The Heavenly Road: God Hunters
Chapter 022 News of Victory (revision)
A glimmer of moonlight illuminated the dark narrow hallway of the city. A breeze blew, as if sweeping away all the unrest that occurred. The city of Vorheis seems calm, peaceful, and prosperous at this time, but not with this quiet alley. There is tension in Kenshin's heart.
The figure of a black hooded robe emerged from the darkness behind him. Kenshin frowned, his face covered in a mask, and only a pair of black wings he could see from him.
"Sorry, before, did we know each other..?" Asked Kenshin warily, a sword was ready to be pulled by his handle whenever he wanted.
The aura he exudes can be felt by Kenshin as something dangerous, but not a sign of hostility. Kenshin was sure the figure in front of him was a man, if from his voice. Moreover, he was no ordinary person.
The tension only lasted a few moments, until the figure cleared his throat and let out a long sigh. Kenshin no longer felt that dangerous aura.
"Today, we don't know each other. But tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or later maybe, yes," he said, giggling to answer Kenshin's question before.
"Why are you so sure that I'm going to get to know you? You're not my family. If you want to say something, say, I don't have much time right now" he concluded.
Hearing his loud words, the figure laughed out loud, "Actually, I really want to say it this time, but if I say it now, my brother will definitely be mad at me. Honestly, I'm interested in your mask. Are you able to exchange it for my own," although still laughing, the figure took out a Heavenly Art and pointed at the Kenshin mask to exchange.
Kenshin frowned upon hearing that. How not, the mask he used was only an ordinary artifact of intermediate rank 4, incomparable to the white legendary ranked Heavenly Art, which was in his hand.
Kenshin tried to pull out a bit of his sword, showing a wary attitude. His eyes combed from top to bottom the feet of the figure. His gaze focused for a moment as he looked at the cloud-patterned mask he was wearing.
"I think I'm too suspicious. Even so, I had to remain vigilant even if he did not show the slightest aura of hostility," Kenshin's inner, pushed back the handle of his sword.
"I don't know what uncle wants my mask for, because I see, uncle has it too. Besides, I don't have anything else. It's the only mask I have" Kenshin explained. He could not give her the mask, and there might be a fool who traded an ordinary 4th rank intermediate artifact for a white legendary ranked Heavenly Art.
There was the sound of disappointed breathing from behind his mask. How could, he thought, there be someone who dared to resist when there was a person who offered the white legend ranked Heavenly Art with his rank 4 ordinary mask. He was struck by Kenshin's reply.
"Son, you're taking me a little hit. I thought, where there is someone who refuses in front of profits like this, but it turns out I was wrong," he said then grimaced.
"Capture this," the man threw the Heavenly Art at him, Kenshin's reflexes catching him.
"Ehh, uncle, this-?!"
"Even though you refused the exchange, I never said that I would give it to you anyway. Take care and study well, from now on it is yours" he concluded while walking in the other direction. Kenshin was a little fascinated by his black wings.
Instantly his gaze changed towards the figure who started to leave him, "But, uncle, this is excessive. Then I'll.."
"No need. Just keep that mask, I was just kidding before. Don't you have a lot of time? Go back to your friends. I'm very sure, it would be a perfect match for the Light Shadow God" he concluded, waving his hand.
Kenshin's eyes widened hearing him correctly mention the name of his spirit essence. Without hesitation, Kenshin pulled the handle of his sword swiftly, in a single breath, he reached beside him, carefully pointing his sword at his neck.
"Nobody knows that actually the name of my spirit essence is the God of the Shadow of Light. And until now, only my father knew, and you... You're not my father" he said suspiciously.
Looking at his suspicious nature, the figure let out a fairly long sigh, "Attention is good, but that doesn't mean you can aim the sword as you please. Instead of thanking me, you intend to kill me. If you really want to find out more, go back to this place. I'll be waiting for you for a month here" he said.
The man took his foot forward, not caring for the sword in front of his neck. Kenshin was flabbergasted to see his sword instantly shattered before it stuck to his skin.
"Ahh, I almost forgot," the figure turned towards Kenshin, "but if you go back to this place, it means that you are willing to become my disciple and leave your proud sect, True Flame Sect," he concluded again, then he turned around and disappeared in the darkness of the night.
Kenshin's mind was filled with many question marks, but before he could ask, unfortunately the figure had left him. He kept all his questions for later.
"What are you hiding from me?" he murmured softly, alternately looking at his broken sword and the heavenly arts he was given.
"The Heavenly Art of White Legend, the Science of the Unmanifested Sword? So, that's his name. I thought it was a spirit control technique after hearing it say that it matches my spirit essence, but as it turns out, it is a sword technique," Kenshin muttered looking at the writing on the scroll.
---
"What?!! So, this time we.." Jerit Kesha could not believe hearing what Moegi said with a loud breath.
"Yes, we pass," Shiro replied flatly, as if already knowing that they would be repatriated.
Moegi spoke with a hunting breath due to his carelessness. After listening to a message from Taki, he immediately ran without knowing the purpose. Due to his ignorance of the layout of Vorheis City, he got lost on the road. Until finally, he returned to the place where they first separated. Luckily there was a middle-aged woman who showed me the way to the nearest inn from where she stood.
"That's right. Isn't that our mission? Why would Kenshin let senior take it from us? If this continues, how can we grow?" end with dissatisfaction.
Shiro rolled his eyes lazily, "Enough, Kesha. I know you're happy with this result. I understand you, but you just don't feel good showing your joy in front of Moegi who is upset because his mission was taken over" he said. Shiro then raised his hand to summon a servant, who had been out of nowhere since when the two of them took off his mask.
Kesha slightly grimaced in front of Moegi; shiro completely ruined the atmosphere.
Moegi let out a tired sigh, "I was upset at first, but after I thought about it, even if we continue, it is not an experience that we will get, but death" he said.
The servant came back after noting whatever Shiro said.
"We're just lucky to be alive after bombarding some of the bullies' camps. If we meet them, the only way to stay safe is to escape, and it won't work. Precisely, Elder Helio's decision is the best at the moment, by having Senior Taki replace us," he added after finishing their order.
Kesha stroked Moegi's back, trying to calm her friend about the situation. He was the one who was most excited about this mission initially.
"Hey! You guys are really hard to find, yeah. Hiding the aura and making it difficult for me to search. If it wasn't for that, maybe I would never have found this place by now" Zaraki shouted annoyedly, entering the first floor of the inn which was the restaurant area.
Moegi's eyes immediately perfectly rounded, he was also aware of the difficulty of finding these two people who could not be traced. Moegi then covered his gaping mouth with one hand, while looking at the two of them.
"Oi, Shiro! You turned out to be quite a b-"
"Come, Zaraki. Maybe we should go upstairs, there's something I want to talk about the continuation of this mission. We leave them alone, our presence only disturbs their romance here" Moegi cut off and pulled his hand up to the top floor.
"Hey, Moegi, don't talk carelessly! I'm not, I'm not who you think I am! I was just...just suppressing my aura, right, Shiro? Don't you?" He said as he shook Shiro who was just silent without responding to the words of the two of them.
"But, instead of me"
"Shirooo...!!! If you dare to continue your words, I will hate you from now on!!" Shouted Kesha in embarrassment, her face immediately flushed red.
Moegi giggled at them, whereas Zaraki was still annoyed with the difficulty of looking for them.
---
Moegi still giggled at Kesha, he still felt ashamed about the previous incident. Now they were in the middle of a room with five rooms, a room Shiro had reserved for them to spend the night. After Moegi and Zaraki left, Shiro asked the waiter to deliver his order to his room.
"So, in fact we have graduated since we managed to clear the groups of bullies around the Holy Fire City," Zaraki understood after listening to Moegi's lengthy explanation.
Due to the previous incident, Moegi had almost forgotten about the victory of the alliance party of the seven great sects at the border.
Zaraki, who already knew it first, simply nodded while picking up a snack on the table.
The sound of the door creaking turned their attention, Zaraki who was taking a snack immediately turned to the door. Someone entered the room smiling.
"Why have you been so long? Did you also go have fun with Moegi before, when you were together?" Zaraki.
Moegi directly hit his stomach after he finished talking, "Dare to talk nonsense, I hit you," threatened Moegi.
"You've hit me" he said grimacing in pain.
Kenshin still frowned, not understanding what Zaraki said. However, he could see that something had happened, observing Kesha squeezing her pants with a reddened face, like she was bearing shame. But before his mind drifted too far, Kenshin shook his head slowly trying to forget about it.
"So, like, I don't have to explain everything anymore, do I?" Kenshin asked, grimacing awkwardly, and scratching his non-itchy hair.
They all nodded their heads. Indeed, there was nothing more to explain at this time, Moegi had explained it.
---
After a while of talking about the Martial Arts Tournament that would be held in less than 2 years, Moegi wriggled tired of sitting at the venue.
"Kenshin, it looks like we have to leave right now, too" he said, rising to his feet.
"Go?" Kenshin frowned, not understanding.
"Moe..!! I told you it wasn't what you thought it was! Why are you so stubborn..!!" Jerit Kesha, embarrassed, covered her face with her hands.
"I also did not expect, Shiro who seems to be a lot silent, even more mature than I imagined," said Zaraki with a laugh.
"Shiro! Why are you just silent?! Hurry up, help me talk!" Jerit Kesha while pinching Shiro's arm.
"Aw! Why should I explain? They still won't believe me, anyway..."
"Keep talking or I'll hate you!" Cut Kesha quickly.
Zaraki and Moegi giggle at the quarrel between the two of them, even Kenshin laughs at his cuteness. He was really surprised to learn that behind the four of them, including Asta, Kesha and Shiro hid this kind of relationship.
Kenshin finally understood why Kesha said such words when he asked Shiro to look for lodging. As it turns out, Kesha is only afraid of her relationship being exposed, but in the end their relationship is revealed as well.
"If you are so with your feelings, I'm sure Elder Rena and Elder Zain will definitely bless your relationship. If you're ashamed, let me be the speaker of you two" teased Kenshin.
Shiro is not like Kesha who looks very embarrassed and does not want his relationship to be uncovered, but on the other hand, Shiro, it does not matter if the relationship is exposed. Only his face turned red, but he did not dodge it at all.
"Kenshin! Don't talk nonsense! Uhhh!! Zaraaki! It's all because of you! You guys, too, Shiro! Basic sucks! You sucks!" Jerit Kesha was getting embarrassed, he hurriedly pulled Moegi's hand and took him away quickly.
While giggling, Kenshin opened one of the bedroom doors and entered it. He intends to cleanse himself and rest.
Shiro was about to catch up with her, but before that, Zaraki grabbed her hand, "Are you still not satisfied dating her?" Sneakily.
Shiro exhaled slowly, "What do you want to say, just say it," Shiro said and sat back down.
"It's still too late to rest, just let him. You'd better come with me" Zaraki asked.
"Where are you taking me?" Shiro asked curiously.
"I intend to follow the auction that will be held in the city tonight. When I went to buy supplies and materials for my weapons, someone told me about an auction that will be held tonight" Zaraki said enthusiastically.
Since Shiro also needed some materials to repair the damage to his weapon, it would not hurt to see what would be on display in the auction.
---
The atmosphere in Vorheis City at that time was very crowded with people, especially after the news of the auction to be held was about to spread.
"Hey, I heard the Manager came to the Association Branch in this city, and reportedly the auction that will be held tonight, is on his own initiative,"
"You mean the auction that the Red Dawn Association will hold? If it was true like that, the news of this auction should have spread since earlier. If the Manager himself were to come, it would definitely be the main highlight,"
"Did you bring the original news?"
"I'm not kidding. The merchants who had just arrived this afternoon, saw it for themselves. And when I was there, the Association was very crowded with visitors, maybe many of them would be sitting in VIP seats,"
"If that's true, we should hurry before the place runs out. The manager always brings good and very valuable items, so the show is always a surprise every time his visit,"
People began flocking to the Red Dawn Association, where the auction would be held.
"You hear that? The manager himself will be holding the event, we should hurry," Zaraki asked in a hurry.
Shiro nodded in agreement, and they followed the crowd earlier towards the Red Dawn Association.
The dozens of guards standing guard at the association gate seemed overwhelmed by the guests trying to get into the auction.
After waiting for quite a while, it was finally Zaraki and Shiro's turn to be examined. Like the city guards, they were only required to show their Jade Markers before paying the entrance fee.
"The Fire symbol, yes. I didn't think I'd welcome you here. Then, come in. You can participate without having to pay a fee, just show your Jade Marker to the waiter," said the guard giving permission to enter.
"Thank you, uncle," Zaraki and Shiro said at the same time, then walked inside with enthusiasm.
---
A servant girl came straight to them for a second checking session. The girl was a little surprised to see the two Jade Markers in her hand, which gave rise to the fire symbol, the emblem of the True Fire Flame Sect.
"I never thought this Jade Marker was so useful. I think this is just a marker of identity," concluded Zaraki happy after getting the best service and even placed in the VVIP place because of the Jade.
"That's because the fire symbol is the true emblem of our sect. As one of the big sects, it is only natural that we get this kind of preferential treatment" Shiro said.
After a while of waiting, it was finally time for the opening of the Red Dawn Association auction. Everyone was excited to bid on the items on offer.
A man who looked to be in his 30s came out from backstage. On top of one hand, he carried something covered with cloth. Everyone who was there instantly recognized the figure as Manager Row, the owner of the Red Dawn Association who had already had a strong foothold in the Gitou Mainland and spread to the 5th Empire and the 6th Country.
"Shiro, look, it's him, it's Uncle Row! The person we met earlier!" zaraki shouted while pointing.
Shiro immediately stood up from the seat, his eyes perfectly rounded, his mouth locked unwilling to make a sound. He did not expect a figure who has a big name like Manager Row, actually has a youthful face. He thought Manager Row was someone with an old face.
"Yes, who would have thought that the person you despised was Manager Row. You are brave, yes," concluded Shiro.
Zaraki just ruffled his waist to hear his words, "To be honest I already knew, when I saw the response people had to him. I just didn't want to let go of the opportunity to talk to him and discuss cultivation, that's why I went here before" he said.
---
Rousing cheers from the auctioneers followed his footsteps. When Manager Row raised his hand, the room suddenly became quiet again.
"Thank you to the guests and visitors, who have come and taken a little time to attend this simple event" Manager Row said with a friendly smile.
"Oh this, the first item to be auctioned was a rank 4 medicinal Pill of medium quality, that is the Soul Nutrient Pill. This pill has the efficacy to restore the condition of injured spirits or correct the defect of spirit impurities. The first price for this pill was a thousand gold pieces, with a minimum bid of two hundred gold pieces," he explained as he opened the cloth lid of the box container in his hand.
All eyes were immediately on the pill, because in addition to having good properties, everyone knew that the ingredients needed to make the pill were quite rare in the Arkhan Empire.
"A thousand two hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
"Two thousand eight hundred!"
The cheers and shouts of the bidders continued to echo, the price of the pill continued to surge up. Some people seem to be trying to fight hard.
"Five thousand!" Shouted one of the youths from the ordinary room, ending the surge in the price of the pill. The Soul Nutrient Pill fell in his hands at the price of five thousand gold pieces.
---
"Shiro, are we just going to continue to dwell in this place? Watching people scramble for valuables down there. It felt like I was like a poor man who went wrong into this room" Zaraki complained desperately seeing the first item sold for five thousand gold pieces.
"Then, why don't you go back to the inn by yourself? Since I'm already here, I have to buy something before I go home" Shiro said.
"Hehh, how much money did you bring? Which is probably..." Zaraki fell silent not continuing his words as Shiro revealed the storage ring that appeared embedded in his finger.
"You... You really brought everything you got?!" Shouted Zaraki in disbelief.
"I'm not as stupid as you are. Kesha and I had guessed this long before we started this mission. Therefore, we both decided to bring our own storage rings. At least I have to bring something from this trip, I also do not want to waste this opportunity," he said.
"What?! So you really thought?!" Zaraki asked in surprise.
Shiro frowned upon the question, "In addition, where might the Elder entrust such a dangerous task to a group of 10-year-old children?" Ask Shiro back.
Zaraki held onto his chin while nodding, "You have a point," he muttered softly.
"Be quiet, the second item will be removed, if you want to go home, go home alone. I won't lend you any of my money" he told me to be quiet.
