When Did I Become An Artifact Dealer?!
Chapter 84 - 85: Ominous

Chapter 84: Chapter 85: Ominous

Cail managed to book a hotel room.

Holding his key card, Cail walked towards the elevator and pressed the button for the 15th floor. As he waited for the elevator to arrive, he leaned his body against the elevator wall and closed his eyes.

"My body is screaming for a soft and comfortable bed," Cail muttered, agitated. He just wanted to sleep...

When the elevator arrived at the 15th floor, Cail walked out. The moment he stepped into the corridor, a room opened.

Coming out was a disheveled-looking middle-aged man wearing a suit. His neck and face were filled with lipstick stains. He looked at Cail and didn’t seem to mind looking so decadent... in fact, he seemed proud of it.

Cail ignored him. The man walked past him as he looked for his room number.

1503... 1505... 1507...

He reached 1509. That was his room number. For some reason, the number plate was crooked. The "1509" was embedded on the door with a rectangular steel plate. The bolt on the left side seemed loose and rusted.

Cail stared at it for a good 15 seconds before he opened the door using his key card.

When he pushed the door open, he heard the room beside him opening. He looked to the side and saw a sweaty, pale-looking teen rushing toward the elevator.

The teen didn’t even give his neighbor, Cail, a second glance. He just ran toward the elevator as if someone were chasing him.

Cail looked at him frantically hitting the close button on the elevator. When it closed, Cail sighed, "Say... Is the world really such a dangerous place, or am I just being targeted?" He had been feeling ominous since he stepped into the 15th floor hallway.

The entity in his bracelet replied, "What looks ordinary is layered with meaning... well, if you know where to look."

Cail rolled his eyes at the deep talk. It just meant, "You only notice what’s really happening if you know how to look... like an artist spotting proportions in a crowd or a medic catching illness in posture."

So basically, since Cail was imbued with the void, he could see the signs or was more vigilant than normal.

Cail switched the gears on his glasses. His vision changed and he started looking around.

"I don’t know what I’m expecting," he muttered. "Probably someone invisible sitting on the bed? Or some creature crawling out of the drawer? Hmmm, maybe a lady crawling on the ceiling?" But unexpectedly, it was clean.

Cail switched off his glasses and rubbed his temples. "Am I overthinking things?" He walked toward the bathroom to take a bath.

The moment the cold water hit his body, he could almost feel the relaxation wash over him. Just as he planned to enjoy a quiet bath, his phone rang.

He turned off the shower and wiped his hands on the towel. His mother was calling him... a rare occasion, actually. He pressed answer and put it on loudspeaker.

"Dead kid, where are you?!" his mother sounded irritated.

"Somewhere. Why?" Cail knew that she really wasn’t that concerned about where he was.

His mother’s voice turned calm. "When are you coming back?" Cail and she were both fickle; it’s just that Cail’s fickleness was more harmful than hers.

It was a long ride home. "I’ll probably come back tomorrow... or the next day," Cail said. He didn’t want to travel in his weak state.

The woman on the other end got angry again. "Why?! Can’t you just come back now? Where are you?!" This time, the "Where are you?" sounded more serious.

Cail felt that she was acting more unusual. "What’s going on? You couldn’t possibly be calling just because you miss me, right?" That was impossible.

The phone went silent. Then a hesitant voice said, "Your father... he’s doing a charity event in this city."

What father? Ah. Cail remembered Saeb, whom he had almost killed. That had really relieved his anger toward his so-called father. "So you wanted mental support?" Cail said, his voice sarcastic.

Again, it was quiet... But after a while, Cail heard an expectant voice. It was filled with fear and a hint of hope. "He—He called... the number. He called us."

This time, Cail paused. His voice sounded the same, but his eyes turned deep, as if sucking in every light that hit them. "You never changed the number?"

The woman heard his accusation and exploded again. "That’s not the point! What I’m saying is that he finally contacted us! Maybe he wants to recognize you!"

Cail laughed after hearing that. "Recognize me? Mother, do you understand what you’re talking about? If that’s the case, we’ll be eaten alive by his legitimate family. I think it would be more believable for him to see you and shut us up."

"Don’t say that..." His mother’s voice was shaky. It was filled with nostalgia that always made Cail feel nauseated when he heard it. "I don’t believe that he would harm you... Cail, he loves you. Although you were still a baby at the time, I remember his smile and happiness when he held you in his arms."

Cail muted his side. "BULLSHIT." This was the first time he’d heard this. Actually, he had never heard any information about his father except that he left him. So he had just assumed the man didn’t know about his existence.

That scum’s smile of happiness as he held me in his arms? Is Miss Xeren having delusions from depression?

Not hearing any reply on his end, his mother called out, "Cail? Cail? Hello, can you hear me?"

Cail unmuted himself. "I can hear you. Now that you’re saying that, I’ll never go home."

"CAIL!" his mother screamed, filled with desperation. "THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE! Please don’t take this opportunity away from me!"

Gripping his phone tightly, he restrained himself from crushing the device. "Our last chance is me meeting him? This is not *our* last chance. I don’t care... and you know that. This is your last chance."

This was the first time he spoke to his mother in such a cold voice. "Mother... If I don’t come home, what would you do? TELL ME, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Will you kill yourself or something? Then do it. Let’s bet. Your conscience toward me or your desperation for that man."

"I won’t come home to meet that man. And if you do anything drastic, mark my words... You’ll never want to know what I’ll do next."

"You—" The voice on the other side was shocked. "C-Cail... Why are you talking like that?" She seemed speechless, but Cail caught another emotion in her voice.

Cail’s voice turned gentle. "So that’s it, Mom... I’m not coming back, okay? Just stay there and play with Blackie or have some fun somewhere... I’ll come home on Sunday."

From the phone, Cail could hear her crying on the other side. Then he heard a soft reply: "Okay..."

Just as Cail was about to end the call, he heard a faint whisper on the other end, "Mommy won’t leave you again... I promise. Stay safe and be healthy." Then the call ended.

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