End of Days Game: I'm the Only One Who Can See the Hidden Cues

After concluding their transaction, Jeremy and Hector bid each other farewell with great enthusiasm. Hector even escorted Jeremy and Heber to the door of his luxurious villa.

"It has been an honor to collaborate with you both. I will have another batch of energy crystals ready in three days. At that point, we can proceed with our next gemstone exchange."

Hector said warmly, his smile unwavering as he looked at Jeremy.

Jeremy nodded affirmatively. "Of course, there's no problem at all. As soon as you have the energy crystals prepared, I will bring the gemstones for our exchange."

Having finalized the time for their next transaction, Jeremy and Heber quickly departed.

After all, Jeremy still needed to accompany Heber to meet Heber's gemstone merchant friend for another deal.

Hector watched Jeremy and Heber leave his sight, his eyes following them until they vanished from view. The moment they disappeared, the smile on his face faded away simultaneously.

"Immediately inform the scouts to head to Dawn City at once, without any delays!"

With an icy tone, Hector addressed his butler standing behind him.

The butler bowed respectfully, then turned to relay Hector's command.

Meanwhile, on Jeremy and Heber's side, once they were out of Hector's line of sight, their expressions were no longer as feigned as before.

The smile on Jeremy's face had completely vanished.

Through his conversation with Hector, Jeremy had confirmed that Hector did not trust him at all.

Heber, visibly worried, turned to Jeremy and said, "Hector has probably already realized you're lying to him. He might be secretly planning something against you."

Heber sighed as he spoke, feeling that Jeremy had exposed too much information during their exchange with Hector.

"I believe you've divulged too much information to Hector." Heber remarked, his voice tinged with concern. "Hector is bound to think that a significant portion of the gemstones isn't under your direct control."

Heber was deeply worried that Jeremy's gemstones might be seized by Hector.

After all, in a certain sense, Jeremy's gemstones were crucial to Heber as well.

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Jeremy's face.

"So, what do you think Hector will do?"

"He will thoroughly investigate all your information and then search for the places where you are most likely hiding the gemstones." Heber responded without hesitation, outlining what he believed Hector's actions would be.

"Isn't that beneficial to us?"

Jeremy's rhetorical question left Heber slightly startled.

"Do you want Hector constantly monitoring our actions? My use of gemstones to exchange for energy crystals has already aroused his suspicion. I need to divert his attention elsewhere."

Jeremy explained, a confident smile finally appearing on his face.

"Your concerns are not unfounded, and I can assure you that Hector has already obtained a substantial amount of information about me. He knows that I have been to Dawn City before."

"He also knows that Dawn City underwent a rebellion and was reduced to ruins after a fierce battle. He will undoubtedly believe that the gemstones in my possession were obtained from there."

Jeremy began to speak, deliberately pausing for effect.

He wanted to test Heber, to see if Heber could anticipate Hector's next move.

Picking up on Jeremy's cue, Heber continued the conversation.

"If that's the case, Hector will certainly send people to the ruins of Dawn City as quickly as possible. If he finds gemstones there, he'll focus all his attention on that site."

"Exactly! That's why I intentionally revealed more information. As long as his attention is diverted to the ruins of Dawn City, our operations in Nocturne City will proceed without Hector's interference. After all, Hector will go to great lengths to ensure we don't notice his actions."

Jeremy affirmed, his strategy now clear to Heber.

Heber couldn't help but express his admiration. "I always thought that, as an experienced merchant, I was proficient at handling relations with others.

I never imagined a young man like you could think even more comprehensively than I do. It seems I must admit that some people's intelligence is simply far superior."

Heber's remark elicited a slight tinge of awkwardness from Jeremy.

The reason Jeremy could maneuver so adeptly was due to the guidance he received from The Eye of Omniscience. Without its prompt about Hector's imminent investigation of Dawn City's ruins, he wouldn't have been able to respond so perfectly.

Thus, Jeremy opted to deftly steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Your friend should have the energy crystals ready by now, right? I don't want to waste the time we've saved from Hector on delays with your friend."

Heber nodded affirmatively.

"I can assure you, he has everything prepared. He's a very reliable gemstone merchant. Although he isn't as wealthy as Hector, his integrity far surpasses Hector's."

Jeremy felt reassured by Heber's guarantee.

The two men took approximately half an hour to finally arrive at Heber's friend's auction house, aptly named the 'Gemstone Auction House.'

"Truly a fitting name for an auction house specializing in gemstones! An establishment auctioning gemstones should indeed be named after them." Jeremy remarked upon seeing the name.

The Gemstone Auction House was considerably smaller in scale compared to the Nocturne Auction House, with a much simpler facade.

Had Heber not brought Jeremy here, he would never have believed that this unassuming place belonged to a reputable gemstone merchant.

As they reached the entrance, a young attendant approached them.

"Are you Mr. Jeremy and Mr. Heber?"

Both Jeremy and Heber nodded.

The attendant smiled and promptly said, "The boss is already waiting for you in the VIP lounge. Please follow me."

Under the attendant's guidance, Jeremy and Heber entered the interior of the Gemstone Auction House.

Inside, the decor was finally luxurious, and Jeremy realized that the simple exterior was merely a façade.

The three of them traversed the entire auction house and arrived at the innermost VIP lounge.

The attendant knocked on the door, which was immediately opened from the inside.

A middle-aged man with a monocle, dressed in a deep blue evening suit, stepped out with a smile. The moment he saw Heber, he opened his arms wide and gave Heber a big hug.

"We just met yesterday, there's no need for such an enthusiastic greeting!" Heber said, slightly pushing the man away with a hint of disdain.

"Let me introduce you both properly."

Heber said, glancing at Jeremy. "This is Mr. Mann, the gemstone merchant friend I mentioned to you."

Jeremy extended his right hand toward Mann, who reciprocated, and they shook hands.

"As for Jeremy, there's no need for further introduction. I already briefed Mann about you yesterday." Heber added.

Heber had already introduced Jeremy to Mann the previous day, so there was no need to waste any more time on pleasantries today.

"Our time is extremely valuable. Since we are all familiar with each other now, let's proceed with the transaction immediately!"

Heber, being the most anxious among the three, urged them on.

Heber's urgency was driven by his desire to earn a commission from the transaction between Jeremy and Mann.

"How many energy crystals can you provide? The gemstones I brought this time are more than sufficient." Jeremy stated confidently to Mann.

Rather than answering directly, Mann invited Jeremy and Heber into the VIP lounge.

The moment they stepped inside, both Jeremy and Heber were stunned.

The spacious VIP room was filled with numerous energy crystals. It was known that a single energy crystal could only emit a faint glow. However, the light emitted by so many energy crystals gathered together was even somewhat dazzling.

"How many gemstones can these energy crystals get me?"

Mann asked with a smile.

Jeremy hesitated briefly before taking out a small pouch of gemstones from his storage.

He selected a few from the pouch and handed the rest to Mann.

"I believe these gemstones should be more than enough to purchase all the energy crystals here. Take a look and see if they suffice."

Jeremy's approach slightly irked Mann.

In Mann's view, he had shown great sincerity by amassing such a significant number of energy crystals in the shortest possible time.

Jeremy, in return, should have offered the entire pouch of gemstones. Instead, Jeremy had withheld a few.

Despite his initial displeasure, Mann glanced at the gemstones in the pouch.

With just one look, his annoyance vanished entirely.

Mann was now certain that the pouch of gemstones Jeremy had given him was more than enough to buy all the energy crystals, perhaps even more than that.

"In fact, the gemstones you've provided are sufficient to exchange for all the energy crystals here and even more. It seems I've prepared too few energy crystals. I'll make sure to compensate for the shortfall in our next transaction." Mann admitted.

Jeremy shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Just ensure that in our next transaction, you provide me with the same amount of energy crystals."

What Jeremy needed was a stable supply of a large quantity of energy crystals. Allowing Mann to gain a slight advantage in this transaction was of little consequence to him.