The victory of the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang shook the entire Desert Wilderness Bazaar into its core, those who previously mocked the former turned amiable and offered numerous gifts, along with those who remained neutral and of course. Their allies.
Caitlyn gracefully accepted their gifts and her numerous people from all sorts of places applied for a position inside her Gang. Soon, the issue of having low members was addressed and the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang grew into a medium-size Gang with five hundred members.
After their promotion into a first-tier Gang, Caitlyn became privy to all sorts of information pertaining towards the four Gangs that governed the Desert Wilderness Bazaar. However, when she knew about these, a wry smile leaked on her lips for she knew that the Black Wing Gang would certainly become their enemy in the near future.
Taking out a letter, he summoned Dan and Charlotte as the three of them walked towards the direction of the Black Wing Gang Headquarters, where a meeting pertaining to the victory of the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang would be held, along with the other overlords that governed this Bazaar.
Dan and Charlotte didn"t want to go at first but when he heard that the Black Wing Gang possessed what he needed to return back to the Empire of Eternal Faith. He immediately ran after her along with Charlotte who transformed into her disguise.
Arriving at the Pavilion of the Black Wing Gang, the three entered and sat before a table, Dan curiously looked around and found that the luxuriousness of the place could compare with the Imperial Palace of the Empire of Dawn. Soon, after waiting for about the time it takes to burn incense, four middle-aged men entered the room.
All of them clad in specific robes which indicated their Gang, with the Black Wing Gang leader wearing a jet-black robe, the Poisonous Mamba Gang leader wearing a purple robe, the Divine Eagle Gang leader wearing a silver robe, and the Soaring Serpent Gang leader wearing a brown robe.
When they entered the room, all the leaders with the exception of the Divine Eagle and the Soaring Serpent Gang disregarded the presence of Caitlyn. They even thought that it was shameful to be with her as they crossed their arms together, looking somewhat bored.
The leader of the Soaring Serpent Gang noticed this and he clapped his hands together before saying, "How about we start the discussion now? Since it looks like the two leaders have quite an important errand to do after this, " He glanced at the two leaders who looked unimpressed.
"Are you saying that we don"t care about this discussion?" The jet-black robed middle-aged man raised his eyebrows and the former replied with an ambiguous smile, "Didn"t I specifically say anything about what you said? Leader Blackie?"
His words carried a hint of provocation, but the jet-black robed man disregarded his intent and said, "Let"s just finish this up and start our discussion," He said and the leader of the Divine Eagle Gang chuckled, "I"ve heard that there"s some bigshot from the Empire of Eternal Faith that arrived at your place, yesterday, will Leader Blackie introduce us to that respected person?"
Leader Blackie raised an eyebrow, "You need not concern yourself with the matters of my own Gang, and you, even me is not qualified to lift our heads before that person..." His solemn voice echoed in the area and everyone, including Dan and Charlotte, became serious.
The latter glanced at Dan and the two stared at each other, but Dan shook his head, clearly knowing what Charlotte was thinking, he dismissed her idea. Even though the Paradyne Clan was a Clan second only to the Royal Family and had an influence that spanned across the entire Empire. They also had a fair share of enemies, enemies that wanted them dead.
Charlotte obediently nodded her head, it"s not like they do not have a method of returning home other than asking that certain person some help. Returning their focus to the discussion, they listened in.
When the five leaders heard the words of Leader Blackie, their eyes flashed in solemness, the people that hailed from the Empire that would make someone like him, obedient, should be someone that they could never afford to offend, and because of this, they kept the matter to themselves. However, when Leader Blackie noticed the existence of Dan and Charlotte, he glanced at them and said,
"Caitlyn, even though you won the Gang Wars and you have the same position as us, that doesn"t mean that you could easily bring unauthorized people in such a discussion like this," An indiscernible pressure wafted from his body, pressing on the figures of Dan and Charlotte as the latter turned pale.
Charlotte gripped Dan"s arm, anxiety visible on her face. The pressure from a battle-hardened Spirit Tempering Realm Cultivator like him made her nauseous.
Caitlyn knitted her eyebrows, "Senior, I apologize for what I did but it should be inappropriate for you to do that to my subordinates, right?" She didn"t back down and Leader Blackie who saw her actions couldn"t help but coldly chuckle, "For a mere woman, you sure have the guts of a man..." His eyes scanned her body in a lascivious way as Caitlyn couldn"t help but s.h.i.+ver.
How shameless!
But still, she maintained her dignified figure as she spoke, "I am just trying to protect the rights of my subordinates, if Senior is offended by my actions, then I could only concede," The other leaders who stared in amus.e.m.e.nt at their antics couldn"t help but smile in surprise when they saw her reaction.
Knowing when to retreat and advance, she really has the bearing of a leader, Dan mused to himself, on the other hand, this guy...Dan glanced at Leader Blackie whose expression remained as cold as a thousand years old iceberg.
"I understand your sentiments," His gaze swept over Dan and Charlotte before saying, "Besides, I don"t really care about these two ants, since you insist on having them stay, let"s just do that then..." He momentarily closed his eyes and when it snapped open again, he crossed his arms together and said,
"Several days ago, a Gang War erupted between the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang and the Fierce Bulls Gang resulting in the victory of the former. As a result, the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang obtained the position of a first-tier Gang within the Desert Wilderness Bazaar. However, according to my investigations, there were two people with Divine Arts that interrupted the battle and sided favorably with the Tyrannical Jollibee Gang..." He calmly stated these words before darting his gaze at Caitlyn.
Caitlyn"s expression turned indignant, what he said was a blatant accusation. But since all of his words were fact, she couldn"t do anything. However, she knew that if she remained silent about the matter, her qualifications may be rescinded.
An inner turmoil surged within her mind, but on the outside, she maintained her calm before saying, "We indeed won against the Fierce Bulls Gang, but I beg to differ about your last statement. We didn"t rely on the help of an outside party..." She declared and Leader Blackie chuckled, the Poisonous Mamba Gang leader"s eyes dangerously narrowed.
"Then, how will you explain that surge of power that clearly came from a Divine Art that appeared in the airs.p.a.ce of the battle area? Do you really think that we"re that r.e.t.a.r.ded?" His gaze focused on Caitlyn and the latter"s figure shook before revealing a small smile that stunned the four leaders.
Leader Blackie and Leader Mamba narrowed their eyes, judging from her expression, she was pretty confident that she could explain the matters that happened several days ago. But still, as long as she could not prove herself or she revealed an opening. They would definitely take advantage of it.
Taking two rings from her coin pouch, she presented it towards the four leaders and all of them took turns in inspecting the rings, "Earth Grade Artifacts?" Leader Eagle mumbled surprise flashed in his eyes. The price of Artifacts could make even their clan, bankrupt. But this young woman actually had two Artifacts, and at the Earth Grade at that!
Leader Mamba and Leader Blackie"s expression flashed in doubt. The former placed the ring back on the table and interrogated, "Just where did you obtain these two rings?" The other leaders perked their ears.
Caitlyn crossed her arms together with a small smile on her face as she said, "I don"t think that it"s not appropriate for you to ask me such questions, right? More importantly, does the aura that comes from the two rings, feel similar for the both of you?"
Leader Mamba"s expression turned harsh, he raised his right hand and slammed a palm on the table, causing it to collapse and turn into dust, "How presumptuous!" He stared at Caitlyn with venomous eyes, but when he remembered a certain matter, his momentum deflated and he sat back on the table.
Leader Serpent who didn"t speak until this time said, "Calm down, calm down, remember that as leaders recognized by the Formation, we should not hurt each other lest a calamity descends upon us..." His tone amiable as he explained, Dan"s expression flickered, he remembered something about the leaders that governed this Bazaar.
As the overlords in this Bazaar, all of them should not engage in blatant conflict with each other so that they wouldn"t disturb the tranquility of the entire Bazaar. Else, if someone violated this rule, they would be struck by a powerful lightning that would definitely turn them into dust.
Leader Mamba"s reddened expression dissipated. His glance swept over at Caitlyn and coldly chuckled, "Indeed, these two rings contains enough power to annihilate Fierce Blood,"
Caitlyn lightly chuckled in response, "If that"s the case, then I suppose, Senior Mamba is satisfied now, right?" Hearing her words, anger momentarily surfaced on his face, but in the end, he could only nod his head.
Dan glanced at Caitlyn and noted that this innocent looking young woman really wasn"t so simple. With just a few words from her, she could shut up a prominent leader. But still, his eyebrows knitted, "Just where did she acquire those rings?" Inspecting the Ring with the System, Dan found that it once contained a vast amount of Lightning Qi while the other had traces of used up Fire Qi.
The two Qi clearly matched the surge of Qi that occurred at that battle, several days ago.
"Since this certain matter is cleared up, I think it"s now time for us to dissolve this meeting," Leader Blackie stood up, along with the four leaders but was interrupted by Caitlyn who said, "Before we finish this meeting, as a newly appointed leader of the Bazaar, I have a simple request that I ask towards Senior Blackie."
The four leaders froze and Leader Blackie glanced at her before saying, "A simple request?" His eyebrows knitted, Indeed, according to the rules written under the Leader"s Code provided by the Formation towards the reigning leaders, each of them had the right to request something from the other. However, since the request could only be used for a single time, the four of them didn"t use their request and kept it for certain matters.
But Caitlyn, the newly appointed leader didn"t hesitate to use her request charge. The four leaders shook their heads in disappointment, how hasty of her to do such thing... They inwardly thought.
"Fine, as a leader of the Bazaar governed by the Formation, I, Leader Blackie of the Black Wing Gang will agree to any request of yours as long as it is not too outrageous and could be achieved without harming my subordinates," A stream of azure light suddenly descended from the heavens and enveloped the bodies of Caitlyn and Leader Blackie.
Dan felt the strange coercive power and couldn"t help but s.h.i.+ver as a cold sweat ran through his back. Charlotte, on the other hand, became even more anxious while the four leaders" expression turned respectful as they observed the oath of the two.
"Now then, pray, tell. What is your request?" Leader Blackie spoke in an indifferent tone, Caitlyn clasped her hands together before saying, "My request is, I want to borrow, Senior Blackie"s Spatial Tunneling Formation Disc to transfer these two back to their homeland..."
The four leaders" expression turned weird upon hearing her words, This request of her, isn"t it so simple? Why did she have to use the Formation"s coercive power in asking Leader Blackie? They thought, but soon, they remembered that the enemy that her Gang faced against at the Gang Wars was a subordinate Gang of the Black Wing Gang.
Nodding their heads in realization, they stared at the scene in amus.e.m.e.nt while Dan became solemn, Leader Blackie frowned, "No, your request is too outrageous, I won"t grant it."
Caitlyn"s expression darkened, "How is it too outrageous, Senior? I will offer the resources needed to make the Formation run, just let me borrow it!" She stood tall and pressed on as Blackie coldly replied, "How dare you question my decision, since I told you that it is impossible, then it is impossible!" A majestic aura swept from his body towards Caitly and the two stared at each other in a standstill.
Grounding her teeth, Caitlyn said, "Then, Senior, you should at least tell me why you refused my request..." Judging from the light that came from her eyes, she was unwilling to back down. Leader Blackie noticed her determination as an idea appeared in his mind, revealing a slight smile on his face, he said, "It"s not like it is completely impossible, you know, how about this, if you let me acquire a herb from the Thousand Deaths Valley, I"ll definitely grant your request."
His words rang loud and clear and the four leaders including Caitlyn stared at him in shock. Clenching her fists, tight, she said, "Impossible! That"s a death zone that even an expert like you is unwilling to go into, how could you expect me to go there and even gather a herb?!"
Leader Blackie maintained his cold smile, "If you"re unwilling to do what I asked you to do, then forget the matter of using my Spatial Tunneling Formation..." He stood up and turned towards the exit, "If you"re willing to do the job, go in there and find me a Noxius Mushroom..." He left these words as his figure disappeared from their sight.
The other leaders sighed and started leaving the room, one by one after expressing their gestures. Now, left inside the room were the figures of Caitlyn, Dan, and Charlotte.
"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d..." Caitlyn"s chest violently heaved as her breathing turned into ragging pants, Dan revealed a wry smile, "Miss Boss, you need to calm down," Turning towards him, she said, "How could I calm down? That b.a.s.t.a.r.d made me waste a precious request charge!"
"Well, you didn"t really waste it though, since he offered a condition that would make him accept your request,"
"Are you stupid? That Thousand Deaths Valley is a place of certain death! One who goes inside will definitely be able to come back! Rumors said that there was a Divine Soul Pract.i.tioner that went inside and was unable to return!"
"Okay, okay, I get it, I get it, just calm down already and let"s return home..." Dan pacified the raging hot potato that was Caitlyn as the group stood up and returned to the headquarters. Soon, the night arrived and Dan"s figure sneakily walked away from the residence clad in a jet-black robe.
Since that b.a.s.t.a.r.d is not willing to let me borrow that Formation Disc, and I can"t just steal something as precious like that since it would definitely be protected by several layers of protection, It seems like I have no other choice but to enter that Thousand Deaths Valley.
After asking for some information about the Thousand Deaths Valley, Dan found that the dangers within the Valley didn"t really come from some strange phenomenon. Instead, it came from the numerous strong territorial beasts that resided inside the Valley.
With a confident smile on his face, Dan arrived near the Valley and arranged the information that he had about the Noxius Mushroom that could only be found in the center of the Valley. Activating Stealth, his figure disappeared and entered the Valley without anyone, human nor beast noticing his presence.
Meanwhile, back at the pavilion of the Black Wing Gang, almost all of the members of the Gang gathered inside the pavilion, staring at a Spatial Distortion before them. Their expressions looked respectful and their domineering might retracted.
Leader Blackie who was known as a terrifying and ruthless man stood there like an obedient child awaiting the arrival of his parents. Soon, the Spatial Distortion rippled and a slender and gorgeous figure emerged from the portal.
The figure belonged to a jet-black haired young woman whose visual appearance took the breath of the men"s lungs including Leader Blackie. The young woman glanced around the area and all of them realized their disrespectful manner as they hung their heads low.
Leader Blackie approached this young woman and clasped his hands together in a respectful manner before saying, "Mistress Longinus, welcome to my humble organization, I have already prepared your temporary residence, please follow me..." He spoke in a soft and amiable tone.
The young woman merely nodded her head. Her expression remained cold and ethereal as she moved with light and graceful steps behind Leader Blackie. When she left, the presence that she subconsciously exerted on the men back at the place where she emerged, disappeared as all of them heaved a sigh of relief.
They knew in their hearts that the young woman that looked like a G.o.ddess possessed a background that they could never afford to offend lest they didn"t want their lives anymore.
Shaking their heads, they calmly dispersed from the area and returned to their own duties.