Mourne flinched when he heard that, and he raised his hand that trembled slightly. "Leave here! All of you! And you should forget what you hear this very instant!"
The guards bowed, and they disappeared, their figures blurring without even leaving behind a single sound.
Mourne blew out a shaky breath. "You know Gang leader's name."
Severin smiled. "Oh! It was supposed to be a secret."
Mourne glared, and then he rubbed his face. "It is a secret that even the top of the top did not know about. But you know about it, and a lot more from the look of it."
Severin merely smiled.
In the book Legacy of Heroes, the WireRats were almost destroyed right there in the black market, but they clawed their way to the top, leaving the academy behind and becoming one of the most powerful shadow forces in the world.
"...shadow forces... those that pulled strings behind the shadow and control the world from behind their pawns..." Severin had always been fascinated by that concept when he was reading the book.
And now here he was, right at the beginning of one of such forces, and this time, he would help speed up their progression. He had a long plan for the WireRats, and they've already taken the bait.
"Of course. But as you said, it's expensive. Are you willing to know what I know? Can you pay the price?"
"We are more intrigued in the information you wanted to sell, Severin Reignhart."
The words didn't come from Mourne. Another person was in the room, and just like before, Severin didn't hear their footsteps or feel their presence until they made themselves known.
Mourne stood and bowed to a woman that was covered in a thin black veil that couldn't be seen through, only leaving a vague sense of a beautiful person with full lips staring back.
"Gang Leader Zhara," Mourne said and stepped out of his place so she could sit.
Zhara continued, "I heard all the conversation, and I must say, you are indeed something that has suddenly appeared in the middle of a scene. Something that shouldn't be, but it's slowly melding into the fabric of things."
Severin raised his brows. "I do hope it's not something ugly."
Zhara laughed. "Not ugly, Severin Reignhart! I have a feel for people, and you, student Severin, have the feel of a very beautiful, venomous snake. The type you'd want to admire and put around your neck.
"But one you shouldn't take your eyes off from."
Severin scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "I will take that as a compliment."
And the next instant, his eyes hardened. "Enough, Zhara. Do you want my information or not? Because in some minutes, that information would be useless."
"...and so will my plan, so shut up with trying to butter up... it won't work..."
"You little shitty..." Mourne flared in anger.
But Zhara cut him off. "Alright, Severin Reignhart. We will sell the information for you in exchange for the information you will provide. But it better be information worthy of it."
Severin smirked. "I've changed my mind. I will only sell the information if it includes a favor. You will owe me a future favor. Deal?"
Mourne gritted his teeth so hard that Severin could hear him from where he was sitting, but he wasn't focused on the man. His eyes were on the gang leader.
Zhara straightened. "Severin Reignhart, owing you a future favor is not only expensive, it's dangerous. If you are going to include it in the deal, then I am sorry, we will have to..."
"Phantom Index," Severin waved as he cut her off. "If there was a true king of this small underworld black market, it is them. But they left a while ago. They wanted to start anew, change into a trading merchant.
"They left a power vacuum. But there are two of you gang strong enough to fill that gap. The WireRats and the Echo Market. The two of you are in an official war on each other."
The silence this time was louder than when there were noises.
Mourne closed his mouth with a soft click and turned to his gang leader.
The information that Severin chose was not only accurate, it was something he shouldn't know. Even most of the other gangs and black market merchants don't know of the secret battle that was going on behind the shadows.
Zhara's tone turned firm. "Severin Reignhart, this information you are about to provide... what will it do exactly?"
"The benefits will all depend on how you make use of it, Gang Leader Zhara. But it should stop the total destruction of your gang and give you a chance to fight back swiftly."
Zhara sat up. "In my name as the gang leader and with Mourne as witness, I hereby owe you a favor that can be collected at any time you want. Also, I will give you all the information you need."
This time, even Mourne didn't object.
Severin nodded. "Right now, there's a meeting going on between Echo Market and Loud Voices. They're discussing how they'll come together to destroy you. Although the Loud Voices gang isn't as strong as you and Echo Market, they are still formidable, and their coming together will be very dangerous for you."
Mourne's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Severin told them of the location of the meeting.
"You can go and confirm. I'll wait for you, don't worry. You should send the most skilled. I'll still collect on my payments if you were found out."
Zhara and Mourne looked at each other, and there was a silent communication between the two before Mourne bowed and left the room.
Severin ignored Zhara and Derrick and closed his eyes as if he were sleeping, but his mind and brain were working full-time on the plans he had for the future.
Derrick shifted uncomfortably beside him, the silence was getting to him. But fortunately for him, the door opened and Mourne entered.