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Chapter 70 - Okhema

Chapter 70: Okhema

Is it… Cipher? You almost thought it was a hallucination from hunger. You reached out and took the bread she offered; it was still slightly warm. You began to eat it in silence.

"Little Wildcat, are you spacing out here alone because you want to be caught like a stray cat?" Cipher squatted in front of you, propping her chin in her hands, tilting her head. Her small canine teeth were faintly visible, and her voice carried her unique playful tone.

"What did you go do?" You swallowed the last bite of bread, a hint of resentment in your voice. "Why are you only coming back now?"

Cipher stretched, her movements graceful and elegant. "I ran into an unexpected situation on the way. I took a detour to handle some big business and earned a little money. But you," she leaned closer to you, her blue eyes appraising your face, "That trick at your uncle's house… was that you?"

Your heart tightened, and you hesitated for a moment. Cipher noticed your wariness and let out a giggle. She reached out and ruffled your hair, like she was comforting a startled kitten: "Don't worry, Little Cat, only I know about this, and I won't tell anyone else. Besides… you did a beautiful job! You have even more potential than I thought! That kind of guy deserves what he got!"

Hearing this, you felt a sense of validation, and the tension in your heart eased. You nodded gently. "Alright, since you're so talented, we can't let it go to waste."

Cipher stood up, her tone light. "From now on, just follow me. I'll protect you. Be my Little Cat, and I'll continue to teach you skills, how about it?"

"Okay," you replied, a single word, but firm. With her by your side, even this eternal night didn't feel so cold.

"As for the reward…" Cipher rubbed her chin, a mischievous, impish smile on her face. "When we work together, we'll split the money three-seven, you get three and I get seven. How about that?"

You had no concept of money and didn't care about it. As long as you weren't bullied anymore, that was enough. "Whatever, you can have all ten parts," you said indifferently. To you, her willingness to take you in was the greatest reward.

Hearing your words, Cipher paused, then burst out laughing. She hooked her arm around your neck and pulled you closer: "How can you be like that? Are you silly? I was just teasing you! Since you're so straightforward, we'll go fifty-fifty! From now on, we'll be the most formidable Rogue duo in Dolos City!"

You looked at her outstretched hand, then at the bright smile on her face—a radiance you had never seen in the eternal night of Dolos. You hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took her hand. Her hand was small, but warm. And so, you and Cipher became partners.

At 9 years old, you navigated the eternal night of Dolos together. She taught you more tricks and stealth techniques, and you, with your replication ability, repeatedly pulled off surprising feats. "Robbing the rich to help the poor" was what Cipher insisted on, though occasionally it became "robbing the rich to help ourselves." In the dark corners of Dolos City, you gradually made a name for yourselves.

Months later, you completed a "big job," acquiring a batch of valuable "goods" from a notorious profiteer. "It's not easy to sell these good things in Dolos; the price won't go up," Cipher told you. "Right now, Okhema is the most prosperous place in all of Amphoreus. There are many ways to fence stolen goods, and the prices are good. How about we go try our luck in Okhema, Little Cat?"

"Okhema, huh… Alright," you agreed.

Before leaving, you remembered the things you had buried. "Cipher," you began, "Actually… I brought some treasures from my uncle's house before, and I've kept them hidden. If you're going to Okhema, maybe we can take them with us and sell them too."

Upon hearing this, Cipher's eyes lit up. Then she playfully pinched your face with a mischievous grin: "Oh, Little Wildcat, you're quite something! I didn't realize you had so much private stash hidden away!"

You awkwardly dodged her hand and whispered, "Those… they're ours together too. We'll split the money once they're sold."

Cipher looked at your serious expression, and her smile grew even brighter. She vigorously ruffled your hair: "You've got some conscience, Little Cat! It's not in vain that I find you food every day! Alright, bring everything. Let's go to Okhemaand make a fortune!"

So, you took Cipher to retrieve the buried treasures. She was even more surprised when she saw those items, praising your discerning eye repeatedly. Together, you took all your "spoils" and left Dolos, the City of Schemes, heading for the Holy City of Okhema.

Recently, even under the invasion of the eternal night, Okhema maintained daylight thanks to the "dawn machine" carried by the World-Bearing Titan, Kephale. However, people didn't yet know how long this daylight would last… This Holy City was Amphoreus's last hope and currently its most prosperous trade center.

Cipher led you, skillfully finding a few "acquaintances" she had dealt with before—mostly merchants who ran inconspicuous stalls in the market corners but were actually fencing stolen goods.

However, the first merchant, upon seeing your goods, merely glanced at them and lazily said: "Little ones, things aren't peaceful lately. The eternal night has descended, and it's chaotic outside. Although Okhema has the dawn machine shining on it, people are panicking. These things… won't fetch a good price anymore."

"Boss, that's not fair!" Cipher put her hands on her hips, her cat ears twitching in annoyance, "At a time like this, these things are true hard currency! It's a mess outside; good things will only become rarer!"

The merchant yawned and waved his hand: "Anyway, that's the price. If you want to sell, sell. If not… find someone else." The price he offered was less than half of what you expected. Cipher huffily dragged you away.

You tried several places in a row, and those guys seemed to have conspired, all using similar excuses to drive the prices extremely low. Their eyes darted between you and the treasures on your person, like hungry wolves seeing two fat sheep ready for slaughter.

"That's outrageous!" Cipher kicked a small stone by the roadside, indignant, "What's going on? Has Okhema now been taken over by these crooked merchants and swindlers?!"

"Then… what do we do now?" You looked at her and asked. "Should we just sell some of them? Even if it's for less, we need money to settle down."

Cipher frowned, her cat ears drooping unhappily: "No! We can't let those bastards get our hard-earned treasures cheaply!"

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Oh, that's right! I remember now, I used to hear those old thieves in Dolos bragging about a place in Okhema that specializes in collecting all sorts of rare treasures, and they're generous with their payments, never cheating… It's just that the threshold is a bit high. Let's go give it a try!"

Afterward, you followed Cipher through the complex streets of Okhema. Eventually, you arrived at a place completely different from those small alley shops. It was an extremely luxurious and elegant Weaving Workshop, and the air seemed to be filled with a faint fragrance.

"This is it!" Cipher took a deep breath, adjusted her hood, straightened your collar, and then walked in first.

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