Code Collector

It felt like Allen was going to fall face first on the floor. He once thought that the police would look for him, but he didn't once thought that they would go as far as letting the Phantom Cunt into their list.

There were people who did much more than what he did, but then he realized that someone was adding fuel to the small spark of flame that he lit. The figure he carefully constructed was ruined just because someone took over the figure and used it to their own gain.

The person behind this scheme was also incredibly smart. He used the figure because he wasn't the original person behind it. If he can just ride the flow, achieve his goal, he can always abandon it. He just went with the flow and used as much as he could.

And if everything goes downhill and the original person was caught, he can just bail out easily. He can abandon everything just like that, only because he wasn't actually the one behind it. It was easier to construct an alibi with his plan.

Everything about this irked Allen to his core. This person was really making him angry to the point that he just wants to cheat and kill this person.

"Hello?"

A hand was waving in front of Allen's face. The boy blinked a couple of times and he saw both Gwen and Gary looking at him with concerned looks on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Allen asked.

"You seem to doze off a lot," Gwen said. "Are you okay? Is something brothering you?"

Allen was going to take a big leap of faith with what he'll say next. He gulped and looked at Gwen in the eyes.

"Something is bothering me with this Phantom Cunt figure," Allen said. "What seems to be the connection between the Smith twins and the poisoning of the guards? He didn't even leave the camp yet, so why bother?"

"I think it's oddly connected too," Gary added, taking Allen's side. "If this person wanted something from the guards or what they were guarding? Why bother the Smiths?"

"Exactly my point," Allen grinned after what Gary said. He was sure now that this man was going to be loyal to him. He also wasn't aware of Gary's motives, but at least he knows that this man was on his side."

"Well," Gwen paused. "Now that I think about it, I also don't see any connection. It's like they're two separate cases merged into one."

"Maybe the person who attacked the twins was a different person, and the one who poisoned the guards is another," Allen thought out loud. "If the twins were connected to the guards in some way, then we could've draw a line between the two, but it just seemed so random."

"No," Gwen breathed out, shaking her head. "I am not in charge of this case, so I don't know how they were linked, but now I see. The twins' father is a powerful person. They can't just get away with everything they've done so far if they didn't have such strong connections."

"What?" Allen asked. "What do you mean?"

"Their father is the Minister of Defense," Gwen grunted. "I just remembered. He deploys all the guards in all camps, therefore poisoning the guards like this is provoking to him."

"So, the Phantom Cunt's target is this man?" Allen asked. "He targeted his daughters first and now his men. He's doing this because? Do you have anyone in your mind?"

Gwen shook her head, "I don't know. There's a lot of people that the minister angered. He's known to be a righteous man who does everything he do with integrity and pride."

"What happened to him?" Gary snorted. "I-I mean, is he like an antihero right now or something? Can't he see his daughters are psychopaths?"

"Not really," Gwen sighed. "He just loves his daughters so much that he's willing to turn a blind eye from their actions."

The three of them discussed even more after. Allen learned a lot of things from their discussion and now he has even more criteria in who to point fingers to.

He just needed to set the connection between the Minister of Defense and a person with enough power and money. He can cross everyone else out of the equation.

Whatever this person is planning, he wanted to get even with the minister in whatever ways he can. The only question left unanswered now was what was their motive?

–

It was the day when Allen delivers Codes to Hilda's shop. He couldn't comprehend how fast time goes by. It was already a week since he talked to the old woman, and now he was rather excited on how much his investment grew.

He went to the shop as Dante at the morning, smiling after seeing everything getting improved. The stands for the Codes were now much better, the lights were fixed, and everything was tidy.

"Wow," Allen grinned as he entered the now more beautiful shop. "Your renovations are great. Did you talk to The Wandering Trader? What was his offer?"

Allen grouped his clients into investment clients and one-time client. People like Mary was a one-time client since she didn't need constant help from The Wandering Trader. Hilda on the other hand was an investment client. He needs to regularly pull in Codes just so his deal would grow.

His plan was meeting his invested clients with two personas so he could get two different aspects into what the client was thinking. He first meets them as Dante, get their opinion, and then let them meet The Wandering Trader.

If both of their attitude with the deal matches, he will pour his heart and soul into them. But if they don't, he will cut their connections just like that.

An example of their attitudes not matching was if the client would talk shit about The Wandering Trader when he talks to them as Dante, and then be polite and respectful when he disguises himself.

His business was risky and dangerous. He can't let another two-faced person in his plans, only he himself was already enough.

"Child, I am so grateful to you," Hilda cheered, running from the counter and giving Allen a hug.

The boy wanted to break free at first but when he felt the warmth surround him like a warm blanket in a December night, he let the arms wrap around him. He closed his eyes and inhaled the woman's lavender scent.

She smelled better than how she did a week ago. Allen would've never thought that one help would change a person like this. Hilda's case made him want to help more and more people.

"I think The Wandering Trader gave you a big favor," Allen chuckled, slowly removing Hilda's arms. "And you look happy. That's great."

"I'm not just happy," Hilda smiled. "I'm also getting by well. You see, we made a secret deal that I cannot definitely tell you, and then my business boomed. They said the Basic grades that I sell were high quality and wasn't easily found in these forests."

"That's because they're from another forest," Allen wanted to answer but he kept his mouth shut and let the woman continue.

"My Codes were sold in just three days," Hilda said with a joyful tone. "I also wanted to partner with another Hunter, but I don't want to break The Wandering Trader's deal, so I just kept the money and brought improvements from my share of the deal."

Old people are either wise or easy to fool. Hilda was a little bit of both. She was wise enough to do something with the remaining days from their deal, and at the same time she's easy to be fooled that she was so loyal to their deal.

These two aspects of the woman was what Allen needed from his investment clients. They were going to be together for a longer time, so he had to make sure that he could trust them.

How Hilda chose to hide their deal even when The Wandering Trader didn't tell her so, and how she was sure to keep her store exclusively for The Wandering Trader made Allen's heart filled with glee. He finally was starting to have a leg as he rose up.

All he needed to do now was to make sure this leg grows well.