1 White Gloves
"Sir, would you like a white glove?"
"No, thank you!"
Politely bowing to the man before him, the waiter turned and walked away, holding a white tray.
In the restaurant of Sifani, a gathering place for the upper echelons of nobility, luxury and opulence were their guiding stars, and it was also where these waiters could reap substantial benefits.
For instance, a single white glove like this mousse could be sold at thirty times the market price, if someone needed it!
The man was dressed in a tailored black overcoat, a British-style black hat perched on his head. Smoking was prohibited at Sifani, which made the man quite uncomfortable.
With his smoke-stained fingers, he gestured two words, and the man began to speak, the pungent smell of smoke filling the air.
"Madam West, if you want me to act, the price won't be lower than two hundred gold coins!"
Sitting across from the man was a woman with delicate features. She had a slender figure, and her silk-made clothes accentuated her shapely curves. She didn't look at all like a married woman.
A golden emblem adorned the right side of the woman's chest, depicting a golden eagle with a sharp beak and outstretched wings. The most intricate detail was the eagle's eyes, sharp and fierce, vividly captured.
The Golden Eagle, emblem of the West family, symbolizing the honor of a generation of blue-blooded nobles.
"Mr. Huli Chadson, I swear by the honor of the Golden Eagle, that once you find what we need, I will certainly pay you as promised."
After receiving Lady West's promise, Huli visibly relaxed. Even for renowned veteran bounty hunters like him, dealing with these nobles was still nerve-wracking.
It wasn't the broken promises that scared them the most; it was the fact that broken promises often came with treachery and bloodshed.
However, for the West family, who held honor above all else, a promise made with their emblem carried weight.
This also indicated that the West family was truly desperate, or more precisely, Lady West before him was truly desperate.
In this empire ruled by Lucifer VI, the six major blue-blooded families and eight major red-blooded families were colossal powers second only to the royal family, controlling over ninety percent of the empire's taxes and industries.
The West family was one of the six major blue-blooded families. The current head of the Golden Eagle West family was the renowned Duke of the Golden Eagle, rumored to be a transcendent being of the higher sequence.
Transcendent beings were widespread in this world, with various gods spreading their faith among the people. Outer-worldly malevolent deities were also stirring their minions. The established churches remained robust, and various transcendent beings emerged, leading to a myriad of paths.
Huli was a transcendent being who believed in ancient gods, a Seeker of the Third Sequence.
He knew that Lady West's urgency and her willingness to work with someone like him were related to the West family scandal from half a month ago.
The Duke of West had six wives, five sons, and three daughters. However, half a month ago, the affair between the third son of the Duke and the sixth wife shocked the entire capital.
While nobles often engaged in such affairs privately, bringing it to light caused quite a commotion.
Upon learning of the incident, the Duke of West was furious. He exiled the third son to a border town and reduced the sixth wife to slavery, stripping her of her noble status.
But the most unfortunate were not the two culprits, but the mother of the third son and her other son, the Duke's youngest. They also received the Duke's cold gaze due to the incident.
If he guessed correctly, the woman before Huli should be the third wife of the Duke of West.
In half a month, this young master's coming-of-age ceremony would take place. If the young master didn't perform well, it would spell disaster for his mother's line.
Hence, Lady West sought Huli's help to find the Holy Crystal, an item that significantly increased the probability of a successful awakening, which was crucial for the coming-of-age ceremony.
Only noble children were eligible to undergo the enlightenment ritual to awaken their bloodline, inheriting their ancestral transcendent powers. However, undergoing the ritual didn't guarantee success; there were many failures as well.
When a noble child failed in their awakening, they lost their chance to inherit the family's powers and were quickly abandoned. Females became tools for political marriages, while males became inconsequential figures.
Although it was still possible to become a transcendent being through other means, it didn't matter much to these pampered noble children. Even if they became powerful transcendent beings through alternative paths, they would never gain the family's recognition.
Such was the plight of the nobility.
"Rest assured, madam, I will find the Holy Crystal for Young Master Charles!"
Performing a gentlemanly hand-kiss, Huli adjusted his black overcoat. He had only half a month, and although this lady now seemed kind, he knew that if he failed to find the Holy Crystal, she probably wouldn't spare his life.
Lowering his hat brim, Huli sighed helplessly, quickening his pace as he left the upscale Sifani restaurant. His craving for a smoke was becoming unbearable.
In truth, for bounty hunters like him, there were times when having too much fame wasn't necessarily a good thing. Troubles often outweighed the benefits.
As Huli left, Lady West's gaze gradually became profound.
A blue-eyed, black-haired youth stood up from a nearby table and approached Lady West.
The young man had a slender figure, wearing leather boots and a slight lift to his profile, revealing a perfect jawline. His long lashes were envy-worthy, even for women. His finely textured black fringe swayed gently with his movements, and his sapphire-like eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
He was the young master of the West family, Charles West.
"Very well done. You may take your reward and leave."
As Charles spoke, Lady West's body trembled, transforming from an elegant noblewoman into a frail elderly woman.
The woman tremulously accepted a silver coin from the young man's hand and removed the golden eagle emblem from her chest. She fled Sifani restaurant as if running away.
This woman, of course, wasn't the real Lady West, just a transcendent being employed by Xavier.
A First Sequence Fool, coupled with a genuine golden eagle emblem, was enough to deceive a Third Sequence Seeker like Huli.
Charles went to great lengths for a reason.
These bounty hunters knew he, as a child, couldn't afford to pay their fees, but a Duchess backed by other forces was a different matter.
He wanted his mother to personally intervene, but his mother, who had always focused on his older brother, had never seen him as a person. Why would she care about his affairs?
Moreover, his highly acclaimed genius older brother was now exiled to a border town, and the forces behind his mother were reluctant to act due to the scandal. Their faction was also being suppressed by several other factions, leaving them desperate.
These days, his mother's mental state had become highly unstable; she would lash out at anyone she saw, even making Charles wary.
"Sir, would you like a white glove?"
Seeing that the table had a new guest, the waiter returned.
Charles chuckled lightly, picking up a white glove from the plate. Dining with a white glove to keep things clean was a fundamental aspect of the noble education he received from childhood.
He placed a coin onto the waiter's tray, and Xavier's sapphire-like eyes resembled the most exquisite work of art.
He knew that many eyes were on him now, wanting him dead, but no one could help him.
Everything, he had to rely on himself!
