A bright peal of laughter resounded in the kitchen next to Spark.
Joey and Spark looked at Terry, the origin.
Terry noticed Spark's fiddling behaviour and was strangely amused because he had a pretty good idea of what the request he wanted to make was about.
"No need to be shy about it. There is not a single request I wouldn't dare to fulfill for the saviours. As long as it is congruent with my ability to do so, of course."
His smile grew wide when he made a guess on his own.
"I suppose, you want to ask for a copy of the Clearing Cloud Circulation Technique?"
Spark was lost for words. He needed a moment to collect himself.
Terry hit the nail on the head!
Of course Spark wouldn't pass by an opportunity like this!
He was in the position to ask for it, and he wouldn't hesitate to do so, but when he was about to ask, and put his words right, he was completely seen through...
Spark laughed awkwardly.
"Hehe, was it that obvious?"
Terry instead, laughed heartily.
"Bahahaha, of course it was! Who wouldn't want a copy?"
He expected the request to come, especially from someone who seemed as direct as Spark. The Tailor looked his saviours in the eyes and added:
"Even if you didn't ask, I would have prepared two copies on my own. That is the absolute least I could do for you two."
Hearing this honest sentiment Spark was a bit embarrassed at his own thoughts.
Joey was also a bit flusterd when he heard Terry say this. He scratched his head in shame...
It seemed like the burly Bartender had the same thing on his mind, but hasn't quite found the right chance to ask.
'At least I'm not alone with my greed!' Spark lampooned when he saw Joey acting all embarrased.
"Thank you Terry," said Spark and Joey while gratefully bowing.
"No, no how I could accept your gratitude. I should throw myself on the floor here hahaha," Terry exclaimed with a flustered chuckle.
...
"Back to the topic?" Spark curtly asked when an unbearable silence filled the kitchen.
Joey also quickly chimed in to change the strange mood.
"Right! You said something about damage control, didn't you?"
"Yes. But first, we have to find out the extent of the damage. Tali, call Milo and Bilo in here."
"Okay Big Bro!" She crisply answered before storming out of the kitchen.
A loud voice directed at the two gangster brothers echoed to the kitchen:
"MILO ! BILO ! Big Bro said you should come into the kitchen!"
Now that she found herself in absolute safety, most of her fear extinguished as well.
Hearing her scream on top of her lungs Terry and Spark shaked their head in embarassment,while Joey scratched his temples with a short laugh.
Before the brothers entered the room, Spark whispered in a low voice, receiving a nod as an answer.
"Follow my lead."
Just a few seconds later two stiff figures entered the dimly lit kitchen. Bilo was nervous and fiddled with his hands, not knowing where to put them.
Milo seemed more reserved, but he should be just as tense as his brother.
The two really didn't dare to escape or try anything as asinine as escaping... If they really wanted to try, they would have done so earlier, after all.
At least they're somewhat sensible!
Spark's experience told him that that the the lithe and tall Milo was a shrewd man, similar to himself. The fatter brother Bilo seemed to follow the judgement of Milo without a question.
...So, them not escaping with abundant opportunities to do so meant that Milo had a plan in mind. And what else could it be, if not catching the crumbs of the big fat cake Joey and Spark looted in the hideout?
Spark saw through his plan instantaneously, and ... he didn't detest that way of thinking at all!
It was perfectly rational!
When has it ever been different in business?
Not a single instance sprung to Spark's mind, when he went through his memories as Théo Floga!
Spark really didn't mind to find a compromise.
If Milo really had something to offer which could help to contain the pressing circumstances, it was no loss at all to let him slurp the soup and bite the bones after eating all the meat.
But showing the willingness to compromise first was never clever. Showing all your cards leaves you with the short end of the stick. That was a fundamental rule of negotiation.
"You called for us?" Milo questioned in an unsure voice, while halting in front of Spark who stood in front of Terry.
Spark nodded and calmly explained, while taking a step forward until mere centimeters divided the two men.
"Right... I thought it about it and decided it would be best to clear up any misunderstandings between us, rather sooner than later."
Spark raised his gaze and stared deeply into Milo's eyes as if wanting to make out the very nature of his character.
He saw Bilo slowly growing restless, wanting to say something after a couple moments of silence had passed.
Ultimately, the portly brother held himself back when he felt Joey's fierce stare.
Spark continued in all seriousness.
"I will ask a couple of questions now, and I would strongly recommend to think twice before spewing half-hearted lies."
Milo retorted with a rethorical question.
"We have no choice but to cooperate, don't we?"
Indifferent to it, Spark nodded.
"It would be advisable."
"So... why were you chasing after Terry's daughter?"
Spark's first question froze the mood in the room, when he took a step to the side to reveal Terry's resentful frown eyeing the gangsters in spite. He was rightfully furious.
Milo openly vindicated themselves:
"It was not our decision. We were ordered by the Boss. You saw Celas' terror with your own eyes! Refusing orders was akin to death!"
"Right ... Right, he would have definitely slaughtered us!" Bilo stammered in a self-justifying tone.
Spark growled in an angered voice,
"But that's not what I was asking ... You only have one more chance."
"Why were you chasing Terry's daughter?"
Spark was cold, cruel and furious. A glance to Joey was enough for him to understand.
Joey stood up, a deep frown coloring his face black. He was the real deterrent in this conversation!
A genuine Element Awakening Stage Cultivator!
A genuine Qi Realm Artist!
People under the eaves have to bow their heads. And Milo and Bilo here, needed to crouch to keep theirs screwed onto their shoulders!
Sweat started to drip down Milo's cheeks but he didn't lose composure yet. Countless thoughts raced around his head at break-neck speeds. The wrong answer could potentially be the end of their lives. Unsure if their opposites had the resolve to kill them, he remembered how Celas' life came to pass and swore he wouldn't want to find out.
...He had decided. It was time to take a gamble. The most effective method here was to show their value and expose some of their cards.
"Because of the Cultivation Book she ran away with!" Milo admitted, his eyes sharp and focussed on the reactions of the three people in front.
Spark showed complete indifference, while Joey's eyes widened a bit before he controlled his expression. Terry couldn't help but gulp at the remark and Milo did not fail to notice it.
Spark was not very surprised. No, rather he had hoped for this development. If the brothers knew about the Cultivation Book, it meant one of four possible things must be the case.
And those scenearios, he had already tabulated.
It needs to be postulated that either Kaine, Sarah or Obek had mentioned the Cultivation book to a middleman, who associated with the bandit group and shared the knowledge with Celas, the Mad Dog.
First; Celas was told about Tali's blunder and circulated that information to all bandits, including Milo and Bilo when he sent them out to search for Tali.
Second; Milo and Bilo were the middlemen who obtained the information, brought the news to Celas and were therefore ordered to catch Tali.
Third; Celas was told about Tali's blunder and only spread the information to Milo and Bilo, ordering them to catch Tali for him.
Fourth; The information was accidentally leaked by the middleman, which led to the brothers hearing about it, making them eligible for the search.
Spark was sure about the fact that Celas had ordered them to search for Tali. This much could be easily deduced by the behaviour they showed at their first meeting. The brothers were incredibly anxious and nervous about possible repercussions of not completing their task.
Celas definitely knew about the Cultivation Book. Would someone like him really spread the information around?
...There is no way!
He would rather put his trust into these two fools, and hoped for them to catch the 11 year old girl by themselves.
While doing so, he intended to torture the location of the Technique out of Terry's mouth, on the off- chance the daughter didn't have it in the end.
Someone with his paranoia and powerhungry character would never trust a kid with such a treasure, after all.
Option one,three and four do not make much sense, considering Celas' character and status in the gang. Would he really order the two brothers, who were only mundane humans or at most in the Lesser Body Foundation Realm?
Probably not.
Much less, would he share such sensitive information with the whole gang!
On the off-chance, that some hidden tiger caught wind of it, he consequently had no way to retain the treasure for himself, therefore he would likely not dare to risk it with an open approach.
It had to happen secretly!
Taking the Bone Marrow Operation where Celas returned as the only survivor into account, it was not only feasible, but very likely.
He would rather silence every witness, than to take any chances... It is in line with his character.
It was much better to reveal something valuable has been stolen, not mentioning the book at all.
Also, there is no such middleman, who would dare to leak the information, unless he wanted to die, or had enough strength to not care.
Considering every aspect, Spark was almost completely sure that Milo and Bilo were the middlemen in question.
They must have had some connection to Kaine, Sarah or Obek and came to know about the rumor of the Cultivation Book from them.
He sorted out his thoughts, kept his perfect pokerface and nonchalantly answered to Milo's daring gamble in an omniscient tone:
"Just as we assumed, you knew about the Book."
Pin-drop silence engulfed the room, the expression of the two men behind him were straight and focussed on the brothers.
"You know what this means ... Right?"
Milo twitched and a pearl of sweat ran across his cheek. He ignored the underlying threat of the statement and tried to reverse the situation back into their favour:
"Haha, why, of course I know what it means!"
"It means you need our help to contain any information from spreading!"
Sharp gazes lacerated the room. A war happening purely in the minds of the participants brought every nerve present on the edge of action. Spark broke the short silence with a devastating reveal.
"In what way do we need you for that? Your source must the kid named Obek, right? We just need to visit the boy to make sure no information will ever spread."
He doubled down on his suspicions and delivered a fatal blow. Obek being their source was just a guess he made after weighing the odds against each other, but considering their reactions, he must have hit a sore spot.
Milo and Bilo's eyes riped open in shock and their mouths gave sound to a quiet gasp when they heard Sparks confident hypothesis. Milo could recover faster than his brother but traces of surprise still filled his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about... Who's Obek?" Milo tried to salvage the situation but Spark was quicker.
A thundering shout escaped his lips in direct response to the shallow lie. He was an expert in manipulation and gaslighting. He had years of experience, so his tongue was a weapon to be accounted for.
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SPOUT ANY IMPETUOUS LIES TO ME!"
He grabbed Milo by the fabric of his shirt and hissed at him in a low voice:
"You really thought, I wouldn't see through your petty distortions?"
As soon as he grabbed Milo by the shirt, Bilo's nerves snapped apart. In chaotic panic he moved and tried to free his brother from the grip. Reading the sinister atmosphere in the room, he thought discussion time was over. They were exposed. It was fight or flight.
In reality of course, you could cross the 'fight' from the adage. His computational ability allowed him to see that at least, crystal clear.
Bilo was more than ready to escape with his tail between the legs, but just freeing his brother from the young man's grip proved to be a trial much more difficult than he had imagined.
A thick muscly hand grabbed him by the arm, just fractions of a second after he started his motion. A hot sensation sizzled over his arm and made him gasp in shock.
Realizing his short-sightedness and blunder, he gazed into the eyes of the obstructor. Brown eyes, fierce, and submerged by hidden embers of fire, glimmered with fiery zest and cast a ruthless stare.
'What a shitty proverb.' he thought as he saw the blunder in his actions.
Fight or Flight? Not an option was viable! Both ended in a dead end!
They were like two fish shivering on a chopping board.
Milo acted very quickly. He revealed truthfuy:
"Hah~ You're right. Obek told us about the young one's slip of the tongue."
It seemed he had resigned to his fate and let all pretenses fall apart.
"You are a scary youngster, you know that?"
Indifferent to the last comment, Spark asked in a more gentle voice:
"Do you want to live?"
"Yes!" The brothers shouted in unison.
Spark nodded.
"Then we will throw you a lifebelt ... I'd advise you to not poke any holes in it."
Spark took complete control of the conversation after that.The conversation picked up pace when no pretenses veiled truths from lies.
"How many people know about the Cultivation Book?"
"It should be only me, Bilo, Celas and Obek, as long as he hasn't told anybody."
"Who is Obek to you, for him to directly come to you with such information."
"He is just a young kid from the slums we have known for a couple years. A little brother you could say."
"Why did you share this information with Celas and didn't try to take it for your own?"
Milo shot a resentful look at his brother and sighed, "Of course we would have kept it under covers... It was because that devil has the ears of a mouse! It slipped from Bilo's tongue in a moment of carelessness, and he had known about it ever since. Then he ordered us to catch the little girl while he went to capture Terry."
Spark cursed in his thoughts.
'Just what is up with you people, and your blunders all the time? Are the people living here complete fools?'
"I see..." Spark said, staring at the Bilo with a shake of his head, "Count yourself lucky that nobody died."
"So... how exactly can you assure us, that you won't sell us out when you make the right aquaintance in the future?"
Milo was bewildered by the last question Spark posed. He hadn't expected anything after he lost the mental high ground, but if his wits haven't left him, then... didn't the young man just throw him a bone?
An inexperienced speaker would try to come up with reasonable excuses as reply, but Milo was a shrewd man. The slums moulded him into an astute listener and debater, since saying the wrong words was the paper-thin divide between a calm debate and flying fists. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity to be bold and ask for compensation. A full belly won't grumble for food after all!
"Buy us out ..." he whispered in a quiet, unconfident voice.
"Huh? What was that," Spark strained his ears.
"Buy us out!" Milo exclaimed in a louder voice, which halled from the kitchen to the bar.
"Hmm ..."
Spark pretended to think, even though everything went exactly like he planned.
He could never fully trust them, unless they at least made a deal like this. If a party feels like they missed out too much, bad water accumulates and spills out in the future. It always brought troubles in the past.
This was another, of many different lessons he had to learn in his past life.
With a sigh he uttered, "Fine ... what did you have in mind?"
"S-Spark ?!" Joey exclaimed.
He didn't expect this turn of events. The conversation definitely weighed in their favour after Bilo's reaction.
But somehow, the two ruffians would even benefit from the situation even when they were the main cause of all troubles?
That was way too strange!
"Compromises, Joey– we need to make compromises for both parties to be satisfied," Spark sighed as he turned towards Joey, who still held onto Bilo's arm which had reddened to a worrying degree by now.
"Beats killing them ... right?"
Milo and Bilo's eyes widened once again, their movements stiff and rusty when they glanced at the bartender.
Joey thought for a few seconds, as if he was pondering about which of the two options would be more logical, before uttering:
"Right..."
...and releasing Bilo's hand.
'That short break was a bit scary. Not going to lie.' Spark muttered silently.
The brothers had made a bad impression on Joey... and the Bartender was a ruthless man to his enemies.
Thank god, the two didn't quite belong to that category, yet.
Spark on the other hand, while not having a favourable impression about their character either, believed in second chances. He actually appreciated astute talents like Milo.
But it was not like he hadn't thought about the other option...
Dark thoughts found their way into his mind and options, ever since being dropped into the kill-or-be-killed world, further untangling another layer of his soul.
Dead people tell no tales after all.
That was a cold fact.
But he could still differentiate right from wrong, and was a long shot away from being a senseless killer...
Before exhausting other options, Spark wouldn't entertain these thoughts too much. Now, he only had to see if the brothers could change the morally corrupt, skeptic character they developed in the slums over time.
At heart, they were probably good people, Spark assumed. He saw the guilt on their faces when they looked at Terry's state. They weren't directly responsible for it, but felt that way nevertheless.
"So, what is it. What compensation did you have in mind?"
Milo hesitated a bit. When he was about to propose, a curious glimmer shone in his pupils, and he closed his mouth again.
Suddenly, he blurted out:
"...I want you to hire us!"
Spark was taken aback. Joey was stunned. Terry was stumped. And Bilo... looked as pale as a ghost.
'Y-You say what?'
'This sounds familiar...'
Spark thought, being exposed to a profound feeling of deja vu.