Chapter Fifty-Seven: Intelligence and Tokens of Gratitude

Harvey did not show any obvious resistance to Lacey’s initiative in approaching him. He simply went along with it, learning from her about the explicit and unspoken rules of the bounty hunters’ world. His strength was considerable, but not yet at the level where he could disregard all rules, so those that needed following still had to be observed.

With Lacey’s assistance, Harvey successfully registered an account on the bounty website. It now displayed his record and appearance, the tasks he had completed, and his hunter rank was immediately set to level two. Lacey also took the liberty of downloading and registering him an account on the hunters’ specialized intelligence network, Light and Shadow.

“This will let you search directly for more information related to bounty missions, so you can be better prepared,” she explained. “However, if you want the latest intel on a mission, you’ll need to pay extra to access it. The information on most missions is highly accurate.” She added, “But if you’re looking for intel on interstellar marauders or bounty hunters themselves, there’s no guarantee it’ll be one hundred percent reliable. At most, you’ll find which planets they frequent, or what abilities they possess. Marauders and bounty hunters tend to make a lot of enemies, so they rarely stay in one place for long. Only a rare few, those with overwhelming power, dare to remain on the same planet for years without fear of retribution.”

Once the registration was complete, Lacey continued her explanation about the uses of Light and Shadow.

“Knowing more is enough,” Harvey replied. “Miss Lacey, can you tell me, aside from the Darr, Kree, and Sovereign, are there any other beings in the universe whom one must absolutely never cross?”

Lacey considered the question for a moment before answering. “Hmm… if you set aside those three races, there aren’t many in the universe who can be called truly untouchable. That would be the gods of Asgard and Olympus. Regardless of whether you’ve heard of them before, if you work as a bounty hunter, you’ll hear the names Odin and Zeus. Their power and status are nothing short of divine—they rule over many worlds. Still, they mostly stay within their own realms; it’s rare to run into them in the wider universe, so you don’t need to worry too much about offending them.”

“There’s also the Grandmaster of Sakaar and the Collector of Knowhere. The Grandmaster and the Collector are brothers, both ancient beings who have lived for countless ages. Over the centuries, they’ve amassed wealth beyond the wildest dreams of people like us, and countless individuals serve their interests. They also issue the most bounties—crossing them is tantamount to crossing all bounty hunters. Once a bounty is set, countless peers will swarm to hunt you down. Still, the Grandmaster and the Collector keep to themselves; you’re unlikely to encounter them.”

“But more than them, the one you should be most wary of is Thanos, whose power has been causing upheaval throughout the universe lately. You can look up more about him yourself—just keep an ear out for any news and avoid direct conflict.”

Much of this was simply common knowledge in the universe. Lacey saw no need to hide it, knowing that Kassadin would naturally learn these things as he spent more time out here. Kassadin had completed the Desert Calamity mission—a task even an elite fleet had failed to accomplish, yet he had succeeded. She didn’t know how he’d done it, but she was sure his strength was considerable. Still, the figures she mentioned commanded vast forces; even someone as strong as Kassadin could hardly stand alone against such power.

But a newcomer capable of completing a level-three bounty mission right away, as Kassadin had, could live freely in the universe as long as he avoided crossing those few utterly untouchable beings.

Hearing these familiar names, Harvey understood immediately. He glanced up at the menu above the bar, where the most expensive drink was listed at three thousand a glass. He brushed Lacey’s arm with his right hand, bringing up a projection. A few taps brought up a transfer interface; he entered one hundred thousand and hit confirm.

“Miss Lacey, your information has been very useful to me. Think of this hundred thousand as my treat for drinks. I suspect we’ll meet again. But for now, it’s late, and I still need to find a place to stay, so I’ll be going.”

Harvey stood up, his tone carrying a hint of gratitude. Knowing Kassadin was powerful, Lacey had chosen not to play tricks on him, but rather to approach him gently, hoping to establish a friendly relationship. She hadn’t expected such generosity—one hundred thousand in a single gesture. Her base salary here was only eight thousand a month. To earn more, she had to rely on commissions, or else use her looks and charm to entice and please men. With commission, she might make a hundred thousand in two months if lucky, three if not. Without it, this one gift from Kassadin was worth an entire year’s base pay—extravagant beyond measure.

“Mr. Kassadin, I think we could talk all night,” Lacey offered, rising as well, her right hand pressed to her chest. “You must be new to Xandar—I could tell you so much more.”

Though she didn’t know what race Kassadin was or what he looked like, his aura of authority made her guess he was likely a handsome man.

“No need, Miss Lacey. You’ve already helped me enough,” Harvey replied, shaking his head slightly. “This is just fulfilling my earlier promise. I’m sure I’ll be back for more information in the future. Until then, I look forward to our next meeting.”

He gave a polite farewell, then his body turned into a streak of violet light and vanished from the bar.

Lacey was left standing there, momentarily dazed. With her beauty and cunning, she had navigated the bounty bar scene for years, rising from a lowly waitress to her current position as an intelligence guide, with powerful patrons behind her. While she couldn’t compare to the true elites, ordinary people no longer dared to harass her openly. She had no special powers with which to make a fortune, only her looks and her studied mastery of seduction. Thus, she still took the initiative to attract and entice men.

With her beauty, she had never failed to win over any new bounty hunter, unless their tastes were truly unusual. She’d always succeeded with just a little effort.

She had never expected that today, when she’d taken the initiative and made her intentions so clear, she would still be rejected. If Kassadin had simply disliked her, she could understand. Yet he said he looked forward to meeting again, as if he wasn’t put off by her at all. The thought left Lacey with a strange, complicated feeling.