Chapter 125: Preparations (Part 2)

The waitress led Lando into a quiet room. A well-dressed middle-aged man, apparently having been notified, hurried in.

"My lord, I am the manager of this rental agency. I wonder..." the man began, speaking with careful caution.

Lando understood his intent. He had Xiao Hui send his credentials as a student of the Silver Tower Academy to the man, opting not to reveal his name.

The bracelet on the manager's wrist vibrated. He tapped it, glanced at the information, and immediately closed it. His posture seemed to shrink a little, and he turned to the waitress, saying, "Quick, bring our finest tea and snacks."

The waitress hurried off to prepare them. The manager respectfully invited Lando to be seated before carefully taking a seat opposite him.

"My lord, we currently have two high-end models of skyships available. Both are Empire-certified aerial vessels. Which would you prefer?"

With that, he operated his bracelet, projecting the data for both ships to Lando.

Lando scanned the files in an instant. There was nothing much to say; they were classic Imperial models. Though slightly dated, they left him somewhat dissatisfied.

Noticing Lando’s displeasure, the manager quickly explained, "My lord, these two models are the best available in any rental agency in the Press World!"

Lando’s expression softened slightly. Just then, the waitress pushed open the door and placed a fruit platter and a drink before him.

"Let’s discuss the price." Lando had selected the model with the most balanced specifications. He asked about the cost, noting that the manager had not even prepared these items for himself; the fruit and drink were clearly expensive. Indeed, many of the fruits were imported from the Black Domain—items the manager usually cherished, bringing them out only for "important figures."

Lando casually picked up some fruit and ate. The flavor was indeed unique. Before consuming them, he had used his Mind Space to analyze the items; after all, he was far from home, and being on the edge of the Empire, caution was never a mistake.

The manager quoted a price with great delight. To Lando’s surprise, it was not expensive—in fact, it was quite cheap.

Lando didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.

After the transaction, the manager led Lando to their warehouse. He saw a small skyship, similar in shape to the one he had taken to the Crystal World, though significantly larger. Upon entering, it was no surprise to find that although the internal space had been expanded, it was still not very large.

Lando sighed, resolving to acquire a more reliable ship in the future. For now, he would have to make do.

He had Xiao Hui connect to the ship’s central control system. Once he stepped out, he commanded the skyship to transform into a bracelet, which he slid onto his wrist. He left the agency under the respectful gazes of the manager and the waitress.

"When the lord returns, be sure to notify me immediately," the manager told the waitress. She nodded in agreement.

"If only we could get the contact information for such a powerful figure," both of them thought simultaneously.

Lando left the agency and headed straight for the City Administration Office, a department directly under the Empire. Anyone wishing to adventure into the Black Domain had to register there first.

The popularity of the office was within Lando's expectations—it was as busy as the academy's mission hall. The streets outside were filled with people holding signs, looking for groups, teammates, or patrons.

Inside, things were much more orderly. Since he had already had Xiao Hui submit an application, Lando simply found a staff member to register his identity and the skyship, completing the process quickly. Ignoring the expectant gazes of the people outside, he departed.

Because of the continuous teleports he had used to get here, Lando felt a bit dizzy. He decided to find a place to rest for the night before setting off. The Black Domain was fraught with danger, and accidents could happen at any time; only a clear, focused mind could handle such perils properly.

He found a tavern, headed to a corner, and ordered some food and drink.

Most of the tavern's patrons were humanoids, though there were also some bizarre species: translucent slugs, rock-men covered in various crystals and minerals, heavily armed tanukis, and octopuses covered in tentacles.

It was quite entertaining to listen to them boast and banter.

"Bro, I heard you found another new world. How was it? Did you sell it for a good price?"

"Don't even mention it. That world was barren as could be. I barely managed to sell it—didn't even make my investment back!"

"The Bug-Man Empire in the Black Domain is having a civil war again. Any of you interested in making a profit?"

"The Bug-Man Empire? Forget it. Those guys are notorious for breaking their word. They're even more treacherous than us!"

"I heard they found a large amount of rare crystal ore near the Black Tide Sea. That’s a scarce resource for the Empire. I wonder if the news is true?"

"Seems to be. Rumor has it someone already returned loaded with a massive haul of ore!"

Hearing the mention of the Black Tide Sea, Lando focused his attention. The Astraea World he planned to visit was in that very region.

The Black Domain was vast, and the Empire had divided its known parts into numerous regions; the Black Tide Sea was one of them, and it was a key area for the Empire’s next phase of development.

Just as Lando was lost in thought, he felt three people sit at his table. He didn't mind; it was common to share tables in a tavern.

But the next moment, he felt something was off. The three were staring directly at him.

"Something the matter?" Lando looked up and asked coldly.

The three consisted of two men and a woman. The leader was a middle-aged man with a few scars on his face, which, rather than being ugly, gave him a rugged charm.

The younger man and woman were quite different. The man was wrapped in a cloak, revealing no skin but his eyes. The woman was the opposite; she was dressed in what looked like straps of rope, exposing a large amount of wheaten skin, covered only by a nearly transparent veil that made her look all the more alluring.

The middle-aged man’s lips twitched, as if trying to smile to show goodwill, but failing. He simply spoke: "My name is Oakley. These are my teammates, Panda and Elain. We saw you leave the Administration Office."

Noticing Lando’s cold gaze, Oakley added quickly, "Don't misunderstand. We didn't mean to follow you; it was a coincidence. We hadn't planned on approaching you, but we noticed you seemed interested in the Black Tide Sea."

His words caused Lando’s expression to soften, at least on the surface.

"And so, what is your purpose?"