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A soft click sounds, and the door swings open on its own, revealing a descending staircase shrouded in shadows.

We\'ve been following her for minutes in silence but once she is done with this procedure she finally turns and looks at us before losing her entitled princess attitude with a long, dejected sigh. "Sorry… I should stop being a bitch. I just can\'t deal with my scumbag father."

"It\'s fine. Can you tell us what that was about?"

She glances around for a few seconds to ensure that no one eavesdrops before responding. "Sure. The whale humper has never brought people with him whom he vouched for before, and now he suddenly introduces you three as his proteges. As you might guess, this has greatly interested my always calculating and scheming father, who now wants you to join his faction.

Yes, there are multiple factions in the Braedon branch of the Consortium, and my father leads one of the biggest non-combat factions, the Gilded Exchange, which is basically the faction responsible for the local branch\'s finances, trades and smuggling activities."

Damn, we are already getting scouted. I wasn\'t aware that Broderick was such a household name here. Maybe mithril ranked adventurers are bigger deals than I initially thought.

"The Gilded Exchange is the richest faction, even triumphing the Divine Nectar faction, which is made up of the biggest drug lords of Winterwood county. However, they are perpetually facing an issue; as civilians, they lack combat strength, and even hiring really talented fighters can prove to be difficult.

After all, why would a genius combatant agree to work for a merchant when he can work with some of the strongest people in the country if they join another faction? Money can only help you so much, a three hundred years old mentor figure who has seen most of everything the world has to offer is often thought to be a much greater treasure than a stuffed coin pouch."

I see. Sounds reasonable, while coins are extremely important, once you\'ve gotten yourself a good gearset and accessories, it won\'t help you too much in getting stronger.

Jasmine grimaces before continuing, "This is also the reason why I got assigned as your guide instead of a simple guard of his. He saw that you already have two girls by your side, so he thought, \'what\'s one more\' and sent me to seduce you."

I pause for a second with surprise before sighing tiredly. So this was the angle he was playing. "Oh. Well, thanks for being straight with me."

"Don\'t mention it. I\'ve had enough of being a card in his hand, which is why I\'ve told you all this.

You are not the first combatant he tried to recruit by offering me as the reward for sealing the deal, but thankfully they\'ve all decided to join another faction or organization in the end." She pauses before scoffing annoyedly, "though I\'m happy with the end result, I can\'t help but feel a bit disappointed that no one seems to fall for my womanly charms… It\'s honestly a bit humiliating."

This time it\'s Ayame who speaks up; "if you hate him this much, why don\'t you run away and start a new life?"

"Because he holds something important over my head as leverage to keep me in check."

Now things are finally starting to clear up.

"You have my condolences. Can you tell us more about how the syndicate functions in general?"

Jasmine nods, her expression softening slightly as she prepares to explain. "The Vesper Consortium is much more than just a network of criminals which is best exemplified by the fact that the doors we are standing in lead to an entire underground city, a world within a world, if you will. Shadowhold, the place I\'m about to show you, is one of the syndicate\'s central hubs.

It has its own ecosystem- markets, housing, civilians, training grounds, everything you can think of."

She gestures towards the ornate door behind her, the serpents carved into it seemingly alive under the dim light. "Only high-ranking members and those with special permissions can use passages such as these that lead directly from Braedon to Shadowhold. The lower-ranked members have to use the wilderness entrances. The biggest ones are a few miles outside of Braedon, hidden deep in the forests.

It\'s a long trek for those not yet trusted by the Consortium."

I\'m deeply intrigued by the information Jasmine delivers. "So, it\'s like an entire secret city beneath Braedon?"

"Exactly," Jasmine confirms. "It\'s a place where the rules of the surface world don\'t apply. The Consortium is organized like a big guild, with ranks, rules, and a hierarchy that everyone must adhere to. There are countless roles- combatants, traders, spies, smugglers, slavers, drug traffickers and much more- and each profession has its own path to power."

She pauses, letting the weight of her words sink in. "Advancement in the Consortium isn\'t just about raw strength. It\'s about influence, cunning, and knowing who to trust. You rise through the ranks by proving your worth, completing missions, and, sometimes, eliminating rivals. The higher you go, the more dangerous but also rewarding the game becomes."

Ayame listens intently, and although her eyes are veiled by the mask she wears I can tell that her sharp eyes are scanning Jasmine for any signs of deceit. "And where do you fit into all this?"

Jasmine smiles bitterly. "I\'m just another pawn in my father\'s game, at least for now. But I have my own plans. Just like everyone else down here, I\'m looking for a way to climb the ladder, to gain enough power and influence to break free from the chains he\'s placed on me."