Following Gilgamesh through the streets, Bai Ye noticed that there were still quite a few vehicles and pedestrians. Fuyuki City was more prosperous than he had imagined, otherwise the streets wouldn't be so lively at this hour.
"When will we arrive?" Gilgamesh asked.
Bai Ye pointed to a towering hotel in the distance. "How about there?"
Gilgamesh nodded. "Not bad, let's pick up the pace."
"It might not be that fast. I need to do something first," Bai Ye replied.
Gilgamesh looked at Bai Ye in confusion.
"I need to commit a robbery first. Do you think staying in such a luxurious hotel is free? You want fine wine and delicacies too, do you think I can conjure them?" Bai Ye said, grabbing a man in a suit carrying a briefcase.
"Hey, hold up!" Bai Ye materialized his blade, Blood Drinker, and held it to the man's throat. "Your iC, credit card, and bank card, tell me all your passwords."
Seeing the gleaming blade, the man frantically fumbled in his bag for cash, his bank card, and credit card. He stammered, "M-m-master, what's an iC card?"
"Intelligence quotient, idiot," Bai Ye said, taking the items. "And the passwords?"
Before the man could answer, Gilgamesh snatched the items away and thrust them back into the man's hand.
"Go on, he was just joking with you," Gilgamesh told the man.
The man, unsure, glanced at the blade in Bai Ye's hand. After cautiously backing away a few steps and seeing that Bai Ye wasn't pursuing, he quickly turned and fled.
Bai Ye looked at Gilgamesh. "What's the meaning of this?"
"My greatest pleasure is to seek out the world's treasures," Gilgamesh said, hands behind his back. "However, a king should have the demeanor of a king, so I never plunder the wealth of commoners."
"He's not your subject," Bai Ye retorted, spreading his hands. "And this isn't your kingdom."
"I was a king long before this country's king became one. Therefore, I should conduct myself with greater dignity," Gilgamesh stated.
"Fine, you're noble, you're amazing," Bai Ye said, rubbing his fingers together in a money-counting gesture. "Since you're so dignified, you wouldn't want to freeload at the hotel or dine and dash without paying. But without money, you can't have these things."
Gilgamesh gave Bai Ye a disgusted look, then casually reached into the void, his arm penetrating it. He then produced a gold bar weighing at least three pounds and tossed it to Bai Ye.
"I have never seen such impoverished individuals as you," Gilgamesh declared. "How could someone like you summon me?"
Bai Ye wanted to argue, but looking at the gold bar in his hand... damn it, he couldn't. With gold, everything could be managed. It was a hard currency, and as long as he was willing to take a discount, he could exchange it for money anywhere.
Soon, the gold in Bai Ye's hand was transformed into a whole box of cash.
Gilgamesh nodded in satisfaction. "This is why I love gold. Whenever one possesses brilliant gold, there is nothing that cannot be bought."
"Since you like gold so much, why don't you change your name to 'Golden Sparkle'?" Bai Ye suggested.
"Insolence! My royal name..."
Before Gilgamesh could finish, he suddenly looked up at the sky. Bai Ye also felt something and quickly distanced himself. "Here they come!"
In that instant... from the dark shadows behind Bai Ye, a figure suddenly appeared. The dim streetlights illuminated its outline. Bai Ye's heart leaped. Not from above, but from behind him?
The next moment, a short blade appeared in the figure's hand, sweeping towards Bai Ye's throat. Just as the blade was about to strike... Bai Ye vanished without a trace. Teleportation!
When Bai Ye reappeared, he was behind the assailant and delivered a sweeping kick. However, the opponent was more agile than Bai Ye had expected. Sensing Bai Ye's presence behind him, the figure lunged forward. Upon landing, the assailant supported himself with one hand on the ground and performed a series of flips, creating distance.
"A ninja?" Bai Ye asked, looking at the figure. The assailant wore clear ninja attire, bent slightly, and held a short blade in a reverse grip.
The assailant slowly stood up and looked at Bai Ye. "Servant, Assassin, Fuuma Kotaro. I may be humble, but I request your guidance!" As Fuuma Kotaro spoke, he glanced towards Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh suddenly smiled and casually leaned against a lamppost, crossing his arms.
"Hey, what's going on?" Bai Ye asked. "Someone's trying to kill your Master!"
Gilgamesh shrugged, adopting an air of detached amusement. A rift between Master and Servant?
Fuuma Kotaro considered retreating. As an Assassin-class Servant, direct combat was not his forte. Therefore, the best course of action after a failed assassination was to withdraw and wait for another opportunity. However, if there was discord between them... perhaps this was an opportunity!
Fuuma Kotaro suddenly sprinted, circling Bai Ye rapidly. Strangely, as he ran, his figure completely blended into the surrounding shadows.
*Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...* Only the crisp sound of footsteps echoed around Bai Ye.
Bai Ye muttered under his breath. With Gilgamesh on strike, Bai Ye had to handle this himself. Suddenly, he heard the rush of wind. Bai Ye glanced to the side; three shuriken were flying towards him. Bai Ye quickly retreated, intending to form a sword, but found that the Steel Slime was unresponsive.
"Damn it!" He'd forgotten that the Seven-Colored Rainbow had been completely destroyed while fighting the Ancient Mechanical Giant. Fortunately, Bai Ye's reaction was swift. Remembering this, he immediately drew his blade, Blood Drinker, and swept it forward forcefully, deflecting the three shuriken.
*Clang, clang, clang...* The three shuriken were deflected, but the moment they flew off... another sound came from behind Bai Ye. Turning his head, he saw three more shuriken flying towards him. He narrowly dodged, and the shuriken grazed his cheek. A faint scent of blood wafted. Bai Ye reached up and touched his cheek, a drop of blood on his fingertip.
Fuuma Kotaro retreated quickly and soon vanished back into the shadows, his sounds disappearing. Then, the footsteps began again around Bai Ye. Swift, rapid, with unpredictable changes in rhythm, making it difficult to pinpoint his location by sound alone. Suddenly... another gust of wind!