Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

'Sangria red hue. She's the one!'

Eren narrowed his eyes briefly before releasing his smoke all at once. He couldn't help smiling when he thought that he had completed one of the tasks of the Lazarus project just by having lunch with these cultists.

Swoosh!

A gale was generated that snatched the vial from Lady Zee's hands before it disappeared into Eren's storage once again. He chuckled before proposing his offer to the three cultists who he knew had an ulterior motive for coming to the White Raven city in the first place.

"Meh! Forget about that potion. More importantly, ladies, would you like to stay in White Raven city and work for my guild?"

Eren said and looked at the faces of Illuminati members with intrigue in his eyes. He knew what their answer would be anyway.

Lady Zee immediately looked at her subordinates with an exciting gaze. The job they had come here to do for their cultist organization was to see if they could get a piece of the profit through direct or indirect means.

Lady Zee, Jules, and Tara had collected a lot of data regarding Minerva's Utopia because they had been there. But they didn't find anything substantial on the guild and its allies that managed the treasure trove.

But what if they were part of the guild itself? Being part of the guild would allow the three cultist rankers to get more data on it as well as keep a close eye on its activities. Plus, they could enjoy all the guild member perks that could be availed before entering inside the subspace.

"Are you sure, Eren? I mean, I'm an expert ranker and have prior commitments. I wouldn't…"

Lady Zee was about to complete her sentences when Eren interrupted her with his assuring words.

"Hehe. Your pay and tasks will be in line with your rank, Expert Catherine. You don't have to worry about that. Plus, you'd get additional benefits for exploration into Minerva's Utopia."

Eren then discussed the benefits of becoming a member of the White Raven guild with the three ladies. The cultist-in-disguise female rankers shared their concerns and queries with him before finalizing their arrangement.

Eren had quickly arranged for Lady Zee, Jules, and Tara to live in the White Raven city. He also arranged a place to stay for them, making sure that the perfect vessel remained in his grasp.

The butcher then left the three ladies to their devices before continuing his exploration of the city. There were a few more things he needed to do before leaving the city.

***

The residential district of White Raven city had begun selling real estate.

As a result, a township was established for rankers. Property in this township would be bought by prestigious names and well-known families in the kingdom.

One such plot was bought by the House Carren in the White Raven city. It was a casual purchase for the clan even though it had cost them thousands of Extols.

A three-story white condo was surrounded by a lush gardenscape. A large area around the house was protected by the isolation array, making sure that nobody enters the premises without the owner's permission.

This white condo welcomed its residents and guests with a spacious hall that had a huge chandelier. Minimalistic furniture graced this spacious hall, adding a touch of elegance to its grandeur.

Someone was sitting on a lavish, plush sofa. They were looking at the person in front of them, listening keenly to the report they had to say.

"Lady Lensa, Master Dan is leaving no stone unturned to cause House Slughorn maximum damage he can. We have already targeted their most popular products, creating counterparts for them and selling them in the open as well as in the black market.

Plus, Master Dan has moved ahead and initiated a claim of harvest on three of House Slughorn's exclusive resource-rich lands. We are getting support in the royal court for his absurd claims.

Hehe. I have never seen this old man this motivated to do anything for decades. The last time he was this motivated was when he was wooing his wife."

A middle-aged elf reported to Lensa with a smile on her face. The latter smiled bitterly before commenting.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten Gramps involved in this matter. He is retaliating way too hard than I had planned it to be."

Lensa hadn't forgotten the insult she was dished out by Sienna a few months back without any rhyme or reason whatsoever. Using her clan's reach, she decided to retaliate.

Lensa reported the incident to her uncle Devon and grandfather Dan Carren. Since then both of them had decided to make it their mission to hurt House Slughorn in every way they could.

Slughorns retaliated for what they thought was baseless aggression by the elf clan. Soon, however, they discovered the reason behind it. It was their own sapling that was producing unwanted fruits.

House Slughorn had tried to sort out the mess Sienna had created by trying to initiate talks with House Carren. As a means of reconciling their relations, they offered a substantial amount of reparations.

However, House Carren had taken their scion's insult very seriously. It had also broken up the formal engagement she had with Ken Riverine based on Sienna's statements. As a result, House Riverine was equally angry with House Slughorn even though it continued to maintain cordial relations with the Carrens.

All these series of events had happened in the last few weeks, giving House Slughorn no choice but to get aggressive in retaliation. They had dropped the prices of their products by a notch just to maintain their previous market presence, which was showing signs of recovery only recently.

"Thank you for the information, aunt Dineria. Is there any news about Eren Idril you received recently? It's been months since his disappearance. I…. I am a bit…"

Dineria lifted her right eyebrow when she saw Lensa getting stressed about something or someone.

"Worried? You only met that boy once right, child? I…."

Dineria was about to finish what she was saying when she received voice communication from one of her subordinates. She looked at Lensa with a somewhat surprised expression before blurting out.

"Heh! Speak of the devil…"