The Febola Stone

I did turn on the alarm, didn't I? How did this guy get in without making a sound?

The old butler eyed the stranger before him warily and asked,

"Are you one of the Hunters hired for the job? It isn't time to gather yet, is it?"

The hired Hunters were supposed to arrive at eight in the morning.

It was only six now.

That made the old butler deeply suspicious of the man before him.

At his words, Cordis tipped his head back and drained his cup, a bitter taste spreading through his mouth.

Cordis stuck out his tongue. Tea really wasn't his thing.

"Can't I come early? Be glad I didn't ask you for extra pay."

Hearing that, the old butler became considerably less wary of him.

Ever since accepting the commission involving the Febola Stone, Cordis had been curious about this priceless gem.

He had tried searching online for information about the Febola Stone.

Unfortunately,

never mind pictures of the Febola Stone,

even information about it was painfully scarce. Though no one knew what the Febola Stone looked like,

that still didn't stop everyone from loving it.

He had found one of the few scraps of information about the Febola Stone in a post.

It was written by someone who claimed to have taken part in the excavation.

The post said that the Febola Stone was formed by the most wondrous power in all of creation. It was deep blue throughout, and it could take hundreds of years for a single stone to form.

So when the poster learned that a wealthy businessman had bought the Febola Stone and intended to give it to his young lover as a gift,

he had furiously unleashed a torrent of abuse beneath the news article.

That had filled Cordis with interest in this Febola Stone that no one had ever seen.

He had always taken great pleasure in precious treasures like these.

His main reason for accepting this commission was to see what the legendary gem that took centuries to form actually looked like.

Of course, the pay was important too~

Cordis rose from the sofa, walked over to the old butler, and asked,

"I don't suppose I could take a look at the Febola Stone?"

The old butler shook his head without the slightest hesitation.

"No one is allowed to see it, not even the ruler of this country."

The old butler stared straight at Cordis with his clouded eyes.

Cordis knew perfectly well that this man had no powers and was merely an ordinary old man, but when he saw those eyes that held so many stories,

he put his own intentions aside and felt a little more respect for the elder before him.

He leaned against the windowsill, tilting his head as he admired the sun slowly rising into the sky.

The sky and the ocean were what Cordis sought throughout his life.

Whenever he saw such sights, his mind would settle, no matter how many worries troubled him.

The old butler also returned to his sofa.

After setting aside the cup Cordis had used, he took a fresh one and poured himself some hot tea.

A plate of little pastries sat before him.

The two enjoyed the rare peace in silence.

As the sun gradually rose,

time slipped by, and eight o'clock approached. The other Hunters would soon arrive.

After glancing at the clock, the old butler got up and cleared the empty plate and teacups from the table.

At precisely eight,

the mansion's front door slowly opened.

A heavily muscled man and a stern-faced man wearing Daoist robes walked in.

Both were visibly startled when they saw Cordis.

They probably hadn't expected someone to arrive even earlier than they had.

The old butler stood on the second floor, looking down at them.

Once he confirmed that everyone had arrived, a booming voice rang out from his seemingly frail body, completely at odds with his appearance.

"Tonight, our employer will hold a banquet in this mansion to celebrate his acquisition of the Febola Stone."

"Naturally, our employer will also attend in person."

"Your task is to protect both the Febola Stone and our employer."

"See our employer and the Febola Stone safely aboard the helicopter. Once the job is complete, seven hundred thousand JN will automatically be deposited into your accounts."

Upon hearing that the wealthy businessman intended to hold a banquet here,

what had been a fairly simple task suddenly became difficult.

Honestly, this rich guy was an idiot.

He knew people would come to steal the gem and had even hired Hunters, yet he still insisted on holding some banquet.

Couldn't he wait until all this had blown over?

Did he really have to throw a banquet right in the middle of the storm?

And he even intended to attend in person.

That undoubtedly made an originally manageable commission far more difficult.

But with seven hundred thousand JN on offer, none of them voiced their objections.

The old butler left, giving them some time to introduce themselves.

The three exchanged glances.

The burly man spoke first, his extremely loud voice echoing throughout the mansion.

"My name is Nedepu. I'm an Enhancer, and my Nen ability is Golden Body. It lets me make my body as hard as gold."

Next came the man in Daoist robes, who spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"I'd rather not disclose my real name. You can call me Qiudaozi. I'm a Conjurer, and my Nen ability is Eight Trigrams Talisman Formation."

Then it was Cordis's turn to introduce himself.

But he seemed rather distracted, clearly thinking about something.

Only after the other two prompted him several times did he come back to his senses.

"Cordis. Specialist. I can't disclose my Nen ability."

His introduction was very brief.

The two were visibly taken aback when they heard that Cordis was a Specialist.

Specialization wasn't something just anyone could possess.

From the moment they entered, Cordis had given them an uneasy feeling. Learning that he was a Specialist only reinforced it.

A dozen or so minutes later, the old butler came downstairs.

He led the mansion's servants in preparing for the evening's banquet.

The old butler headed upstairs, then turned to look at the three behind him, signaling for them to follow.

Under his guidance, they reached the top floor and stopped before a wooden door secured with five locks.

As the five locks were undone one after another,

a cube encased on all sides in iron sheeting came into view.

The old butler pointed at the cube before them.

"The Febola Stone is inside. Your task is to protect it. Anyone other than our employer, whoever they may be..."

"Kill on sight."

As he spoke, he handed the keys to Qiudaozi, who stood in the middle.

Why didn't the old butler give the keys to Cordis?

Do you know why?

You probably don't. That's all right, I'll tell you.

Cordis had his sights set on the Febola Stone, and the old butler wasn't an idiot.

So even though he knew Cordis was the strongest of the three, he didn't dare give him the keys.

Feel free to guess what exactly the Febola Stone is.

Great, successfully padded the word count!