Lord of Annihilation

Chapter 373: Opening Act.

Eternal Night City.

Located in the Black Earl Star System, this city is the capital of an unnamed, unassuming planet that was situated in one of the numerous gravity wells within the star system. 

Due to being present in a resource deficient region and the planet itself having no unique items for trade, not many people were aware of the existence of this city or its exact location. However, while lacking in tradable goods and resource-rich sectors nearby, Eternal Night City was popular for one thing.

Criminal Activity.

This unassuming, off-the-beaten-path capital city of an unnamed planet was the hub of criminal activity within the Southern Quadrant of the Universe. It was a popular place of gathering for members of the [Evil] faction, away from the eyes of the [Good] faction.

Money laundering, human trafficking, illegal weaponry, drugs, prostitution, anything and everything of the darker world was available and present within this city. It is truly a city of sin and holy land for the members of the [Evil] faction.

Ting! Ding!

Inside one of the hundreds of densely clustered, crowded streets of the city, the bells hung outside a fast-food shop rung, alerting the owner of the shop of the arrival of a new customer. 

"Oh, welcome! Grab a seat and I'll be right with you!" The owner, a middle-aged Dracon with graying hair and a sinister scar running through one of his eyes, eyed the newcomer and invited. 

(AN: Dracons are a Grade 4 sub-species of the Dragons. Primarily humanoid in shape, they are generally much larger than humans in size and have a reptilian, dragon-like head. Due to possessing a strong body and excellent combat senses, the Dracons are exceptional fighters and commonly work as mercenaries for either faction.]

The newcomer, a humanoid-shaped person wearing a long hooded cloak, gently nodded his head and sat in one of the available seats before him.

A long table accommodating exactly twelve seats stretched linearly with one side serving as the customer's table while the other side served as the kitchen counter. The customers sat facing the kitchen which singlehandedly was manned by the sole Dracon, who was busily moving about.

Having sat down, the cloaked stranger looked to both his sides and noted the eight other customers who were already seated. Three of them were dressed in attire similar to himself, while the other five confidently exposed their varied faces to the public, seemingly not afraid of having their identities exposed.

Wearing a long, hooded cloak that covered your entire body and hid one's face was a common sight within the city. With most inhabitants being criminals or soon-to-be-criminals, they weren't comfortable exposing their real faces for obvious reasons. 

Of course, the ones who defied this rule either had a powerful backing that gave them immense confidence or were powerful themselves. 

As a general rule of thumb, it was not wise to mess with these people. Extending on that rule, it wasn't wise to mess with the hooded people either. But of course, that came as common sense.

After surveying the other customers, the newcomer shook his head and returned his gaze towards the front. On the table before him was a worn-out menu card detailing the dishes available in this shop.

"Had a look? What do you want to order?" the Dracon owner, having soundlessly arrived before the newcomer, pleasantly asked. Pointing to an entry in the menu, he spoke, "If this is your first time here, I would recommend this dish. It's like a Meat Bowl, but I'm willing to bet that it's the best Meat Bowl that you'll find in this city!" 

He confidently praised his own dish while rubbing his nasal snout. 

"Best Meat Bowl in the entire city? Old Lizard, who are you trying to fool? That shop in Murder Avenue sells one that is leagues better than your own!" A voice from the other end of the table loudly proclaimed.

Hearing that voice, the owner simply rolled his eyes and asked, "Oh, yeah? Then what are you doing here in my shop instead of going there?"

"Obviously because I can't afford that place!" The voice snickered in response, "Plus, dirty lizard, you're the only place that sells authentic, tender Bertarian flesh!" A misty expression appeared on that customer's face as he continued, "Ah!~ The silky and soft feeling of the meat as it travels down my throat, just thinking about it makes my mouth water!"

"Old Lizard! I'll have another serving!" The man slammed his empty bowl on the table.

"Yeah, yeah, wait a minute while I deal with the newcomer," the owner replied before turning back toward the newcomer. "Just ignore that fool and tell me what you want."

The newcomer pointed to the dish which the Dracon owner had recommended and nodded his head. 

"Chef's recommendation? You got it!" The owner nodded his head and retreated to the stove, proceeding to start his cooking.

While waiting for the dish to be prepared, the newcomer looked around the small shop once more and listened in on some of the louder conversations. 

"I'm telling you, man, you haven't experienced anything if you haven't slept with an Ocotopodai woman! Just the way their large, tentacle-like limbs work your body, their boneless body that you can squish and pull, the copious amounts of fluids that they constantly release which helps to keep everything smooth and flowing!" This customer, another hooded person continued with an excited tone. "Ah, they are truly the pinnacle of evolution. Let me tell you what, after eating here I'll take you to my favorite brothel and introduce you to my girl. You will have an experience that will want you coming back for more!"

Ignoring this highly inappropriate talk, the newcomer moved to another group.

"Have I ever told you the tragedy of Darth Plagu-"

"Mister, this is already the seventeenth time that you're repeating this story! Please, just stop!"

"Oh, is that so? My apologies. Well then, where was I? Ah yes, 'he had such knowledge of the dark side that he'"

"Urgh! I swear I'm going to stab this guy in the throat the moment he leaves this shop!"

Moving past that pair consisting of a disgruntled teenager and a drunken and confused old man, the newcomer arrived at the one conversation that finally caught his interest.

His head slightly turned and his gaze fell onto a pair of humanoids who were discussing at the other end of the table. 

One of them wore a dark robe that covered their face while exposing the rest of their body, while the other sat with his face uncovered and hand grasping onto a glass of cheap alcohol. On the table before them were two bowls of food which seemed to have been hardly touched as the duo were engrossed in their discussion.

Focusing on their conversation, the newcomer heard the exposed stranger talking with a heavy, grating voice, "No, no, no, I'm telling you! That son of a b*tch Lionel has a bastard son that he sired without the knowledge of his family. For some unknown reason, he even seems to treasure this kid more so than his children born from his official wives!"

Pausing for a second, he swung and downed the drink within his glass and slammed it on the table, "Ah!~ Boss, another refill!" the man screamed.

He then turned his head towards his partner by his side and continued, "Anyway, to answer your question. Sure, I know where to find that bastard kid."

"How can I trust you?" A chilling voice replied from under the hood.

"Trust me, don't trust me, why do I care? I'm just telling you what I know," the brash voice replied. 

"And how do you know?" came the answer.

Hearing that question, the exposed stranger maliciously chuckled, "Huhuhu, it's because I owned the woman who birthed that bastard son! That b*tch served him (Lionel) for a single day and the next thing you know, she's pregnant with his child!"

An expression of rage overcame the stranger's face as he exerted force into his hands, crushing the glass within his palms, "I wanted to kill that wh*re right then and there! But how can I tolerate such a loss? Do you know how expensive it is to raise a high-class prostitute?"

"Anyway, I informed that bastard Lionel of this matter and he came rushing to me the very next day! Hahaha, that desperation in his face! It made me wonder whether the son of a b*tch was impotent or something! HAHAHA!!" he laughed with glee. "I then sold that useless wh*re back to him at a grossly inflated rate."

"Still, how can that be enough for me?"

"So I then kept tabs on that wh*re and learned where she was being kept. In fact, I learned a lot of information from keeping tabs! Expensive information," the exposed stranger shot a greedy glance towards the hooded stranger. However, upon seeing the lack of interest from the other, he begrudgingly snorted and finished his narration.

"Whatever. That impotent bastard comes to meet her and that bastard son of his, every now and then. The last time was three months ago and I reckon his next visit will be soon. However, if you want the information on where that woman is living, you'll have to pay me extra."

"No need," the chilling voice answered. "I've already found him."

The newcomer, who had been intently listening to that conversation with a trembling body, suddenly felt the alarm bells going off inside his mind. Raising his head, his gaze met with that of the hooded stranger and his body froze.

Dark, indifferent, and unfathomable!

"You--!" Before his mouth could fully complete a single word, the hooded stranger from the end of the table suddenly disappeared and appeared before him, the former hand piercing through the latter's chest.

Leaning closer, the hooded stranger softly said to the newcomer, "Thank you for saving me the trouble of looking for you." 

He then pulled back his arm, pulling out the newcomers beating heart in the process. Clenching his fist and crushing the heart right before his eyes, the hooded stranger then turned around and walked towards his seat at the end of the table as the body of the newcomer fell to the ground, unveiling his hood in the process.

"That is---Lionel!!" The exposed stranger, who was narrating a few seconds ago, gasped in shock. 

Ignoring him, the hooded stranger reached his seat and grabbed the bowl of food on his table with both his hands. Bringing it inside his hood, he swallowed the contents of the bowl in a few mouthfuls and then placed the bowl back on the table.

Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed a few coins and threw them towards the Dracon owner, who was looking at him with an indifferent expression. 

"Thank you for the food," saying so, he turned around and left the small shop.

Ting! Ding! 

The bells rang once more signifying his exit from the shop. The Dracon owner looked at this scene, then at the dead body on the ground, and finally at the Spirit Coins within his hand.

"10 coins for the meal and then five extra as a tip," he quietly grumbled. "Well, he at least knows to be considerate," Saying so, he quickly pocketed the coins.

Turning back to look at the corpse on the ground, the eyes of the owner glinted with surprise as he recognized it.

"Ooh!~ A Magi at the Peak-Level of Stage 3! These guys are hard to find," exiting from behind the counter he then raised the knife within his hand and crouched near the corpse. "Looks like I'll be adding a limited special to my menu!"

With a wide smile on his face, he started to quickly and expertly dismember the corpse while being careful not to accidently damage the delicate parts. 

All the while, the other customers inside the shop cast a bored glance at this sudden situation before going back to resume their discussions and meals. 

And just like that, Lucius' opening act to raising his infamy came to an end.