Chapter 38: Better Call Ripley

Jack Ripley, more commonly known by her black market alias called the Ripper, had changed very little in the 8 months since Rhos had last seen her.

She was still slender with an attractive face marred by a noticeable scar that ran across her lips, and her messy tomboyish black hair that looked like it wasn’t being maintained properly. Her pale blue eyes were almost colorless, making them similar to that of a blind person.

Her fashion sense didn’t change too much either.

Rhos knew who this woman was because they had considerable history.

The two of them first met as children when they were brought into the Elderwood Biome, and grew up together rather close. Rhos didn’t know whether Ripley spent her childhood in an Enclosure like he had, nor had he ever been eager to ask.

Whatever experiences had shaped her before and after arriving in Elderwood had left something deeply wrong inside her. In other words, she was batshit crazy. There was no kinder way to describe her.

The older they got, the more it became difficult to tolerate that part of her. It was one of the reasons he had immediately tried to disappear when she noticed him.

Unfortunately, 8 months had apparently done nothing to improve his ability to escape from her.

After the embarrassing scene in the street, the two moved somewhere considerably more secluded. They now walked through a quieter section of the lower ring, with Ripley occasionally glancing toward him as though she still couldn’t believe he was actually walking beside her.

"You have a child?!"

She stared at him with wide eyes before grabbing his shoulder annoyingly and giving him a look of genuine disbelief.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me! Who is the fortunate woman who managed to bear your seed? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her. I merely want to meet her and determine whether she’s suitable for my darling!"

Her smile seemed to carry warmth, but Rhos could see it clear as day there was pure malice behind it.

"Stop saying things like that. It’s not like that at all. The situation is... complicated"

Rhos rubbed his forehead. He was hoping to avoid this sort of conversation but he didn’t have much of a choice.

He had already filled her in on what happened in the past 24 hours, carefully leaving out Neth and the truth about the girl being his Spirit. Despite their familiar relationship, there were some things he wasn’t willing to explain yet, especially to someone as unpredictable as her.

But still, finding her had been extraordinarily good luck. He had no idea where the girl had gone, and searching the streets alone would accomplish very little. At this point, someone definitely found her.

The problem was determining who and where.

The lower ring had its own rules. People here generally minded their own business, particularly when trouble was involved.

Ripley had shot a man in broad daylight and nobody had attempted to intervene. Nobody rushed to help, nor call the authorities. They had just watched the whole thing, deciding that whatever happened wasn’t their problem and continued with their lives.

That meant the girl could have been taken by anyone. And considering her unique appearance, feral behavior and abilities she displayed, Rhos suspected she had been picked up by someone connected to the dark side of Elderwood.

Knowing that, the black market was the obvious possibility.

Which was why finding Ripley of all people might have been the best stroke of luck he had received in a long while.

"How’s life been treating you? It’s months since we last spoke, we’ve got a lot of gossip to catch up on"

She glanced at him with a curious expression. Rhos side-eyed her and sighed. There didn’t seem to be any harm in telling her what’s been happening in his life.

Just when he was about to talk, she cut him off.

"I’ve been working quite a lot, obviously. My quality services have been getting me several new clients, almost killed one over a misunderstanding, and actually killed one because the misunderstanding wasn’t a misunderstanding..."

For most of what she was saying, Rhos tried his best to tune her out, until she said something that caught his ear.

"Oh, I almost got married after nearly dying"

Seeing the strange look he gave her, she puffed up her cheeks and said;

"What? So I’ve been exploring relationships. What do you expect a girl to do? You’re the one who rejected my marriage proposal, remember?"

"We were kids!... uh, nevermind. We have more important things to deal with"

He didn’t really care about that. His focus was solely focused on where that little girl could be. As they continued walking, Rhos suddenly remembered something.

"You said you joined the Black Tortoise Sect?"

"Oh, that"

Ripley’s expression brightened again at the change in topic.

As Outborns,the two of them had been forcibly placed into one of the prominent religious orders within Elderwood. It was considered an important part of integrating outsiders into Biome society, although neither of them had been given much choice in the matter.

They had both been assigned to the Eternal Darkness Sect.

Rhos had never been a religious person, but Ripley had embraced the Sect with more enthusiasm and seemed very committed to it. At least, she had until now.

"A friend recommended it to me. He said their teachings might help with my impulses, and surprisingly, he was right. I’ve been practising patience, restraint and peaceful resolution for a while"

She spread her arms.

"Look at me. I’m practically a pacifist now!"

Rhos gave her a skeptical look

"I call bullshit. That man you shot back there would agree with me on that. Pass a fist at the slightest inconvenience seems to suit you better"

"Hmph! I never said I’m a saint. I’m still very violent, but selective about it these days. I only kill people who threaten me, people who insult me, people I’m contracted to kill, people who annoy me excessively and occasionally, anyone who gives me a bad feeling. Everyone else gets to live"

As usual, nothing about this woman was straightforward. It was exhausting dealing with her. He focused on the road ahead.

"Whatever. You can live however you like. I need your help right now. I need to find the girl I told you about, I’m guessing the people who picked her up are probably connected to the black market. That’s where you come in"

Ripley’s expression quickly became more attentive.

"So you really are asking for my help? For real?!"

"I wouldn’t have stumb– came looking for you otherwise. You must have connections down here that I don’t. Knowing your flawless reputation"

A playful smile tugged at Rhos’s lips and that made her smile even wider.

"Oh, I can certainly help you, darling. But I want something in return"

His eyes narrowed.

"What kind of something?"

"Something extra special, something personal and a bit... intimate"

Ripley continued walking for several steps before realizing he wasn’t walking beside her anymore. She turned around to look at the young man who stared at her with disbelief.

"Come on, darling. We’ve known each other since we were children. Surely you trust me enough to give me something a little special in exchange, right~?"

She wasn’t wrong. Even though he felt like this would lead to trouble, he had to do it. He needed her knowledge. He clicked his tongue and continued walking.

"I don’t have many other options. Fine. Whatever you want, Rip. I’ll consider it if it’s reasonable"

The instant he said that, she looked frighteningly pleased and began bouncing around while screaming. That continued until they had reached their destination.

A massive red door stood at the end of a narrow alley, its surface was scarred with countless scratches and reinforced with thick metal bands. There were no signs or windows.

Jack Ripley stopped in front of it, then turned to Rhos with a smile.

"Welcome to my world, darling"