It didn't take long for Cain, Krane, and Marcus to reach an empty room, and as soon as they did, Cain's eyes began to glow with red light.
Marcus took a deep breath as blue light flooded his eyes. His willpower had reached the Pseudo Wave King Rank, allowing him to keep a cool head, but there was no way he could compete with Cain.
"The information reached through encrypted ssages. I got a long list of targets, along with their routes and codes. Many of them were not just full of wealth but also soldiers. They asked for nothing in return, making it clear that money was not an issue to them.
I was careful and only targeted the empty cruisers and used people who knew how to handle themselves. Or at least, that's what I thought."
Marcus's eyes were cold as he glanced at Krane, but the middle-aged man just shrugged his shoulders. There was no real relationship between them other than rcenary work, and any notion of loyalty between the two would be ridiculous.
Cain's eyes narrowed as he heard those words and saw that Marcus was being cautious even now, revealing the information in a way that, out of context, had no aning and could not be used against him.
His interest in Marcus waned since he wanted to find out the people behind the sche targeting the Imperial Lightning Fort. They were cautious, going through several layers of protection and not risking contacting the bandits and rcenaries directly.
"Since when did this ssage arrive, and do you have any clue who is behind it?"
Marcus did not answer imdiately, as he didn't want to antagonize Cain, but neither did he want to get on the wrong side of the secret organization that dared to target the Collapsing Lightning Duke.
Cain could discern the thoughts crossing through Marcus' mind.
"They might be dangerous and have much more power than , but they are not here."
Cain's eyes grew cold as he uttered those words, and his hand transford into a demonic blood claw.
Marcus was shocked to see how fast Cain turned to violence, and he could feel the palpable killing intent emanating from him. They were in the port and under surveillance, so everybody would know if sothing were to happen to him, but it seed that Cain didn't really care about it.
'He wouldn't dare.'
That thought crossed Marcus's mind, but he imdiately shook his head. The image of the young man attacking a Titan was still clear in his mind. Compared to that, killing him was nothing.
"Ahhh. I have all the information filed. I can send it to you."
Marcus sighed as he accepted his fate. He could do nothing about it and understood that he bit off more than he could chew.
"Do not send it to directly. Send it to Krane."
Marcus and Krane were confused when they heard that. It was clear that Cain had complete access to all the information, so adding an extra step seed unnecessary, but things soon beca clear.
"Krane, you will read all the information and write a new report as if the information was sothing you gathered on your own. The force targeting the Imperial Lightning Fort contacted you directly, and there was no middleman between you two."
Marcus's eyes widened, and a smile appeared on his face. If Krane were to make a completely new file and send it to Cain, things would not be traced back to him. He was just about to express his gratitude when Cain spoke again.
"Keep using the information, but only target empty cruisers. I don't care about the wealth you obtain, but from now on, you will be my eyes and ears in the Imperial Comrce Chamber."
Before Marcus could answer that command, Cain vanished from sight, and the next thing he felt was a hand grabbing the back of his head. A sharp pain assaulted him as a red rune was engraved beneath his hair.
That was none other than an Ego Mark, allowing Cain to always know Marcus's location.
"Betray or neglect your duty, and I will send you to prison. If I lack evidence to convict you, I will silently kill you."
Marcus trembled as he heard those words. Cain managed to vanish from his sight despite being right in front of him, and now he was marked. While the Ego Mark was not indestructible and could only do minor damage to the upper layer of his body, to break it, he would need the assistance of an Apotheosis Realm Master.
As a Treasurer of the Chamber of Comrce, Marcus knew people at that level, but none would erase Cain's Ego Mark and risk enraging such a genius on his behalf. The young man nearly fell to the ground, finding himself in an extrely dangerous position with no way out.
Cain did not really care about Marcus's thoughts and walked away with Krane. Actions had consequences, and if the young treasurer had not sought to steal from the Imperial Lightning Fort, he would not have found himself in that predicant.
Although an Imperial Port was a fortified place full of powerful people, Cain and Krane could walk freely, and it only took them a mont to reach the gates.
"Commander Luther."
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"Colonel Laurifer?"
Luther's voice erged from Cain's [A.I. Chip Module], and there was confusion as the bald man did not understand the reason for the call.
Before leaving the port, Cain contacted Luther, handing over all the information he got from Marcus and explaining the events that went on inside the Star Cruiser. He also made sure to explain how so resources were "destroyed" during the fight.
Cain originally planned to pay for the resources he consud, but there was no reason to waste his money if he could put the bla on the bandits. Besides, they would have lost much more if it hadn't been for his intervention.
Luther could figure out that Cain kept so of the wealth, but upon seeing that the young man touched nothing of the Gold Level and above, he did not care. That was especially true since the information about the force behind their recent problem with their shipnts was now available.
"Thanks for the help. I will make sure to record this service. Any more information will be of great help."
"I will assist in what I can."
After that, the conversation ended, and Cain soon left the port. No one dared to stop the duo, and all the gates opened with Cain's military authorization.
Once they were out, a massive forest appeared in front of them, extending as far as the eye could see. It was full of large trees and powerful presences hidden in it.
"This is the Cicada Forest. According to my knowledge, there are powerful King Beasts and all sorts of interesting places in it."
Cain's destination was the Godslayer Humankind Empire's Capital, Eden. There was a long way to go from the periphery of the Protheus Sector, but he was fine with it.
Although he was now a powerhouse, he had always wanted to visit the Protheus Sector and gaze at its wonders, so he would take the chance. Besides, the first of the three rites of his Arcane Nobility Ceremony would take place in a month.
Cain and Krane rose thousands of ters into the sky before flashing at supersonic speed forward. The middle-aged man had visited the Protheus Continent before, so this was nothing new for him, but Cain's eyes were filled with excitent as he gazed at the majestic trees, waterfalls, and mountains.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a mighty roar drew the duo's attention, and they looked down, only to see a massive crocodile-like King Beast roaring at them, its Life Wave bursting.
The King Beast stood inside a frozen river full of killing intent as it detected the duo's presence and roared to warn them against getting closer.
Unfortunately for the Iceberg Crocodile, the roar only made Cain's killing intent explode. The young man's Astral Wave burst, as did his Blood Energy, and he fell from the sky.
"BOOOOMMMM!"
A massive shockwave echoed across the forest as Cain reached Hypersonic Speed before lunging toward the Iceberg Crocodile. Soon, a bloody battle started, but it didn't take long for a winner to beco evident.
Krane's eyes narrowed as he felt Cain's power, and it was clear that the young man didn't win their battle due to luck. His eyes were sharp as he paid attention to the surroundings, making sure no enemies attacked from the shadows.
Cain didn't take long to win the battle, consuming every drop of blood from the King Beast before sending its corpse into his [Devourer Dinsion].
Cain's body had so minor wounds that were already healing. The power of his body was overwhelming, and it took a lot of strength to make a superficial wound, much less leave a crippling injury.
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