King
"He is my brother."
The sentence dropped into the group chat just like that, yet it was enough to shock everyone.
No scope
"What?!"
Fraud
"You're one of the princes of Jahanam?!"
Lyxander froze in front of the screen. He was extremely shocked to hear it, but what surprised him even more was the fact that the other members hadn't known either.
King
"That's right. I am one of the princes of Jahanam. So can you cancel that mission?"
No scope
"Unfortunately, no."
The reply was short and quick, not showing even the slightest hesitation.
King
"I will truly pay more. Please cancel that mission."
No scope
"You might not understand, but this isn't about money."
King
"Then what do you want?"
No scope
"You really wouldn't understand. This is about a hitman's principles."
No scope
"Give us a name and a price, and we will bring death to them. Once a contract is made, it cannot be canceled."
"Principles…" Lyxander muttered softly.
The image of the old man on the train resurfaced in his memory. A veteran's wish. Then he remembered Admin's words.
"Even killers are bound by something."
King
"Alright then, I will sell information about Claudius Jahanam."
"HUH?!" Lyxander gaped.
"Weren't you just begging him to cancel the mission?"
The reactions of the other members weren't much different from his.
No scope
"Come on, man. Weren't you just asking me not to take this mission?"
King
"I won't sell it for free."
No scope
"How much do you want?"
King
"Not money. I want to trade information for information."
"I see." It didn't take Lyxander long to understand King's intention.
No scope
"Information?"
King
"I'll trade information about Claudius for information about you. But on the condition that you are not allowed to buy information from anyone else."
Villain
"Kekeke. But wouldn't it be better to buy information from me?"
"Hahaha." Lyxander couldn't hold back his laughter. This situation had turned into a dark auction. "What will you do now?"
He was extremely curious, and so were the other members. For a moment, the group chat fell into silence.
King
"I'll give you a bonus if you choose me."
No scope
"A bonus?"
King
"About Claudius Jahanam's past."
No scope
"Hehehe, alright. I choose you."
Lyxander rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe the bidding had ended so quickly. Maybe that's what happens when Villain gives up and doesn't continue the offer.
Villain
"Kekeke. I can also give you a bonus."
No scope
"Hahaha, am I just too lucky? So what's your bonus?"
Villain
"Same as King. My bonus is about Claudius Jahanam's past."
This development became extremely interesting for Lyxander, considering he would become Claudius's bodyguard later. But at the same time, he quickly realized the disadvantage if Villain were to win the bid.
"Let King win. Let King win." Powerless, Lyxander could only pray for King's victory.
The group chat fell silent again. Everyone waited for No scope's answer.
No scope
"I actually want to ask for another bonus, but being too greedy isn't a good thing."
No scope
"Let's do this. We'll move to private chat. Each of you will tell me one piece of information you're selling, and I'll choose based on the value of that information. Only one piece each. But we'll do this in three rounds. So even if one of your pieces doesn't interest me, as long as the other two are more interesting than your opponent's, I'll pick you as the winner."
No scope
"If King wins, I'll fulfill his request and swear in the name of Sigma. But if Villain wins, I'll pay for his bonus information."
Villain
"Kekeke. Sounds interesting. I'm in."
King
"Alright, I agree too."
No scope
"Then let the bidding begin."
One of the interesting features of the group chat was private chat, where members could exchange things without the others seeing. Lyxander had never used this feature before. In fact, he had only learned about it after Alice explained it.
The first round of bidding lasted five minutes. Quite long just to share information and wait for No scope's evaluation. It seemed each side was trying hard to explain the value of their information. But that was only Lyxander's guess. Even if he wanted to know the contents of those private chats, he couldn't. The only one who could access every conversation in this group was Admin.
After five minutes, the first round finally ended, and No scope announced the winner.
No scope
"Alright, the winner of the first round is King."
"Yes!" Lyxander clenched his fist reflexively.
Even though it was just one win, he still strongly hoped King would come out as the final victor.
No scope
"Let's begin the second round."
Unlike the first round, the second round only took three minutes.
No scope
"Alright, the winner of the second round is Villain."
Hearing this result, Lyxander could only take a deep breath. He didn't panic because there was still one chance left. But at the same time, he felt like he should panic, because the score was now tied.
No scope
"Then let's begin the final round."
The final round began, and within ten seconds, it ended. So fast that none of the group chat members had expected it. They had all thought both sides would struggle hard to convince No scope in this round.
But the possibility that they didn't try hard was impossible.
Which left only one answer.
"The information must be extremely important." This guess made Lyxander slightly uneasy. He knew King didn't want his brother to die, so it was impossible for him to sell Claudius's fatal weakness.
"Then the winner is…" Lyxander swallowed.
No scope
"The winner of the final round is King."
Lyxander immediately let out a sigh of relief, his body slumping weakly against the chair. But a question arose in his mind.
"What information did King offer?"
Villain
"Kekeke. I'm really curious what information you sold."
King
"Unfortunately, I won't tell you. So, do you want to receive the bonus now?"
No scope
"I'll take it now, but on one condition."
King
"What is it?"
No scope
"You have to give it in the group chat."
King
"Wait, wouldn't you lose out if this information leaks for free?"
"Kekeke," Lyxander chuckled.
"I'm really happy to get free information, but I think I understand what you want, No scope."
No scope
"No, I won't lose."
No scope
"Basically, this information is free. And my goal is for Villain to sell this information to other assassins who come to buy information from him."
Fraud
"Since when did this bastard become so smart?"
"I see… If this information is useful in assassinating the second prince, it will increase the chances of the assassination succeeding. If another assassin manages to kill Claudius Jahanam, No scope just needs to kill that assassin and claim the reward," Lyxander muttered.
Even in the world of assassins, cunning and deceit were still the most effective methods. Lyxander had just gained a new understanding of this world.
King
"Alright then, let's make the oath."
No scope
"In the name of 7-Star Sigma, from the moment this oath is made, I swear not to buy information about Claudius Jahanam from anyone other than King."
King
"I ask the ruler of the concept of independence to accept this oath."
Admin
"Aren't you two amusing? Asking someone who cannot be bound by an oath to witness your oath."
Admin
"I accept your oath."