Warm liquid slid down his throat as He Xi drank hot milk.
He tore off a piece of bread and placed it on the bone-patterned plate Zoya had bought especially for Bruce, then turned his gaze to Tata, who was holding a piece of bread in both hands and gnawing on it.
"Yesterday, you said there was an organization called 'Shadow Hand'?"
At the mention of that name, Tata immediately straightened her back.
She swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded vigorously. "That's right! Shadow Hand is the king of Fernandez's underworld, meow!" "Oh? That impressive?" He Xi asked without betraying a hint of emotion.
"Of course!" Tata's voice unknowingly rose a few notches, pride written all over her face. "The entire Hidden Valley District is our territory, and our informants are spread through every shadowy corner!"
She paused, lowered her voice, and added mysteriously, "Even the Watchers have to take a detour when they see us, meow!"
"When did you join them?"
"Just last month, meow!" Tata puffed out her little chest proudly. "Don't let my short time in the organization fool you—I'm very talented and highly valued, meow! The boss personally taught me all sorts of profound thief techniques!"
"Profound thief techniques?" He Xi raised a brow. "You don't mean what you were doing near the dormitories yesterday, do you?" "Of course! That contract, and all those lines—they were personally taught to me by our boss, Claw! The boss says that in our line of work, you have to use your brain!"
Excitedly, she began recounting her boss's "teachings." "The boss says that every year, around the time Magic Academy starts, it's the best opportunity! A huge number of wealthy people come in from other places, especially young people preparing to enroll. Most of them are country