Chapter 58

Chapter 21. Tesing Underground Auction (1)

Jet doubted his own ears.

Could these newcomers, who were clearly first-timers in Akkin, have suddenly gone mad? Still, as a customer is a customer, he decided to handle the situation with civility.

"Sir, why are you doing this all of a sudden? Ha ha, no matter who you are, it's troublesome if you start cursing out of the blue... cough!"

Crunch.

Before he could blink, Murakan's left punch hit his ribs, and he felt a rib break. He gasped reflexively and, before he could feel the pain, a heel stomp to the shoulder caused his muscles to tear.

It was a moment that made him doubt not only his ears but also his eyes.

'I'm a 5-star knight, aren't I?'

Though Jet led a life of a common thug, he was once a seasoned mercenary who had seen countless battles.

5-star knights rarely get beaten up helplessly. Thus, it had been a long time since Jet had experienced such a one-sided beating.

"Sir Murakan! Why are you doing this all of a sudden? The innkeeper will die!"

"I intend to kill him, strawberry pie. This scum put poison in the drink."

Fortunately, Jet was quick-witted, adaptable, and had a strong attachment to life. He knew that in such a situation, the best course of action was to immediately prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness.

"That's, cough, cough, ugh!"

Of course, Murakan did not give Jet time to apologize and continued the beating. While verbally spewing insults like "insignificant creature," "scum," and "deserves to die," his expression remained remarkably expressionless.

It was this very point that intensified Jet's fear.

'Jet, you look good suffering like this.'

Seeing his old nemesis being beaten mercilessly made me feel good inside.

However, Jet is a useful person. If I don't stop now, he will soon be a cold corpse.

"Murakan, stop. Let's hear what he has to say first."

"Is there anything to talk to a scoundrel who tried to drug us? Kid."

While Murakan paused the beating, Jet's eyes sparkled, and he prostrated himself before Jin.

"Oh! Sir! Please save me, please save me. I will do anything to make up for my sins!"

Though his ribs were broken and his nose was half-crushed, his pronunciation was surprisingly clear due to his strong will to survive.

Jet had already crawled over to Jin and grabbed his pants. Murakan sneered but, as Jin was a thousand-year-old contractor, he had to listen.

Slap!

"Let go, you're bleeding."

Squatting, Jin slapped Jet's cheek.

"Yes! I'll let go. I'm sorry, please save me...!"

"From now on, I'll ask you a few simple questions. If you lie, you die. If you tell the truth, you live. The judgment is based on my intuition and feelings. Understand?"

Nod, nod! Blood splattered with each nod from Jet.

"Good. What do you do?"

Normally, Jin would ask if he really drugged them and why, but this was a more fundamental question. As a result, Jet realized that Jin was not an ordinary person.

For someone like him, eliciting sympathy through half-hearted attempts was ineffective, and he needed to tell the truth as objectively as possible.

"I am an innkeeper and an information broker. I also run a brothel and engage in human trafficking... I have some expertise in it. If you spare me, Sir, I can be very useful! I know everything about Akkin."

Gili's expression twisted at this outrageous self-introduction. Murakan nodded, saying, "That's what I thought."

"Don't add unnecessary details. In other words, you're a comprehensive scum. So, you tried to drug us to sell us where?"

"I am sorry, that is correct..."

"Where?"

"Excuse me?"

Crunch! Jin helped Jet's pinky finger and the back of his hand meet. Jet dared not even scream and shouted, "Tesing, Tesing! Tesing Underground Auction!"

"Explain."

"Yes! The Tesing Underground Auction is an auction house operated by the Tesing criminal organization... It mainly deals with slaves, drugs, smuggled goods, and stolen artifacts!"

"I'll bring you to a healer and treat your injuries by evening. After that, you know what to do, right?"

"Of course! Thank you, Sir. Thank you!"

Sensing his survival, Jet was ready to kiss Jin's feet.

He would be a useful tool during his stay in Akkin. Jin despised Jet but recognized his ability to get things done.

Jet was sent upstairs. "Find Jet at the entrance" was the end of business for today.

"Kid, wouldn't it be better to just bury this scum on the back mountain instead of spending money on healing?"

"I agree, Master. He will betray us if we save him."

"Dark organization, underground auction. Is there a better opportunity to build our reputation than to dismantle this place? We can kill him later."

"But still..."

"Let's give him a chance. We also need a guide in Akkin."

The two nodded without further argument. To ensure a smooth journey, they had to accept the party leader's decision.

Murakan and Gili watched over Jet while Jin left the inn to find a healer.

The two were really good friends, but...

As soon as he stepped outside the inn, he felt a sense of relief. This was because, as a regressed person, he could freely use his knowledge in Akkin.

Akkin was a city that had not developed much due to Tesing's tyranny. Most of the facilities and organizations Jin knew before regressing would still be in place.

Finding the most discreet healer did not take long. The magic shop of Maltang, who would heal anyone for money, was still in the same spot.

"You're known for your illegal healing procedures."

"Where did you hear that?"

"I don't care, I'll pay you well."

Maltang, who looked 15 years younger, was still a pot-bellied middle-aged man. He rubbed his belly thoughtfully for a moment.

"Patient's condition?"

"Two or three ribs are broken, and one finger is dangling. Not much blood has been lost."

Ting. Jin flicked a well-crafted ring with his finger. Maltang, who caught the ring, immediately stood up.

"Good luck, let's go."

Indeed, Maltang was a skilled healer.

He entered the inn and, within five hours, completely erased all traces of the beating from Jet.

The way he performed the healing magic, sweating profusely, made him look like a competent priest.

"Indeed, the Magic Federation is the Magic Federation. To think a healer I found on the street has this level of skill."

Gili, who had been watching the healing process, whispered. She had lived in Runcandel and rarely encountered magic, so she was particularly amazed.

Jet, who was deeply moved, bowed repeatedly as soon as the treatment was over.

"Sir, though our first meeting was not good, I swear eternal loyalty to you. Please allow me."

"Let's see what you do. Healer, are you done? I hope his bones don't fall out again in a few hours."

"Unfunny joke. Well, I'll be going. If you need me urgently, call me. If the condition is not serious, I'll heal you once for free. I'm a professional."

"Excellent service. Have a good day."

Maltang left.

Jet carefully observed the three people sitting and sipping tea.

'No matter how I think about it, these people... smell like big shots. I need to sharpen my eyes, I should have recognized them from the start! What is their reason for coming to this small town of Akkin?'

The young man who beat him was an incredible expert, the maid seemed familiar with such scenes, and the boy, whom he initially mistook for a spoiled young master, controlled them like his own limbs.

A type of person Jet had never encountered before.

'Heir of a powerful martial family, or a Viment special task force? Either way, if I betray them, I won't even have bones left.'

After a while, Jet concluded that they were the Viment special task force.

From the moment they sought him out to the calculated actions, he was convinced. Bringing a top-tier healer in an hour also made sense.

'They must have all the information about me. They approached me to open the way to the Tesing Underground Auction and plan to carry out some mission there...'

After the mission is completed, I will end up like a dog after the hunt.

Thinking this far, Jet clenched his teeth and made a decision. He would become so indispensable that they couldn't kill him and show his utmost loyalty.

The power of Tesing might be significant, but it only holds in the well of Akkin. On the other hand, the Viment special task force is a world-renowned group. There was no need to think twice about which side to join.

For a while, Jet provided information about Tesing and the underground auction. As he assumed they were the special task force, the information was rich and detailed.

"The public boss of Tesing is a man named Salka, but the real boss is someone else. Salka is just a figurehead. We call him 'Spiderhand Alu.'"

"Is that so?"

"Alu is a very dangerous person, unlike me. Rumors say he has connections with the pure-blooded Runcandel across the sea, and it's likely true. And the underground auction..."

Jin already knew this boring information but let him continue. This way, his pre-regression knowledge would be shared with his companions.

'By the way, connections with Runcandel? It seems there were rumors about Alu. Among my brothers, none of them seemed to mingle with the Runcandel Magic Federation thugs...'

Thinking this far, Jin put down his teacup, as if something had occurred to him.

'The one who tried to curse me. That person might be possible. This is the land of Runcandel, the Magic Federation, and Jip.'

He couldn't jump to conclusions. A curse like 'Blade of Delusion' could only be cast by a top-tier magician, and it was unlikely that thugs would have such a magician.

But he needed to grasp at straws. For 10 years in Storm Castle and 5 years in the Garden of Swords, he had tried to find the culprit of the curse but had not found even a small clue.

"Is the explanation finished?"

"Yes! If you need any information later, please let me know. I will explain with all my heart. I swear on my son."

"Do you have a son?"

Though he asked, Jin had been quite close to Jet's son in his previous life. Unlike his father, the boy was very kind and gentle.

"Yes. Since I have decided to serve you, Sir, please meet my son before we leave. It's to show that I have no intention of betraying you."

He must be about two years old now. Using such a small child as a tool for his oath. Jin shook his head again at Jet's character.

"Alright, let's just go."