Cipher narrowed her eyes at the black-haired boy standing beside her idiot daughter.
She wasn't careless. Never had been.
A tracker was fitted into the "special" dress she'd given Vanyaa. Just as a precaution. She couldn't afford to take risks—not with her.
She'd known Vanyaa had slipped into the academy.
Cipher had been days away from infiltrating it herself to drag the girl back. Her plan was nearly complete.
But just as she was preparing to move within a few days, she sensed her daughter approaching the Obsidian Exchange.
So she decided to greet her—with all the warmth she was known for.
What she didn't expect… was an uninvited guest at her daughter's side.
She recognised the mask immediately.
So she did what she did best: she slipped into an illusion, hiding herself from all sight.
She wanted to see what kind of trouble Vanyaa had gotten involved with.
And then Vanyaa called him Master.
Cipher didn't feel rage. Not yet.
What she felt was... curiosity.
She felt nothing unnatural from her daughter.
No bindings. No forced contract.
Slave contracts always left a mana trace—an aura, a subtle imprint.
Moreover, Vanyaa wasn't even slightly uncomfortable around the boy.
That meant one of two things: she had misspoken… or there was more to this story than what had been told.
So she decided to learn more.
Her violet eyes narrowed as she watched Alden dodge James's first strike with instinctive and precise movement.
Although she wasn't a close combatant, she could see it.
This wasn't luck. This wasn't desperation.
This was the result of pure training and effort.
He didn't flinch. He knew he had no chance against James.
And yet—he stood tall.
And he didn't reveal me either.
Smart. Or loyal. Or both.
This one wasn't just another arrogant brat chasing validation.
He was playing a deeper game.
He's trying to prove himself… to me.
Cipher snapped her fingers softly.
The chain of sound energy, just about to pierce through Alden's leg, vanished without a trace—like it was never real.
She stepped out of her illusion.
Alden's masked face turned in her direction, sensing her presence.
She gave him a slight nod.
"Come," she said coolly. "We have things to discuss, don't we?"
Then her gaze shifted to her daughter—standing just beside her now.
A smile formed on her face.
A very specific smile.
A shiver ran down Vanyaa's spine. She knew that smile.
Her body began to tremble.
"Umm—M–Mom... I—I missed you," she said, her voice small, trying her best to play the victim.
Cipher smiled wider and pulled her into a warm hug.
It was... slightly tighter than it needed to be.
"I missed you too, my d.e.a.r... d.a.u.g.h.t.e.r," Cipher whispered, each word stretched.
Then, ever so quietly, that even Vanyaa barely heard it, Cipher murmured:
"I'll deal with you after I'm done with him."
Vanyaa's eyes widened.
A drop of tear slipped free.
Her mind had only one thought— I am so, so dead.
Alden walked, following Cipher through a tunnel.
According to what Vanyaa had told and what he had seen, this tunnel likely led directly to the obsidian exchange office.
After the initial line, Cipher didn't say anything to him.
She just led the way quietly.
Vanyaa walked just beside Alden. Her expressions are similar to a death row criminal who was sentenced to death in a few minutes.
Her usually bright cyan eyes were dark, and she constantly murmured something incomprehensible.
Honestly, Alden didn't have any interest in deciphering whatever she kept mumbling.
So he just ignored her.
And she kind of deserved it.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a dead end where only a single wall stood.
But Alden could see something through the wall.
The wall was just an illusion.
Behind it was a glowing blue portal.
They are quite cautious.
I thought this directly led to the black market, but it seems I was wrong.
Cipher just passed through the wall. Vanyaa followed her as if it were usual.
Alden didn't hesitate either and followed behind the mother-daughter duo.
Cipher didn't stop. Didn't look over her shoulder.
She and Vanyaa vanished into the portal.
The moment Alden stepped through the portal—he felt nothing.
Again, he thanked his new title.
He arrived in a grand hall.
This was definitely not the same small office he had visited in Black Market.
That meant he was actually not in the black market and was somewhere else.
Many individuals walked by busily minding their own business.
Some occasionally greeted Cipher.
She just nodded back.
Dozens of passageways branched from the main chamber, each guarded by silent figures cloaked in black.
Not statues—people. Strong ones. He could feel it.
This wasn't just a base of operations.
"Welcome to the Obsidian Fortress, Shadow Boy." Cipher spoke, interrupting Alden's thought.
Even now, she was professional and didn't reveal his real name.
"This is our base of operations."
So this is indeed not the black market, huh?
"Well, this is no place to speak." She said as she continued her steps. "Follow me."
She walked ahead like she owned the place—because Alden felt like she actually did.
Her heels clicked like war drums against the polished black floor.
Alden followed, taking in the details quietly.
The runes. The silence.
More importantly, the eyes watching from the shadows.
He could feel at least a hundred eyes focused in their direction.
The watchers weren't even hiding their presence, likely as a warning for Alden to not try anything stupid.
His mind raced trying to comprehend the situation.
He had known Obsidian Exchange was the best information agency on the Black market. But never in his wildest dreams did he expect anything of this level.
It seems the Obsidian exchange is more than what it seems from outside.