Back again at the same old spot — still beneath the public restroom, and still the same man, Old Eight.
Well, the manager of this underground exchange went by the name Old Eight, and claimed his favorite food was specially braised meat-filled flatbreads.
Shinji didn't dare ask for more details, just in case the man actually invited him to try one.
"The restroom above has been rebuilt quite nicely, and so quickly too. Though it's such a remote, desolate place — does anyone even come here?"
In no rush to make the trade, Shinji made small talk first.
Old Eight lifted his eyelids slightly. "Aren't you people here? Besides, anyone who finds their way down here isn't exactly coming just to use the facilities, now are they?"
Shinji thought about it and nodded — fair point.
Form never mattered; only what lay beneath the surface counted. Even if they built a palace up there, it would still stay empty if there was no real purpose.
"You don't seem at all surprised to see us return."
Surprised? Of course I'm surprised! Old Eight thought to himself.
But word had reached him long before they arrived, so he had already gotten over the shock hours ago.
He truly hadn't expected this group to clean out all the monsters infesting Black Mountain so swiftly and neatly.
After all, several elite jōnin had gone there and never come back — a clear sign of just how dangerous the place was.
He didn't say any of that out loud though. Instead, he smiled mysteriously and said, "When the Demon God Akagi himself takes action, dealing with a mere mountain is child's play. What's there to be surprised about?"
"Now that's a smooth compliment — slipped in so naturally it hardly shows. I like it. Keep it up next time."
Shinji laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
Old Eight didn't mind at all, but quickly switched into the shrewd look of a merchant.
"Well then, since we're done with pleasantries, bring out what you've got. Surely the great Demon God Akagi didn't travel all this way just to tease an old man like me?"
To be honest, Shinji had planned to tease him a little more — remembering how cold and unwelcoming Old Eight had been during their first visit.
But after a moment, he decided it wasn't worth wasting his breath bickering with someone like this.
"Fair enough. I won't make things difficult. Give me a fair price, and it's yours."
As he spoke, Shinji reached into the small pouch at his waist and pulled out a corpse.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you would never believe such a large body could fit inside such a tiny bag — and be pulled out so easily too.
"This is the mastermind behind all the trouble on Black Mountain?"
"Looks different than you imagined?"
"Not that it's fake, exactly… just nothing like what I pictured. It feels… strange, I suppose."
"Cut the act," Shinji snorted.
"Someone who spends all his days dealing with corpses and bandits has no business sighing like some sentimental poet. 'Feels strange' my foot — you're just putting on airs!"
Old Eight could only smile wryly and take the jab, not daring to snap back.
Even if he had a temper, he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
The Demon God Akagi was not someone he could afford to offend.
If Shinji decided to kill him, the powers behind the exchange would never risk falling out with such a powerful figure just to avenge a nobody like him.
They would instead smooth over the incident and work hard to rebuild their relationship.
At the end of the day, everything followed the same rule: strength decided who held the power, and the strong were always in the right.
"Please wait a moment. I'll need to send this back for verification. It's not that I doubt you, mind you — just standard procedure."
Old Eight spoke earnestly. He wanted to complete the sale, but also wanted to avoid being tricked, and most of all wanted to stay on good terms. The only way was to humble himself and play the obedient servant.
Seeing this, Shinji finally let go of the earlier grudge he still held from their first meeting. He grinned.
"Lighten up, Old Eight. I preferred it better when you were stubborn and proud."
As if I could dare be proud in front of someone like you! Old Eight thought bitterly.
"Ah, well… so then — is it alright?"
"Go ahead, inspect all you want. But let me make one thing clear: if I catch you trying anything shady, it won't just be the restroom above that gets torn down this time."
"Rest assured! Our exchange has never once broken the rules!" Old Eight swore, thumping his chest.
To be fair, the underground exchange did have a good reputation when it came to honesty. Over the years, there had never been any reports of unfair deals or backstabbing.
Of course, it was also possible they simply only preyed on those weaker than themselves, covering their tracks so thoroughly no rumors ever leaked out.
But that was just speculation. Shinji doubted they had the nerve to try anything with him anyway, so he nodded and let Old Eight proceed.
The merchant pulled out a sealed storage container, placed Uxas's body inside, scribbled a few lines on a palm-sized scroll, and tossed that in as well before sliding the container shut.
"Results will be back in ten minutes at most — probably sooner."
Shinji gave a slight nod. He could certainly wait that long.
Then Old Eight spoke up again. "News of you clearing out Black Mountain has spread far and wide. The name of the Cult of the Evil God and Demon God Akagi is famous now. In fact, we have a few other jobs lined up — would you be interested in taking them on while you're here?"
He wasn't exaggerating. Over a thousand people had escaped the mountain, each telling their own version of what happened, and word had spread like wildfire.
The exchange, being at the top of the intelligence network, knew exactly what had truly occurred.
With a little extra promotion from them, Shinji's small group had become notorious. Even several smaller nations were looking to hire them to exorcise cursed spirits.
The only problem was the bounty placed on their heads by Hidden Cloud Village, as well as their history of killing a daimyō.
Because of that, many countries hesitated, and those that didn't backed away cautiously.
But the exchange didn't care about such warnings — after all, most of their regular clients were rogue ninja.
Being linked to the criminal underworld, they paid little mind to official threats.
"Let me see what they are first," Shinji replied.
He wasn't about to refuse. He still needed to collect more Cursed Soul Points, and having the exchange's connections would make earning them much faster.
Naturally, it all depended on whether the rewards suited him — free labor was out of the question.
Shinji carefully read through the documents Old Eight handed him, getting a clear sense of what each job involved.
True to his word, ten minutes passed quickly. A soft signal sounded, and Old Eight opened the storage container again.
The corpse was gone. All that remained inside was the same small scroll he had left there earlier — but now marked with a reply on the back.
After reading it, Old Eight let out a quiet breath of relief. "Everything checks out perfectly. Name your price."
Shinji shook his head. "I don't want money. I want supplies and items instead. And as for these other jobs you just showed me — I'll take some of them, but only if I decide what the reward will be."
"I doubt these jobs would still be sitting here waiting if gold and silver were enough to get them done."
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