Drake continued, following Ronan secretly, hiding whenever Ronan glanced back. Ronan turned left towards a large bar building, and Drake tried to keep up as Ronan made a sharp turn. But Drake, however, was slowed down due to the crowd, with nearly 40% of people from the business district there seeking pleasure and relaxation at the bar. He pushed his way through but soon realised he had lost Ronan's trail.
He continued to search every open area undeterredly until he suddenly felt a sharp signal in his head. Turning around to find the source, he spotted Ronan at a dark corner of the bar, leaning against a large tree with his right leg resting on the trunk, folding his arms. But the signal wasn't coming from Ronan but from the tree branches, sending a cold chill down Drake's spine.
Above the tree Ronan leaned on, a man lurked within the branches, wearing a dark coat with his face hidden in shadow. He had created a barrier around himself using Crimsonbane Mist, cancelling his presence from even high-tier mages and warriors. "UCRE-20, I came here under the supreme One's command to check on the progress of your mission." The hidden man reported. "The plan is going smoothly. Tell the Supreme One not to worry." Ronan replied, turning the face subtly to check for any suspicious gaze in their direction.
"Nothing must interfere with the Supreme One's plan, and no mistakes will be tolerated." The man warned. "Hey, I'm not here to be interrogated by you. You don't have the right to question my performance. Just give me what I asked for." Ronan snapped, his face tightened with annoyance. Drake, hidden nearby, who had managed to remain undetected, sensed the tension between the two, even though he could not hear their conversation.
The man tossed two small tubes with sealed caps down the tree, and Ronan caught them swiftly, slipping them into his coat. "Brat, remember, the Supreme One's plan is paramount. Nothing must affect or disrupt it." The man said. Ronan evasively left the tree, and the man transformed into a cloud of crimsonbane mist, fading away into the air. The part of the tree the mist touched became contaminated and began to decay, all of which Drake observed.
A few minutes later, Drake also walked back to the inn with his mind buzzing with numerous thoughts.
Crimsonbane: new name for contaminated fluid.
UCRE-20= Unique Crimson Rot Experiment 20
At the inn, inside the room Drake booked. Xena was lying on the bed, flipping her legs, and turning from side to side, unable to stop worrying about him. The door to the room opened gently, and Xena jumped at the sound. Drake stepped in, dragging his feet exhausted. "Where have you been?" You had me worried this whole time." Drake only smiled at her and dropped on the bed, completely worn out. She helped him take off his clothes, leaving him in his underwear, then laid him down comfortably.
The next day, Drake woke up to find Xena wrapping around him. He carefully freed himself so as not to wake her, but she stirred, yawning softly as she sat up and rubbed her eyes with her fist. "You are awake." She murmured, stretching her arms. Drake was already dressing up. "Let's get ready for the auction event," he said. Xena, still a bit drowsy, lazily got to her feet and prepared to leave. Once they were ready, Drake placed his right arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the inn together.
At the auction entrance, two guards are standing beside a man who seems to be in charge of the admission. People wishing to participate in the bidding showed this man their bank books as proof of qualification while VIPs displayed their auction badges and were each assigned a guard to escort them to the VIP rooms.
Drake approached the man and opened his bag, revealing his money, but the man merely glanced at him and chuckled. "Although the auction deals in coins, the entry ticket is the bank book that recorded your net worth. We can't start counting your money here." He gestured behind Drake. "There are people waiting to get in."
Drake tried to convince the man that he's qualified, but just then Ronan and his teammates showed up."Looked like luck isn't on your side this time," Ronan said, smirking. "It's a shame you won't get to join this event that only comes around once every few months." His gaze fixed on Drake as he stepped forward.
Drake turned to him, recalling the incident from yesterday, and his emotions stirred. His face evidently filled with anger; he clenched his fist. Ronan, seeing his reaction, smirked, thinking he had successfully provoked him when a familiar voice interrupted. "Ronan, it seems you and trouble have been inseparable since birth." Mark said, stepping into the scene with Freya by his side.
Drake smiled at Mark as he approached. "You are here," he said. He and Mark shook hands, pointedly ignoring Ronan and his team. Freya hurried over to Xena and hugged her warmly.
"What's going on?" Mark enquired, turning his gaze from Drake and taking a look at the people around. Drake placed his right hand on his shoulder and smiled. "It's nothing much. I was stopped from entering because I don't have a bank book, then a mosquito buzzed around here." He said, glancing briefly at Ronan with a smirk. Griffin's face heated up; he couldn't hold back. "Who are you calling a mosquito?" He shouted, pointing at Drake.
"If you get down on knees and beg, maybe the young master will consider letting you join us." Valencia sneered, folding her arms. "Oh, look at bootlickers, spouting their nonsense." Mark smirked, shaking his head with a mocking grin.
"Hmph." Griffin and Valencia reacted, but Ronan made a gesture, holding up a sliver badge similar to Drake's auction badge. "Go on with your annoying words," Ronan said, waving the badge. "Even if you manage to get a bank book, I will make sure you don't get anything inside." Mark tried to respond, but Drake stopped him. "Just because some mentally unstable dogs bark doesn't mean we should join them.If the handlers for madness arrive, they will pack us up with them." He said, smirking as Ronan's face twisted in irritation.
"Fine," Ronan sneered. "Let's see how you make it out here with anything from the auction." He turned to his team. "Let go. We will be inside waiting for you." He and his crew entered the auction building.
Drake was deep in thought after noticing the sliver badge in Ronan's hands. "You don't need to take it to heart. We can enter with my bank book, as there is no limit on the number it can permit." Mark said, rubbing Drake's back reassuringly.
"It's not what you think." Drake replied and then turned to the man in charge. "Can we enter with a golden badge similar to what they used?" He asked. The man stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean?" Drake reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out the golden badge he was given as a reward.
Everyone, grasping at the sight of the legendary badge. "What's going on?" He wondered, noticing the growing noise of excitement around him.
"Apologies for the delay. Please follow me." The man said, stepping aside as he showed courtesy towards him. "I will explain as we move in." He turned to the guards. "Take charge; I need to escort this unique VIP to his bidding room."