The Glorious Evolution

A nickname that left Levi quite satisfied with its poetic definition, as it referred to a manuscript that had been scraped clean and written over... yet traces of the older text kept bleeding through the new one.

He didn’t know exactly what Jasmine intended to convey with it, but he liked it.

Unfortunately, having Levi’s support when it came to nicknames was usually a bad sign... and their friends’ opinions on it weren’t much better either.

Still, Jasmine stuck with it.

Levi soon shifted his focus to the gigantic golden clock floating above every single Rifter’s head.

40:00 Minutes.

Then, he looked at the largest clock in the House, situated high above the center of the bidders’ circle... dangling from a silver chain.

400 Minutes.

The collective minutes remaining in the game.

The Gamemaster appeared in the corner of the broadcast, rubbing his tiny hands together with excitement.

”Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to...”

Golden letters exploded across the screen.

HAMMER PRICE!

As the game was announced and the screen appeared to shake beneath the cheers of the live viewers, Levi’s attention was stolen by a small folded piece of paper placed on the side of his table... A masked man had dropped it there before disappearing into the crowd.

Yet, Levi didn’t show much of a reaction since he had been expecting him.

’Following me all the way from the Zen Relic store just to deliver a note?’

Levi opened it and found an ID number... His expression remained stoic beneath his hoodie, but his inner thoughts didn’t approve of this.

’I need one of them in person.’

He typed the ID into a caller-like screen and rang its owner... A few rings later, someone picked up the call with an emotionless, robotic greeting.

”It has been quite difficult tracking you down, Mr. Problem.”

Levi paused for a moment as he recognized that a voice changer was being used... Still, from the confident cadence alone, he was certain it was Silas Targon reaching out.

’As expected of someone who spent forty years patiently plotting...’

He knew that Silas would never do anything that could implicate him in the current downfall of House Zen... Brahmin had tried his best for decades to build a case strong enough to launch at least a Court Audit, and yet still failed to find a single lead.

Silas Targon had made sure of it.

”The question is... why are you tracking me down in the first place? Is it to apologize?” Levi replied calmly while watching Jasmine’s Death Game kick off.

”Apologize?” Silas scoffed. ”You’re the one getting involved in matters you had no business being around.”

Levi chuckled for a moment. ”And you do?”

”I’ve been fighting for that territory for forty years... I’ve even buried three of my own men because of it.” Silas’s voice remained unmoving. ”Tell me, what have you sacrificed for it?”

Levi didn’t answer... On the screen, the first Lot was presented with an opening bid of two minutes... yet the bidders remained silent, each one sizing up the others.

”Nothing? Then let me save you some time.” A chair creaked on the other side. ”House Zen isn’t dying because of me... It’s dying because a family of monks convinced themselves that being peaceful meant being safe.” His tone remained cold. ”Sadly, the universe has never worked that way.”

’Agreed...’ Levi thought inwardly.

”You’ve been talking to the goat...” Silas continued emotionlessly. ”So you’ve heard their story. Assassinations. Sabotage. A traitor within the family. Very moving... but do you know what a court calls accusations without a single ledger to back them up?”

”A rumor.”

”Good... You seem like an intelligent, reasonable man.”

Levi acted deaf to the manipulative praise and continued, unbothered.

”So, if it’s not for an apology, why are you reaching out?”

”You know what I want, and I need to know what you want...” Silas paused. ”You, for instance... You walked into a dying House and offered to save it, and the old man didn’t even bother to check your identity. Do you know what that tells me?”

”That he’s desperate.”

”That you knew he was.” Silas sneered coldly. ”Men who arrive precisely when a House is at its weakest are not rescuers, whatever they call themselves... They’re the second wolf. And the second wolf always thinks he’s different from the first.”

Levi remained quiet as he took a sip of his coffee, his focus still on the screen, as though the conversation mattered less than showing support for his friend.

”So I’ll say this once, and then my patience will expire for good.”

Levi continued listening.

”My son will make you a generous offer for your ’troubles’... Take it. Walk out of the Eighth Sky Province and don’t come back, and in less than three months, you’ll have forgotten the name Zen the same way the rest of the Expanse already has.”

”Otherwise... you won’t be dealing with just me, but those behind my Noble House... and believe me, they don’t care what kind of background you come from.”

Levi tuned out the rest of his bullshit the moment he heard that Silas’s son would make him the offer... He realized that Silas had already sent his son to meet him after intimidating him just enough to ensure his son wouldn’t screw up the deal.

”Hmm... I don’t appreciate your tone, but I’m always open to a better deal.” Levi replied while scanning the café.

Hearing the confirmation for a meeting, Silas sent a message to his son and hung up the call, leaving the two of them to work it out.

Immediately, Levi’s senses picked up a slender, tall man wearing a black robe and mask heading in his direction.

Without so much as a greeting, he pulled out the chair, turned it slightly, and dropped into it sideways, one arm draped over the backrest and an ankle resting casually over the opposite knee.

The posture of a man who had never once in his life been asked to move.

”Waiter.”

His voice was also filtered through a voice changer to maintain deniability.

”The Hollowvein... The thousand-year-old.” He paused for a moment. ”Bottle... two glasses.”

Hearing the order, the waiter and several nearby customers raised their eyebrows in surprise... They knew such a delicacy of a drink cost more than ten thousand credits.

It was the annual salary of the woman polishing glasses eight feet away, and Simon had ordered it at eleven in the morning, in a café, purely to make a point to a man he intended to pay off... Their family was rich, and they wouldn’t hesitate to spend that wealth hunting him down if he refused to leave their business alone.

Yet, Levi didn’t even bother glancing in Simon’s direction... He watched as the Rifters finally opened the bidding war, but with small bids: one minute, two minutes, three minutes at most with each raise.

But before the number could climb any further, Jasmine raised her small brush and wrote her bid into the air in wet ink.

20 Minutes.

The Rifters’ mouths froze mid-bid, and they stared at the number for a second before turning toward Jasmine’s expressionless, doll-like face.

-BID REGISTERED: TWENTY MINUTES!-

Only after the announcement did the crowd howl in disbelief and excitement, not expecting someone to be this bold and borderline... insane.

Even the customers in the café stirred into a small ruckus... intrigued by the Game at last.

”She’s mad,” somebody said near the counter. ”Half her life in the first round... whew, some of these Rifters genuinely are psychopaths.”

His reaction was shared by some customers, but others were sharp enough to understand exactly what Jasmine was attempting with her stunt.

Levi set his cup down with a faint smile.

’She’s early,’ he thought. ’I advised her to wait until the second Lot to weaken the other Rifters a little first.’

Levi’s suggested plan was to place Jasmine directly in everyone’s crosshairs during the first three early rounds... The only way to do so was to make a bid large enough to deter anyone from daring to outbid her, but not so large that she sacrificed more minutes than necessary.

As expected... after the initial shock passed, the Rifters went as quiet as mice... but their eyes reflected a sinister desire to ruin her and steal what was hers.

-GOING ONCE.-

-GOING TWICE.-

-SOLD!-