“Now, shall we go through what I gain from this again?”

Hearing Alex’s question, Barbara’s smile widened by just a fraction. “Information. But not just any information—the exact details of what you’re looking for.”

She also knew what Alex was trying to do. But she wasn’t just anyone; she was a noble through and through.

Alex’s expression remained impassive as he stared at Barbara. “And what do you think I’m looking for?”

She didn’t hesitate. “A girl with purple hair and purple eyes.”

That made Alex pause. He wasn’t surprised. He was sure that everyone knew of this information by now, but now that he was sure that Barbara knew something that would come in handy.

He exhaled softly, nodding at her. “We can talk about the deal now.”

“Good.” She sat forward, her gaze locking onto his. “So, let’s talk trade. I want at least 100 kilograms of that meat, and in return, I’ll give you everything I know. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

Alex leaned back, resting his chin on his hand. “Not really.”

Do you want 100 kilograms of invigorating meat for some information? One can buy information about an emperor’s illicit relationships or information that could bring ruin to empires with that much.

[Well, you are buying information about an imperial princess’s disappearance,] Sophie interjected, but Alex just shrugged at her words.

‘You and I know that; she doesn’t,’ he smirked on the inside.

He didn’t want to waste his or his followers’ hard-earned points, not even if it was only a thousand.

Barbara, on the other hand, arched a brow. “Oh? And why is that?”

On the inside, however, she had expected this. No one would agree to such a request after all.

“I don’t do bad trades,” Alex replied smoothly. “You want invigorating meat, but I doubt you need it just to eat. You’re after its properties.”

Her silence confirmed his suspicion, so he continued, “That means this deal isn’t just about food—it’s about power. You plan to use it to enhance yourself or someone under you. And information? That’s valuable, but it’s only as valuable as I decide it is.”

A slow smile spread across Barbara’s lips. “You’re sharp. I like that. Alright, let’s adjust the terms. 50 kilograms of the meat for the information.”

Alex shook his head. “That’s still too much for words. How about a quarter?”

Barbara momentarily halted before she laughed, a rich, knowing sound. “A quarter? You think I’d accept that?”

Alex met her gaze evenly. “You will if you want the deal.” He paused, his gaze passing through the male and female warriors behind. “Many would tell me everything just for a kilogram of that meat. You, on the other hand, won’t find it anywhere else.”

Silence hung between them for a moment. Then she exhaled and tapped a finger against the armrest of her throne, a strange severeness in her gaze. “I will take 50 kilograms. The information I will provide you with will be worth it. If not, I will take just a quarter.”

Alex thought for a while.

It wasn’t a bad deal. The meat didn’t cost him much, and his main objective here wasn’t to gain information anyway. It was to form a connection and correct some things.

But looking at her expression, Alex didn’t think listening would hurt, so he nodded. “Deal.”

The woman nodded and leaned forward. “The girl you’re looking for—she was here.”

Alex’s smirk faded slightly. He focused.

“She was unconscious and tied when they brought her in,” the woman continued. “And the ones carrying her weren’t ordinary men. They were powerful—at least at the peak of the Star Connection Realm.”

Alex frowned slightly. “Slavers?”

This was never mentioned in the novel. There was no mention of what had happened or how Lilia had reached here. Maybe it was because Keryu never came to these people for information.

“No.” Barbara, however, shook her head at Alex’s question. “Vampires.”

[This is… completely different.] Sophie’s voice echoed in his head, mirroring his own thoughts.

‘Maybe she used them to cover her trakes,’ Alex speculated.

[So, she wants to make it seem like she was brought here by vampires, forcefully at that.] Sophie spoke, the situation making sense to her now.

Those vampires were probably Lilia’s people, and they were made to act that way in order to make it look like a plan of vampires, as a result, confirming the suspicion of Lucian Veyrannis being the one behind her abduction.

‘She must be updated about everything that was going on in the academy, then.’ Alex concluded, smiling inwardly, as if proud of how good Lilia was at manipulating the events.

On the outside, however, Alex remained serious, exhaling slowly; he questioned, “Where did they take her?”

Reaching this point, Barbara’s gaze turned solemn as well, folding her arms, she replied. “Deep into the ruined city. The undiscovered part.”

“Anything else you want to add?” Alex asked, his guts telling him that Barbara wasn’t done yet.

“Yes.” As expected, Barbara nodded, her fists clenching as she replied. “I had sent my people to follow them, but only one of them returned.”

Seeing Barbara’s expression, Alex frowned but didn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue.

Barbara, taking a deep breath, continued, “They said that they heard screams. Agonizing screams, and when they followed the screams, they found dead bodies. The number of dead bodies was equal to the number of people that went in.”

Barbara raised her eyes, staring deep into Alex’s eyes before she added, “When my people tried to investigate the cause, they were attacked by something—something they couldn’t even see. Only one of them could survive and bring me this information.”

A long silence followed as Alex sat with a frown. It seemed his knowledge of the plot was again going to be useless. Things had changed way too much.

But the good thing is that Alex never really depended on the plot. It made things easier, sure. But being too dependent on it would make him weak.

Challenges make one stronger after all. If everything became predictable, then life would be no fun at all.

Rising from his seat, Alex adjusted his sword. Moving closer to a table, he asked, “Is it alright if I put the meat here?”

The atmosphere, which had been dampened because of Barbara’s words and recollection of the deaths of their people, suddenly changed, eagerness taking over their faces.

“Yes,” Barbara, calmest of all, nodded as she stood up as well.

Then, with a nod, Alex expended the required points and brought 50 kilograms of meat, pouring it all on the table.

“50 kilograms, as promised.” His words made it clear that he was satisfied with the information, and he actually was.

Thanks to the information, he knew things weren’t going as they were supposed to.

Barbara, after staring at the meat for a while, turned to Alex, and for the first time, a genuine smile marred her face. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Without another word, Alex just smiled, turned around, and walked out of the ruined palace, his mind already calculating his next steps.

He still wasn’t sure how he would deal with Barbara, or whether she was a relative of Cecilia or someone else, but he was going to find out sooner or later.

For now, he didn’t want to foil his relationship with Barbara’s group, as he didn’t know what kind of challenges he would have to face going forward.

The night was still young, but he had what he needed. So, for now, he had decided to rest.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep