Chương 129: Chapter 121-Chosen... News

.. News Pebbles. They have a long and proud lineage. Their ancestors, the mountains, blot the skies with their form. A small piece broke off that mountain and became a boulder. With time, that boulder became useful to the sentient species of this world. It was used as building material, weaponry, and for sitting. One day! A lone Miner looked upon a boulder and destroyed it with their pickaxe. Many looked on in disgust at the anger the Miner showed, but one… one person saw the truth.

It wasn't anger that drove them, but pure, unadulterated curiosity. The Miner picked up a single pebble and wondered one single thought. What if I threw this? Twirling the pebble in my hand, I watch as Mateo yet again fails to hit a nearby can." Come on, Kid. You can learn the Imperial Tongue in barely 3 months. You picked up how to [Steal] in weeks. You're even competent at [Lying], but you can't [Throw] worth a damn?" Mateo gives me a glare and then [Throws] another pebble.

The pebble goes wide, missing even the wall behind the can. How has he managed this? I don't fucking know." Go easy on the Pipsquak. Not like you picked it up so easily," Kat reminds as she [Throws] a dagger perfectly nailing the can, sending it flying." Yeah. Yeah.

Now, Kid, listen. Don't just punch the air. Use your wrist. Also, maybe keep your eyes open when you actually go to [Throw]. It might help if you actually saw what you were aiming for," I explain as I [Throw] a pebble at the downed can. The can flips in the air and lands back where it was before Kat hit it. Mateo whispers something under his breath." I like this Pipsqueak. He just called you a fucking show off," Kat whispers to me." He's got a foul mouth, but watch.

He's about to do something very interesting," I whisper back. Mateo reaves up and [Throws] the pebble, hitting the can straight on. The can barely moves, but the goal was just to hit it. Not to make it move. Although he doesn't know that. Mateo subsequently looks disappointed as he picks up another pebble and hits the can again, still unable to make it move." Where did you pick this one up again?" Kat asks." Same place you got me. A dingy alleyway. Talented, isn't he?" I ask as Mateo continues to hit the can."

I'd say so. Although we probably shouldn't let him know that," she reminds me." I know. I remember what happened to Talented George," I say as I think back on the grim sight. Talent may be good for those with the privilege of money and a house. It gets you into the best schools and naturally gets you the best opportunities. You might even be scouted by the Imperial Knights or the Imperial Scholars. Live a nice and cozy life, but that's not the case down here.

The talented are, at best, crippled like Talented George or, at worst, killed outright. There's the odd one that manages to get strong enough to fend off the attacks. They usually become Gang Lords who, in turn, take out the talented below them. After all, someone with talent is bound to be a threat in the future. It's a vicious cycle. Kat pulls me out of my thoughts as she taps me on the shoulder.

"We have company." My gaze lands on the entrance to the park. Amongst the people, a woman with familiar tattoos walks up to us. Based on the wrapped wrist, this is one of Argus's men that Kat broke the wrist of. Which can only mean one thing.

"Boss wanna talk," she says.

"Kat, I'll be right back."" Are you sure?" she asks in the language of the Sands." Yeah. I'm The Chosen One, after all," I [Lie] with a devilish smile. Kat shakes her head as I leave with the thug.

"So, how's the wrist?" I [Taunt]. Passing through the red-tinted hallway, I start to wonder how they work here. I mean, the red hue of this place probably makes it difficult to see. Not to mention the headache. Gods, does it suck to be in here. Pushing through the hallway, we enter the room from last time. It's still filled with thugs and smoke. A truly nostalgic place. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"He's waiting for ya," my escort says as she gestures to the door in the back.

"Thanks for the small talk," I say sarcastically as I open the door in the back. The room is filled with smoke that stings my eyes. Bookshelves and display cases line the walls along with a singular painting. Pushing through the smoke, I walk up to the desk. Argus looks up and takes a long drag of his cigar. Lifting up his eyepatch, he reveals a hole where his eye should be. He then does something disgusting. He takes his cigar and puts it out by stabbing it into the hole.

"Ya wanted to talk?" I ask as I pretend not to be disgusted. Argus throws me a small pouch that seems oddly familiar. Opening it, I find the Black Orchid leaves I gave him last time. This isn't good. Was he not satisfied with the amount or quality?

"What do ya mean by this?" I ask, hiding my fear.

"I'm giving you a reimbursement. I regret to inform you that we won't be able to find you a real Unicron horn," he says with a deep growl of frustration.

"What do ya mean? Was the payment not enough? We can nego-""No. This isn't about payment. It hurts my pride to say this, but we couldn't find any. Not a single real Unicorn horn. We searched high, and we searched low, real low. Not a single one," he explains.

"What happened to ya lead?" I ask with a tinge of anger.

"Someone else got to it before us. These things happen. You know that."

"Who?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he says as his one eye pierces through me. Fuck! Fuckity fucking shit! What am I supposed to do now? From what I can tell, he isn't lying. He has no other lead on another Unicorn horn, and if he can't find it, I'm shit out of luck. I need to know who got the horn before me. I'll have to [Steal] it. Not like they need more than me. Which leads me to my other problem. This one-eyed asshole isn't going to tell me who that is. Not for free, at least.

He needs something to loosen his mouth, and these fucking leaves aren't going to do it. Standing up, I walk over to the painting. A beautiful depiction of the Krait fields. Probably an expensive piece, or at least it would be if it were the original. Not this cheap knockoff. The books, the painting, the expensive-looking rug, and even the way he talks. He wants to present himself as better than the rest of us riffraff. He believes himself to be of a higher class.

Probably thinks of himself as noble, might even be aiming to become one. A lofty and idiotic goal, but one that I can take advantage of.

"Do you know the different ways you can become a noble?" I ask, switching to my more proper way of speaking.

"Buy a title, marry into one, or be granted one by a Duke or Royal," Argus says with a smirk.

"No. That's how you become a noble by name. I'm talking about becoming a noble. One that even those pricks on top would be forced to recognise," I say, hoping he takes the bait.

"How do you do that?" he asks with a hint of curiosity.

"You become so important that it's impossible for them to say otherwise. Deep down, they'll probably see you as lesser. A gutter rat that managed to claw its way onto the dinner table, but they'll be forced to acknowledge you as an equal. A noble. Would you like me to show you how?" I ask with a devilish smile.

"What do you want?" Argus asks.

"The name. Who has the Unicorn horn?"

"Ivan Luke Evans. The Steward of this great Empire. He has the Unicorn horn," he says, anticipation dripping from his every word. Of course, it had to be a higher-ranking official of the Empire. It won't be easy to [Steal] the Unicorn horn back, but nothing in life is easy. As I head for the door, I feel a presence of dread behind me. Almost forgot.

"There will come a moment in the next couple of years where I'm sure to face another Calamity. If in that battle a hardened warrior were to help me… He would surely get a lot of eyes on him. A lot of powerful and influential eyes. It would make a perfect platform for him to be recognised for his bravery and power. From there, it's up to that warrior on what he makes of that attention. Don't you think so?" I ask.

"Let us hope for that opportunity to present itself," Argus says with a knowing smile. Leaving the room and eventually the building, I let out a sigh of relief. Great. Now I have that to worry about. If I'm lucky, he kicks it before I have to make good on that promise. In fact, I hope that another Calamity doesn't come knocking on my doorstep. I'm not holding my breath, though. Either way, I have another problem to deal with first. How in the hells am I supposed to [Steal] the Unicorn horn from a Royal official?

Getting into the Palace itself is already a pain. From what I saw, they have layers on their layers of security… Wait a minute! The Ball! I don't have to sneak in if I've already been invited. Maybe things will shake out easier than I thought. I'm sure nothing will go wrong. I mean… I'm a master of subterfuge, I'm getting better at dancing, and I'm handsome. That last part might not have anything to do with anything, but it never hurts to say the truth every now and then. So, it's settled.

I just have to help Penelope become an actual candidate for the throne, help Ruby and Helia with the whole succession problem with their dad, make a good impression on noble society, make sure that Purist looks so bad that he isn't considered for the Headmaster position, and steal a Unicorn horn from the steward, all while trying to stop my soul from pulling off a disappearing act. Seems easy enough… I'm well and truly fucked, aren't I?

Well, you either go big or you find yourself on the business end of a guillotine. I should really renegotiate my [Contract] for more Gold. 500, 000 Gold is starting to seem like it isn't enough.

"Abrigon?" I ask out loud. The empty silence answers back. Odd. He must be busy. Well, fuck him. He was supposed to take care of the Purists from Ashfall. Which he hasn't done. Gods, what is he even doing anyway? It sure feels like I'm doing the bulk of the work here, but that's expected when it comes to this kind of work. The client is usually sitting on his ass while the actual professionals are the only ones getting anything done. With a sigh, I shake my head. I guess I should get ready.

I only have a week before the Ball after all. This is going to be a pain.