Stepping out of the hotel, the afternoon sun was a bit blinding.
Victor squinted, looking at the Dark Hand members standing stiffly and somewhat awkwardly in front of the hotel entrance not far away—
Valmont, Afan, Rasu, Nathan, and Andrew, who was bandaged up and looked pale.
He couldn't help but sigh, his tone carrying genuine confusion and undisguised mockery:
"I mean, you guys... with this kind of relentless persistence, you could be doing anything else. Why insist on butting heads with us? Seems like the impression Tyler left on you... wasn't quite deep enough."
He tilted his head, gesturing with his chin towards the gloomy young man beside him.
"Right, Tyler?"
Tyler silently stepped forward, flexing his wrist, his joints emitting a faint 'crack' sound.
His eyes, devoid of warmth, swept coldly over the necks, joints, and other vulnerable spots on Valmont and the others like a scanner.
As if assessing from which angle he could most efficiently tear them to shreds.
A suffocating aura emanated from him, making the air feel almost frozen.
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Valmont's forehead. He had personally witnessed what kind of terrifying monster this "skinny" young man could become.
He quickly stepped forward, raising both hands high first, forcing a complex smile mixing nervousness, awkwardness, and an attempt to appear sincere:
"Hey! Wait! Calm down, pal! Don't be rash! We're not here to cause trouble this time!"
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice:
"We're here to discuss cooperation."
"Cooperation?"
Victor raised an eyebrow, the impatience on his face instantly replaced by a look of keen interest, as if he'd seen some novel toy.
He gently patted Tyler's shoulder, signaling him to hold back, then put his hands in his pockets, strolling leisurely forward a couple of steps. His gaze swept over Valmont and his cowering subordinates behind him.
"Interesting. Let's hear it."
Seeing that Victor seemed interested, Valmont secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but facing those eyes dancing with a hint of madness, the pressure didn't lessen one bit.
"We... we want those twelve talismans."
Valmont tried his best to sound sincere.
Victor let out a scoffing laugh, as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world:
"Ha! No deal. It's still broad daylight. Isn't it a bit early to be dreaming like this?"
"Don't be in a hurry, pal. Why not hear our terms first?"
Valmont struggled to maintain his smile.
"If you can hand over the twelve talismans to us, Holy Lord promises he can grant you one wish."
"Grant my wish?"
The mockery on Victor's face grew thicker. He spread his hands dramatically.
"What? Is your stone dragon like a turtle in a wishing well? Drop a coin and dreams come true?"
Valmont was choked up by the retort but still braced himself to continue reciting the script Holy Lord had given him:
"Thousands of years ago, Holy Lord once ruled the entire world! His palace treasury collected rare treasures from every corner of the globe."
"It encompasses everything, with all sorts of wonders! There's nothing you can't find, only things you've never heard of! Even the lost Golden Rooster King Treasure is there."
He tried to paint an enticing picture.
"I admit, the talismans are indeed powerful, but compared to the greater variety and rarer treasures in Holy Lord's treasury, which is better, isn't it obvious?"
"Believe me, trading the talismans for a chance to enter the treasury and pick anything you want is definitely a good deal!"
Victor gently rubbed his chin. Instead of answering Valmont immediately, he turned his gaze to Wednesday and Enid beside him.
"Sounds kinda interesting, right?"
His tone was casual.
"A treasury that can fulfill any wish sounds much more romantic than these hard, stony talismans."
Wednesday's deep, pool-like eyes glanced at him, her voice cool:
"Legends often come with traps. The credibility of this so-called Holy Lord is extremely low."
Enid hugged her Super Moose plushie tighter, her azure eyes filled with worry:
"Victor, they don't seem like good people..."
"Exactly right—"
Victor drew out his tone, the amusement in his eyes almost overflowing.
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