"Did you see the look on his face? Did you see that?" Rick crowed for the tenth time.
"I saw it. Stop asking. I'm not blind."
Rick laughed again. "I never thought you'd turn him down like that." He never thought that hearing Ghost reject Viper would make him so happy.
Matthew frowned. His mind went back to the hallway lined with dim wall lamps. He had been busy checking his core when Viper stepped in front of them.
Viper's hand shot out and blocked the way. "Triple whatever Tian pays. Pick any number of stones. Any grade."
Rick had stepped between them at once, arm half-raised like a shield. "Back off, Viper. He works for me."
"Five times, then ten," Viper pressed, eyes on Matthew. "A mountain of spirit stones—yours to sort at leisure."
Matthew had shaken his head. "Unless that mountain is already stacked in your bedroom, I'm not interested." He had turned away. Rick's sudden bark of laughter had filled the hall as they walked off with the payout.
Now, past two keyed doors and a short flight of stairs, Rick tapped a brass panel. The lock clicked open to a small dining lounge, round table, velvet booth, a window angled toward the underground arena. A discreet plaque on the jamb read Tian Family Suite.
Rick tossed the crystal pouch onto the table and dropped into a chair. "Family property," he said, waving a hand at the room. "We keep a few of these for… celebrations."
Matthew slid into the opposite seat. Steam curled from a teapot the staff must have set while they walked. He kept one hand on his pocket, feeling the diamond thrum against his ribs. The ghost girl was making it seem like Spirit stones are this rare and so hard to get. Perhaps, she just didn't know how to earn one?
"I never thought you'd brush Viper off like that. Loyal and kindhearted. I like you. You are definitely my kind of person," he said. He pushed a small tower of prime-grade crystals across the table. "And I pay my debts."
Matthew nudged the chips back. "My services aren't charity."
Rick pulled the tower closer again. "Understood." He produced a black invitation card drawn with silver foil. "Private event, two nights from now. Nexian families only. Come as my guest. I will show you some good stuff."
Matthew nodded, then he reached into his coat and slid a plain white card forward. A small QR code sat in the corner. "Scan this. It gives instructions on how to reach me." He had asked Cristoff to prepare this in advance for events .
He knew that Rick and his friendship would eventually improve so, he needed to make some preparations in advance.
Rick scanned it with his phone. The display blinked green. "Good. I don't know where you're from, Ghost, but it helps to have more Nexians around." He hesitated, lowering his voice. "Be careful. Viper doesn't quit. He's been hiring Readers for months. Galactica is one, or will be when he awakens. You're worth more."
Matthew nodded once. "Hiring Readers?" Matthew asked.
From the information that Dr. Muni gave him, Readers were indeed rare. Currently, Conduits and Shapers dominated the Nexian community. Passive skills like Readers and Tethers were considered rare.
Matthew leaned back, letting the steam from the teacup fog the lower half of his mask.
In theory, every Nexian trait rode on bloodlines. Shapers birthed Shapers, Conduits sparked Conduits. Readers were no different, but their families had always been thin. Most lacked the numbers—or the muscle—to protect themselves. Conduits won battles. Shapers broke doors. Readers only saw the dangers coming, they could not block the blade once it swung.
One bad century had been enough. Old Reader clans married into bigger houses for safety, and each marriage diluted the gift. A Reader gene needed two carriers to line up, after three or four generations, the shards no longer matched.
Those born with even a hint of the sight spent their lives hiding it, afraid of harvesters who would chain them for interrogation work. When wars over spirit-stone mines peaked, Reader lines vanished first. They simply had no standing armies.
"I'm not sure why, but Viper showed up about two months back," Rick said. "He kept winning bets, then teamed up with Readers. There aren't many of them left, no clans, just loners or travellers, just passing by."
Matthew nodded. His own knowledge was limited, and almost everything he knew came from Dr. Muni.
"Well, I wouldn't ask about your family. However, since you helped me gain some face earlier, I can give you a bit of help," Rick said. He beamed. "I know you might already know this, but Readers are the strongest during the Blood Moon. Many Nexians take advantage of this. You should hide when the Blood Moon comes. I heard—" he lowered his voice, "I heard that Reader Cores can be used as good sustenance… if you know what I mean?"
Matthew said nothing. Dr. Muni also warned him about this Blood Moon. However, Rick's warning was more… detailed. Sustenance. Or a simple ingredient of some Ritual.
There was something about how Rick said it that made Matthew frown. Yes. The black market for Nexus Cores was real, and it had been highly emphasized in the knowledge that Dr. Muni had given him.
High-level Nexians could extract energy from another core as long as they were under the same class. Meaning, only Conduits could extract energy from a Conduit. So, only Readers could extract the ability of other Readers.
And since Readers were rare…
Readers hunting Readers, he thought. Dr. Muni had touched on it but never spelled it out. Rick's hint filled the gap.
A Nexus Core could be drained by someone of the same class. The process was crude, more tearing than sharing. The thief walked away stronger. The victim lived a few minutes, maybe an hour, before the core turned to ruin inside the chest.
After that came the real horror. A hollow shell that still held a flicker of SE twisted on itself. Most died on the floor. Some did not. Those few stood back up, core half-dead, mind rotted by loss. They wanted only one thing—more cores to fill the emptiness. Cursed Nexians. Dr. Muni's files called them Leechers.
Leechers kept just enough skill to track their own kind. They would stalk any Nexian, but they hungered for others in their class. A living Reader was food and compass in one.
Rick poured more tea, unaware of the storm in Matthew's head. "Blood Moon's in a few days. You better stay at home during this time," Rick added.