Goblins, direwolves, sabretooth, kobolds, and any other monsters were confined in cages and chains restraining them. The stench of urine and feces wafted through the air, piercing the noses of anyone who breathed it in.
Klaus killed two direwolves when he fought Roach and his men. He wouldn't be surprised if that bald man had hundreds of monsters in his basement.
"Who did you sell these monsters to?" Klaus asked.
"Well, there are many customers who want them. Crazy rich people like to keep them to show off. The rest I sell to pharmaceutical companies or weapons manufacturers. They give us a lot of money."
Apart from having brought misfortune, these monsters helped humans make breakthroughs. Their body parts had specific properties. Humans used them in medicines and even food. Even some of the weapons on the market were created from the body parts of monsters.
The high demand for monster meat and organs made their prices soar. However, monsters that were still alive had a higher value.
Most enthusiasts were wealthy people who had a lot of money. They were willing to spend millions of dollars just for a goblin in a cage. Some were collectors. Some were just for fun.
That's why people like Roach caught monsters and sold them.
However, it was illegal to bring monsters out of the dungeon or keep them. The government would imprison anyone who did so for 20 years if they had no power.
Over the past 17 years, some researchers attempted to domesticate monsters, but they had negative results. Only awakeners with unique talents were able to tame them.
Roach was one of them.
"You got all these monsters from the dungeon break?" asked Klaus.
Roach shook his head. "Partly yes, partly I imported it."
Although the USA strictly prohibited buying and selling monsters, some countries allowed their residents to do so. Roach smuggled monsters from overseas and sold them in the US.
Each monster had a different price. Humanoid monsters were usually more expensive, such as elves or dwarves. But they were very rarely found in the black market. Most of them would kill themselves if they were captured.
That was why the bald man wanted to catch a vampire so badly. However, Klaus gave him an unpleasant answer.
"I know you want a vampire. But forget it. Before you catch him, you might get killed. What's more, you want to keep him locked up in this little cage."
Roach clicked his tongue as he waved his hand. "Don't worry about that, Mr. Morgan. I know that fact. I've prepared a special trap."
Klaus was curious.
The bald man approached a box covered with a large white cloth. Roach pulled the white cloth. It was a cage with blue colored metal.
At first glance, Klaus immediately knew that the cage was made of mithril.
"That's fine too. Mithril is indeed the hardest mineral in the world today. But they would not be enough to confine a vampire."
"We won't know until we try. Someone once told me that a cage would not be enough to hold a drake. But I sold it last year and made 5 million dollars."
Klaus shook his head.
"So, Mr. Morgan. Do you want to help me catch a vampire?" said Roach. The bald man insisted on Klus.
"Frankly, what do I get for helping you?" asked Klaus.
Roach pursed his lips. "Anything you ask. As long as I can comply."
Klaus stroked his chin. Suddenly, he thought of something.
According to Roach, many wealthy people bought monsters from him. Most of them were people of status and power.
In other words, Roach had connections with them.
Suddenly, an evil grin bloomed on Klaus' face.
"Very well. I will help you hunt vampires. But on one condition?"
Roach squinted. "What is it?"
Klaus made a finger gesture to Roach, asking the bald man to bring his ear closer. Then, Klaus whispered and Roach opened his eyes wide.
For a moment, disbelief was painted on Roach's face.
"Are you sure? I'm asking for that. I can give you money if you want."
Klaus smiled. "I don't need your money. How's that? Do you agree?"
He hung a hand on Roach. The bald man pursed his lips briefly, and then Roach shook Klaus.
A new agreement had been formed.
...
Inside a small room, Sylvia was fast asleep on a mattress and under the illumination of a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Sitting next to her was Sheila. That woman was busy with her laptop, her fingers clashing with the keyboard as her eyes were glued to the screen.
Her focus was broken as she heard the sound of the door opening behind her. Seeing Klaus enter the room, Sheila quickly stood up.
"How is Sylvia?" Klaus asked.
"She's still not awake. But I think her condition is stable."
As Klaus was about to take a seat, he saw her laptop displaying CCTV footage from various angles. Naturally, Klaus asked what Sheila was doing.
"Ah, this is CCTV footage of several stores. I'm tracking a vampire."
Instantly, Klaus frowned. "Vampires? Don't tell me you hunted it with Roach."
The woman nodded.
Klaus sighed. "I already got my money. You don't need to keep track of it."
"Uh, uh, boss. Roach didn't force me. I did it for Miranda and the kids." Sheila smiled.
As it turned out, Klaus' assumption was wrong. He thought Roach asked her to help him track down the vampire if she wanted the money.
Sheila said that the number of vampire kidnapping victims increased dramatically over the past few weeks. They died with their blood sucked dry, and the vampire abandoned its victims randomly.
The woman afraid that the vampire was preying on one of the children at the orphanage. Sheila said if that happened to them, she couldn't forgive herself.
Curious, Klaus asked, "Why do you care so much about them?"
Sheila's face became sad, but she tried to keep a smile. "Two years ago, I probably would have ended my life if I hadn't met them."
