The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series by Roman Prokofiev (top books to read TXT) 📕

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“...Thirteen outposts. This one, rank four, can’t be taken on the fly. Agatosh’s soldiers will lay siege by Friday, but they’ll need support.”

“We’ll send two const parties,” Tao said. “Peacemaker and Daos will assist them, the rest are busy. We already lost two outposts last week.”

“Yet slowly but surely, we’re pushing them back!” Mirgus retorted. “The frontline’s moving. That’s what we should have done from the very beginning, not your plan with raiding Eyre and hiring Pandas...”

Tao winced. He hated being reminded of his mistakes.

“What about the scrolls?” he asked curtly. “Are the Swords ready?”

“We’re running low on supplies. Hashem and Ruth are hard at work creating new ones. We might have to buy something at the Bazaar, but the clan treasury is wearing thin. The war’s putting us through the wringer. Tao, we really need to spend a week in Helt Akor...”

“We don’t have time yet,” Tao replied, then blinked with his only eye and shook his head in frustration.

“What’s wrong, Tao?”

“Some newbie’s spamming my personal messages. I’ll have to block him.”

A few seconds later, the PROJECT leader stood up, interrupting the conversation.

“I’m sorry, Mirgus. I need to fly to Fairs. It’s urgent.”

The Fairian tavern in the central square was swarming with players and NPCs. It couldn’t be helped; it was a busy location, as many started their in-game path in that place and stayed there for good. Bypassing chatting, drinking, and trading newbies, a look of disgust on his face, Tao found the person who had contacted him sitting in the corner at an empty table. A quick study revealed beginner gear, green neutral karma, a nickname that said nothing, and a lilywhite kill rating.

“Did Cat send you?”

“You could say that,” the stranger replied after a pause. “Please, let’s avoid nicknames. I’ll be the middleman in the negotiations. You two shouldn’t meet, you must realize that. So do you wish to retrieve your stuff? I have a proposal. Do something, and you’ll get it back.”

“What kind of something?”

“It’s simple, really. Here’s a map. See the marked area? In the next week, all traffic inside it must be blocked — merchant caravans, flying ships, everything. Your task is to intercept everything, so nobody would even think of poking inside. Can you do it?”

Tao carefully examined the map. It was the territory of Northern Alliance, the yellow zone between the kingdoms and clan lands, scarcely populated and unwanted by everyone except for ever-curious adventurers and the Watchers’ tenants, who occasionally sent their caravans through it.

He didn’t like that offer; on the surface, it didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t hard at all; in fact, it enabled him to mix business with pleasure, raking up kills and plucking the feathers of his enemy’s farmers. And that’s why it set off his alarm bells. Was it a setup?

“No setup,” the stranger spit on the dirty floor. “Put a few seekers on the look-out. When your targets appear, drop on them through a pentagram, that’s it.”

“What are the guarantees that a crowd of locals won’t spring up on me?” Tao asked.

“Who? You have a treaty with the Watchers, and the others are far away. The guarantees... Here, take it.”

A thick gold ring rolled down the table, spinning and gleaming in the light, a row of empty sockets along the band. The Ring of Nine Lives.

“It’s a token of free will and the first down payment,” the strange character snickered. “When you’re finished, you’ll get your legendaries back.”

Tao took the epic ring and put it into his inventory, then studied the other player.

“We didn’t discuss only items, but also information. About the sword.”

“The information will be a bonus. So, do we have a deal?”

Tao left the tavern, brusquely pushing aside the newbies who got under his feet. He did suspect there was a catch in the deal. Cat was the Watcher’s clan trader, so he was probably up to his ears in some shenanigans. King Sildo’s Mantle, and most importantly, the information about the mysterious sword, was much more valuable than a week of boring vigil easily handled by two const parties and a portal master, just in case. And the ring...

The square was full of people, and almost immediately, Tao got swept up in the crowd. He stopped, his eyes resting on the portal circle. What was that clutter? A mastodon mount charged right past him, scattering the players about, clearly in combat mode, while armed NPC guards hurried after it. A roc rapidly descended on the crowd, close enough to touch their hair, with the flames of Grand Fire flashing behind it.

“Superchick! Superchick!” someone yelled, and NPCs and players alike, lit on fire, ran out of the flames, howling, while panicking on-lookers broke into a run. The guards riding dragonflies chased after the roc, shooting it down in flight. Scurrying figures darted around, and a few of them bumped into Tao. Still, his Strength and Constitution were too high, and they collapsed, as if hitting a wall. One of them, however, managed to hold his ground and grabbed onto the PROJECT leader’s waistline.

Kesson successfully used Steal against you!

You lost Ring of Nine Lives!

A thief! The robber’s nickname turned red, and he leaped aside, trying to hide in the crowd. Not so fast. A white flash shot out from Tao’s hand, hitting Kesson right in his back. The thief froze in an icy stature and then shattered into a thousand fragments, as the angered HELL leader brought down his Black Sword upon him.

A cloak of disguise, a lockpick set, scrolls of Find Treasure and Learn Essence, a shoddy blue ring, a token of the Bazaar Thief Guild... Kesson’s loot had no Ring of Nine Lives.

Tao’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart blazed with