Cail couldn't answer the question. Even if he knew the answer, he couldn't just say it. He had a feeling that this man would probably go crazy and wouldn't believe him.
"The answer to that, I think you'd better check underneath your house. Not the old one, but the house you currently lived in before all of this happened," Cail said without letting out any additional details, but the ominous undertone was obvious.
Cail couldn't believe that his joke came true. The dark family joke he made before.
The man obviously caught the lingering meaning in Cail's instruction. Although he already looked pale, the moment it clicked, his eye widened in horror. "It can't be—"
The man's voice was cut off. Cail immediately dug out the man's left eye. It was so sudden that by the time the man reacted, the place where his eye was supposed to be was now an empty socket.
Let's get this transaction done before he loses his composure.
The man didn't scream, probably because of the numerous emotions coursing through him. He just pressed his empty eye socket and looked at Cail.
It was a bit unnerving, but Cail's attention was elsewhere.
The Sleepless was now in Cail's hand. Cail pulled a dark thread from the eyeball. The moment the dark thread was fully out, it disintegrated like smoke.
"That void energy had a tracking ability," he said. Then, for some reason, probably because of his injuries, his impulse seemed a bit stronger than his restraint. He tossed the Sleepless into his mouth and ate it.
Is this even alright? Cail, whose knowledge about artifacts was close to zero, didn't think it was a big deal. He just thought it was pretty similar to the coin one.
The eye looked appetizing. Different from the sweet Chaos Coin, this one held a creamy, gentle sweetness that wasn't too overwhelming for his taste.
For Cail, who never really liked sweets, this Sleepless was actually quite good.
He touched his stomach. He could feel his void energy coming back.
The man just looked blankly at Cail. Fortunately, he wasn't sane enough to process it, nor was he knowledgeable enough to realize he was facing an alien. His main agenda was something else. "What happened to my family?" His voice was somber and flat. There wasn't any emotional fluctuation.
Deep down, he was already slowly crumbling to pieces.
He had three daughters and a son. His wife was his first love as well as his childhood sweetheart. Actually, before all of this happened, he was already a winner in life.
A happy wife and healthy children. His eldest was his son, second was his daughter, and third were the twins. His eldest child was just 12 years old!
"You, tell me what happened... What happened to them!" This time, the man's grief overwhelmed his fear. He hugged Cail's legs and begged.
Cail shook his head. "They weren't kidnapped." Looking at how devastated he looked, Cail added, "It's pretty useless now. I think you should focus on strengthening yourself and killing those who are hunting you down." Cail said coldly.
He touched the man's head and poured all his extra void energy into him. "Three months. If nothing happens, you can hide from their scrutiny for three months. Contact me if you need anything. You can only afford a simple deal now. Tell me if you have something of value in the future."
Cail stood up and readied his motorcycle. He tossed the man a card. "You better see it for yourself. You're a good client. I would like a long-term transaction. If you need anything like me unsealing your artifact, you should contact me. Also, if you want to buy another, the prices are now different. I also have coupons you could use if you become a regular."
With that, he left the man with the exhaust smoke from the motorcycle.
As he drove away, Cail's mind wandered at the sudden change in the transaction. What's going on? Also, what's up with that guy?
Cail's head hurt now. At first, he wanted to use Mr. Quill and the Academy to solve that man's issue about his family through scheming. Now it looked like there was no need. There wasn't any kidnapping happening, but a straight-up murder.
"That man..." For some reason, Cail had high hopes for that guy. He looked like an unpolished jade. Cail wanted to see how far he would go.
Driving home, he figured he better fix his injuries first before messing around.
...
It was almost 5 AM when he arrived home. Seeing that it was still quiet, he hurriedly took off his clothes and took a bath.
He looked at his wounds and clicked his tongue. They were almost scabbing now. "Does this have something to do with that Sleepless that I ate?"
Still, some wounds weren't healed yet. He found a gauze that he had brought from the hospital and wrapped his wounds.
He sat down on his bed and stared blankly at the wall for a while.
Then his phone rang.
Cail almost went into fight-or-flight mode the moment he heard it. "This is traumatizing," he muttered under his breath. But still, he looked at who's calling.
It was Iven.
Cail accepted the call, and the moment he heard Iven's voice, he almost went deaf.
"CAIL! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO JAEL!" said Iven, his voice panicked on the other side of the phone.
Distancing the phone from his ear, Cail let out a hum. "I know. I was informed by the police a while ago. I think he'll be staying at one of our houses. Can you let him stay at your house for a while?" It was true, Cail had been sent a notification by the police.
Iven didn't think there was a problem, but he still asked, "Why not at your house? You live closer to him than I do."
Cail rolled his eyes even though Iven couldn't see him. "You want him to hear me and my mother's daily arguments?"
"And besides that, that guy Jael is allergic to cats. Blackie could send him into jeopardy," he added.
Iven understood. "Okay, okay. I'm sure my mom will agree. But Oris, why won't that guy answer the phone."
Cail didn't think much. "He's probably asleep."
Iven also thought so. "How about we hang out tomorrow at my house? Jael is probably shaken. Why don't we accompany him?"
Thinking about Jael's abnormality, Cail agreed. "Sure."
After ending the call, Cail directly slumped into bed. His body was exhausted beyond belief, and he really had to angle himself right in order not to press on his wounds.
The moment he shut his eyes, he fell asleep.
...
Cail felt something touching his head. It was a soft and gentle caress. Despite it being comforting, Cail was immediately wide awake.
He sat up in bed, quite shocked that he hadn't noticed anyone coming in despite how vigilant he usually was. But when he saw the person sitting beside his bed, it all made sense.
"Mom? Why are you here?" Cail asked. Again, the ambiance was very much horror-vibe.
His mother, wearing a white nightgown with her waist-length hair draping over her shoulders, had eyes that were a bit slack, as if she were sleepwalking. But Cail knew she was awake.
When she saw Cail looking at her as if she were insane, she cleared her throat. "I was just checking on you."
Cail still had a suspicious look. "Right..."
Seeing that annoying expression, she gently smacked his head. "Fine. I was just having a bad dream."
Cail had enough. He pulled his blankets over and covered his head. "Okay, now you want me to tuck you into bed?" he said sarcastically, his voice muffled by the pillows.
His mother was a bit annoyed. She pinched Cail's arm and stood up, huffing. "Ungrateful brat! I wouldn't care if you died!"
Then she slammed the door shut.