Chapter 89: Broker

"..I will have to see what I can with it. Maybe run a few trials here and there.. but I can't promise anything, alright?" Alena heaved a sigh of distress as she felt the object change its shape one more time inside her grip. "If the System decreed this as a reward, then it should be a reward, ah."

"I want to think the same way, too," Aria relaxed herself, leaning backwards against the sofa's soft cushions and letting out a comfortable moan.

"I don't want the one profiting from all this to only be me. I think you deserve some sort of solace, I can't just let you help me this much and not give anything back," Aria said.

"Ah.. about that, you don't need to worry. Your time to shine hasn't came out yet.. I have been preparing a large scaled plan that would help the both of us to the extreme degree, but it would also put a lot of stress on our bodies," Alena gave the older woman a wink. "Do not fret, however. I have calculated everything perfectly and made sure that nothing will go wrong!"

Her expression was smug. Alena's way of thinking was actually absurdly mature for her real age's caliber, but it was times like this that made her childish tendencies stand out once in a while.

Aria gave the child a gentle smile, thinking that she was very similar to a child that she had met in the past and taken in as a disciple, who then grew up to become an adult that assisted her throughout her goals.

Her name was Eris Skylark, and her biggest signature trait was her dazzling naturally pink hair that was uncommon even back then, where strange shades of hair color were still prominent.

Now, Aria had learned that there were at most just several different variants and categories for the colors. She could count herself lucky for her hair color, which was naturally black. She remembered that back then, some people pointed it out as an uncommon color since most had

Eris Skylark was a hardworking child. Too hardworking, perhaps. Aria couldn't count how many times the girl had fainted during her training. She would always work herself up to the point of exhaustion, until Aria had to carry her back to the resting place and treat her wounds. The next day, she would wake up and repeat the same sequence of actions, never giving up.

After learning Aria's goal, she, too, started devoting herself into researching the concept of Unity.

In the end, Aria was betrayed, and she didn't know where the girl had gone to.

However, one thing was for sure. Eris wasn't there to send her off into the deadly coffin. At least, that consoled her heart slightly. The fact that she still had people like Eris, who would wholeheartedly support her until the ends of Earth.

Just like Alena Croft, the girl sitting right beside her right now.

That day, even the closest of her companions stood there while she was ravaged and beaten down to the ground. Her 'trusted' acquaintances helped to ruthlessly detain and harm her.

She still remembered the traumatic events that elapsed that day. The pain she had to feel.

Without realizing, Aria had gone into a trance, so Alena was visibly worried looking at the dazed older woman.

"Big sister? Are you alright?" She called out to her, wanting to draw her attention.

After being called several times, Aria finally snapped out of her thoughts.

"Ah.. sorry. It's just that you reminded me of someone.. I used to know," Aria smiled depreciatingly, remembering the happy memories that were now bittersweet for her.

"It's alright, big sister!"

Then, Alena's phone rang, and her screen lit up. She had received a call from someone named 'Gin'.

"Hm? Excuse me for a bit," Alena said before picking up the call, holding her phone next to the ear section and listening attentively to the caller with a serious expression. "Hello?" she greeted.

She made a few nods, humming every now and then. In just a few seconds, she looked like she couldn't hold back her happiness anymore.

Aria observed the girl's moves as she continued the call, staying silent as to not disturb.

"..Ah, is that so?" Alena's expression warped to display a happy grin.

"Yes, I am definitely interested. You may send the location to the usual contact information, and I will directly offer you the payment at the regular rates," Alena's other hand stretched out to grab another device, which she unlocked and began swiping, looking for information.

"Yes, I am in that area, so travel wouldn't be a problem,"

"We will enter with.. only two people. Right now is possible. Yes. The estimated time to reach there should be around ten minutes if I go on my fastest speed, would that suffice? Oh, that is great! Yes, thank you very much for your work, as always." Alena rapidly answered the caller's words.

Aria could roughly piece out the contents of the call just by listening to Alena's answers. There must've been a dungeon acquisition process. Talking about location, payment, and quantity of people.

Alena was very open about her ways, she had previously stated that this was indeed the way she utilized in order to try and cultivate her power, although it ultimately failed.

Alena continued her back and forth with the caller until she finally ended the call and switched to the other device, which now showed a map with a checkpoint embedded into one of the nearby roads.

Aria recognized the road, it was one she had gone through before. It was indeed quite near to the hotel they were in right now.

"A dungeon? There is an open offer?" Aria asked.

"Yes, the one who called just now was the broker I work with. His name is Gin, and he has been helping me locate discreet dungeons available for capturing all this time. Only, compared to your friends in [Golden Insignia], his methods are much more professional, you see?" Alena slipped her a wink as she said.

Aria laughed at the mention, remembering the dungeon she procured with [Golden Insignia]. They were mostly strokes of luck, and had to be done in an instant. Or else, they would very easily be discovered. She wondered how much the matter of professionalism weighed in for.

"The offer is a C-ranked dungeon, but it should still give us some benefits, right? Since I contacted you, I have asked him about higher ranked dungeons. Before, I stuck to lower ranked ones as to ensure my safety.. but we can't afford to keep doin that, can we? I have to get used to fighting on my own, too." Alena sighed as she lamented.

"The sooner, the better. We have to be prepared," Aria nodded, agreeing with what Alena had said.

"This broker... Gin, has actually been assisting me in other countries as well. A while ago, back in Germany, he was also a renowned broker. I used his help. Now, he actually moved to South Korea as well," Alena said.

Brokers. To say that they were illegal was wrong, to say that they were legal was also wrong. They were people who stood in the gray lines between doing business and committing a crime.

They would acquire what would normally be unreachable, which in this case was specifically a dungeon.

Even an experienced broker had to be careful of the association's supervision. Each country had different sets of rules and their strictness also varied, but brokers have always been noted down as a despicable career since what they were doing hurt the Hunter market's vitality by potentially monopolizing the resources to a high degree if not controlled.

Of course, the amount of brokers that would risk doing such a harsh job, with little stability and assurance would be little.

Gin was one of the rare ones, described by Alena as a professional.

The only way for them to snatch a gate from the main association is to have their employees scourge for undetected gates, which would then be appraised by them and sold at a high price to buyers like Alena.

The actions had to be done at an alarming speed.

The Korean association's head was known to be addicted with rooting out every single injustice, as shown with his ruthless actions towards the criminals he caught.

However, according to Alena, this person named Gin worked alone.

That wasn't the matter Aria raised a brow at, though. After hearing Alena's explanation, Aria had a strange look to her face.

"..Wait, Germany..." Aria mumbled as she repeated the country name over and over again, trying to remember what made it so memorable.

"Yes.. I once lived in Germany before moving here to South Korea. What about it, big sister?" Alena tilted her head, displaying an innocent face as she asked.

Aria pursed her lips, wondering if she should ask the question or not. This could be a sensitive matter.

But it bugged her, something was not quite right.