Night fell over the Queens. The atmosphere in Far Rockaway was different when the sun had set. The street lights, which were usually brightly lit, began to recede into darkness, and seemed to hide what could happen in the midst of silence.
The wind was strong, moving the branches of the trees that made a rattling sound, as if to add to the quiet atmosphere in the air. Some of the tall buildings seemed deserted, evident from the dim shadows and minimal lighting.
However, on some street corners, there were still a few people wandering around, but their gazes were full of suspicion.
Klaus looked at the sight from behind the glass of the car.
Sylvia sitting next to him looked tense, her knees couldn't stop shaking and occasionally bit her lip. And Sheila sat on the front seat along with the driver, watching the city streets vigilantly.
After passing through a few blocks, pedestrians and locals were scarce, and homeless tents began to dot the roadside as the car traveled through the city.
The car pulled over as they came to a secluded and deserted area. Two men with fierce faces could be seen standing at the mouth of the alley, as if they were guarding the entrance.
"Are you ready?" Klaus asked Sylvia.
"Are you sure we're going to do this?" The red-head girl looked worried.
"Yes, of course."
They were currently in the Black Bulls' territory. Their leader told Sylvia to come to their headquarters if she wanted her little brother to be safe.
Actually, Sylvia should come alone. She thought that Klaus would bring his men, but there were only four of them, including the driver. In other words, they came unprepared.
"We're coming empty-handed," Sylvia said in concern. "I wonder if we should call for backup."
"No need. The two of us are more than enough."
"What?"
Sylvia was shocked, even more so when she realized that Klaus was not joking. He calmed her down and said everything would be fine, but she couldn't.
Klaus asked Sheila to stay in the car, guarding the perimeter.
As Klaus and Sylvia got out of the car, two gangsters intercepted them. Their faces were as intimidating as their voices; heavy, arrogant, and rude.
"Who are you!" snapped one of the gangsters.
"We're here to come see Mavis."
Hearing the name of their boss escape Sylvia, the fierceness vanished from their faces. They looked at each other as if they were talking with their eyes.
"Which one of you is Sylvia Brown?"
"It's me."
They then gestured for her to follow them, but they held Klaus back.
"You can't come."
"Are you sure? I brought a lot of money for your boss. If he doesn't get it tonight, are you ready to bear the consequences?" Klaus bluffed.
The two guards looked at each other a second time, and one shrugged, indicating he didn't know. Afraid of getting into trouble, they finally allowed Klaus to enter.
Down the dark and narrow alley, Klaus noticed the conditions around him. Steam from the sewer tunnel lid was billowing, and there was no lighting other than the building next door. Several people seemed to be standing in every corner, they chatted, and occasionally glanced at Klaus with a sardonic gaze.
"Laplace, how many people are in this area?" muttered Klaus.
<There are forty people, they are all awakeners. And I also saw a lot of arcana.>
"Can you show it to me?"
Not long after, a light screen appeared displaying information.
[B-Class Awakeners 1 person - total battle power 462,231.]
[C-Class Awakeners 25 people - average battle power 302,041.]
[E-Class Awakeners 14 people - average battle power 62,948.]
[Arcana common-grade 58 pieces.]
[Arcana rare-grade 19 pieces.]
[Arcana unique-grade 5 pieces.]
"Looks like they're not messing around with their business," Klaus muttered.
After a long way through the twists and turns, they arrived at a building with dull white paint. As Klaus stepped inside, the smell of weed smoke and alcohol stung his nose. The walls and floor were still made of cement, and dozens of awakeners guarded each side of the room.
Sylvia looked tense, her eyes couldn't stop looking around, and her breathing sounded ragged.
They finally arrived at a luxurious room. Unlike the walls along the corridor, in this room the walls seemed to be covered in black tiles. In the center of the room was a bear fur coat, and a man in dapper attire flanked by four beautiful women. On the table was a large bowl of grapes and dozens of bottles of liquor of various brands.
As the dapper man saw Sylvia, he told the man who was accompanying them to get out. Leaning forward, the man gave them an arrogant look.
"Sylvia, I've been waiting for you to come. But who is this man? I told you to come alone, right?" The dapper man downed a glass of vodka before placing it on the table.
Sylvia looked both hesitant and tense, she glanced at Klaus, and he signaled her to talk to the gang leader.
"He's a friend of mine, Mavis. He wants to talk business with you," Sylvia said hesitantly.
Mavis raised an eyebrow. "Business? I thought you were here for your beloved brother. You don't care about him anymore?"
She squeezed his hand, her breath catching along with her anger. "Of course I care. But you also want money, right?"
Mavis pursed her lips and bobbed his head up and down. "Okay. Let's listen to your friend."
"But I want to see my brother first."
The dapper man snapped his fingers, and one of his men walked out of the room, not long after, a bound boy was dragged into the room. His appearance was exactly the same as Sylvia, but his hair was black.
When the younger brother saw Sylvia, he shouted for her. "Sylvee!" However, Mavis' man punched him in the stomach, and her brother fell down and curled up in pain on the floor.
"Kevin!" Sylvia shrieked. She was about to run towards him, but Klaus held her back.
"That boy is so noisy. Didn't your parents educate him? Ah, I forgot you're orphans." The words that escaped Mavis sounded mocking and unpleasant.
Sylvia could only hold back her anger and the pain in her chest.
"Hey, man. Tell me your business here."
Before talking about his business, Klaus introduced himself briefly first. However, Mavis scraped his ear with his finger as if he didn't care.
Normally, Klaus would have crushed that man's head, but he was now a businessman. As long as there was an opportunity, he had to take it.
"Interesting introduction, Klaus Lee. I've never heard of Mors Industries, but... never mind. You said you wanted to discuss business, right? Let me hear."
"Well, I was looking for information on the Black Bulls earlier. Your organization loots arcana—"
"Not 'loots'," Mavis retorted. "But 'acquired'. Anything can happen in the dungeon."
"Alright." Klaus sighed in exasperation. "Your organization acquires arcana from dungeons and collects from thefts. I'm sure you're having trouble reselling the arcana at a fair price. Even if there are buyers, they're bound to bargain at a much lower price than the market price, right?"
Mavis nodded. "That's right. The Awakener Association is making troublesome rules. Then, what do you really want to offer?"
"I, on behalf of Mors Industries, will buy your arcana for 40% less than the market price. How about it?"
"40%? You must be joking. 10%."
"30% is the best offer I can give. After that it's off."
Mavis paused, stroking his chin.
Whether or not this negotiation succeeded, Klaus didn't care. If it worked the company would get supplies and bring Sylvia's little brother home safely. But if it failed, at least they knew that her brother was okay.
The gang leader sighed. "Well, that's an interesting offer. No one has ever bought our goods for 30% less than the market."
Mavis cracked his neck as he stood up. His men suddenly stretched their shoulders, and the atmosphere changed. Sylvia sensed that something was wrong.
"But you are currently inside my house," Mavis said. "If you want to survive, you must agree to buy goods from us at the market price. Or you will die."
The ultimatum was out from Mavis.
Sylvia turned to Klaus, wondering what answer he would give, but Klaus just smirked.
Laughing, he said, "I should have known, an asshole is an asshole. People like you can't be compromised with. I should have crushed your heads off the moment I stepped foot in this shity place."
Instantly, Sylvia turned pale.
And Mavis turned red, blood pooled into his head, and the veins in his temples throbbed. "You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are! You're courting death! Kill these fucking people!"
The members of the Black Bulls instantly filled the room. They surrounded Klaus and Sylvia from all sides.
