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....

When Nox went to the meeting, he left Fluffington alone in the old control chamber. The massive cat lay peacefully, missing the large bed back at the barony when suddenly, he started to hear the same whispers he had heard before.

Fluffington rose to his feet and looked around, hoping to find one of the members of the Mavericks Guild, but there was no one in sight. Yesterday, he hadn't told Nox about the whispers because he had magically forgotten about them, as if they had been erased from his mind.

The whispers just now triggered his memory, making him recall what happened.

Like a puppet, the cat slowly jumped out of the ship, following the whisper that called out to him. Fluffington wanted to resist this unknown whisper, but his body lacked the willpower.

---

Nox and Hex stood in the bustling district, surrounded by several stores and merchants selling their wares. The two were confused about where to go, unsure which store to begin with.

Just then, Nox noticed an alchemist store and gestured to Hex. The two walked inside. Once there, Nox whispered in Hex's ear, "Leave everything to me."

Hex was a bit taken aback, but he decided to take a back seat, curious to see how Nox would handle the situation.

Meanwhile, Nox's eyes scanned the shelves of peculiar ingredients and strange equipment. He approached the counter, where a bespectacled man looked up from his work.

"Welcome, customers. How may I assist you today?" The man displayed a business-friendly smile.

Nox smiled, trying to appear nonchalant. "We're just browsing, but I did have a question. I've been studying the properties of various orbs, and I was wondering if you've heard anything about... unusual orbs. Perhaps ones with a distress signal or unique resonant frequencies."

"Are you an alchemist?" The store owner's eyes lit up. "I've never seen an alchemist as young as you!"

"What is he up to?" Hex narrowed his eyes from the side.

"I'm an alchemist in training," Nox lied with such a straight face that it made Hex doubt whether the boy was telling the truth or not.

"Ah, an alchemist in training, I see," the man nodded with a hint of disappointment. "Well, I do know a few things about distress orbs, but you've got to be specific."

"Here, I'm looking for something like this." Nox pulled out the blue orb and showed it to the man, who adjusted his glasses and examined the orb from all sides. A moment later, he shook his head.

"I don't know about this...but I do know the alchemist behind this trademark," the man admitted.

"Where can we find him?" Hex chimed in, hoping to get a location, which would make things much easier.

Nox face-palmed. 'This idiot, why does he have to be so direct? That would arouse suspicion.'

Nox had intentionally beaten around the bush to make it seem like he wasn't too concerned about the orb, but this guy just have to mess everything up.

Fortunately, the store owner didn't think much of it and just shrugged. "I don't know. In fact, not many people in this city know his whereabouts. We just know he's somewhere in the city."

After that, the two continued asking around at other stores, but the information they received wasn't very helpful.

"At this pace, we might take the whole day—no, a week actually," Hex complained. "Hey, why are you so quiet?" He suddenly turned to Nox, whose gaze was scanning the surroundings.

Instead of complaining, Nox focused all his energy on finding leads about the orb. It was very important to him.

"Because I have nothing to say," Nox replied, then pointed at a store they hadn't checked yet. "Come on, let's check that store."

"Sure, but the results will probably be the same," Hex shrugged. Then he thought of something. "By the way, are you really an alchemist apprentice?"

"Obviously not."

---

"No! I know nothing of that sort. Please leave my store at once," the store owner shouted at Hex, who had decided to take the lead this time. Since all of Nox's approaches had been futile, the older youth thought he might have better luck, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"I said I don't know anything about this signal orb! Go away!" The salesman shouted with an annoyed expression, avoiding eye contact with Nox and Hex.

"He's hiding something," Hex whispered to Nox, who nodded in agreement. He had noticed it from the beginning—how the man's expression had faltered immediately when they asked about the orb and the alchemist.

'He wouldn't react like this unless he's hiding something,' Nox thought, analyzing the man. He realized that some people tend to overreact when they're anxious.

And why would they be anxious in the first place?

'Because they're hiding something.'

Nox wanted to suggest they leave the establishment and come back later, but then he suddenly had an idea. He summoned a pouch of money from his inventory.

Hex was slightly stunned when he saw the money pouch in Nox's hands. 'How did he get so much money?' Hex wondered. It was the first time he had seen someone so young with so much money.

Nox untied the pouch, retrieved a gold coin, and pushed it toward the man.

"Depending on how useful your information is, I'll double the coins...so start speaking," Nox stated, holding the store owner's gaze. The latter hesitated for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face as he snatched the gold coin.

"Fine, I guess I might know something," he said, placing the coin in his pocket. "But you'll have to wait for me."

When the man left, Hex scratched his head. "So we could have just bribed him from the start? Why didn't I think of that?"

---

After entering a room, the store owner locked the door behind him and retrieved a communication crystal.

"What is it?" a commanding voice asked from the other side. "This better be worth it."

"Boss, there are two Awakened asking about the distress orb...what should I do?" the man said in a low voice, not wanting the two outside to overhear him.

The voice on the other side remained silent for a moment, as if pondering the news. Then, after a while, the voice uttered coldly and ruthlessly, "Get rid of them...no matter what, you must not allow them to learn about me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my liege," the store owner replied as the communication line cut off. His eyes glowed with a milky light, as if a spell had been cast on him.

****

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