CHAPTER 849: VARYN, SERATHEI, NIGHTINGALE

Alice fell silent. A deep frown visible on her face.

While her interactions with Miki was short in time, she could still be considered to be a friend.

And hearing that the Nightingale family was in danger, Alice wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help.

Only issue was... What could she even do?

"The Nightingale Family has been a firm pillar of support in the Abyss Engineering market. Getting rid of them wouldn’t be easy, even if it’s the Zenia family.

"Though I may say they’re on the verge of falling once more, the time they have left is actually rather generous considering the methods the Zenia used for the other families." The woman added with a small smile after noticing Alice’s distress.

Leaning back a little, Alice sighed and nodded her head.

She made a mental note of the Nightingale family for now. Later, when she has the time, she’ll give them a visit and see if Miki is around.

’I doubt she’ll still be at the academy.’

"Can you tell me a little about house Varyn and House Serathei?" Alice asked. Like the Nightingale family, her knowledge of the main houses were a little outdated.

All she knew was what she overheard years ago.

"Ohou~ Of course. The payment you provided was ample after all." The woman chuckled, nodding her head.

"House Varyn, known as the sword of the Royal family. If the elves are the guardians and the shield, then Varyn are the opposite. Old, stubborn and fiercely loyal to the crown."

She opened her mouth, regurgitating a crest of the family. A single rose in front of three intersecting blades.

"Throughout the years, they have served with unwavering loyalty and acted as deterrent for any potential rebellions.

"While their honour and loyalty binds them, it also makes them... rather predictable when it comes to the actions they may take. Of course, such draw backs are worth little in their eyes.

"They are rather confident when it comes to power. Rightly so. They are not a family that can be won over so easily or taken over from the inside out. The Zenia family understands that. So instead, they’ve been targeting the connections and seek to strangle them through economy." She narrowed her gaze, showing the hand sign for money.

"And House Serathei?"

Once again, the woman tilted her head back and pulled out a single crest from her mouth.

At this point, Alice had half the mind to ask her not to do that again as not only was it unsanitary, it was also creepy as hell.

’Where does she even keep everything? Is her stomach linked to a pouch or something???’

Alice had burning questions on her mind. Questions she’d rather not ask as it may come off as rude.

"Ah yes, House Serathei. The crown’s ’Shadow’. Literally."

The crest she held in her hand was that of hooded figure with just the head visible. A simple crest.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"The Shadow of the Royal family. They deal with everything that must be disposed of under the table. Keeping tabs on the movements within the nation while also plotting assassinations of those from other regions.

"They’ve reported the movements of the Zenia family but even through these reports, the family moves fast. Unpredictable. Much of their usefulness has dwindled but the Royal family keeps them around.

"After all, they are the bridge between us, the Underground, and the Royal family. The Zenia cannot easily uproot the Serathei family. Not because they don’t have the capabilities... but rather because of their obscure nature. Kill one and two more are hiding in the darkness."

She created a strange black ball of energy before snuffing it out. Only for two more to take its place.

[So, the Nightingale Family can’t be easily taken care of because they’re ingrained with Abyssal Engineering. Too involved with things to deal with easily. The Varyn are loyal to a fault, can’t tear them away from the Royal family. And finally, the Serathei family are too annoying to uproot.] Cayla summarised as Alice nodded her head.

[I don’t like it. Something feels off. Annoyance doesn’t stop the Zenia’s from what I’ve seen. If it’s necessary, even if it’s annoying, they will seek it out. Loyal means jack sh*t when all you have to do is remove them from the equation.

[Something is stopping them from moving. Enough where they don’t want to make a public scene yet not enough for them not to try.]

’Mnm. I’m thinking the same. If anything, the annoyance would only be an enjoyable challenge for someone like the Doctor. They must be opting to keep them around but why?’ Alice sighed. ’What can they even offer for the Zenia to keep them around?’

Looking at the woman in front of her, Alice doubted she actually had the answers she was looking for.

Instead...

"Are you aware of a man known as the Doctor within the Zenia family?" Alice asked.

The woman’s eye twitched a little.

As one of the brokers who works in the Underground, she naturally prided herself on her reservoir of knowledge.

There were few figures she wouldn’t know about and yet Alice had just mentioned one of them.

A high profile target within the Zenia family. Someone who leaves so many traces of himself yet at the same time, there was so little known.

What they know was only what he was willing for them to know.

What he didn’t, he kept concealed ever so tightly.

Even after all these years, this has never changed.

"While I am aware of the man in question, I am afraid there is not much I can offer in terms of information." She apologised.

"I see... That’s fine."

". . ." The woman’s smile twitched.

Alice’s reaction revealed that she hadn’t expected much.

A rather... insulting reaction.

"Can you show me how the Zenia forces are distributed? I want to know where most of their manpower is stationed along with any known Lords." Alice changed her question.

Once again, she asked another difficult question as the woman felt a hit against her pride.

If she was to answer with what she knows right now, it’ll all be assumptions and guesses.

Full of maybes and uncertainty.

As a broker, she hated giving out this kind of information the most.

The worst part about this is that she couldn’t even say she’ll provide it after a few days either. Sending spies and scouts to check out the Zenia family has been a complete dead end.

The Underground has been trying to get information for several months at this point. All they can find is surface level information.

"It... has been rather difficult to gather information regarding the distribution of their core forces. I can mark down where their branches are and already known Lords. But for the Lords, this information is outdated." She kept a composed smile despite the annoyance in her heart.

Alice’s frown deepened.

"I guess that’ll work. Can you also show me how the Varyn, Serathei and Nightingale family are distributed along with known Lords?"

"Of course. Unlike the Zenia family, the Varyn and Nightingale family are much easier to keep track of. Serathei though, due to the nature of their operations, are hard to track." She nodded.

Alice was mildly surprised by the fact that they were willing to share information on the Serathei family.

After all, based on her words, they were allies of sorts. Two groups that work together.

"Don’t worry, the Serathei family understood this point the day we decided to cooperate. The Underground serves as a hub for information and the markets. Even if you are our ally, we will still provide information if given the right price.

"Though certain cases will cost more than others of course. And a few high tier information can only be traded with information of equal worth rather than monetary value." She explained.

This was the kind of reaction she was expecting. Surprise and awe rather than disappointment.

"And... the money I gave was enough for Serathei’s information?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. But she couldn’t exactly say that because she failed to provide information on the Zenia family, she had to compensate to some degree. Her pride was on the line.

"Indeed."

Since that was the case, Alice didn’t see the need to reject such a gift.

Accepting the offer, Alice watched as the woman tilted her head back once more.

"Wait wait wait, do you have to... pull it out of your mouth every time?" Alice asked with a forced smile.

But the woman only chuckled.

"Why would I pull a map out of my ’stomach’?" Leaning back, she tapped her finger against the tree behind her and the trunk opened up.

A flash of energy pulsed and a rolled up map was teleported into the cavity.

Retrieving the map, she glanced at Alice with a smirk.

"Are you disappointed? Should I eat it then pull it out for your liking?" She teased lifting her dress up to reveal the mouth on her stomach.

"No... If anything I’d rather you stick with the tree than throwing up stuff." Alice massaged her eyes.

Letting out a small laugh, the woman unfurled the map on the table and began to mark down certain locations with red circles.

Her left eye would occasionally twitch, updating the information.

While she was updating the map, Alice observed the woman in front of her. Based on the strands of energy coming off her body, that eye was probably linked to several nodes or familiars scattered around the world.

"Does every broker in the Underground have an eye like yours?" Alice asked as the woman only smiled.

"Maybe. Maybe not. While we do provide information on other families or even our allies, the secrets of the Underground are something you’ll have to find out for yourself." She held a finger over her lip.

Once she finished marking down the locations on the map, she rolled it up and handed it over to Alice.

"Distribution of forces and even Lords have been marked down. I believe that will be the end of our exchange."

"Mnm. For now. If I need anything else in the future, how do I make sure I get you again?" Alice asked, storing the map into her pouch.

"It’s simple. Repeat your order but add an extra order of Yggdrasil Tea." She gave a small wave as Alice and Elias departed from the room.