The man stared peculiarly at Cole.
The compact silence between them caused a disturbing ambiance. And though Cole wasn't too eager to speak, he felt it was the more polite thing to do.
In the end, they both shared the same problem. Still, Cole found the man a bit flummoxing, from his melancholic behavior to where he came from. If his feelings at that moment could be summed up in a single word, it would be "Intrigue."
"Sir!" a soft voice called from the distance.
Both men adjusted their gazes toward the speaker. From the left, a woman wearing a long white blouse, a slightly large silver shirt, and a beanie—as though it were a uniform—gracefully approached them. Cole was dazzled by her radiant appearance, despite the repulsive lighting of the green moon. Her dark hair complemented her elegant look, and it didn't take much for Cole to decipher that she was a child of high prestige.
"Noelle? What are you doing here?" the man blurted out with a lost expression.
The woman respectfully walked toward him, then crouched while bowing her head. "Sir Mark! What are you doing in this filthy place?!" she chided.
Cole's mouth widened as he was perplexed; though the woman spent countless minutes nagging, he failed to see how the poorly kept, slightly ragged figure beside him was connected to such a damsel. On top of that, she kept calling him "Sir."
Just as Cole sharpened his hearing to eavesdrop, the woman switched to a language Cole was most unfamiliar with. In a modest tone, the man replied in an equally unfamiliar language. Guessing from their facial gestures and body movements, they were exchanging rather interesting words. Cole's intrigue was reaching heights that made his eyes twitch.
The man known as Mark stood up from his seat; his previously dreary face swapped for a more authoritative expression, and his body exuded a sense of responsibility and compulsion. With a wink, Mark gestured to Noelle and went forward without even giving Cole a departing wave.
Noelle walked closer to Cole, wearing an unappeased expression. She then dug into her pocket and brought out her fist; as she gradually loosened her tight grip, golden coins slid through her fingers and fell into Cole's can.
The collision with the can's material caused high‑pitched cries that made Cole feel like his ears would bleed out. Each coin glistened under the somber moon and poured out of the can until it gathered on the floor.
Cole watched the coins pile up in abundance with a straight, unmoved face. Once she exhausted the coins in her hands, Noelle pointed a threatening finger at Cole and spoke bitterly in the unfamiliar language. After that, she turned and strode away.
Cole sat unperturbed as he watched her sway her body into the distance. "I COULD USE A GIRL LIKE HER," he said, stretching a large grin across both cheeks.
"Are you done being perverted?" she asked; her cold voice felt uncomfortably close—so close it was as though she were right behind him.
Cole turned his head to his back; unfortunately, his feeling was accurate—she sat with crossed arms and legs right behind him.
"How long have you been there?" he asked.
"Not too long," she replied, tying up her strands of hair.
'I didn't even notice her!' Cole was dumbstruck. 'Did I let down my guard? No, she became undetectable. Is it possible she…'
"Hey, Deity…" Cole steadied himself.
'…Temporarily erase her presence?'
"When you manipulate perception, just what exactly are you manipulating?" he asked in a shaky tone.
'How strong is she?'
The deity smiled menacingly as she narrowed her eyes in amusement. "I'd explain, but you won't understand right now."
She shot up, cleaned her outfit, and said, "We're pressed for time. We'll have this question‑and‑answer segment at a more appropriate setting."
Cole refrained from furthering the discussion; in his lifetime of working for shady and powerful figures, he learned that the fewer questions asked, the better. He pressed his hands together and brought his lips closer.
"Once again, what now?"
"I have a lead on him. Deep in the center of Null Centura, the small zone called Katharis is known for its very surreptitious environment." She demonstrated by waving her fingers. "We'll have to be careful once we reach there, especially you, Cole."
Cole nodded in understanding.
The deity dug into her pocket and brought out an old pocket watch; the design looked expensive, from the pure, glistening silver chain to the golden exterior and firmly built glass. It didn't seem to be working, though. She stretched it toward Cole and shook her hand.
Cole was impressed by the craftsmanship; he got carried away by its unique designs.
"Aren't you going to take it?" she asked with a serious face.
Cole was stunned—was it generosity or a clever plot? He couldn't determine what drove her actions, but he definitely couldn't be careless.
He asked playfully, "Is this a way of confessing to me or something?"
The deity sighed at Cole's words and scowled. Cole shot back from her hideous expression; her wrinkles and disturbing frown were an ungodly sight.
"This is one of my closest possessions," she said, hanging up a stern demeanor. "The blood you used to connect to me won't be useful after the first time; by now it should have turned black… it's lost all its cells and plasma. It'll be crystalline by now."
"I see…" Cole's eyes darted around the area. "What about the coins they gave me?" he wondered.
"What… holy cow!" The deity's stern demeanor fell into a greedy stench. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the gold on the floor.
Cole noticed and pondered how much each coin had to be worth to make her so excited.
"Cole…" she uttered.
Cole straightened himself, ready for whatever she'd toss at him.
"Your luck needs to be studied," she gave him a piercing glare. "Nonetheless, grab it and bag it."
Cole was baffled whether to feel flattered or insulted. Either way, an order was an order, and the deity was practically his employer.
He dusted the sheet covering his body, folded it, and tied the open ends together, converting it into a kind of sack. It wasn't pretty or eye‑catching, but the tight knots and strong material would do the job just fine. He threw every last bitof the coins into the sack and carried it on his shoulder.
"Not like that! It looks so suspicious."
"My bad," Cole changed his pose and gripped it like a fashion bag.
"That's worse!" she shrieked.
"So how do we bring it with us? It's a lot."
'If anything, I'm a bit curious as to how so much could fit in her palm.'
The deity let out a disappointed sigh and gave Cole a weak glare. "It pains me to say this, but…" Her resolve shook with her tone and composure. "Take as much as can fit into your two pockets and ditch the rest!" Her body wavered like a piece of paper.
"But that's not much at all," Cole tried to explain.
"I know! I'm not illiterate! But we don't have a choice," she lowered her voice. "No matter what, we have to find that potter. Nothing must hinder our steps."
Cole had nothing but respect for her words. He untied the sack, filled his pockets with as many coins as he could sneakily carry, and hid them under his shirt.
The rest? He returned it to the can and tossed whatever remained in the shop; anyone lucky enough to find them would be over the moon.
"We should have brought a bag with us."
"Don't remind me!" she thickened her tone.