356 Premonition [1]
"That's actually a pretty cool badge!" Nero excitedly remarked, pointing at Raymond's chest.
On his chest gleamed a shiny emblem, its design was as elegant as it was simple – an upside-down sword in the shape of a cross embedded in a circle.
"Right?!" Raymond beamed proudly before gloating a little. "This is actually my badge of valor."
"How'd you earn it?" Nero inquired, his curiosity clear in his tone.
Raymond's eyes grew a little distant at that question, but he soon replied with a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"During my service, I led a charge against three hundred vampire troops. We had no backup coming to assist us, and we found ourselves trapped behind enemy lines. Our only path to survival was to break through those vicious bloodsuckers. No one had the courage to lead from the front, but I did. And miraculously, I survived. I brought my soldiers to safety… most of them."
"Wow," Anastasia chimed in, gasping in awe. "You must be incredibly strong."
"I'm… alright," Raymond replied modestly, his cheeks tinged with a slight blush.
It wasn't really the poor guy's fault for blushing. Anastasia looked quite stunning, like a heaven-born graceful beauty, in the black and white robes of Shaolin.
Noticing this, Chase squinted his eyes and said, "Yeah, well, I was also awarded a badge."
Well, to be precise, he was never really awarded his badge, since he wasn't in the condition to leave his bed during the Award Ceremony.
His badge was unceremoniously delivered to him in his hospital room.
…But dumb Raymond didn't need to know that!
The black-uniformed officer raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned to Nero, looking for confirmation. "Is that true?"
Chase squinted his eyes even further. Why was Raymond double-checking with Nero? Was he not believable enough?!
Nero nodded and told Raymond about how he and the cadets from his class handled the dire situation at Silveserine.
"Oh," Raymond exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I heard about that! So it was you all! What badges and medals did you receive?"
"Well," Nero explained, "Anastasia and I were awarded medals, the Golden Cross medal to be exact. Chase received the Courageous Heart badge."
"Impressive," Raymond grinned. "And what about the monetary reward? How many Credits did you receive?"
"Not much," Nero chuckled in response.
Raymond laughed along, then reassured them, "Don't worry. Once this is all over, the military police will generously reward you all for your efforts. Perhaps you'll each receive another badge for your invaluable intel and cooperation."
Nero brightly smiled but didn't respond immediately.
He didn't need more rewards. What he wished for was already safely stored in the dimensional storage of his smart bracelet.
Nero had successfully secured two Petals of Ambrosia during the mayhem and chaos when the official authorities raised this place.
Nero wasn't really sure what Lucas' intentions were regarding the second Petal of Ambrosia, but he was deeply grateful to him.
After all, without his help, he had no idea how he should've helped his Master. As he pondered this, another thought crossed his mind.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "This wouldn't have been possible without your help."
Raymond politely smiled. "That's not true."
It was partially true.
Right after joining the Shaolin sect, Nero had gathered allies and convinced them all to raid this place, but they simply did not have enough manpower because most of their officials were on another mission.
He went to Raymond and explained the situation to him. He said he had inside information about the auction, but he couldn't expose his source.
No police officer would've believed such a vague and untrustworthy intel source but Raymond, for some reason, trusted Nero's words.
However, as fate would have it, the other mission on which Shaolin's officials were ultimately led them straight to the very location of this underground auction.
So, in reality, Nero didn't need to request Military Police aid. In fact, Nero didn't have any need to be involved in all this mess at all.
The world would've followed the novel's plot, and Shaolin would've raided the place in a few days.
His involvement only fastened the events.
Nero swept his gaze around, his eyes momentarily stopping on the armored glass cages containing trapped slaves, before letting out a sigh.
Among the slaves – humans, dwarves, elves – there were even vampires. All of them were malnourished, shackled to the ground, and had thick steel collars around their necks.
"How did they even manage to get their hands on vampires?" Nero wondered aloud with a frown on his rather handsome face.
"Some soldiers must've supplied them from the border," Raymond replied after some thought. "It looks like a trafficking chain. I'll have my full squad thoroughly investigate this case."
"But why would soldiers be involved in such a despicable trade?" Nero inquired, a hint of disgust clearly present in his voice.
"Money," Anastasia chimed in. "Money is always a driving factor."
"She's right," Raymond sighed. "Everyone attending this auction was a noble, which means they had a lot of money to spare."
Nero shook his head, gently massaging his forehead. "I don't understand why they'd need to purchase... slaves."
Raymond shrugged, this time sharing Nero's disgust. "Who knows? I can never understand nobles. They're all twisted, in my opinion."
Anastasia frowned upon hearing that.
The image of a particular silver-haired boy flashed through her mind as she spoke in a low tone, "Not all nobles."
Funnily enough, Nero also thought about the same person and nodded. "Yeah, some nobles work on themselves and improve in life."
Raymond chuckled. "Well, I'd like to meet the nobles you both are talking about."
Nero tilted his head before Raymond changed the subject.
"Anyway, I don't care. I'm just glad that I'm getting a bonus from this case. I'll get a vacation package and surprise my mom," he said.
"You live with your mom?" Anastasia asked with a warm smile, seemingly happy for some reason.
Raymond nodded. "My father passed away when I was young and she never married again, so she only has me."
"You're a good person," Anastasia complimented, causing the uniformed officer to blush once again.
"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "Let me go and check if everyone has been arrested. I'm dying to go home."
With that said, Raymond turned around and headed off to check on his fellow officers.
Nero turned to Anastasia and asked, "We were talking about the same noble, right?"
Anastasia chuckled. "I had no idea you and Lucas had become such close friends."
Nero raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes. "I told you, he was the one who gave me the information about this auction. But I never imagined the underground auction would actually be held underground."
Anastasia placed a hand over her mouth and continued to gracefully chuckle as Nero added, "What I'm trying to say is, he's a good guy. I'm genuinely sorry for what I said to him."
"Yeah," Anastasia agreed. "You do have a bit of an anger issue."
Nero gave her a long look before erupting, "Oh, you don't say?! For real?!"
Anastasia playfully pointed a finger at him and quipped, "Look, you're getting angry right now!"
Nero gasped. "I—No! ...And just so you know, I'm attending therapy at Shaolin. Yes, before you ask, Lucas suggested it."
Anastasia laughed again before adding, "He's a good guy, Lucas, I mean. But he seems very desperate for something."
Nero frowned. "How do you know?"
Anastasia shrugged. "I just do."
In truth, Anastasia had seen Lucas's Spiritual Aura with her own eyes. Spiritual Aura was essentially a reflection of a person's true self.
One could completely mask their true nature with a well-crafted persona and clever lies. Despite the façade, no one could ever hide their Spiritual Aura.
The radiant brilliance of Lucas's Spiritual Aura was so blinding that when she looked at him, she felt like she was staring into the heart of a star.
He was one of the purest souls she had ever seen. Yet, his light was shrouded in a profane darkness so vile that it was almost sickening.
It almost felt like he would devour all that was good in this universe, leaving behind only foreboding darkness.
Lucas was a walking contradiction.
He embodied purity and foulness, kindness and vileness, and he was at ease yet constantly suffering.
But she knew he was putting on an act. For some reason, he was concealing his true self – no, he had to hide his true self.
He seemed desperate for something. He was fighting, yet a part of him had already resigned. Yeah, he was indeed a walking contradiction.
Initially, Anastasia thought that he had a split personality. It checked all the blocks and would explain the sudden shift in his personality.
That was why she was slightly interested in him when she first saw him. But after observing him closely, she realized he was mentally stable.
But then, why was his Spiritual Aura in such a paradoxical state? She couldn't fathom it.
