Slime Evolution

Chapter 391 - Infiltration

Marcus and Julian exchanged a satisfied look.

The duality between Alice’s innocent excitement and Dylan’s skepticism made their performance realistic enough for the two recruiters to see that distrust as merely the reaction of a protective leader.

Convincing a skeptical level thirteen player was the challenge that would make their thousand-credit bonus seem deserved.

”That’s fair, Dan. Very fair,” Marcus nodded, displaying a professional demeanor. ”We value players who think before they act. It shows you have a leader’s mindset; our guild appreciates players like you. If you want to see our headquarters before making any decisions, we’d be happy to take you there right now. We can show you the main hall, the loot depot, and even introduce you to some guild officers.”

”That would be perfect!” Alice said, clapping her hands with delight. ”And to be honest, we’ve finished eating. Can we go now?”

”Of course,” Julian replied, rising from his chair with a broad smile. ”But before we go, please allow us to show you the generosity of Broken Suns. Your bill is on us today. Consider it a welcome gift to our organization.”

”Oh, no need to bother with that...” Dylan began to say, but Alice had already pushed the bill toward Julian with a mischievous smile.

”Thank you, Julian! You’re very kind!” she said cheerfully.

Julian picked up the bill with a bright smile. However, as soon as his eyes landed on the total at the bottom, his expression froze. His jaw dropped and the color drained from his cheeks instantly, replaced by the pallor of shock.

The bill showed the value of two silver coins and thirty copper coins.

By the standards of the High Zone elite in the real world, that was pocket change. But in Elysium, two silver coins represented a great deal of effort and hunting.

That lavish banquet would consume half of the entire commission that Julian and Marcus would receive for inviting one of them to the guild.

Marcus noticed the change in his companion’s mood and leaned over to see the bill. The warrior let out a choked cough, his eyes widening at the sight of the sum for the boar ribs that Alice had modestly ordered.

”Something wrong, lads?” Dylan asked sarcastically. ”If the Broken Suns’ generosity is too much, we’ll foot our bill. I wouldn’t want you to have to pawn your armor to pay for the boar.”

Dylan’s provocation wounded their pride. Julian swallowed hard, forcing a white smile that looked like a grimace of pain as he tugged at his small coin purse.

Even though the $500 reward they received in the real world was equivalent to 5 silver coins, it wasn’t possible to convert real money into Elysium money as easily as the reverse, so those coins were far more valuable than the $500 they would receive...

”No... absolutely not, Dan!” Julian replied, his voice slightly trembling, as he counted the silver and copper coins with his visibly tense fingers. ”Two silver and thirty copper coins is a common amount by our standards. We insist on paying. The Broken Suns take care of its potential members.”

Lohan, monitoring the entire transaction from under Alice’s sleeve, had to restrain himself from laughing against her arm.

Alice and Dylan’s performance was flawless.

They had made the recruiters spend a small fortune on in-game resources, which now made them even more determined to ensure that the two signed the guild membership contract at any cost, just to recoup the financial loss they had suffered at the tavern.

”Perfect then,” Alice said, rising and lightly wiping her hands, which made Marcus even more tense. ”Thank you for dinner, boys! Now, guide us to your incredible mansion. I want to see if it really is as beautiful as the mansions in the capital.”

Julian put away his now significantly emptier bag, glancing sideways at Marcus in a way that made it clear that if those two didn’t sign the contract today, they would have to find a way to get that money back.

They guided the group out of the Bronze Oak, returning to the walkways of Thalendor, which were now illuminated by the sky-blue runes of the night.

As they walked toward the craft district, Lohan began to focus. Beneath the sleeve of Alice’s armor, his main slime body began to take shape and prepare for the real infiltration.

His parallel processing structure was operating with zero mana friction thanks to the recent upgrade of the Magic Core Harmonizer Lv 11.

”Halon, I’m sensing that their mansion has some weak magical sensors at the outer entrance,” Lisa transmitted via private mental link, as she watched them from afar through the shadows of the overhanging tree branches. ”But with the contraction technique that Yrneha refined in you, the common mana sensors of Thalendor shouldn’t pick up your biological signature, but be careful.”

”Don’t worry, Lisa,” Lohan replied mentally. ”Although my control isn’t perfect, I still believe I can disguise myself well in this regard. As soon as we cross the doors of headquarters, I’ll start releasing puddle micro-clones through the cracks in the floor and ventilation walls. If they’re hiding something about the magical rifts or about the support of the Council of Thalendor, we’ll find out before the sun rises.”

Dylan and Alice kept the conversation flowing, occupying them with questions about the distribution of loot and the level of the officers, ensuring that Marcus and Julian’s attention was fully focused on the charade. The Broken Suns mansion appeared at the end of a walkway, an imposing building made of wood and gleaming stained glass, standing out almost ostentatiously.

”There’s our home,” Marcus announced, pointing to the gleaming facade of the mansion with a smile that tried to disguise the pain of having lost almost all of the day’s money at the tavern. ”Welcome to the Broken Suns’ headquarters.”

Alice smiled brightly, while Dylan maintained his steady and observant expression.

Beneath Alice’s clothing, Lohan felt the adrenaline of the hunt begin to course through his core. The Suns’ nest lay ahead, and Lohan Hayes was more than ready to begin spying on every secret that guild was hiding beneath the golden light of the elven capital.