"Yes, yes, Young Master. I thought you would be sending word if you needed anything," Mourne said with a smile.

Ace shrugged. "It’s better to deal with this face to face."

"Of course, of course." Mourne went around the table and pulled a chair out for him. "You can sit, Young Master. I didn’t know you would be bringing guests."

"These are my House members, Julius and Derrick, but you know that already."

Mourne rubbed his hands sheepishly. "Of course. We at the WireRats pride ourselves as a very good information vendor. It wouldn’t look good on us if we can’t even know what’s going on under our nose."

"So you know that the Scar nearly killed me."

Mourne flinched. "The Scar, Young Master... I would suggest you leave them be. They are worse than cockroaches because they know how to hide well and strike from the darkness."

Ace raised his brows. "Just what do you know about them?"

It was another voice that answered. A woman walked out of a hidden wall, her face covered by a black veil. "Nothing much is known about them apart from the fact that, before, they were apparently a peace-loving organization that wanted to change the world through their protest."

"It must not have gone well," Ace said dryly.

"Yes. They soon changed into what they are now, slaughtering members that refused to join them."

Ace nodded. "But what about the actual organization? The inside information?"

She shook her head. "They don’t allow anyone to join them. They approach people themselves."

"Interesting," Ace said.

Even with the veil covering her face, Ace could feel the intense way she was looking at him. "It’s said that Young Master has had repeated clashes with the organization."

"I do, and I have some information to sell to you about them."

Zhara, the gang leader, tensed. She remembered that the last information Ace sold made it possible for him to change the landscape of the black market completely.

What was he going to do now?

She turned to Mourne and then nodded. "What do you want for such information, Young Master?"

Ace smiled. "No need to be so wary, Zhara. This time you will only do two tasks for me. Simple ones."

Zhara hesitated before nodding. The more she learned about Ace and his activities in the Academy, the more wary of him she became. And since she was in the information business, she recognized some patterns.

Ace was behaving in a way as if everything around him was happening according to his will.

She didn’t like it.

But she also understood the benefits of staying close to such a person.

A double-edged blade.

Ace stretched out his hand, and Julius delivered some envelopes to him.

It was better to do it the former way than sending it through the system.

Ace placed one of the envelopes on the table. "This contains the background history of Kaelis Drev."

Zhara sat up immediately, her voice carrying hints of surprise. "Kaelis Drev? How do you know him, Young Master?"

Ace smiled. "Let’s say I have an interest in him."

Julius adjusted his glasses, his eyes intense on the conversation between the two people in front of him.

Zhara took the envelope. "Kaelis Drev. He is a recently displaced noble whose house fell into ruins. It was said that his family’s rivals came together to finish them off once and for all."

Ace nodded. He knew all of that already. That was why he was doing what he was doing in the first place. Kaelis Drev was a special character. He wasn’t particularly powerful in strength back in the book.

But he had one thing to his name. He was a good political person. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He knew how to read the winds of politics and use it to rise for himself. He became a very central figure in the book that both the Emperor faction and the noble factions wanted.

He climbed his way to the top through sheer effort.

"Yes. I want to sponsor him. He’s currently living in the orphanage, right? I need you to sponsor him in my name. Nothing special, just give him some gold coins and some right information and check up on him now and then for me."

It was time for Ace to start planting seeds outside the Academy. And what better way than a desperate person who needs help and is on the brink of suicide?

It was like giving bread to a starving man. They don’t want to know the hand that stretched the bread or the face behind it.

Julius didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was seeing Ace trying to manipulate someone in real time, and he couldn’t help but wonder again who Ace truly was. His own reason for joining the House was manipulation of some kind too.

Zhara nodded. "That shouldn’t be a problem. Then what’s the second envelope about?"

Ace gave it to her. "This one is none of your business. I just want you to deliver it to the person. You will need to sacrifice one of your fake gangs for this."

Zhara stiffened. But then, isn’t it natural for Ace to know about fake gangs? It’s like an open secret among those who deal.

It’s not like he knows where their own is. He’s just saying that they must have one. But to sacrifice one?

Fake gangs are those gangs that are created by bigger gangs but with no direct affiliation among them. They use the fake gangs to do their very dirty work, or as a hand to do what the main, bigger gangs could not do.

It’s also a way for any gang to expand their territory.

"Use the Bloody Cats to do it."

This time Zhara stiffened, and she was halfway standing from her seat. The fake gang they had in the capital was named Bloody Cats.

She did her best to make her voice firm. "H... how did you know?"

Ace just smiled. But in fact, he spent three days just to remember the name. "Let’s just say I have some interest in you guys as well."