Chapter 139: Lure of the Crown
Ilai's lair lay in the deepest underground reaches of the North District.
It was the polar opposite of the lofty heights preferred by Serion and the other district rulers.
Kneeling on one knee before Ilai was someone from the Thorn Tree Assault team.
It was their leader, Mariel.
Ilai asked with a grave expression.
"So, you're saying it's the Spirit King's Crown?"
"Yes! I clearly heard them muttering that."
"Spirit King, Spirit King..."
Ilai's face darkened with seriousness.
The Thorn Tree Assault team had accompanied Borlin Stravach's Blue Leaf Special Forces on their trip to the White Bear Caravan.
Officially, they were there to support the Blue Leaf Special Forces, but their real mission was to gather intel and report back to Ilai.
Ilai was the North District's number two.
She handled the day-to-day operations in Serion's stead.
But no matter how well she ran things, the glory always went to Serion.
After a century of that, a deep inferiority complex had taken root.
It made her moodier, driving her to burrow underground instead of staying topside.
"What was Borlin's reaction?"
"I've never seen her that serious. And she said, 'Maybe the real Spirit King is sealed inside the crown.'"
"The real Spirit King might be sealed inside? The Spirit King..."
They'd be grateful for even a lesser spirit, but summoning the actual Spirit King could upend not just Neo Seoul, but the entire world's balance of power.
Greed flickered across Ilai's face.
"They're auctioning off the Spirit King's Crown?"
"Yes."
"If Serion gets her hands on the Spirit King's Crown, I'll never surpass her."
The power gap was already massive.
No matter how much strength she'd built in the shadows, she couldn't bridge the inherent divide.
Serion embodied a true queen's grace and might.
Ilai was a fine Awakener, but she fell short.
That was why she was still stuck as number two.
Mariel asked cautiously.
"What will you do?"
"I need to get the Spirit King's Crown before Serion does."
"And how?"
"Leak the info to the scavengers. Tell them there's a world-changing treasure in the caravan. They'll move for sure. We'll snatch the crown in the chaos."
"Understood."
Mariel replied with a hardened expression.
＊＊＊
After leaving the White Bear Caravan, Zeon, Levin, and Briel headed straight to old man Clexy's shop.
"Feed us, gramps."
"Yeah! I'm starving."
Levin and Briel were already whining about hunger before they even sat down.
"They don't even give you food at the caravan?"
"You knew?"
"How could I not, with all that commotion?"
Clexy chuckled dryly at Zeon's question.
As he prepared the food, Clexy asked,
"So! What'd you think of the items up for auction at the White Bear Caravan?"
"They all looked useful enough."
"Word on the street says they're more than that."
"I didn't bid on any myself."
"True, only the user knows an item's true worth."
"Still, a few seemed like they'd be really handy."
"I see. Then their movements aren't coincidence."
Clexy suddenly furrowed his brow.
Zeon eyed him curiously.
"Their movements?"
"The scavengers. We've picked up strange activity from them."
"Strange how?"
"They're suddenly buzzing like mad. Like they've gotten orders from someone."
Clexy scowled deeply.
Ever since the White Bear Caravan arrived, unusual stirrings had rippled across Neo Seoul.
Clexy didn't like it one bit.
People got more stability-focused with age.
The bold drive of youth faded away.
Clexy was no different.
He wasn't thrilled with Neo Seoul or the slums, but he didn't want them flipping upside down overnight either.
Zeon asked,
"You said it feels like someone's giving orders?"
"It's too coordinated. Scavengers are usually a chaotic mess, rampaging every which way. Not this time."
"So you think someone's reining them in."
"How else do you explain it? Problem is, we don't know who's pulling the strings."
"Couldn't Argos's Eye find out?"
"Argos's Eye only works in the slums. Neo Seoul proper? We can't cover it perfectly."
Clexy admitted his limits frankly.
Neo Seoul and the slums weren't divided for nothing.
Those towering walls didn't just separate classes. They cut off information too.
In a way, they were separate worlds.
Thwack!
"Here ya go."
Clexy had finished the food in the meantime and set it down.
It was rice topped with a meat dish—a hearty donburi.
"Looks tasty."
"Thanks for the meal."
Levin and Briel grabbed their chopsticks in a hurry.
Zeon started eating a beat later.
Clexy watched the trio with a smile tugging at his lips.
'Seeing these kids so often makes 'em feel like family.'
The first time he'd laid eyes on Zeon again, he'd just seemed like a slippery bastard.
No telling what he'd been through in eight years, but he'd slithered back into Neo Seoul like a crafty fox. Clexy had tried digging into his background, but came up empty.
So he'd stayed wary. But constant meetings wore that down into fondness.
Briel and Levin too.
They felt like real grandkids now.
Though he had an actual granddaughter, of course.
After finishing their meal, the three headed home.
As they entered a quiet street, Briel spoke up.
"Zeon!"
"Yeah?"
"You know that thing."
"What? The Spirit King's Crown?"
"Yeah!"
"What about it?"
"You think a real Spirit King is sealed inside?"
"No clue. Why?"
"Just... bad vibes."
Briel trailed off.
Her face had already darkened.
"Bad vibes?"
"Yeah."
"What kind?"
"Chills the second I saw it. Couldn't even breathe..."
"I see."
Zeon nodded.
Briel was a high elf.
Even dulled by drugs, her senses far outstripped normal elves.
If she got chills, there was a damn good reason.
Levin ventured carefully,
"You sure you're not overreacting?"
"You're the dull one."
"Me?"
"Yeah! Dummy!"
"Damn! Getting called dumb by an elf."
Levin grumbled.
But he didn't look offended.
This was their everyday banter.
Zeon watched them bicker, lost in thought.
'If it creeped Briel out that bad, my gut feeling wasn't wrong.'
Zeon had sensed something similar.
It had been ages since his instincts pinged like that.
Zeon glanced toward the White Bear Caravan's fortress.
The sky was dyed blood-red with sunset.
The silhouette of the fortress standing tall beneath it felt eerily ominous.
＊＊＊
The desert sands, scorching enough to bake all life by day, cooled just as brutally by night—enough to freeze it solid.
With temperature swings of dozens of degrees, anyone venturing out unprepared would either boil or freeze.
That's why desert travelers prepared meticulously.
The group slipping out of Neo Seoul now was no exception.
But their prep was overkill.
Camouflaged in sand-mimicking gear, bristling with weapons.
No one hiding their faces behind masks or balaclavas was up to anything good.
They were scavengers.
Moving stealthily, presence utterly concealed.
Destination: the White Bear Caravan's fortress.
Greed burned in their exposed eyes.
'Spirit King's Crown, huh.'
'Fuck! Chance to change my fate.'
'Grab that, and I live easy forever.'
Treasure blinds men.
The Spirit King's Crown was treasure worth that and more.
News of it in the White Bear Caravan spread like wildfire among scavengers.
Source didn't matter—rumor or solid intel.
What mattered: snag the Spirit King's Crown, change your stars.
Scavengers mobilized instantly.
Hesitate, and opportunity slips away. They knew that.
There—in the desert's heart—stood the fortress.
Awakened sentries on its walls entered their sights.
No orders given, but a few scavengers stepped forward.
All long-range snipers.
"Heh heh."
"Let's start."
One hefted a massive sniper rifle; others nocked arrows.
They fired as one at the sentries.
Scavengers had no doubt they'd drop.
But the next instant shattered expectations.
Twaang!
A blue barrier sprang up before the Awakeners, deflecting bullets and arrows.
Scavengers recognized it instantly.
"Barrier."
"Fuck! No wonder the watch seemed lax."
They eyed each other.
Normally, they'd retreat now.
Attacking alerted guards would just rack up their own casualties.
But scavengers weren't known for rationality.
"Can't hold a barrier forever. It'll drop soon."
"All-out assault'll shatter it. Attack!"
A few agitators led; the rest followed.
"Attack!"
"Charge!"
Like feral dogs, scavengers surged forward.
Hundreds revealed themselves.
"Raid!"
"Scavengers incoming!"
White Bear Caravan Awakeners—saved by the barrier—shouted.
"Battle stations!"
"Battle ready!"
Inside the fortress, Awakeners prepared to repel them.
Aleksandr and Demian watched.
"Just like you said—they hit right away."
"Scavengers operate the same everywhere. Knew they'd pounce on the intel."
"Didn't expect it this aggressive, though. Means someone's directing them."
"Probably."
"A long night ahead."
"Yes! A brutal one. Sorry, Captain—for dragging you into this."
"Nonsense. Thanks to you, Akutsuk survives. We'd follow you into worse without grudge."
"Then I'll make it worth it. No regrets for anyone."
"Now that's promising."
The scavenger horde reached the gates.
Demian issued the order.
"Kill them all."