Chapter 359: Volume 6: Cautious Planning - 12: Bait_2
Although the whiskered man was prepared, he was still stunned by the sudden burst of fighting spirit and domineering aura from his leader; it had been a long time since he saw his leader lose composure like this, resembling an enraged lion pacing back and forth in the living room with hands behind his back, trying to calm down his somewhat uncontrollable emotions.
"Mirror of Thousand Miles? Magic-armed gun? Ha ha, good, very good. I thought I would never see these treasures in my lifetime. It seems the heavens favor us ’Gray Skull’; it’s time for the ’Gray Skull’ to hold our heads high," the Hunchback old man had already lost his usual gloom and solemnity, his face beaming with delight, which made the whiskered man grow even more nervous. "Boss, this is just one side of the story, we can’t be sure right now, we’ll only know if it’s true or false in half a year. What if this guy is deceiving us, what then?"
"Hmph, Tick, did your brain sink to your crotch? Can he deceive us for a moment and yet for a lifetime? Which day don’t we do things that are ten times riskier than smuggling food? If this is a deception, then let him be ready to pay a heavy price. But for now, at least, that price is something we can afford. Even if we satisfy his requirements first, what of it? As long as we can get those two weapons, heh heh, what is Katrina, and what is Seringe? Everyone will bow before our ’Gray Skull.’ I didn’t expect to have such an opportunity in my old age. This is our ’Gray Skull’s chance, we cannot give it up." The Hunchback old man seemed to suddenly grow ten years younger at this moment. "Tell him, we agree to his conditions, we’ll handle the food problem for him. Isn’t there a secret base of ours south of Odessa? Let him secretly transport the purchased food there, we can help bring it back to Mattdam. But, in no more than six months, I want to see the Mirror of Thousand Miles or the Magic-armed gun!"
Kudan’s report finally allowed Komer to heave a sigh of relief; the rest of the work should be left to Palermo and Caffrey. Putting all eggs in one basket has never been Komer’s style. Although Komer trusted that Palermo would have no conflicts with him at this time and believed Palermo indeed had his unique methods to deal with transporting the food to Odessa, he still needed to guard against Philip, who had been keeping an eye on Palermo’s movements, as after all, it was his territory. Caffrey, on the other hand, was much more reliable. The low-profile Barefoot Society Merchants could use their tight network to transport the food acquired from various places in batches, which would make the target much smaller and also avoid many other risks.
"Boss, that sloppy guy has been wandering outside the castle for more than two hours. If you hadn’t told me his true identity, I would only think he fits a vagabond’s attire, and I can’t figure out what else he could do for a living," Puber sighed as he watched the drifter who had returned to the castle’s main entrance. In the past two years, the world had deteriorated, and even such sketchy characters, obviously out to swindle food and shelter, could be called mysterious mages. Puber wasn’t sure if the name of mage was becoming more worthless or if mages were always composed of these bizarre and unconventional individuals.
"Puber, you can’t judge a book by its cover, nor can you measure the ocean’s water. This guy might bring us surprises; in Gutenberg, his discerning eyes both pained me greatly and helped me a lot," with a faint smile on his lips, Komer crossed his arms and leisurely watched the guest who was continuously searching for something at the castle’s entrance.