Jake had not talked that much with Sultan recently. He knew the merchant was still busy and operating out of Haven while making liberal use of the teleportation network. In fact, he had been a pushing force to integrate more cities into the network and establish more connections with factions like the Holy Church and independent cities.

Miranda had been the one keeping Jake up-to-date on this, but clearly, she had no idea about everything the shady merchant was up to. Jake was already aware the guy had a Blessing due to earlier conversations, but Sultan had divulged no details when it wasn’t necessary. It also didn’t seem like something worth bothering Villy over.

“I do not tend to pry in the personal business and work of the citizens of Haven,” Jake just answered Renato. It was the truth and also a way to not just make himself look more ignorant than he actually was.

“An understandable and respectable position. I have already shared more than I perhaps should then,” Renato sighed. “Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound. Sultan and I both belong to the same organization, and both have ties to the Golden Road Emporium. I guess you can call the Emporium a Pantheon of sorts, even if it is merely merchant gods banding together in a mutually beneficial alliance.”

“And Sultan is blessed by the leader of this Emporium?” Jake asked with raised eyebrows.

“Midas, the Golden God,” Renato answered with clear respect in his voice.

“Midas, huh,” Jake mumbled as he shook his head.

“One of the cases where the Records of the multiverse bled into our unintegrated universe, a bit like Valhal and many other such cases. Our world’s connection to a mercantile system and focus on wealth and capitalism no-doubt only strengthened this bond and resonated with the Path that Midas and other merchant gods followed,” Renato said. “Of course, this is merely my interpretation, even if it is one I am confident about. Please do enlighten me if the Chosen has other insights.”

“No, it seems reasonable,” Jake agreed. He did know that the multiverse as a whole had affected their world. Shit, just looking at all the mythical creatures should be proof enough. Dragons, phoenixes, and just the existence of entire races of monsters were already legends before the system. That was too much to be a coincidence.

Renato nodded as he smiled. “I do hope that today and this visit can lay the groundwork for a long and mutually beneficial relationship. While you may not be a fan of some of the things we do here in Paradise, do know we are no slave traders. We merely have a more liberal and open market than anywhere else, allowing those who offer more questionable services to find clients.”

“Through my initial exploration, I did not find much… so do share. What kind of controversial services? And please hold nothing back. I came back from the Order of the Malefic Viper recently, don’t think anything we Earthlings get on will surprise me,” Jake asked. He wanted to make himself appear more like the Chosen than he probably had to, and sharing his ability to travel to the Order and back was also very deliberate.

“It is no secret that we have no set rules besides the obvious ones you have already been informed of. As long as the cornerstone of consent has been reached, we do not interfere. Even if one party consents to get killed by the other. As for some anecdotal examples, we have some individuals with certain interests. Fantasies they like to carry out. Before the system, carrying out these fantasies would involve some rather unfortunate consequences, but now with healing magic and the human body being far more resilient, they can indulge.

“One frequent client enjoys the fantasy of assaulting and killing women, something he, to my knowledge, carried out even before the system to great cost and inconvenience. Another is a woman who has specific fantasies related to a concept called vore, I think, or perhaps we should just call it cannibalism. She likes to eat the member of her partner after intercourse.

“These are just some of the sexual ones. Others simply want to experience beating someone beyond recognition or torture others. For some, Paradise is merely about being themselves and partaking in whatever drugs they so desire. With overdose being no risk with a good healer and an alchemist with an antidote on hand, you can imagine how many substances they can experience at once.”

Renato held nothing back as he continued talking about Paradise. He also added on his justifications for the city needing to exist. The powerful tended to also be the unique, and unique people would have very varied tastes. Any Path could legitimately lead to power, and staying true to yourself was fundamental to avoid stagnating. Renato viewed himself as nothing more than a businessman who facilitated a required service under the best conditions possible.

Jake knew he couldn’t argue about some points. There were many fucked up people within the Order of the Malefic Viper, and Jake had no interest in being an arbiter of justice. He was not interested in making the world a better place… at least not all of it. As long as his small world – himself and those he cared about – could live a good and comfortable life without the negative influence of others, he was fine.

His and Renato’s conversation was somewhat enlightening, and he knew the man did have limits for what he allowed. Jake was not particularly happy learning that slaves did exist in the city, as the law only prohibited selling and buying them. The rule did also extend to slaves being unable to offer services and be pimped out to others, meaning they could only act as personal servants. Jake was repeatedly assured every individual who worked there did so with consent… even if he did admit some did so out of desperation and to get some semblance of safety. Others were just as fucked in the head as the clients they served.

This was the kind of place Jake didn’t like but also wouldn’t actively move to get rid of. It did not interfere with him at all, and Jake had a feeling this was exactly what Renato wanted to make clear. Paradise was no threat to him or his interests, and he would prefer if Jake just left them alone.

This brought them to the principal topic of this conversation:

“I am aware you are here together with Ms. Carmen from Valhal. I do not know the details, but I want to know if Paradise can expect any… trouble coming from this visit?” Renato asked.

Jake shook his head. “I don’t know. All I know is that she was looking for people; I am uncertain what her intent is once she finds them.”

It was a half-truth. Jake did know who she was looking for, but he truly didn’t know her intentions. That was for her to decide… it was her family, after all.

Renato sighed at Jake’s response. ”I will not get in the way of you or the Runemaiden, but I will ask a favor. Please inform me before anything violent happens. Just a bit before or right when it begins, and it should be fine.”

Jake raised an eyebrow as the man explained:

“Paradise exists in its current form because my employees and I have created a balance. We are the ultimate authority that none dare stand against. If my base is shaken and a seed of doubt is sown, it can mean the end of my city. So, if the unfortunate happens and killings take place, it will need to look like these are approved and accepted by Paradise. In other words, I will justify whatever actions you choose to take. Retroactively if I have to.”

That was… not what Jake had expected him to say. He had expected him to maybe ask them to take it outside of the city, try to be subtle about it, or even outright tell them to leave if they planned on killing anyone. There was even the possibility the man would choose to oppose them. It turned out he would just sweep things under the rug while acting like Jake and Carmen were just cleaning house and doing Paradise a favor.

“Even if it is high-status allies and friends of yours?” Jake asked.

Renato shook his head. “You misunderstand. Sultan and I have many disagreements, but one thing we share is that we do not have friends. If it was people other than you and the Runemaiden who had come, I would have already mobilized everything to kill the both of you. However, as it stands, there is none within the city I value enough to face the consequences such a confrontation could bring.”

Jake nodded in understanding. He was also not dumb enough to not recognize the jab against Sultan, more or less telling Jake they were not really allies but just temporarily partners of convenience. But oh well, such was the world of merchants, and Jake already knew. Everything was a calculation of risk and benefits, viewing people and personal relationships the same as a business would view deals and partnerships. In many ways, life was just cheaper now.

“Fine,” Jake agreed.

“Thank you,” Renatos said as he tossed over a small device. It looked like a pager of sorts, the kind they used before cellphones were a thing. “Merely activate the device when something happens. It will briefly scan your surroundings and send it to my chief of security. After that, we will analyze it and come within a few minutes.”

“Got it,” Jake said. They had more or less been granted free-pass in the city to do whatever they wanted. Which also meant…

“I will head back to the casino then,” Jake smiled deviously. “I think I have some time before Carmen is done for the day.”

Renatos surprisingly smiled. “Naturally. Do note we have recently changed the rules to have maximum betting amounts and limited games allowed per hour on all house-run games.”

“I feel like this is targeted,” Jake protested.

“I apologize if you feel that way,” Renatos joked in kind. “Perhaps sticking to poker would be preferable? I am certain many rich folks are more than willing to play a few hands against the Chosen of the Malefic Viper…”

Jake looked at the man before he just shook his head and decided that ripping off rich folk who probably also had some messed-up hobbies was acceptable.

Peter scouted through the streets as he made sure to fulfill the task he had been granted. He held a small crystal in his hand as it took in his surroundings and recorded everything. He went towards the seedier areas as a few members of security spotted him, but they left him alone once they recognized who he was. He could only smile, knowing they did not actually know him and had purposefully refrained from investigating him further to not incite the Chosen.

All they knew was that he had come with the Chosen and the warrior from Valhal, Carmen. Peter did feel a bit bad about deceiving the two of them by just acting like a follower, but he had a job to do. Paradise had long been growing beyond what was healthy. As he scouted around, he confirmed it had indeed grown not only in size but also in power. Below the cobblestones on every street were runic circles and formations. The walls were immaculate too.

He had a feeling that even if an early C-grade attacked, the city of Paradise would be fine. The defenses were just that powerful. It was lucky he had been let inside with open arms, and from the looks of it, everyone assumed he was working for the Chosen as he did his job. The ignorance and apathy of the Chosen were truly beyond what the United Cities Alliance had expected based on the intel.

Peter snuck inside a larger mansion as he used his magic to hide. Light refracted around him as he became invisible, and his epic-rarity stealth skill activated to make his footsteps, aura, and everything else disappear.

Nobody noticed him as he recorded everything. People got careless when they thought they were safe and removed their masks without any worry. Within ten minutes, he already had recordings of over a dozen individuals that surely would prefer to not have anything made public about them.

He swiftly left and made it to more places spread around the settlement. This was an opportunity the United Cities Alliance could just not miss. Peter praised their luck and the guy who had given them a tip that the Chosen and the woman from Valhal were coming towards Paradise to track down those people. It had given them the perfect opportunity to integrate Peter into the group as a guide no one would suspect.

With the woman busy dealing with her own matters, the Chosen occupied in the casino, and the hawk out of the city flying around to scout the surrounding wildlife, Peter could do as he wanted without suspicion. Even if he was caught, he could just claim he was working for the Chosen.

The next hours were spent as Peter collected information on hundreds of individuals. He saw sights he would much prefer to do without, but his task had to be done. Even if taking down Paradise entirely was not an option, they could use this against the ones who had been there.

More importantly, what would happen if recordings from all over Paradise spread? The trust in the anonymity and integrity of the city would be broken. It would hurt Renatos significantly and weaken his position when negotiating with the United Cities Alliance. Removing Paradise was not preferable. No, they just wanted it to be controlled.

As for the Chosen… well, making him their ally was never the purpose… no, it was not even a possible goal. At most, they could hope that he simply left Earth to never return. That would be the optimal outcome. Luckily for them, it appeared he had already gone to another universe before and would leave again soon based on what he had talked about with Peter and Carmen.

Wanting him to leave was the official stance of the United Cities Alliance. Peter actually began to see the Chosen as more than just his reputation. He was surprisingly normal and easygoing and didn’t at all seem as their intel implied. This did make Peter feel a bit bad about the deceit.

While he had spoken many lies, his history was not one. He had been part of the Holy Church but not in any regular party. Like any organization, the Church needed those acting covertly. Assassins, scouts, and rogues handling the dirty business. Peter had been good at this, which is also why he felt genuinely betrayed when one of his party members decided to selfishly sacrifice herself.

It threw off many of his plans and did derail him emotionally. She had joined the Church together with him. They were not meant to truly fall for the promises of the Church. At the time, he had been genuinely unsure what to do. Split between two camps. One was ruled by his father… and the other was ruled by someone Peter had always looked up to. Yet now, he found it hard to truly recognize him. He looked the same, and his demeanor was similar, but he had changed.

Peter didn’t blame his brother, though.

His brother had always been one to easily convince himself something was the right thing to do. He was steadfast once his opinion was made and loyal to a fault at times. He wasn’t a bad person… but he would do bad things for the greater good. Something Peter understood from a logical standpoint but didn’t agree with.

Something like the Holy Church was like a cancer on Earth along with every other major religious faction. Everyone knew each and every one of them wanted to conquer the planet. Assimilate everyone forcefully if they had to. Earth’s culture and history would be wiped out, and Earth would become nothing more than a single planet in the endless line of planets ruled by the Holy Church. An unacceptable fate.

The purpose of the United Cities Alliance was to preserve the identity of Earth. Peter’s goal had been to join the Church and figure out if it was possible with them. It was not… that much was obvious. Even if Peter’s father had hoped it was. For his family.

Ah… one other thing Peter had not been entirely truthful about. Peter’s father was indeed quite high in the hierarchy of the United Cities Alliance. In fact, his family seemed to have a tendency to always reach the top.

Especially considering his father, Arthur, leader of the United Cities Alliance.