"Irwan, why are you so late?" Realizing that Irwan was back, Shalian lazily sat up straight on the sofa. "Did you not bring any food back?""Get up and get changed. We"re leaving."
"Now? We"ve just moved here for a week, and we paid a month"s rent."
"I met someone who knows us. We must leave now."
Regardless of whether Chen Zhao would call the police, they were not going to stay here any longer.
It would be risky, after all. Given their profession, they could not allow even the slightest risk.
Shalian quickly put on her clothes and packed her stuff.
The two erased all traces of their presence as if they had never been here before.
...
"Mr. Chen, it"s going to be a full moon tonight. Be prepared. I"ll go and fetch you later."
Pierce South called Chen Zhao. Actually, Chen Zhao already knew where Trede Pemton had hidden his treasure.
The seal to the treasure had precisely been set by Winry Gargamel. Now that she had become Raymond"s servant, Chen Zhao knew everything about the seal.
Therefore, as long as Pierce South did not attempt to do anything funny or betray Chen Zhao, they would definitely be able to get the treasure.
In the evening, Pierce South came.
Chen Zhao brought all his demon servants, except Amon who was in the sea.
When Pierce saw the entire family of pets squeeze into his car, his face was clearly written with question marks.
"Mr. Chen, why are you bringing so many pets?"
"To ensure that you won"t betray me and kill me after finding the treasure."
"But now I"m scared that you"re the one who"ll betray me..."
The Silly Twins, Walter and Obitos all looked really fearsome.
Bitten by any of them once and Pierce would probably be half-dead.
Pierce was himself a truly powerless wizard. He really regretted not bringing a gun.
"Mr. Pierce, actually you don"t have to be so worried. I"m only planning to protect myself, not betray you."
"But I"m still scared. How?"
"Our cooperation is based on mutual trust. You should trust me."
"Can I go back now and get a gun?"
Chen Zhao sneered. Pierce immediately kept quiet and focused on driving.
Actually, Pierce chose to cooperate with Chen Zhao precisely because he trusted Chen Zhao.
After all, Chen Zhao had distributed ten million worth of gold to the residents of the town. This was the crucial factor which had led to Pierce"s decision.
Of course, the treasure they were looking for now was worth a few million dollars. Pierce could not guarantee that Chen Zhao would not be blinded by greed after seeing the treasure.
Just like how Pierce had been driving in worry, Chen Zhao was also on his guard.
This was their first cooperation, after all. They were more or less strangers to each other.
Trede had hidden his treasure very deep in the mountain. Indeed, it was in an extremely isolated place.
The car stopped before the mountain. The two had to climb the mountain on foot.
"Mr. Chen, I heard that you"re planning to build a villa beside Mirror Lake, right?"
"Yes."
"Is that why you need money so urgently now?"
"Kind of."
While Chen Zhao already had enough money for the villa, a house alone was clearly not enough.
He needed more money in order to maintain a high quality of life.
"How about you? Are you taking this risk also because you need money urgently?" Chen Zhao asked.
"It"s for my company. My company needs more money, so I have to come here. Puff... You"re really fit. Are Eastern sorcerers all so fit?"
"You just have to exercise more often." Chen Zhao rolled his eyes.
Unlike in a novel, sorcerers did not have to be physically weak.
It was just like how an excellent student could be physically strong too.
After walking for a while, Pierce felt that it was about time he had to start a conversation. "I have a wife."
"Yes. Most people only have one."
"I also have a kid."
"So?"
"So when you"re about to betray me, can you think about my family and not kill me?"
"..."
It was very difficult to climb the mountain. Sometimes, there was not even a proper path.
Before they started the journey, they had already prepared some equipment, such as hiking boots, a rope, and a mattock.
Despite so, Pierce still found the journey tiring. Chen Zhao, on the other hand, found it much easier.
He was very fit. In fact, Chen Zhao would be fine unless the environment was really, really bad.
"How far away are we from our destination?" Chen Zhao asked.
Although Winry had told him the rough location, it was his first time going there. He did not know exactly where it was.
Furthermore, given that the place was so far in the mountain forest, even Winry could not pinpoint its exact location.
"Maybe over ten kilometers. Two more hills I think," Pierce said.
"Can you still walk?"
"I don"t have a choice. We have to get there before midnight," Pierce said, panting. "Otherwise, we need to wait for the next full moon."
"Do you need me to carry you?"
Pierce was overjoyed. "Can you?"
"I can carry you for one kilometer, and you must give me one of the items you choose later." Chen Zhao smiled.
Pierce rolled his eyes. "Forget it. I can still walk."
Chen Zhao was still quite energized, but it was really difficult to walk on the mountain.
The path was sometimes slippery. Even Chen Zhao could not maintain his stability.
On the other hand, the Silly Twins, Walter, Beelzebub, and the rest had a much easier time. They jumped up and down the uneven surface as if it was flat.
Even Obitos was a speedy boy in the forest. He would occasionally have a 100m sprint, swinging his large tail along the way.
The two humans encountered many obstacles, as though they were on a journey to another country.
They had left at around five, thinking that seven hours was ample time.
After they entered the mountain, they realized that the schedule was much tighter than they had thought.
In particular, Pierce did not have enough stamina. In the end, Chen Zhao had to carry him and finish the last part of their journey.
Finally, they reached their destination at 11.30pm. It was a cave hidden deep in the mountain.
High, humid and isolated, the place was enveloped in an uncomfortable and stressful atmosphere.
The trees above them blocked the moonlight completely, amplifying the darkness of the cave.
Panting heavily, Pierce sat on the ground and could not get up.
"It"s indeed here." It was apparently not Pierce"s first time here. At least he knew the way quite well.
While Chen Zhao knew the rough location, he might not have found the place so easily among the thick forests and monotonous mountains.
"You can only find this cave during a full moon," Pierce explained.
Actually, Winry had told Chen Zhao about it too. He even knew exactly what was going to happen next.