After hearing Jacob's ambiguous sentence, the Giants were astounded, and a flash of ecstasy passed through their eyes. They never expect this 'superior' would offer them his help while also hiding their transgression.
Furthermore, it was far better than involving an outsider. Nonetheless, they were no idiots and knew whatever he demanded would not be small, and he probably approached them with this intention from the start.
"Please tell us," Aven spoke while Frugal remained silent since he trusted his big sister's judgment.
Jacob stated without hesitation, "I want half of whatever we discover in the Vile Witch Layer."
"Half?" Frugal exclaimed, "Aren't you asking too much?"
"Heh, I think I'm asking too little. Don't forget the mistake you made; you might not even keep your lives, and your superior will definitely lose its rank." Jacob said matter-of-factly.
"Alright, we accept!" Aven nodded as she knew what Jacob was stating the fact.
"But sis…"
"Just let it go. Half of the inheritance is more than enough for us. Sir is being generous with us, so don't be ungrateful. If he wanted, he could've asked for 80% or even everything, but he didn't, and with his help, we might be able to get it for sure!" Aven sternly stated.
'She's quite sharp despite her inexperience, or she's just playing a fool…' Jacob thought with a hint of uncertainty.
But everything was going according to his plan, so he played along, "You're quite sensible. Since the deal is set, let's move to the plan. If I'm not wrong, you guys seek the Dark Mistress because you were stuck at something. So, out with it, why did you guys seek her help by going out of your way to reveal your identities!"
'He even guessed that?' Aven was startled by just how sharp this person was since he was able to see through their plight so easily. But this also boosts her confidence in him.
Aven revealed with a grave tone, "We are indeed stuck at something, so we were forced to use this option. But I can assure you that we have a countermeasure in place if something untoward would've happened. However, we were still naïve, and Sir even saved us from a grim fate.
"Actually, we found the Vile Witch Layer three months ago in the core region of Vile Witch Valley. But the entrance is blocked by a door, and that door is encrypted with some mysterious rune array.
"Even after using every means, we can't even scratch it. We also tried digging a tunnel underground and the walls, but when we reached a certain depth, a barrier with the same runes blocked our way.
"So, we reckoned that the only way inside is that door, and we need to decrypt that array. But it's simply too complex, and if we had tried to decrypt ourselves, we might've set up some safety mechanism. So, we refrain from doing it.
"In the end, we collected some information and found out about the Dark Mistress, who had some connection to a rune artificer. So, we came to this city for her. But before we could approach her, Faceless Ancient appeared.
"You should've already known that there are only three ways to pass a runic array. First is an Array Key, the second is decrypting the array, and last one is breaking it with a single powerful attack."
Jacob's heart raced as he didn't have to guess why his star ID was mentioned.
"So, you guys wanted to buy the Faceless Ancient's atomic grenade to blow that array?" He asked.
Aven nodded, "Indeed, it was far better than revealing our identities since Dark Mistress won't believe us without us telling her about our background." She suddenly gritted her teeth as she spat, "But that bastard is simply too famous, and that atomic grenade auction ended up going way out of our expectation. So, we had to use our first plan."
'What kind of situation is this?' Jacob wondered, as he never expected this sort of divulgence.
These guys were searching for him, but he ended up approaching them instead. This was quite a peculiar event. Nevertheless, he now knew why they were here and their predicament.
Furthermore, he wasn't only Rune Artificer but also Faceless Ancient. But he can't tell them that, now, can he? So, he needed another approach just in case he needed to use an atomic grenade.
As for getting rid of those two, he wasn't planning on doing it since they were quite useful.
"Well, I think we are in luck since I'm a rune artificer, and I can also get an Atomic Grenade in the next auction. Is there anything else you need?" He confidently stated.
"Wait, really?" Frugal was startled.
Even Aven was in disbelief as she never expected to find the exact sort of person they needed the most. They felt even more excited about Jacob joining them.
"Why would I lie to you?" He coolly replied.
"If that's the case, then all we need is a few people who could be our meat shields. There should be more traps. We only have a map of its entrance, not the inner area. So, we have to be quite cautious while exploring that place." Aven gravely said, "Even if there wasn't any trap, we could just get rid of all the meat shields."
'How vicious!' Jacob thought jeeringly. But he knew he was just being a hypocrite when it came to viciousness.
He nodded, "Very well, you two can take care of this by yourselves. Let me worry about an atomic grenade. But just in case, if we end up using it, how are you planning on handling the corollary? I don't need to remind you that it's not something we can get away with after using it."
Frugal confidently said at this moment, "We don't have to worry about that. First, I don't think anyone in the region is stronger than us three. Second, by the time powerful people arrive for investigation, we will be long gone with the inheritance.
"Last but not least, everyone will suspect Faceless Ancient first after that blast, and if someone discovers the secret of Vile Witch Layer, they will go after him even more decisively than before. While we can reap, the benefits and no one would ever know it was us who did that. It's a perfect sabotage!"
While Frugal was ecstatically revealing his sabotage plan, and Aven fully agreed with him, they both failed to notice a terrifying gleam in Jacob's icy cold eyes!
