God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 484: Valerian Kingdom’s Royalty

Naturally, White Phantom was Gabriel as well, and the reason he came in that identity was simple.

There was no grand reason behind it.

He just wanted to move more freely.

Right now, the name Broken Heaven was already too loud in too many places. On top of that, New Dawn had only just started settling after its reorganization. If he came here openly as the leader tied to the camp, it would only draw the wrong kind of attention. White Phantom, while also famous, still gave him more room to act without drawing so much attention.

At least that was what he thought.

As he got closer, he studied XMan quietly.

The man looked almost exactly how he expected. A bit thin. Cheap gear. Uneasy posture. Even his face looked similar to the forum avatar he used, only more tired in person. There was a nervousness around him that made him look like the type who was used to being pushed around.

He stopped a short distance away.

"XMan?"

XMan nodded at once, though the movement came out stiff.

"Yes."

He looked at him for a second longer. The reaction was a little stronger than expected, but then he remembered who he was supposed to be right now. White Phantom had caused more noise than intended. Between the Monkey Paradise incident and the rumors spreading around the Valerian Kingdom, even this identity was no longer as quiet as he originally wanted.

So XMan’s shock made sense.

"I came because of your Soul Key theory," he said. "To be specific, I want to know how to find the other two."

That pulled XMan back to the real reason for the meeting. He swallowed once and forced himself to focus.

"I don’t know where the others are exactly. If I did, I would have posted less and searched more."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

When he saw this, XMan quickly spoke up. "But I have a lead."

"What kind of lead?" he asked.

XMan shifted his weight a little, then spoke more carefully now that the shock of seeing White Phantom had started settling.

"The old texts I found didn’t give clear locations. Not directly. Most were broken, and some only had half lines left. But the pieces pointed in the same direction more than once."

He stayed silent and let him speak.

"It has something to do with the Valerian Kingdom," XMan said. "More specifically, the people at the top."

"The nobles?"

XMan hesitated for only a moment before answering.

"Not just nobles. The royal family."

That made him go still completely.

A few pieces in his head connected almost immediately.

His mind went straight back to the post XMan had written earlier. One key tied to nobles or high ranking story figures. At the time, Henry had fit that line well enough. But if the second lead pointed toward the Valerian royal family, then this was bigger than he first thought.

He asked the next question calmly.

"You mean the Valerian Kingdom royalty?"

XMan nodded.

"Yes."

He looked a little more confident now that the conversation had shifted into the one area where he was actually useful.

"I don’t know which member exactly," he continued. "But several of the fragments kept connecting the key to the royal family."

He said nothing for a few seconds, but deep down in his head there was a dilemma.

He had avoided the Valerian royal family on purpose so far. There had been no good reason to move against them early, and involving himself with them too soon would only create complications before he was ready. But if a Soul Key was tied to them, then this matter could no longer be pushed aside. Whether he liked it or not, sooner or later there would be contact.

And with the way things were developing, that contact might not stay peaceful for long.

"I know it sounds vague," XMan suddenly said. "That’s because it is. Most of the clues are broken. I had to put them together from different places. But I’m sure about the direction."

"How sure?"

XMan took a breath. "Sure enough that if I had the strength, I would have gone digging into the Valerian Kingdom castle."

He nodded faintly and studied the man in front of him more carefully now. Low level. Bad gear. Nervous. Looked down on by almost everyone, most likely. But the research itself was solid enough to matter. That alone made XMan useful.

So he made a decision quickly.

"I have a proposal for you," he said.

XMan blinked. "A proposal?"

"Yes."

His tone stayed even. "You accompany me in finding the keys. In return, I pay you well."

XMan stared at him. For a second he seemed unsure if he had heard right.

"You mean work for you?"

"Yes."

He folded his arms.

"You clearly know how to notice things other people miss. That matters more than raw strength in this case. I do not need you to fight. I need you to think, research, remember, and point out what others would ignore."

XMan’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

This was not the kind of opportunity he was used to getting.

Most people only saw him as bait. A disposable scout. Someone weak enough to order around and not important enough to respect. But this was White Phantom standing in front of him now, calmly telling him that what he was good at actually had value.

"You will be paid properly," he added. "Better than what low level parties throw at you. And if your information proves useful, that pay will increase."

XMan’s breathing changed slightly. This really could be something big.

White Phantom was not just some random player. His name was everywhere now. Clips, rumors, speculation threads, guild discussions. Plenty of players already believed he would become one of the major figures of the game sooner rather than later. Being tied to someone like that could change everything.

For the first time in a long while, XMan felt like maybe this was not just another bad deal dressed up as a favor.

Maybe this was the break he had been waiting for.

Maybe, with the right person backing him, he could finally stop being the weak scout everybody used and then forgot. Maybe people would actually listen when he spoke. Maybe the years he spent collecting strange bits of hidden lore would finally mean something.

He watched the struggle on his face and gave him time, not pressuring him. Though he genuinely doubted XMan would give up on this opportunity.

After several more seconds, XMan finally spoke.

"If I agree, then what exactly do you want me to do first?"

"I fight and you be the brain," he answered immediately.

XMan nodded slowly.

That part he could do.

Very well, actually.

He added, "You will also stop throwing yourself into useless dungeon parties just to lose levels for scraps."

That made XMan look caught off guard.

"You know about that?"

"I can tell the type of life you’ve been living just by looking at you."

"Fair enough."

XMan let out a weak breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

The road around them stayed quiet. The evening air moved lightly through the grass near the path. XMan looked down once, then back at the white masked figure in front of him.

There was still some fear there.

Still some disbelief too.

But beneath all that, another feeling had started growing faster.

It was hope.

At last he straightened a little and gave his answer.

"I accept."