Gathering Husbands with a System in a Game Like World [BL]
Chapter 40: The Couple at the gate

Chapter 40: The Couple at the gate

"okay, it’s mission time."

The hired luxury carriage rolled through the southern streets with its curtains half drawn. Inside, the three of them sat without speaking.

Elias occupied the forward seat, already wearing Gorran’s face. He worked his shoulders in small circles until the slightly stooped posture settled into something natural.

Every few moments he flexed his fingers, testing the weight of the illusory skin. Across from him Kai sat very straight, dark hair neat, freckles in place, hands resting too carefully on his knees.

Beside him Dexter looked almost ordinary. The human disguise held, yet the stillness in his body was not human at all. He watched the window more than the other two.

Elias broke the quiet first, voice low and rough with Gorran’s cadence.

"Remember the parts. I talk. You two look rich and slightly bored. Do not scan the room like soldiers." he looked at Kai

"Especially you Kai" kai was physically replused

"What?"

"I said what i said" Elias doubled down, Kai became more pissed.

"I don’t do that, that’s a lie!" He yelled,Elias rolled his eyes.

"Yeah see, i knew you would react that way. We can’t be fighting about this right now, we are kind of in the middle of something right now...so" Elias said and disengaged from the conversation.

Kai kept his eyes on the dark curtain.

"wanker!"

Dexter’s mouth twitched.

"He is right you know"

Kai did not answer, he only gave him a condescending look. The silence that followed immediately after was tighter than before.

The carriage slowed and stopped at an unremarkable corner three blocks from the old transit hub.

The driver never left his seat.

"Okay, it’s mission time" Elias said as he stepped out first. Kai followed immediately and Dexter came last.

The vehicle rolled away and left them on a pavement that smelled of damp stone and for some reason cooking oil?.

Dexter sniffed the air once

"Ugh.." he muttered.

"What’s wrong? I thought you would be used to this scenery" kai commented not looking at Dexter.

Dexter frowned "what the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing" Kai instantly answered and walked off immediately.

He knew exactly what he meant by that and Dexter knew too. And quite frankly, kai didn’t know why he said it in the first place.

Night had claimed the southern transit district completely. The respectable daytime traffic was gone. In its place moved the other city; smugglers, mercenaries with the loose walk of men between contracts, masked figures whose wealth showed only in their boots, and harder sorts who did not bother hiding the weapons at their hips. Conversations happened in murmurs. Deals changed hands in doorways. The air itself felt thicker, as if the district had been waiting for the sun to leave.

Kai felt the weight of every glance that slid across them and moved on. His new face was ordinary. That was the only shield he had.

The entrance to the auction house looked almost insulting in its simplicity. An abandoned warehouse. There was one lantern outside and only one guard leaning beside a heavy side door.

Elias stepped into the lantern light. The guard’s eyes sharpened the moment they landed on Gorran’s features.

"State your business."

Elias gave the thin, tired smile of a man who had made this walk many times.

"My Business is..."

The guard waited.

"Oh, yes i am a supplier in the low level factions of the city and with me here are two aristoctats Fester limp and Dave crest"

He said gesturing to the two behind him, they instantly both fell into character.

"We come from the city of uralis and we are interested in your artifacts, we are interested in acquiring them isn’t that right honey?" Dave Crest said in a solemn calm voice that carried the scent of a seasoned professional.

Fester limp nodded, "yes honey, that’s true we are intrigued by the effectiveness of your items we love your work"

The guard paused and looked at Thier faces one after the other and then with a nod the guard pushed the door open and stepped aside.

"Inside. Keep your guests close."

They entered.

The System reacted the instant something brushed across Kai’s skin.

[Spatial anomaly detected.]

[High-level cloaking ward active.]

[Structure concealment: Confirmed.]

[Warning: External observation heavily restricted.]

Beyond the door the abandoned building fell away. The underground hall opened beneath them in a wide, descending bowl. Rows of seats swept down toward a brightly lit stage.

Floating lamps hung in the high darkness like captive stars, casting an amber light that made every face look slightly unreal. The air smelled of expensive perfume, old paper and money ..and also the sharp bite of powerful magic.

Conversations created a low constant murmur. Almost everyone carried a weapon. Some hid their faces behind masks or veils. Others displayed Thier horns, scales, scars, and sigils without concern.

Kai’s stomach turned once

He opened the Eye in a narrow, careful band. Mana signatures bloomed across his vision in layered colours. Most were ordinary. A few were tightly controlled and as he speculated a few individuals were overpowered drastically. Then he saw the thin, unmistakable thread of violet moving through the crowd like a hairline crack in glass.

The System spoke at once.

[Corruption detected.]

[Source unknown.]

[Density: Low but stable.]

[Recommendation: Proceed with extreme caution.]

Kai forced his gaze back to the floor plan of the room and kept walking. Elias guided them toward the upper gallery with the unhurried confidence of a minor supplier who belonged here. Dexter stayed close enough that they looked like a couple who preferred their own company. Neither of them touched, but the space between them was deliberate.

They had just reached their seats when the atmosphere in the hall changed.

It was not a sound at first. It was a pressure. Conversations thinned. Heads turned toward the stage without being told. The floating lamps dimmed by a fraction, gathering their light forward. From the deeper shadows at the edge of the platform a figure emerged.

Dark robes. Expensive cloth that swallowed the light. A smooth, featureless mask that reflected nothing. The figure did not hurry. It did not need to. By the time he reached the centre of the stage the entire hall had fallen into a waiting quiet.

When he spoke, his voice carried to every corner without strain.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

A pause long enough to feel intentional.

"Welcome."

"You can call me, the curator"

The Curator stood before them, and the auction was no longer a rumour.

It had begun.