Chapter 161: Caught...or not?
The currency began with bronze and rose all the way to precious stones used for barter. Each recorded stone carried a fixed value in the market.
Between gold and the stones, however, lay another form of currency—platinum. A single platinum plate was worth ten thousand gold coins.
For ordinary folk, even owning one was unthinkable. A single plate could equal a lifetime’s earnings.
So when the woman chose platinum as payment, no one was surprised. After all, settling one million gold coins was impossible.
Two large men descended from the upper room, each carrying sealed, locked boxes in their hands.
All eyes in the inn followed them, awe and disbelief spreading as the deal unfolded right in front of everyone—and the payment was made on the spot.
The old woman stood with her hands on her hips and looked Hades in the eye. "I’d be surprised if you don’t get robbed."
Hades chuckled. "You don’t need to worry about that. Still, could these two men help me carry the load to the room I rented?"
The woman gave a short nod, then extended her hand.
Hades raised a brow in confusion—until it clicked. With a faint smile, he placed the herb in her palm.
She let out a long sigh of relief, lifting the grass close to her face as if savoring its scent. "I’ve spent all my savings on you," she murmured.
Hades offered a wry smile before turning to the two Orcs. "The inn is named Castle Dawn."
The Orcs nodded and moved ahead, boxes in tow.
With burning gazes on his back, Hades left the inn.
°°°°°
"Seriously?!" Luna burst out after hearing what had happened during Peri’s meeting with the matriarch.
She already knew about Gerald—Hades had told her everything about the date, how the man nearly ruined it all.
Because Gerald was Peri’s childhood friend, Luna had kept her mouth shut back then. But now? Now she couldn’t stay silent.
To think he was the spy who tipped off the opposition faction about Hades?!
"Elves are naturally skilled at channeling mana," Peri explained calmly. "And Gerald’s specialty is slipping into places unnoticed."
She knew about it since Peri had trained with him for a long time.. Gerald’s ability allowed him to erase his presence entirely—no footsteps, no bloodlust, no trace of breath. A phantom who could be at your throat before you even reached for your weapon.
He was, without a doubt, the perfect spy.
"So... what do you plan on doing?" Luna asked.
Peri exhaled slowly and pulled out the parchment Avalin had given her. "This is where he is. He’s likely planning to return to his hometown. But I’ll stop him before he gets the chance."
"I’ll come with you—" Luna started.
"No, Luna." Peri cut her off, her voice steady, her eyes cold and unreadable. "I need to do this alone."
She had made a mistake—and now, she was determined to make up for it.
"This task was given to me. Mother-in-law wants to see if I truly have what it takes to be his bride." Peri’s eyes flicked toward Luna as she added firmly, "I can’t afford to fail. If I do, I’d be bringing shame to our husband."
Luna let out a long breath. As much as she wanted to argue, Peri was right. This wasn’t something she should interfere in.
Quietly, she placed a hand on the elf’s shoulder. "Good luck, Peri," she said softly.
°°°°°°
"I understand," Hades muttered under his breath, sitting in the unfamiliar room.
He had just finished a long conversation with Peri through their bond—about her meeting with his mother and the mission she had been assigned.
Naturally, he was worried. The last time he had met Gerald, he’d sensed a seasoned warrior, someone who had endured countless battles and trials.
It wasn’t that Hades had detected anything overtly dangerous from him at the time. It was simply a warrior’s instinct to measure any stranger they met That instinct explained his unease.
Still,
You can do it.
He never once thought of stopping her. He could feel it through their bond—the rage she carried after being betrayed by someone she considered family. She deserved to make her own judgment, in her own way.
[Hades... I really want you to hold me right now.]
Hades smiled at the thought and whispered, "Who said I’m anywhere but with you? Just close your eyes, and you’ll find me beside you."
There was a short pause before she responded,
[This isn’t enough. I want the real thing. So come back as soon as you can, alright?]
Hades laughed softly. "It won’t take long. See you soon."
He collapsed onto the bed, his arm resting as a cushion while his eyes traced the unfamiliar ceiling. Two bags of platinum coins sat beside him.
He had hired two Orcs for a thousand gold coins each to guard his door tonight. Why? He didn’t want any unwanted guests. From what he’d heard, those guards had already turned away more than seven prostitutes that evening.
They were elite guards so common thieves have no chance.
With some time left before the night fully silenced the outside world, he asked the system,
"’What is my status right now?’"
{Peak human limits. You have finally reached the maximum potential of your body and are in the optimal state for awakening.}
Hades hummed, a small smile tugging at his lips. Good.
All that remained was to defeat a Duke-ranked being and find a mate. Once that was done, he could finally awaken his dragon core.
He paused, remembering something. "System, after my awakening, what will your role be?"
{To help the Host realize the best possible path to grow his strength. Unlike humans, dragons have unique ways of evolving.}
"Like what?"
{Hunting, mating, experiencing near death, defending pride, claiming territories, causing chaos...}
Several more points followed, but Hades didn’t bother reading them all. It was insane—truly overwhelming—to have so many factors contributing to one’s growth.
"No wonder dragons are called the most violent creatures," he muttered.
Being told to create chaos for the sake of growth... yeah, that definitely smelled like disaster.
With that thought, Hades drifted off, chatting quietly with the system as his breathing gradually steadied.
The room fell under deep silence, and then a shadow emerged.
A six-foot-tall beast man appeared in the room, glancing at Hades.
Once he made sure that Hades was sleeping, he moved toward the bags—only to pause when a dagger stabbed into the pouch.
"Quite foolish of you to not try and kill me first."
The beastman turned to look at the redhead who was sitting there casually, his eyes holding not a sign of grogginess.
Hades believed he had trapped the target, but once he looked at the thief’s face and found the absence of the mark on his cheek, he frowned.
’He...isn’t the one.’ Even though the wolf-man appeared similar to Alazar, he isn’t the one. This one appeared quite younger.
"And you are foolish to not kill me when you had the chance." The man spoke, his blue eyes narrowing at Hades as he got ready for a battle
Hades hummed, "You look familiar to the person I am searching but you are not him." Casually, taking a step closer, Hades asked, "Tell me, what is your relationship with Alazar?"
The wolf-man growled before lunging at Hades, "Why the fuck would I tell you!" His left claw shot towards Hades’s chest—but before he could have landed the blow, his wrist was held and in a clean movement, Hades threw the beast over his shoulder.
**THUD**
The orcs knocked on the door, "Boss?"
Hades assures them, "Everything is fine."
The intruder was groaning but before he could get up, Hades sat down on his stomach.
"Guh! What are you doing?!" The beast growled, trying to move Hades away.
However, the redhead remained rooted, holding the beast’s wrist, he twisted it slightly and warned, "Make any rash move and you would be crying like a bitch."
The beast was still growling, but unable to muster strength, he stopped thrashing.
Hades finally asked, "Now, tell me. Where is Alazar?"
"Even if you kill me, I won’t tell you." There was conviction in the man’s eyes as he responded.
Hades heaved a long sigh as he said, "Look, I know Alazar cares about you; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent all these high-grade tools and armour."
Hades had already spotted the artifacts and daggers the beast had brought along for this hunt. However, he failed to use them.
The intruder clenched his jaw. He was such an utter disgrace.
Hades spoke again, this time gently, "I know he must have a reason to use someone close to him to steal things. If you bring me to him, then I can help Alazar."
The wolf looked up before asking, "And what if I don’t agree?"
Hades simply stated, "I will pull your innards and eat them right before your eyes."
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.