Episode 171

“Edward Siemens.”

He was the second son of the Siemens family, who had participated in the Draker Martial Arts Tournament but failed to gain much attention due to being overshadowed by Zeke.

Now, Edward Siemens was sitting with Dario Totlino.

Zeke glanced at Dario.

Next to Edward sat a large man with a pale complexion and a face full of beard. He wore rings encrusted with jewels on his fingers and was dressed in the old aristocratic style, giving off a stern impression.

The man gestured towards Zeke.

Zeke approached Dario and greeted him.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Zeke Murray.”

Following the old customs, Zeke took Dario’s hand and kissed the ring on his finger.

Dario’s expression changed as he observed Zeke.

“Not many young people these days know such manners.”

Dario, looking pleased, offered Zeke a seat.

He then introduced the man sitting next to him.

“This is Edward Siemens, a direct descendant of the Siemens family. He will soon be knighted in Draker.”

Zeke was taken aback and quickly stood up, bowing to Edward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Zeke Murray. I’ve heard much about the Siemens family. And to think you’ll be knighted in Draker… I’m truly fortunate to meet such esteemed individuals today.”

Edward let out a hearty laugh at Zeke’s words.

“Haha! Relax. You said your name was Zeke Murray, right? I’ve heard you’ve become quite wealthy at a young age.”

“I’m still learning, but I’ve been lucky enough to run a few small businesses.”

Dario chimed in with a smile.

“Edward, Mr. Murray here is also showing great interest in the black ore investment.”

Edward nodded in agreement.

“That’s good to hear. As Dario mentioned earlier, anyone not investing in this opportunity is missing out. It’s not every day you get a chance to become rich.”

Listening to Dario and Edward’s conversation, Zeke quickly grasped the situation.

‘They’ve got some nerve. Edward Siemens might be a bit naive, but targeting a direct descendant of the Siemens family is bold.’

The mafia’s tactics were nothing short of ruthless.

They would target the black sheep of influential families, ensnaring them with alcohol, gambling, and drugs.

Once a relationship was established and debts piled up, they’d suggest investment opportunities as a way to make money.

With their judgment clouded, these individuals would borrow money against their credit and invest without thinking.

Initially, they’d taste success and receive large sums of money.

Having gotten a taste for money, the family black sheep would then borrow even more to invest everything they had.

Edward seemed to be in just such a situation.

After exchanging a few more words with Dario, Edward stood up to leave.

Before departing, he looked down at Zeke with a sly smile.

“Enjoy your time. Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”

Watching Edward leave with that subtle smile, Zeke sensed something was amiss.

‘These mafia guys are planning to siphon off my money and funnel it to that fool.’

Directly targeting a Siemens family member was too risky, so they seemed to be using a roundabout method.

They’d likely give Edward a large sum from the investment project, making him reliant on them, and then look for a big deal with the Siemens family.

It seemed they weren’t planning to extract money from Edward himself.

‘Accepting mafia money is like stepping into a trap. That guy is definitely not the sharpest tool in the Siemens shed.’

Once Edward left, Dario turned to Zeke.

“Apologies, Mr. Murray. Edward’s visit was unexpected.”

It was a transparent tactic.

They wanted to show Zeke their connection with the Siemens family.

At the same time, they wanted to gain Edward’s trust by showing him that a wealthy businessman was interested in investing.

‘Their methods are as sly as they come.’

Feigning admiration, Zeke responded to Dario.

“Not at all. From what I heard earlier, it seems both you and Edward are involved in the black ore investment.”

Dario nodded.

“Indeed, it’s one of the ventures I’m most focused on these days. As you know, black ore is a high-cost investment, but the returns are substantial.”

“Absolutely. The more I study the investment, the more intrigued I become by black ore.”

Zeke feigned a slightly naive demeanor as he replied to Dario.

Dario studied Zeke’s eyes for a moment before nodding.

“Good. Mr. Murray, I see sincerity in your eyes.”

Having decided to proceed with Zeke, he gestured to Vincenzo.

“Bring Mr. Murray the contract.”

Vincenzo brought over a prepared contract to Zeke.

It was a contract to participate in the black ore mine investment.

Zeke quickly skimmed through the contract and chuckled inwardly.

‘What a load of nonsense this contract is.’

The document was riddled with cleverly disguised clauses.

Even if the mine development failed, there was no guarantee of recovering any of the investment, and if there were losses, Zeke would be liable for a share of the debt.

Zeke nodded as he read the contract, pulling out a fountain pen to sign.

Vincenzo swallowed nervously as he watched Zeke prepare to sign.

But just before signing, Zeke paused as if remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I was planning to show this to Mr. Rossi today, but since you’re here, Dario, it’s perfect.”

Lowering his voice, he spoke to Vincenzo and Dario.

“It’s not widely known, but before I invested in the mithril mine, I made my money elsewhere.”

Vincenzo perked up at this.

“You mean you were involved in another business besides mining?”

Zeke pulled something from his pocket.

It was a jewel-encrusted box, and inside was a beautifully adorned necklace.

Vincenzo peered at the necklace, eyes widening in surprise.

“This… is an artifact, isn’t it?”

Zeke nodded.

“Yes. A few years ago, I happened to purchase a small mountain, and inside, I discovered a dungeon.”

Vincenzo, astonished, asked Zeke.

“Are you saying this artifact came from there?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m only telling you two… it turned out to be a relic from the Golden Age.”

Hearing this, Dario, who had been listening from behind, raised an eyebrow.

Discovering a Golden Age relic site could change one’s life overnight.

The artifacts and relics found there were far more valuable than any ore.

Zeke lowered his voice again.

“I’ve been secretly exploring the dungeon, and rare artifacts keep turning up. I’ve been sending them to the Dortha auction house to liquidate them, but there’s a limit to that. If they start investigating the source of the funds, it could become troublesome.”

By now, Dario and Vincenzo were fully engrossed in Zeke’s story.

Dario, who had been listening from behind, finally spoke up.

“Why are you telling us this?”

Zeke grinned inwardly as he got to the point.

“While exploring the dungeon, I discovered something new… it’s a double dungeon.”

Vincenzo was taken aback.

“A double dungeon means there’s an even older ancient site below, right?”

Zeke nodded.

“Yes. I deciphered some of the stones we found there, and they contained some strange information. There were mentions of immortality and Elder Dragons. I felt there was something significant.”

At Zeke’s words, Dario flinched and stood up abruptly.

‘Did he catch on?’

Zeke worried that he might have been too direct, causing Dario to become suspicious.

But fortunately, Dario’s eyes sparkled with interest as he sat back down.

He urged Zeke to continue.

“Go on.”

“I wanted to dig deeper, but a small team can’t handle the excavation. It requires a large-scale operation. But I’ve already sold the initial relics as contraband, and a large-scale project would attract too much attention from the authorities. So, I wanted to seek your advice.”

Dario and Vincenzo exchanged glances. After a moment, Dario stood up.

“Mr. Murray, let’s discuss this privately.”

Dario led Zeke to a private room.

Inside, there were guards and knights who appeared to be bloodline ability users.

Dario gestured to them.

“Leave us.”

The guards hesitated.

“But, boss…”

Dario’s sharp gaze and gesture eventually compelled all the knights and guards to exit the room.

Dario turned to Zeke.

“Care for a drink?”

“Of course.”

Dario poured whiskey from a bar set up in the corner and brought it over.

The two clinked glasses and took a sip.

Dario spoke first.

“Zeke Murray, you surprise me.”

Zeke scratched his head with a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry if I startled you. I just wanted to seek your help…”

“Do you know what kind of person I am?”

Zeke responded, slightly flustered.

“Of course. You’re the one with the most mines on the continent…”

“My real name is Dario Nostra.”

At those words, Zeke’s face went blank for a moment, then turned ghostly pale.

Seeing Zeke’s reaction, Dario flashed a sly grin.

“Seems like you’re not entirely in the dark about this.”

“Da-Dario, sir. I mean, Don Dario. I was just trying to be helpful…”

“I like you.”

“Excuse me?”

Zeke was taken aback by Dario’s words.

Dario continued, “Zeke Murray, you’ve shown me sincerity. It’s a rare quality these days.”

“Yes, Don Dario.”

“I want to reward that sincerity. I’ll take care of the double dungeon issue you mentioned.”

Zeke’s face lit up with relief. “Th-thank you!”

“Where is this dungeon located?”

“It’s in the central region of my hometown, Alencia. It’s nowhere near Argos, where dungeons usually appear. Just an ordinary hillside, really.”

“Extraordinary events often happen in the most ordinary places,” Dario chuckled, pouring more whiskey into his glass.

“Don’t worry about the Kingdom of Alencia or the Treasury. No one handles taxes as expertly as we do.”

Zeke wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and nodded.

“This is truly fortunate. Thank you so much, Don Dario.”

Then, Dario lowered his voice, “However, the artifacts from that double dungeon will belong to us.”

Zeke’s face fell into confusion. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“Greed always leads to trouble. Only a fool covets what they shouldn’t have. Are you a fool?”

Dario took a sip of his whiskey before continuing, “I’ve shown you a gesture of friendship. I expect loyalty and trust in return. Otherwise…”

He fiddled with the ring on his finger. “Things could get… unpleasant.”

From the moment Dario revealed he was part of the Nostra family, he had already decided to seize the dungeon Zeke mentioned.

Zeke’s hands trembled as he listened, a typical reaction for a businessman facing a mafia boss.

With a shaky voice, Zeke replied, ”…Understood, Don Dario.”

Dario smiled with satisfaction and spoke again in a softer tone, “Good. Let’s draft a new contract.”

He walked over to the bar and pressed a button. The liquor cabinet slid open, revealing a safe inside.

Dario aligned his eyes with the magical security system and unlocked the safe. Inside were secret ledgers and a stack of contracts.

These were contracts where rights and shares had been forcibly taken from others.

Dario pulled out a contract and placed it in front of Zeke.

Zeke swallowed hard as he read the title: “Pledge of Silence.”