Chapter 654: The Compensation of Black Money
“Hey.” Yorko nudged No. 76 with his free foot. “Are you all right?”
She didn’t respond.
He sighed, worked himself close enough to reach the coat on the floor with his mouth, and drew it across both of them.
Forget the romantic evening. One inconvenient night — that’s all this is.
After the night he’d had, he was surprised to find himself almost calm. The underground auction. Four thousand gold royals spent on a witch. The public attention. The attack. Over the course of a single evening, he’d accumulated more experience than in all his previous twenty-some years. There was something almost pleasurable about that, now that the immediate danger had passed.
Almost. He would never voluntarily repeat it.
He slept badly. By the time a Black Money servant found them, it was already noon of the following day.
He was moved quickly to a spacious room with a proper bed. Soft bread appeared, and freshly squeezed juice, and attentive maids who examined him with thorough professionalism — head to heels, and everything between. Otto Luoxi, who had been pacing anxiously outside the limestone caves, was brought in at Yorko’s request.
“What happened?” Otto was at his side before he’d settled. “I heard you were injured.”
Yorko dismissed the Black Money servants first. Then, with the deliberate pacing of a man who knew the value of a good complaint, he laid the whole story out — the competing bidder, the attack, the night chained to a wall, No. 76’s bloody head, the witches’ escape.
“I was nearly killed because of you,” he concluded, with feeling. “So close. And the only reason I survived is because they could see I’d treated that witch with genuine kindness. Anyone else, they’d have left for dead.”
Complaining was an art form Yorko had cultivated for years. Properly deployed, it couldn’t always produce tangible benefits, but it reliably produced guilt — and guilt could be banked against the future. Otto, he noted, was already looking quite uncomfortable.
“This was my negligence,” Otto said. “I’ll compensate you properly when we return.”
“What about the 4,000 gold royals?”
“The witch escaped from your room — that’s Black Money’s territory, their failure of security. I doubt they’ll deduct the auction price.”
“So you’ve saved the witch and preserved the Black Letter both.” Yorko smiled. “A profitable evening for you.”
“Black Letters are remade for each exhibition,” Otto said, with a strained expression. “I can’t say whether it was wasted, exactly. But yes — we saved the gold royals.”
Yorko remembered something No. 76 had said to him in the passage.
500 gold royals, paid to Black Money.
Sir, do you want to buy me?
500 was a rational number compared to 4,000. And Otto was already in a compensatory mood.
He was clearing his throat, preparing to raise the subject, when the bedroom door opened.
The man who entered wore a silver mask and moved with the easy authority of someone accustomed to being received. Dark brown hair threaded with white, a silk robe, and a black dragon head emblem prominent on his chest. Two attendants followed at a distance.
“I manage the exhibition,” he said, with a small bow. “Call me Silvermask. Black Money offers its apologies for the incident. Fortunately you were not seriously hurt. We’ve begun investigating how the witch departed, and we’ll inform you when she’s located. The auction settlement will not be deducted from the Black Letter — unless you still want her when we find her.”
“I see.” Yorko chose his role carefully: the man who had purchased the witch, not the ambassador running Otto’s errand. “Don’t give her to anyone but me. Lot 10 remains valid.”
“As you wish.”
“I’m also curious how the attacker got in.”
“The villains hijacked other guests arriving at an outskirt house. Two other invitation-holders were robbed of their Black Letters and left bound. This was planned in advance.” Silvermask tilted his head. “We didn’t expect the witch to have accomplices willing to operate under His Majesty Appen Moya’s current search. Did the person who accosted you leave any information?”
“She fled when I mentioned I was the Ambassador of Graycastle.” Yorko spread his hands. “But I’d ask you to consider your entry verification. If a Black Letter is all it takes to walk in, this can’t be the first time someone has borrowed one.”
“You raise a fair point,” Silvermask said, and his smile was audible behind the mask. “But that’s also part of Black Money’s appeal. Our guests prefer anonymity over stringent identity checks, even knowing the associated risks. When we issue a Black Letter, we consider the holder carefully — their interest in it, their capacity for discretion. However they obtained theirs, those two guests won’t receive a second invitation.”
“All right.” Yorko shifted. “One more thing — how did she leave? The passage from the cave to the yard has guards throughout. She was carrying an injured woman. Is it possible they’re still inside, waiting?”
Silvermask shook his head. “They exited through a ventilation shaft. Several iron bars were melted through, consistent with a witch’s ability.”
So Annie had prepared an exit before she ever arrived. And she hadn’t come alone. Otto’s entire plan — the 4,000 gold royals, the Black Letter, the careful weeks of positioning — had been rendered irrelevant by a witch with fire and a woman who didn’t trust strangers.
“Nothing to be done about that, then,” Yorko said. He let a pause develop, then added, with the practiced tone of a passing thought: “How is my guide recovering?”
“She’ll be disciplined. A guide is responsible for the safety of her guest. She’s no longer qualified for the position.”
“Could I see her?”
A pause. “You wish to punish her personally?”
“No.” Yorko glanced at Otto. “I want to buy her.”
“But she’s currently a prisoner of Black Money,” Silvermask said, hesitant.
“500 gold royals. Charged to the Black Letter.”
“Wait — Mr. Ambassador?” Otto looked at him. “What guide?”
Yorko pressed Otto’s hand to silence him.
Silvermask was quiet for a moment.
“If you insist,” he said at last, “we’ll give No. 76 to you as a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Since she can no longer function as a guide, placing her with you is a reasonable outcome. Consider it Black Money’s formal compensation for the accident.” Another small bow. “I hope we have the opportunity to meet here again.”
Chapter 654: The Compensation of [Black Money]
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“Hey, are you okay?” Yorko pushed No. 76 with the other foot, but the latter was completely irresponsive.
He sighed, drew close to her, and then picked up the coat on the ground with his mouth to cover both of them.
“Forget the romantic night. Just suck it up for this single night.”
After such unexpected turns, he found himself surprisingly calm. The underground auction, the 4000 gold royals he wasted on a witch, the public attention he drew, and then the attack of the witches… Over one night, he experienced more than he had ever experienced during the past twenty-some years of his life.
“Hmm.. this thrilling and stimulating feeling seems not to be as bad as I imagined?”
Of course, Yorko would never agree to experience it once again.
He had a fitful night. It was already noon the following day by the time they were found by a servant of the “Black Money”.
Then Yorko was quickly transferred to a spacious and comfortable room. Not only was he served soft bread and freshly squeezed juice by the servants, but he was checked by the maids from head to heels as well, even including his manhood between his legs.
Also at his request, Otto Luoxi, who had been anxiously waiting outside, was taken into the limestone cave.
“What happened?” As soon as Otto saw the Ambassador, he asked eagerly, “I heard that you got injured.”
“I need a private minute with this gentleman.” Yorko dismissed the servants sent by “Black Money” before describing the whole story in detail, “I was almost killed because of you. It was so close! I nearly lost my life! Fortunately, they found I was so kind and tender to the witch that I bought at the auction. If it were someone else, he would certainly be dead and cold now!”
Complaining had been an ace up his sleeve, which brought him good fortune in the Kingdom of Graycastle for many years. Even if he could not get any practical benefits, at least he could make others feel guilty or sympathetic for him, which he might take advantage of in the future. Otto seemed to be so worried now, so he would certainly do something to compensate him.
As expected, Otto appeared very uneasy and said, “This happened due to my negligence. I will certainly compensate for it after we go back.”
“What about the 4000 gold royals?”
“The witch escaped from your room. That’s the territory of “Black Money”, so I guess they won’t charge you for the auction.”
“Then didn’t you save a lot of money?”Yorko teased, “you saved the witch, and at the same time made good use of the Black Letter.”
“The black letters will be re-made for each exhibition, so I can’t say it’s wasted or not,” Otto forced a smile and said, “but it did save us the gold royals.”
Yorko suddenly remembered what No. 76 had whispered in his ear.
“You just need to pay 500 gold royals to Black Money.”
“Sir, do you want to buy me?”
Compared to 4000, 500 seemed to be a more reasonable number. Perhaps he could let Otto pay again as the compensation for the shock he experienced.
Yorko cleared his throat and prepared to speak when the bedroom door was pushed open. A man with a silver mask came, accompanied by two attendants. He appeared to be quite old, as his dark brown hair was mixed with white hair. He wore a loose silk robe with a particularly eye-catching black dragon head logo on his chest.
“I’m in charge of the exhibition. You can call me Silvermask,” he said with a slight bow, “‘Black money’ apologizes for what happened to you. Fortunately, you were not injured in the accident. We have begun to investigate how the witch fled, and we’ll inform you once we found her whereabouts. We won’t deduct the payment from the Black Letter unless you still want the witch when we capture her.”
“Ahem… I see,” Yorko cleared his throat. After all, he, instead of Otto Luoxi, was the one who bought the witch, so he had to continue to feign his interest in her, “Don’t give her to anyone except me. The 10th round will always be valid.”
“As you wish.”
“By the way, I wonder how the attacker got in the exhibition.”
“These villains hijacked other visiting guests. At an outskirt house, we have found two other victims who were robbed of the Black Letter,” Silvermask replied.
“More than one villain?”
“Yes, this was a premeditated act,” he nodded. “We didn’t expect the witch has other accomplices, or that they dare to launch a raid under King of Dawn’s intense search of witches. Did the villain who hijacked you leave any clues?”
“Well… No, she fled after hearing that I was the Ambassador of Graycastle.” Yorko shrugged and said, “Haven’t the ‘Black Money’ ever thought of a more reliable way of checking the identity? If anyone can enter just by an invitation letter, I am afraid it is not the first time that this kind of thing happened?”
“You’re definitely right,” said Silvermask with laughter, “but it’s also the charm of ‘Black Money’. Compared to the risk, people prefer to get their favorite goods without revealing their identity. Of course, when issuing Black Letter, we will carefully consider our clients, including how much they care about the Black Letter and their ability to keep it. No matter how the two hijacked men got the Black Letter, they certainly won’t have a second chance to get invitations.”
“Alright,” said Yorko, shrugging. “So how did she escape from the underground cave? I remember there were many guards in the passage from the cave to the yard, and she could not possibly get out while carrying an injured witch. Is it possible that they still hide somewhere in the cave, waiting until you’re off guard?
Silvermask shook his head, “They crept out of the vent. Several iron bars were burned, which should be caused by a witch’s ability.”
“So this is the escaping route prepared by Annie. And it seemed that more than one witches participated in this rescue. Otto did everything for nothing.” “In that case, there’s nothing you can do about it,” said Yorko. He then pretended to ask casually, “how’s my guide now?”
“She’ll be severely punished by ‘Black Money’. As a guide, it’s her responsibility to protect her distinguished guests. She’s no longer qualified for this position.”
“Can I see her?”
“Do you mean… you want to punish her personally?”
“No,” Yorko looked at Otto. “I want to buy her.”
“But she’s already a prisoner of ‘Black Money’”, Silvermask said hesitantly.
“500 gold royals? I’ll pay it with the Black Letter.”
“Wait a minute… Mr. Ambassador?” Otto asked in surprise, “what guide?” Yorko pressed Otto’s hand but did not answer.
Silvermask nodded after a moment of silence, “I see. If you insist, we’ll give No. 76 to you as a gift.”
“A gift?” Yorko was first stunned and then felt very pleased.
“Since she can no longer be a guide, it’s a better choice to give her to you. Just take it as the compensation of ‘Black Money’ for this accident,” Silvermask bowed again and said, “I hope we can meet here again.”