SWNOVELXO Chapter 343 Intelligence
"Cheers~ haha, I owe it all to Brother Yu for letting me see the world, I'll have something to boast about when I get back, it really is delicious."
Tao Feng, Tao Hu's son and Tao Yu's cousin who was two years older, said with a face full of envy.
As a peer, and a young one at that, he felt a bit envious when he first heard of Tao Yu's achievements.
But now, the only thought left in his mind was how to cling to his coattails.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to join the new Development Zone, which was a real pity!
Though he had a good job with his father's help, his talent was not as great as his father's, and his potential was limited, so his future would be about finding various coattails to cling to.
"Hehe, Brother Yu doesn't have a girlfriend yet, you don't know, my girls are about to go crazy asking about him."
Tao Ling said teasingly with a playful glint in her beautiful eyes and an ambiguous smile on her face.
She was five years older than Tao Yu and had played with him as children. Her talent was also quite good, just that she was still young.
Especially since the emergence of the Inner Power System, Tao Hu, with Tao Yu's agreement, had begun teaching them personally, making the chances of reaching the level of an intermediate partner in the future quite large.
"That's not it, I'm still in the improving period, I don't have that in mind."
In front of his family, Tao Yu still wore a smile that utterly concealed his concerns.
He ate, drank, and was merry.
"Oh, it doesn't matter if you're not intent on it, you can still find a few to play around with to accumulate experience."
Tao Ling had inherited her mother's looks and, with a touch of makeup, was quite beautiful—even when uttering such daring words without any reservation.
"Maybe I'm just picky."
"But there's nothing wrong with being picky given your talent. Actually, we're not related within three generations, so we might find an opportunity for you to see how formidable the bad women can be."
Tao Ling joked with Tao Yu, while Tao Hu knocked her on the head, causing her to cover her head and keep crying out in pain.
Three older brothers, their wives, Stone, the fourth sister, and her husband were all involved in the lively scene as well.
While the center of it all was Tao Yu, these were the closest people to him, so there was no formality or alienation, and the atmosphere was lively.
They all got along well together.
Stone also constantly proclaimed with utter certainty that his Inner Strength had shown initial success, and he was determined to awaken a good talent on his day of awakening.
The family was all laughter and joy, and Tao Yu had always been like this, blending into various topics continuously.
Not until the night deepened did the family, having had their fill of food and drink, leave the restaurant.
Seeing that Tao Yu was able to get the meal for free increased their envy.
But Tao Yu, not wanting to worry his family, refrained from explaining.
The meal was free, but it came at the cost of poisoning someone…
"It's late; I've booked hotel rooms for you, just near our house. The Outer City is a bit dangerous at night, and frankly, the Inner City isn't completely safe either."
Tao Yu looked around; Night Watchers in uniform had already started to patrol the area.
Dealing with people who slept outside at night, as well as lunatics and criminals, brought in their income—Tao Yu had also earned extra money this way.
However, his large group, clearly just having finished dining, didn't have any troublemakers foolish enough to harass them.
For safety, Tao Yu escorted them all to the hotel and made sure everything was in order before he returned home with his family and to his own room.
It was only then that the smile that had continually graced Tao Yu's face finally settled into complete solemnity, and he slowly exhaled.
He glanced at the Thieves Guild's pager, confirmed the location, then directly entered into Demonization. His body was covered in pitch-black armor which, through modifications of the Shadow Force, rapidly changed its appearance.
After transformations in his shape and other aspects, he slipped on an overcoat, donned an associate's cloak and mask, and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the apartment through the window.
Appearing in a dark corner, he then sped off toward the direction of the Thieves Guild.
"No wonder this cowardly guild that keeps getting knocked down always resurfaces—they indeed fulfill a certain demand..."
Tao Yu mused calmly as he swiftly moved on foot.
After all this time, the Thieves Guild was still at the same shabby bar on the outskirts as before.
However, the sign that used to be half-lit was now completely ruined, and the bar's glass windows appeared smashed.
It looked like they hadn't changed the location, but it seemed something had happened.
Tao Yu stepped on the shattered glass on the floor as he entered, noting the bartender had been replaced.
It was a master…
Almost at the same moment that Tao Yu looked at the new bartender, the figure, wearing a comical mask, turned his head to see Tao Yu.
At this hour, the Thieves Guild was empty.
"Have you changed staff again? Are there any bounties available now?"
Tao Yu didn't care that he was the only one. His voice in Demonization naturally raspy, he looked noticeably burlier.
"Gone. No more bounties will be arranged for this city from now on. There are too many nutcases."
The guy in the comical mask seemed to spit in disdain.
"Oh? Are you from the fog? I've never been there; kind of curious about it."
"You'd best never go; your choice is right. It's a disgusting place."
The bartender didn't seem to mind the small talk, even if it might inadvertently provide some information for free.
But he still took the initiative to ask,
"Do you have any particular needs, sir?"
"I'm looking to buy some information."
"What kind of information?"
"Just like that?"
Tao Yu was slightly surprised.
The bartender just shrugged and tapped the table.
Click clack~
Metal panels rose up around the bar, completely sealing the area.
Clearly soundproofing material, it instantly cut off all outside noise.
"I'm just afraid you might have some misunderstandings."
"Well, misunderstandings are indeed easy to arise."
Tao Yu raised an eyebrow but didn't really care.
His Spirit Perception could tell that this was a strong individual, but still not a match for him—a standout among the senior partners, more dangerous than the woman from the first time, but that was all.
"If the guest has anything to say, go ahead, while we are very cautious with assassinations and bounty quests these days, intelligence is freely available."
"Do you have information on auction items? I'd like to know who bought and who sold them."
Tao Yu said casually.
"Of course, it just depends on whether the guest is willing to offer a price, what item, which auction house, whether it's an electronic auction or a manual one."
The other party spoke very smoothly; this likely wasn't the first time they had handled such a task.
"Star Auction House, an item from a recent manual auction, the spinal fluid of the Leader Titan and related bloodlines."
Tao Yu appeared nonchalant.
"Ah, I am aware of that item and I know both the seller and the buyer. Due to the buyer's identity, the price for the information is fifty thousand."
"Fifty thousand? Please, that thing itself was priced at six hundred thousand, your asking price is too steep."
Tao Yu seemed somewhat dissatisfied as he muttered; in truth, he was interested in the seller, but he wouldn't make that distinction at this point.
"I do not consider the auction item's price; it is a matter of the difficulty we faced in acquiring the information and the risk in selling it. Suppose you were to assassinate the seller or the buyer, shouldn't we consider the risk involved? Is this value justified or not?"
The other party's tone was very calm and indeed made sense.
Perhaps some people coveted certain items and sought related information, or they wished to buy them second-hand.
But since they came to the Thieves Guild to inquire in such a clandestine manner, the chances of foul play were significantly high.
"Fine, I'll buy it…"
Tao Yu no longer hid his intentions, and his tone returned to being calm.
This made the bartender with the comical mask pause, as if aware that a troublesome task was at hand.
Then he handed over a magnetic card.
"Pay first."
"Not using the God of Trade?"
"Why use the God of Trade to buy intelligence? You must have an excess of Yuan Force."
Tao Yu didn't say much, just infused fifty thousand Yuan Force.
Being able to carry and infuse fifty thousand Yuan Force was a clear indication of one's determination and strength!
The Thieves Guild indeed took on the risk!
"The money is taken. Firstly, I'd like to give the guest some relevant reminders and explanations."
The bartender with the comical mask seemed to speak with a certain gravity.
"Go ahead."
"Don't feel that we'll have clues pointing to you after you've bought the information."
His tone notably shifted to a more respectful form of address.
"Oh?"
"If you do do something, we too become accomplices. Therefore, as long as you don't disclose it, we will certainly clamp down tight and not open our mouths, especially since I don't actually know your identity."
"Continue."
"So, please don't always think about silencing us afterwards. Seriously, it's a very innocent way for our people to die."
"Whereas, you must be joking; I'm not that kind of person."
Tao Yu laughed it off.
"I hope so. You're not from Floating City, so you don't have to be so cautious. However, it's indeed a bit troublesome, otherwise it wouldn't be valued at fifty thousand."
The bartender sighed and then began to deliver the corresponding information as per the transaction.
"The buyer is Gant, a representative of the Gan family in the Development Zone, likely for his subordinates' use and the source of the item should also be the Development Zone. They may want to test the original world of this substance."
Hearing this, Tao Yu nodded to indicate that he understood.
Actually, it was normal. Apart from Floating City and himself, Gant was a major player of the Inner City folk in the Development Zone, and they certainly had the capacity to scheme these matters.
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Upon hearing the news about Gant, Tao Yu understood why the information was worth fifty thousand and the bartender's cautiousness.
If he really aimed to do something against Gant, it indeed had the potential to shake the Inner City.
The Gan family was the family of the Chief Executive Officer, the leader among Inner City clans, and Gant was the core representative of the Gan family in the Development Zone, no different from any typical Floating City youth!
However, Tao Yu wasn't particularly concerned about the buyer and did not press, just waited for what the other party would say next.
"The seller is Holle Lewis of the Liu Yi family, a side branch. Seeing that it was directly listed for auction, it's highly probable that he and his family's team completed the hunting together."
The Liu Yi family was an above-average clan in the Inner City, not on par with the Titans, Hundred Fruits, or Beast Tamers, and they didn't have stable enterprises in the old Development Zone.
The family boasted four senior partners as strong forces, with the family head being a standout among them.
Moreover, they all possessed 'Magnetic Energy'-related talents, able to equip various exclusive mechanical enhancement items.
Presumably, it was because the family specialized in mechanical enhancements that they were not interested in the powers related to Titans.
Their direct and transparent auction listing was quite clear and forthright.
"I understand."
Tao Yu nodded his head, gave the bartender a deep look, but ultimately chose not to silence him.
It wasn't that the bartender's words moved him, nor that he trusted the Thieves Guild's integrity.
Rather, he wasn't certain whether the other party had any cloud backups.
If left alive, they were indeed accomplices. Eliminating them could make the Thieves Guild more likely to leak the information, as they would then also be victims.
Furthermore, with his new disguise providing safety, spreading the risk around a bit wasn't unacceptable.
Besides, an average Inner City family wasn't likely to cause a significant stir, and he wasn't targeting the Gan family after all.
Leaving the Thieves Guild, Tao Yu headed straight for the Liu Yi family that very night…