'Boo, keep an eye on him.' Varian instructed.
Boo had already hacked the comms of every cadet in their class. So far, it proved to be futile.
Not a shred of useful information was found from the heaps of garbage texts.
The second years returned to the campus and an instructor gave a final announcement.
"We'll have a military base tour tomorrow. And also, inter-academy competition the next week. We'll select teams based on the performance. Now, disperse."
Varian left the lecture hall and was about to take the elevator when he heard two familiar names.
"Liluh, why the fuck are you trying to get close to Betty?" The deep voice was full of rage.
"I like that chick. You got a problem?" An elegant voice answered frivolously.
"Fuck you! She's my girl!"
"Yours? She looks down on commoners like you the most."
"I-It's due to her trauma. You don't know her. I do! I know her since childhoo—"
"Listen up Vinar, the only reason you're able to talk to me is because I'm letting you.
I know you're also a mid level 5, but so what? Do you really think we're equals? Don't make me laugh."
"I never thought we're equals. I have a level 8 tutor. Our backgrounds are equal. But I lived a normal life for 16, I was far behind you. Yet I caught up." Vinar said with a complacent and arrogant smile.
"Y-You! Trash!" Liluh's face distorted and he walked away from the blonde guy.
Varian quietly observed them with his keen senses.
Vinar also left after cursing Liluh a few times.
"Liluh is really living his role as a mid level 5, huh?" Varian rubbed his chin. "But the anger doesn't seem to be completely fake. He was genuinely mad that Vinar caught up with him."
Varian was confused about his Liluh's true motivations, but he already had an important inference.
After getting back to his temporary residence in the hotel, he entered a make do study room in ghost ship and wrote down two points on the white wall.
1. Betty will be kidnapped outside the campus.
2. Liluh is getting closer to Betty and is a spy.
Then he got to thinking.
Where was the perfect place for kidnapping Betty?
From the information Edwina gave him, Betty frequents beauty saloons, high-end clubs and other areas—but she's always under protection.
'…I don't have any leads on this.' Varian shook his head and focused on the next point.
Perhaps it could give him more clues.
Liluh Grant.
Grant family was one of the illustrious families of Valos. Varian initially thought they were clean, but he realized he misunderstood this city.
If even Grant family did things like this, then perhaps all families in Valos were more or less connected to the underground.
'This is just insane.'
But it made sense. In a city where underground forces reigned supreme, you couldn't rise to the top without doing some shady things.
However, all families wanted to maintain a virtuous demeanor. So, they kept their dark sides hidden.
Grant family was one of the foremost donators to the slums. He should've gotten the hint.
"Boo, go to the Grant family." Varian said after taking a deep breath.
*** *** ***
Grant family's manor was located away from the rather populous and bustling districts.
Along with a few more wealthy families, they bought out a whole district as their private estates.
Grant family wasn't the strongest family in Valos, but they sure were first-rate and would be in the top 20.
They ran a fund and invested in local businesses. There was a local saying that 'If the grants pick your business, even you can't stop the money from flowing in.'
That was as far as what the public knew. What they didn't know was that Grant family's main business was intelligence.
Grant family ran a notoriously hidden intelligence organization called Obsidian.
They cultivated spies, stole secrets, sold the data and of course, used their loot to their own benefits.
In the era where information was everything, they exploited their advantage to the fullest and expanded rapidly.
While every power had spies, Obsidian was on an another level.
No one knew for certain how many 'normal' students, workers, employees belonged to Obsidian.
But what was certain was that every business they invested was used for Obsidian.
The man who controlled this vast network was Thomas Grant.
At the moment, he was tending to the fish in his backyard's pond.
"Eat. Eat." He smiled as he sprinkled red meat across the pond. As the fish scrambled for the meat pieces and formed clusters, he smiled in satisfaction.
Their intense fight to grab the meat only made him smile wider.
Soon, pillars of water rose into the air due to their fighting. Thomas cursed the fish killed in the fighting.
Feeding fish was his only normal hobby.
But neither the pond nor the fish were normal.
To put things perspective, the pond was something like a quarter of a football field.
Each of the fish were three feet long and were capable of killing an unawakened adult human.
And the meat he fed them was from one of the geniuses that Obsidian killed a few days ago.
It was a cheerful girl who had a loving family.
They just needed her to spy on her teacher. They threatened her with her family and she agreed. But at the last minute, she spilled out everything to her teacher.
Things almost went out of control, but thankfully, their countermeasures were in place and quickly ended the lives of the girl and her family.
"Dad, you're still at this feeding thing again?" An elegant yet deep voice sounded from behind.
Thomas didn't turn but simply laughed. "If you feed a genius to fish, will the fish become genius? I was curious since childhood."
"Should I be freaked out at this?" Liluh shrugged. He didn't feel the same emotions as others. For him, this wasn't something to fuss about.
And Thomas liked that in his son. "Don't you have any such curiosities yourself?"
"I do have one curiosity." Liluh sat beside his father. "Why did the Shadow Order, no, the Abyssals suddenly thrown that into the black market?"
"Wrong question." Thomas slapped him on his head. "It's beyond our reach and if we're found searching for it, the spy network I built over blood and sweat will be destroyed overnight."
Liluh nodded, but his face showed clear dissatisfaction.
Thomas shook his head. "Forget about Shadow Order and Chaos families. Be ambitious, but keep it to Valos city. We still need to grow."
"Liluh, what problems do you think we'll face due to the current market?" He wanted to teach his son the mindset needed to be Obsidian's leader.
"In all the cities, kidnapping cases rose because of that thing in the black market.
So, the federation must have noticed things are fishy and sent their agents. Athena agents would be after us…damn!" Liluh jumped onto his feet realizing the danger.
Thomas' face darkened. As an intelligence organization, they hated the biggest intelligence organization—Athena.
"They're troublesome, but they're not here to stop kidnappings, they want to find out why they rose.
They must have already found out bout that thing and are fully busy finding Abyssal's motives. We aren't their targets. Take it easy." Thomas reassured him.
Liluh heaved a sigh of relief. Then his thoughts spun and he asked. "Speaking of easy, our clients…are they sure to kidnap Betty? She has a space awakener as her bodyguard for fuck's sake."
"It's not something we need to worry about. Just follow the action plan."
"Hm. I'm in the phase of getting closer to her. She agreed to hang out with me later tonight." He smirked.
"Any obstacles?" Thomas asked casually. There were few that could stand as Grant's equals and fewer above them.
Liluh had no big enemies in the academy. There should be no obstacles anyway.
"One." Liluh gave an unexpected answer.
"Oh?" Thomas smiled and waved his hand. "Vinar or the newcomer Edgar?"
"Vinar." Liluh said honestly. "At first, I thought Edgar was a spy, but his identity…it makes him anything but a spy. Moreover, he doesn't talk to anybody and he already pissed off Betty. Vinar, though, he's trying to get close to Betty."
"Want my help?"
Vinar's master was one of the few level 8s in Valos and was only slightly weaker than Thomas.
But if he really willed it, Thomas could kill Vinar's master. But the price would be sky high.
However, he could always kill Vinar without much repercussion.
"No. Vinar loves Betty, but I know how to make her love me. I'll win her trust. It'll all be over in week anyway." Liluh stood up and walked off.
When he was about to exit, Thomas suddenly said.
"One advice, son."
"Hm?" Liluh turned around.
"Watch out for Shadow Guardians. Along with Athena agents, they've also penetrated the Uranus Cluster.
The Chaos families issued a notice. Unlike Athena agents, they are trying to stop the kidnappings." Thomas said lightly.
He was't really worried, but after finding out how Shadow Guardians assassinated the son of Sovereign Julius, he started paying more attention to them.
Still, their range of activities were far away on Earth. Nothing to be panicked about.
"Shadow Guardians?" Liluh sneered. "They think this is still Earth? Don't worry, dad. They don't even dare to stand in front of me."
Ironically, a new recruit of Shadow Guardian was standing in front of him.
"Did I just crack my mission?" Varian muttered.
It's just the third day!