The two crazed young nobles were carried away by their guards. The onlookers were also dispersed by the Investigators who kept order in the city. Roland and Silva slipped away in the confusion, but quite a few greedy eyes followed after them.

Miles and Martin had powerful backers. Those people didn’t dare set their sights on them. But Roland and Silva looked like nothing more than a wealthy young couple. The ones with bad intentions had long been itching to rob them.

Oliverlam looked prosperous on the surface. Everyone seemed rich, and society seemed stable. But every city had its dark side, and Oliverlam was no exception. In fact, Oliverlam had plenty of underground black-market businesses, usually controlled by local gangs. Desperadoes and criminals often hid their identities in remote districts, living like ordinary people. But the moment they came across something worth risking their lives for, they would return to their old trade.

And clearly, the treasures Roland and Silva carried were exactly the kind of thing worth risking everything for.

The two of them turned left and right through the streets, then finally stopped in front of a high-end formalwear shop.

“Hey~ Roland, wanna try changing into a new outfit?” Silva asked.

“Do they sell Bard clothes here?” Roland looked the shop over.

“They do custom orders. This shop’s a famous brand. The clothes aren’t just pretty, the quality is top-tier too.” Silva smiled with a blush on her face. “And the tailor here works for the royal family. Our wedding outfits were custom-made here too.”

Roland’s mouth twitched. He suddenly had the urge to blow the place up.

“Let’s go in and take a look first.” Silva smiled happily and pulled Roland into the shop.

At the same time, several sneaky-looking men were loitering by the street. When they saw Roland and Silva enter that clothing store, they immediately split up. A few went to notify the others, preparing to move out together and seize the pearl in Silva’s hand, along with the hero’s sword.

Those priceless treasures were enough to change all their lives.

In a dark alley unknown to most, a group of vicious men had gathered.

This gang had a name: Gray Wolf.

Gray Wolf was extremely powerful. It controlled the underground black-market businesses in the southwest of the capital. Its members were all criminals, and its upper ranks were desperadoes under heavy pursuit. The reason they could throw their weight around in this area was simple. They had cozied up to certain high-ranking members of the royal family and made some kind of deal with them.

But Gray Wolf’s leaders weren’t satisfied with the status quo. They had wanted to expand their territory for a long time. Unfortunately, they had never found the right chance, so their plans stayed on hold. Then today, a couple carrying peerless treasures entered their sight.

It’d be a crime not to rob them.

So Gray Wolf’s upper ranks made the decision without hesitation. They would launch a robbery so simple it could hardly be simpler.

The other side was just a young couple. There was no need for much planning. They only needed to send two capable members to assassinate them.

But at this moment, Gray Wolf had mobilized in full, because they had competitors. The capital had countless underground businesses, and no one knew how many gangs wanted a cut. Gang fights happened every day. Among them, besides Gray Wolf, there were three other major powers.

Dead Hand, Rock Mountain, and Blood Spider.

These four gangs each controlled most of Oliverlam’s underground black-market businesses. They opposed one another, and all of them wanted a chance to wipe out the other three and monopolize the entire underworld of Oliverlam.

And now, Roland and Silva’s appearance had lit the fuse. At this point, every gang wanted those two pearls and the hero’s sword. They could trade them for huge amounts of money and resources, then use that to expand their power.

“Boss, we’ve already spotted people from Rock Mountain and Blood Spider. There’s still no news from Dead Hand.” A skinny, shifty-eyed man spoke to Gray Wolf’s leader.

Gray Wolf’s leader was a rugged brute named Wolf. He was a wanted criminal heavily pursued by the Racial Alliance. A few years ago, he fled to the Moshando Empire, spent a fortune bribing members of the royal family, and dodged the Racial Alliance’s investigations more than once. After that, he gathered followers and founded Gray Wolf. His methods were ruthless and cruel, and his name carried fear throughout the underworld. Very few people wanted to provoke him.

“Mm. Tell the brothers outside to stay sharp. If they run into people from Rock Mountain or Blood Spider, send word immediately. And keep an eye on Dead Hand too. Those bastards might try to play the mantis stalking the cicada,” Wolf ordered.

“Boss, the targets entered a clothing store. Should we just rush in?” one subordinate asked.

Wolf’s face twitched, and he roared, “Are you f***ing stupid?! Rush in directly? You think the Investigators and the royal guards are all on our side?!”

That subordinate immediately dropped to his knees, his face full of terror. “S-sorry, Boss! I... I got too excited, so I didn’t think...”

“Listen up! This operation concerns Gray Wolf’s future! If those two pearls and that sword fall into another gang’s hands, then we’ll be the ones getting swallowed whole. So this time, every last one of you better use your damn brains!” Wolf raised his voice again.

“For now, send two brothers to scout. If there’s a chance, kill the targets. Remember this. It has to be hidden and fast. Don’t leave a single trace, and don’t cause any disturbance. Otherwise, we won’t need the other gangs to make a move. That person will wipe us out.”

Wolf swept his gaze across his men. “Ethan, Buwei. You two go scout. If there’s a chance, kill the targets.”

Two men stepped out from the crowd and answered in unison, “Yes!”

Both of them were Senior Mages. Their strength ranked in the top ten within Gray Wolf, and they were fiercely loyal to Wolf. They were more than suitable for this mission.

In the remote, shadowy alley, Gray Wolf waited like a drawn bow.

...

Ethan and Buwei walked through an alley. Their plan was to blend into the clothing store first, then look for a chance to approach the targets, or snatch them away the moment they stepped outside. With the strength of Senior Mages, they could easily pull it off.

“Old Bu, keep an eye on the surroundings later. Don’t let the other gangs slip in and steal the chance. Once we move, we have to move fast,” Ethan said.

“I know...” Before Buwei could finish, a short-haired maid walked out from the other end of the alley. She stopped in front of them and blocked their path.

“Who are you?!” Ethan narrowed his eyes, instantly on guard.

Beside him, Buwei quietly gathered magic power. If anything went wrong, he would strike at once. He believed very few people could withstand Senior Magic at this distance. And even if someone could, it shouldn’t be a woman dressed like a maid.

Buwei sized up the short-haired maid. She was beautiful, sure, but her expression was gloomy and cold, and her dead fish eyes held no life at all.

And that exquisite maid outfit of hers was stained with a great deal of bright red blood.

It was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.