Kaijin Fighter: So I Have to Make Monsters, So What?-Chapter 1304: Sneaking Aboard the Body Trade

"Huh. Well, I'll be damned. There is a slave wagon coming this way," Zhen Xing noted as he used aether to enhance his vision to look further down the trail and away from the mines. "I guess the Xiao Liu effect is in full swing."

"The what?" Antonio and Maggie asked, simultaneously.

"Just a family joke," Zhen Tai answered. "Ever since Zhen Liu came back from the dead as a bonafide cultivator of [Chaos], the man has attracted equal amounts of good and bad fortune like a magnet."

"That can't possibly be..."

"Before you ask us to elaborate, let's go and hijack that wagon first. Okay?"

"Right, right. No time for dilly-dallying..."

Once they had confirmed their adhoc plan, Zhen Tai, Zhen Xing, Maggie and Antonio proceeded to go and do something that the former two never thought they would ever do: steal a slave wagon.

"How are we doing this, by the way? Stealthily or violently?"

"Well, looking at our group's composition...I guess we're taking a page out of Zhen Liu's book."

"Meaning..." Maggie trailed off, afraid of the answer.

"Questionable diplomacy."

"The fuck?"

"We learned a new trick we wanted to try. Don't worry about it."

__________________

*Bing-Bong*

Note that the following scene is going to be entirely in Scorch Speech.

Thank you.

*Bing-Bong*

____________________

The [Mines of Malevolence], or at least it's owner, had a reputation among the people of the underworld trade.

This may sound odd, given that reputation was practically everything in the underworld markets, but there was a difference between having a reputation based on respect and having a reputation based on [Disgust].

Many a person who visited the [Mines for Malevolence] only had bad things to say about the proprietor, the strange warriors who guarded the site and the general atmosphere being so curse-ridden that many people had to bathe in blessed spring water for a week before feeling even the slightest bit clean.

However, despite all of these negative attributes, many underworld organizations still opted to trade with them.

Why?

Because [Malevolent Gold], and some of the other metals provided by the mine, was too potent of a resource to past up.

Especially when the price to acquiring several tons of [Malevolent Gold] amounted to about a dozen or so slaves every couple of months, relatively cheap foodstuffs, and the occasional aether cultivation related resource.

None of the organizations involved with the [Mines of Malevolence] knew why they agreed to such lopsided deals in the first place, but they didn't care since it was heavily in their favor.

Well...that and the last time someone tried to renege on a deal in an attempt to take over the mines, their entire organization and the families associated with them were found to be buried in very shallow graves located at the very entrance to the mines.

Shallow graves that were being actively defiled and eaten by the aforementioned weird warriors that protected the [Mines of Malevolence].

Needless to say, all subsequent deals made with the [Mines of Malevolence] were honored to the fullest extent of the letter and spirit.

That didn't stop the people facilitating these trades from complaining about doing them in the first place.

On the only trail leading to the mine's entrance, was a slave wagon being pulled by a large first tiered Black-Horned Bull.

This wagon was carrying about a dozen or so slaves that were deemed unsellable to the larger markets, and was guarded by a pair of Aether Masters.

The Aether Masters in question were dressed in uniforms that were black and nondescript as possible, but had one noticeable, identifying feature on them in the form of a gold armband with an engraving on it.

The engraving depicted a nine-tailed fox with three eyes, which was the emblem for the Zorro Familia.

The Zorro Familia was a medium sized crime family that operated in the Sparking Forest Kingdom of the Dozing Salamander continent, and were technically a subdivision of an even larger organization.

An organization that had bad blood with a certain monster making warrior.

Thankfully, that wasn't going to be an issue...yet.

"Man, I freaking hate doing this route," one of the guarding Aether Masters complained.

"Because we're surrounded by cursed flora and fauna, because we're being forced to escort a bunch of slaves that aren't worth the effort we're putting into this mess, or because the guys we're trading with are the epitome of freaky and weird?"

"All of the above."

"Yeah, well, we drew the short straw when it came to the assignments this time around," the other guard retorted. "On the plus side, the bosses said that we could keep a bar of Malevolent Gold each to make our own personalized aether treasures."

"Easy for you to say, your formula is geared towards leveraging cursed energies. I'm pretty sure anything I use made from this stuff will end with me crying tears of blood. Again."

"Well..."

[Fox Fire Magnum!]

[Anaconda's Blazing Cannon!]

"What the-BAH!"

Before the cursed energy attuned Aether Master could give his response, he and his associates got blindsided by Zhen Xing and Zhen Tai swooping in and launching a coordinate fire attack that knocked them both off of their wagon perch and onto the ground.

For a brief moment, both of these Aether Masters thought they were being assaulted by giant flaming beasts...up until the aether disappeared and they found themselves staring into the eyes of a pair of rather vicious looking young Aether Masters of Roaring Tide descent that were holding them down to the ground with heavy hands wrapped around their necks.

As aether warriors of the same rank, the two members of the Zorro Familia didn't appreciate being blindsided like this and attempted to retaliate once they got their bearings back.

Unfortunately, their efforts amounted to jack shit.

"What the fuck?!"

"Why can't I use my aether?!"

When Zhen Tai and Zhen Xing pinned down the slave drivers, they had begun to circulate aether through their hands in order to lock down their aether circulation.

Needless to say, the Zorro Familia warriors were less than pleased about this turn of events.

So much so, they attempted to start cussing them out

and leveraging their organization's reputation as a means of intimidation. Unfortunately, thess cries landed on unsympathetic ears...sort of.

"Who the fuck are you assholes? Are you trying to steal our merchandise?!"

"Don't you recognize the band? We're warriors from the Zorro Familia! This aggression will not be tolerated!"

Zhen Xing and Zhen Tai simultaneously rolled their eyes at this blabbering before addressing the problem with this statement.

"You two do realize that your organization would probably just write off your deaths as being an accident due to how incredibly evil this place is, right?"

"That—wait, you two speak Scorch Speech?!"

"We do," Zhen Tai answered.

"Besides, we're not here to steal your merchandise," Zhen Xing followed up.

"You—wait, what?"

Keeping their hands on their respective opponents, so they could keep the [Chaos] flowing, Zhen Tai and Zhen Xing sat up the two warriors from the Zorro Familia.

"Okay, long story short, my friends and I need to enter that mine through incognito means," Zhen Xing explained. "And you two are our tickets in there. Well, technically your wagon but you get the idea."

"Uh..."

To say the warriors of the Zorro Familia was confused, would be an understatement.

As members of a crime family, they knew all about hijacking caravans and taking the place of the owners in order to infiltrate secure locations.

This was the first time they have ever been asked to assist in such endeavours.

"Wait a minute, friends?"

As soon as this question was asked, Maggie and Antonio entered the scene. Needless to say, the two of them were looking confused by this turn of events as well.

"I sincerely thought you were going to kill them and take their clothes," Antonio plainly stated as soon as he arrived.

"That was the plan, but it's easier to bribe and coerce than to explain why somebody is missing," Zhen Tai readily answered.

"Or why the clothes are damaged, covered in blood or look wrong," Zhen Xing followed up.

"What the fuck..."

The Zorro Familia warriors, at this point, mentally checked out in understanding their current predicament and figured that it was better to go along with whatever the hell was going on.

At least, that's what their inner [Desire] felt like doing.

"Anyways," Zhen Xing continued. "You two are going to help us sneak in by letting us hide out in your wagon, okay? Don't worry about compensation, that shall be provided."

"Uh...okay."

"Oh, and before y'all think you're going to be clever and try to betray us when you get there," Zhen Xing said in a strangely sweet voice. "You two should probably know that while we've been talking, my cousin and I have been weaving a very special seal in your formulas that will actively destroy them at the slightest hint of betrayal. But for now, it's just gonna make it so that you're unable to use any aether."

"Wait, what?!"

As if to prove their words, Zhen Xing and Zhen Tai simultaneously release their respective hostage.

"See for yourselves."