. According to rumors, the elder Bachadoni is dead, that Charlotta? Vespa and the other acting guild leaders were just puppets, and the one pulling the string was Artemis? Ntrili.

"Charron's Claws." Sharaj pondered, his mouth slowly grinning. "So, the one in power behind the throne is Ntreuri, and the one in power behind Ntreili is- well, I guess a mage, because you are so desperate for that sword. A mage, yes, and a budding one, eh? ”

"Keep guessing." Ntrili said.

"Maybe I'll guess right?"

"If you guessed correctly, I'm going to have to kill you." The killer said, still in that intimidatingly calm tone. "Go talk to Chief Surez. Tell me his asking price. ”

"He won't ask for anything." Sharaj insisted.

Ntreili moves faster than any cat chasing a mouse. One hand pressed Sharaji's shoulder, the other grasped the handle of his deadly dagger, and his face was just an inch away from Sharaji's.

"That would be the most unfortunate thing," Mr. Ntreili said. "For you."

The killer shoved the informer back into his seat, then stood up and quickly surveyed his surroundings, like a beast suddenly hungry and trying to find some sacrifice to feed itself. He glanced back at Sharaj before stepping out of the tent and disappearing into the chaotic market.

As Euntreli calmed down and pondered every detail of the meeting, he silently rebuked himself. His frustration was overwhelming his sanity. His motives for being so eager to buy Charron's Claws had been exposed to him in broad daylight. After all, the combination of that weapon and that set of gauntlets was designed for battle mages.

And maybe the psychic powers?

...