Sizing up Sonia, Roy walked straight toward her.
The moment Roy entered the backyard, Sonia’s gaze landed on him.
’The Dark Night Knight!’
Although she had never interacted with Roy before, she was no stranger to the Dark Night Knight.
Her heart began to pound with excitement when she saw Roy walking toward her.
She had come to the tavern the day after Ticky was killed.
But no one had believed her.
Some men had approached her, but none of them were interested in talking business.
Or rather, the business they wanted to discuss was of the flesh, not that of a Black Market Merchant.
Soon, Roy was standing before her. "You’re Ticky’s partner?" he asked.
"Yes!"
Sonia struggled to remain calm and nodded at once.
"Can you get your hands on a Breathing Technique?"
Roy continued.
"I can!"
"What kind of Breathing Technique are you looking for? Strength Type, Agility Type, or Constitution Type?"
Sonia replied at once, without a hint of hesitation.
"Any type is fine, as long as it’s Excellent Level."
Roy said slowly.
’With his Skill Proficiency Panel, there was no difference between a Bloodline Breathing Technique and a Universal Breathing Technique. He could grind either one to its maximum potential.’
’Just an Excellent Level one?’
Sonia’s brow furrowed upon hearing Roy’s reply.
’Right now, she could only get her hands on an Ordinary Level Breathing Technique.’
After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Roy with her large, emerald-green eyes and said earnestly, "I can help you look for one, but I can’t guarantee I’ll find it."
Roy nodded. "Ticky had found someone willing to sell an Excellent Level Breathing Technique," he continued. "I don’t know who, but if you truly are his partner, you should be able to find that person."
"If you can find him, bring him to the tavern at this time seven days from now. I’ll talk to him personally and see if I can accept his terms..."
Roy paused, then asked slowly, "Do you have paper and a pen?"
"I do!"
Sonia set down her wine glass and retrieved a roll of parchment, a Feather Pen, and a bottle of ink from an exquisite deerskin pouch she carried. She handed them to Roy.
Taking the paper and pen from Sonia, Roy went to a nearby table.
He didn’t have to say a word. The three men occupying the table saw him approaching and immediately got up and left.
After sitting down, Roy wrote out the ingredients for a Basic Healing Potion and a Basic Vitality Potion. "Gather everything on this list," he told Sonia. "Bring them to me all at once."
After he finished, he handed the parchment to Sonia.
Sonia took the parchment and quickly scanned it.
’I don’t recognize any of these!’
She didn’t recognize a single ingredient on the parchment.
Despite not recognizing the ingredients, she nodded, carefully placed the parchment back into her deerskin pouch, and said slowly, her expression awkward, "Um... could you pay a deposit in advance?"
’What?’
It wasn’t just Roy who looked surprised; the others who overheard her stared at her in astonishment.
Transactions with Black Market Merchants were typically cash on delivery.
Only after establishing significant trust would anyone consider paying a deposit to a Black Market Merchant in advance.
Black Market Merchants weren’t ordinary merchants; they could be captured or killed at any time.
"Left Foot" Ticky was a perfect example.
Even Ticky, one of the most prominent Black Market Merchants in Redwood City, would never ask a customer to pay in advance.
Feeling the gazes of Roy and everyone around her, Sonia lowered her head in embarrassment. "Ticky is dead," she continued. "I don’t have enough money to purchase what you need."
It would have been better if she hadn’t explained.
Upon hearing her explanation, some of the nearby Black Market Merchants and customers sighed, others shook their heads, and a few even laughed out loud.
Roy didn’t mock Sonia for her ignorance of the rules.
After a moment’s thought, he said to Sonia, "Pack up your things. Come with me."
Although she didn’t know where he was taking her, Sonia didn’t ask. She packed away the Feather Pen and ink from the table and followed Roy toward the back gate of the courtyard.
Watched by everyone else, Roy led her out of the tavern.
After leaving the tavern, Roy led Sonia through deserted streets for five or six minutes before they arrived at an empty alley.
After confirming they weren’t being followed, he turned to Sonia. "You’re not Ticky’s partner. Who are you, really?"
Sonia didn’t answer his question right away, remaining silent.
More than ten seconds passed before she finally spoke. "Ticky was my father."
"Do you have proof that you’re Ticky’s daughter?"
Roy pressed.
"I do!"
Sonia opened her deerskin pouch, took out a palm-sized booklet, flipped to a certain page, and handed it to Roy.
Roy took the booklet and glanced at it.
’This is...’
Roy’s brow furrowed slightly when he saw the page recorded the details of his past transactions with Ticky.
Clearly, this little booklet was Ticky’s ledger.
"This alone doesn’t prove you’re his daughter."
"You could have stolen this ledger, or you could have just found it."
Roy returned the booklet to Sonia and continued speaking.
"I have this, too."
Sonia stepped in front of Roy and pulled down her collar, revealing a wide expanse of fair skin and cleavage as deep as the Abyss.
And, nestled there, a necklace with a heart-shaped, top-quality Ruby the size of a pigeon’s egg.
’The Flame Heart!’
This heart-shaped, top-quality Ruby was called the Flame Heart.
Upon seeing the necklace, Roy knew Sonia was telling the truth. She was indeed Ticky’s daughter.
As for how he knew, the reason was simple: the necklace Sonia wore was the very one he had sold to Ticky.
Four months ago, he had accepted a contract to hunt a High Tier Knight.
The Shadow Leopard Breathing Technique he now cultivated and the necklace Sonia wore were the spoils he had obtained after killing that target.
He had kept the Inheritance Map for the Shadow Leopard Breathing Technique for his own use, but he sold the necklace to Ticky.
According to Ticky, the necklace with the top-quality Ruby, the "Flame Heart," was a perfect fit for his daughter, and he had planned to give it to her as a gift.
"You were the one who sold this necklace to my father. You couldn’t have forgotten."
Sonia adjusted her collar and said to Roy.
Roy nodded, took out a money pouch, and tossed it to Sonia. He said slowly,
"The Gold Coins inside are enough for you to purchase the ingredients."
Sonia opened the pouch and glanced inside. Seeing it contained fifty or sixty Gold Coins, she quickly said, "You only need to pay the deposit for now. This is too much."
"Consider it payment in full."
Roy replied.
"Aren’t you afraid I’ll just take the money and leave Redwood City?"
Sonia asked.
"Ticky should have told you what kind of man I am."
"If you’re tired of living and want to be reunited with Ticky, feel free to try taking the money and running."
With that, Roy paid her no further mind and turned to leave.
Soon, he vanished from Sonia’s line of sight.
...