Leon and the other two girls continued exploring the market, wandering through the bustling streets with genuine curiosity. Whenever something caught their interest—unusual artifacts, enchanted accessories, exotic foods—they bought it without a second thought. Money was no object.

They eventually came across an alchemy shop displaying rows of colorful potions in glass vials. Healing potions glowed with soft red light, while mana potions shimmered blue. Leon examined them carefully, his analytical mind comparing them to items he'd purchased from the system shop.

Very low effectiveness compared to what I have. Five percent is as potent as the best.

Still, he bought ten of each type. They were surprisingly cheap—only five gold coins per vial—and having backup supplies never hurt, even if they were inferior quality.

As they wandered further, Seraphine suddenly stopped walking. Her eyes had caught the name on a particular establishment ahead of them, and recognition flashed across her face.

This was the same place mentioned in the story the bunny girl had told her wolf friend—the conversation Leon had spied on and relayed to them through their mental link.

The building was quite luxurious looking. Three stories tall with elegant architecture, large windows that glowed with warm light, and an ornate entrance flanked by well-dressed guards. Everything about it screamed wealth and sophistication.

"Should we go inside?" Seraphine suggested, her voice carefully neutral despite the sharp edge entering her eyes.

She reasoned aloud: "The wolf girl would have freed her friend by now and left. It's been hours since we saw them at the guild."

But that wasn't her real motivation for wanting to enter.

Having heard the bunny girl's story, she wanted to see this scammer, Luke, for herself. She wanted to understand their game, play along with their scheme, and when the right moment came, teach them a lesson far harsher than the one she'd delivered to the disrespectful shopkeeper earlier.

She'd managed her own city in the Lower Domain before Leon arrived. She knew these types—the scum of society who plagued communities and preyed upon innocent people. They destroyed lives through predatory behavior, sometimes even causing deaths through debt-driven despair or violence.

She despised them with every fiber of her being.

And the scheme they'd pulled on that bunny girl was particularly vicious. Deliberately rigged games, compound interest designed to be unpayable, slave contracts hidden in loan agreements—it was textbook predatory lending taken to criminal extremes.

She'd come to understand that rules in the Middle Domain were more universal and standardized than the Lower Domain's patchwork of local laws. Even so, that didn't mean there was no crime. Instead, criminals simply hid behind legal loopholes and technical compliance.

She didn't care about any of that bureaucratic nonsense.

One thing she knew with absolute certainty: strength prevailed above all else. That was the most basic rule in this world, transcending laws, contracts, and social conventions.

Her amethyst eyes blazed with sharp intensity as she stared at the establishment. She wasn't the only one affected—Loriel also had unusual seriousness in her expression as she studied the building.

The sudden halt in their casual exploration made Leon realize immediately what these two were thinking. Looking at their faces made it quite obvious.

"Shall we go inside?" he asked, already walking toward the main gate.

The two guards at the entrance opened the ornate doors without question, probably assuming from their appearance and confidence that they were wealthy patrons.

As they walked, Leon used his telepathic ability to relay information directly into Loriel's mind. Don't act up too much. Be oblivious to their scams. Pretend you don't know anything about how this place operates.

Loriel nodded subtly without saying anything aloud, acknowledging his warning.

Leon felt relieved he'd informed her specifically beforehand. Otherwise, he could easily imagine her blowing their cover within the first few seconds, probably by righteously confronting someone about their unethical business practices.

Inside was a luxurious testament to the wealth this establishment generated from its victims.

The size of the place was impressive—easily as large as the entire Adventurer's Guild building they'd visited earlier. Most of the seats were filled with people engaged in various games of chance. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement.

Leon detected subtle glances from multiple people landing on them—his sharp senses picking up the attention immediately. Staff members were watching, evaluating, and probably trying to determine how much money these new arrivals had to lose.

He could hear people winning their gambles all around them, celebrating loudly with cheers and laughter. Coins clinked, dice rolled, cards shuffled. Victory seemed constant and effortless.

But all of that is just theater to lure people in.

He didn't see anyone actually losing. Not a single person appeared upset or disappointed. Every visible game showed patrons winning small amounts, creating the illusion that success was easy and common here.

However, scanning deeper into the establishment, Leon's spatial awareness detected something different. In the far end of a specific table, he recognized two familiar figures.

The same wolf girl from before sat at a gaming table. Beside her was the cute bunny girl with white rabbit ears. And across from them sat another man—well-dressed, handsome in a slick way, with dark hair and a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

They're still here.

The furious expression on the wolf girl's face told him clearly that things were not going well. Her ears were flat against her skull, her jaw clenched tight, her golden eyes blazing with barely contained rage.

Seraphine and Loriel noticed them too, but they didn't have time to focus on that situation.

Multiple servers immediately descended upon Leon's group, their approach coordinated and practiced. They spoke with exaggerated politeness, their voices dripping with false warmth.

"Welcome, honored guests! We're so pleased to have such distinguished visitors!"

"What beautiful companions you have, sir! Truly radiant!"

The compliments flowed like water—excessive, insincere, designed to flatter and disarm.

"Which game would you like to try first? We have many options for entertainment!"

Leon glanced around, observing the various games scattered throughout the hall. Many looked similar to gambling games from his original world—roulette, card games, dice games—but with slight variations in rules or presentation.

He pointed toward a table that looked similar to roulette, positioned conveniently next to the table where the two demi-human girls were engaged in tense conversation with the man who must be Luke.

"That one," Leon said simply.

The servers guided them to their seats with practiced efficiency, pulling out chairs and offering refreshments.

As they settled in, Sylphia noticed their presence from the adjacent table. Her golden eyes flicked toward them briefly—recognition and surprise flashing across her face for just a moment unnoticed.

This situation with this bastard Luke was too important, demanded too much of her attention.

And this man sitting across from her was far too clever and vile for her to allow any distractions.

She had to find a way to get her friend out of this situation. The problem was that using her strength—simply beating Luke unconscious and taking the contract by force—wasn't an option anymore.

Not after what she'd learned in the past few hours of negotiation.

Once she got Bunbun out of this mess, she would raze this entire place to the ground. And this man Luke—she would torture him thoroughly, make him regret every breath he'd ever taken.

She shouted at him once again, her voice sharp with desperation and barely restrained fury.

"You bastard! I'm giving you seven hundred platinum coins worth of my own equipment! Let my friend out of your contract! I'm even willing to sign a Union agreement contract for the rest of the three hundred coins!"

Sylphia had discovered through careful examination of the predatory contract that the amount Bunbun owed had specific payment restrictions. The money had to be earned by her and her alone, with verifiable proof of origin. If someone else attempted to purchase her freedom by paying off the debt, the contract stipulated the amount had to be ten times the original sum.

One thousand platinum coins instead of one hundred.

I'm going to kill him. The moment Bunbun is free, I'll end his miserable life.

But she couldn't do anything before then. That was the truly infuriating part. If she accidentally killed him now—if her rage got the better of her and she struck him down—Bunbun would die too because of the slave bracelet's fail-safe enchantments, one of the extreme measures, she had not imagined this to be sneakily used in such a contract.

Bunbun is so dumb!!!

Never in her entire life had she felt such overwhelming anger toward another person. Her hands trembled with the effort of restraining herself, her claws threatening to extend involuntarily.

Luke smiled as he looked at the big fish he'd just caught on his hook.

Haha, she's so desperate. This is perfect.

This idiotic bunny girl was friends with a four-star adventurer! If he'd known that before setting up the initial contract, he would have made the terms even more absurd, squeezed even harder.

He leaned back in his chair, speaking in a leisurely manner with that infuriating smile still plastered across his face.

"I need one thousand and forty platinum coins. In cash." He spread his hands as if being perfectly reasonable. "I'm not an unreasonable person. You just have to follow the contract she signed."

His tone carried false sympathy, as if he were the victim here, being forced to enforce unfortunate but necessary rules.

Luke knew this was a dangerous game he was playing—perhaps the most dangerous of his career. But it was also one he had a very high chance of winning, and the potential rewards were astronomical.

He wasn't alone in this venture. The High Magistrate himself was backing Luke's operation, taking fifty percent of the profits directly into his own pocket. With that kind of protection, Luke was effectively invincible within Conan City's borders.

As long as he played his cards right.

Because I know the moment I release this hostage—the moment I let go of this bunny girl—that woman will kill me. Her wrath would be unstoppable.

A four-star adventurer like Sylphia could slaughter everyone in this establishment within minutes. His guards, his enforcers, even his best fighters—none of them could stop someone at that level. He'd be dead before he could reach the door.

So he was never going to sell this bunny girl freedom.

Not unless he was absolutely certain of his own safety first.

And right now was definitely not the right time.

Seven hundred platinum coins were an astronomical amount—more money than most people saw in their entire lifetimes. Enough to retire comfortably, to live in luxury for decades.

But he wasn't going to fall for that trap.

That's not all I can gain here. I can see the bigger picture.

Having this four-star adventurer in the palm of his hand through her friend—that was worth far more than any immediate payment. He could milk this situation for years, extracting favors, demanding services, leveraging her desperation for tasks that would normally cost fortunes.

The long-term value was immeasurable.

His voice turned sharp, carrying an edge of warning as he leaned forward slightly.

"Don't raise your voice at me again, or there will be no deal happening for your friend. Do you understand?"

The threat was clear: push too hard, and he'd simply refuse to negotiate at all. Leave Bunbun enslaved permanently out of pure spite.

Sylphia gritted her teeth, her jaw clenched so tight it hurt. Her entire body trembled with fury at this whole ordeal—at her own helplessness, at the legal trap that bound her friend, at this smug bastard who held all the leverage.

I'll kill him. I swear on my clan's honor, I will make him suffer before he dies.

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