Taking the Mafia to the Magic World

Vicente looked at the group that was accompanying Edric and Alicia and understood that this Captain Thom was one of those people and the others were his important crew members.

'She wants to help me learn about Dark Hands so I know how to check how my enemies will get to me?' Vicente thought to himself as he entered a large dining room.

There, a round table, with several plates neatly divided, glasses and drinks, with various food options, was available in a candlelit and very cozy atmosphere.

As he sat down, Vicente listened to Alicia talk about their training experience. She had apparently already explained why he was wearing a disguise, so no one found it strange, nor did they broach the subject.

"So you're already well advanced in your training, huh?" Her fiancé asked as he looked at Vicente, having already heard a lot more from Alicia and being curious to hear the side of the continent's newest genius.

"Senior Alicie is quick to learn. She's progressing very quickly as we train. Maybe I'll stay in town for a few more days and then it'll be time for me to leave." Vicente said after trying the Manifold Family's drink.

The food and drink there were naturally delicious, the best quality he had ever tasted. Even as he savored the taste of the first few spoonfuls of food, Vicente could feel the mana in his body being stimulated.

For food to do this to the body of a Magus like him, the ingredients and the Magical Cook behind these dishes had to be very well-positioned in their profession.

"That's good to hear, hehe." The man looked at his fiancée, soon talking about how they had met and the wedding scheduled for a year and a half ahead.

Alicia naturally invited Vicente to join the celebrations, and he said that if he wasn't committed to the sect, he would make an effort to attend the event.

They also asked about his family and whether he was single. Alicia had already discussed a few things about Vicente with her fiancé, but Edric didn't know the truth she knew. To him, Vicente was a native of the island who had entered Stonewall after passing an entrance exam for new disciples.

Vicente replied. "I have a family... But they're distant people at the moment, ordinary, so to speak." He preferred not to go into this, although he also didn't want to appear to be a bachelor without a family. "But I'm already committed, so I'm not interested in new relationships."

In Light Cay, the idea of getting together with someone and staying with them for the rest of your life was much more common than in Polaris Realm. There were certainly people who had their harems, but the people on the island knew how to respect commitments much more than those on Vicente's plane.

Alicia didn't know this detail and was surprised, imagining that the woman who had conquered him must be really fantastic. For a moment, she felt curious to meet this person.

'Unfortunately, she lives on another island. I'd hardly have the chance to be in the same room as her.' Alicia thought as she listened to the people around the table chatting with Vicente.

They soon finished eating their breakfast and Vicente walked alongside Edric and Captain Thom, entering the office of the leader of the Manifold Family for Ponddown alone.

Alone with the two men, Vicente watched them get straight to the point.

"So you want to know about Dark Hands, young man?" A bearded middle-aged man asked, dressed totally differently from what Vicente expected from a navigator.

Vicente smiled as he answered. "Well, in a way, I am. I don't want to order any services, but the island is dangerous, and I'd like to be prepared."

Edric said. "You do well to look for information about them. Dark Hands is a shadow on our beautiful Light Cay. Unfortunately, it's an evil we can't get rid of, so preparing for its existence is a good thing."

Captain Thom then took Edric's cue and explained. "Dark Hands isn't like a force that has a headquarters, official members, rules, it's like a non-homogeneous mass that behaves according to its possibilities.

In theory, there is a group of group administrators. But they are, by all accounts, members of large forces and rarely move. One of the three of us could meet one of them and never know, or even if we did, we'd never be able to prove anything. That's because they command as if they were ordinary users of the group, those who can easily hire assassins and mercenaries.

Anyway, the group's rules, as I said, are malleable and depend a lot on where and with whom you're dealing. But in general, money and resources speak louder and set the rules. If a powerful magician wants to make use of the group, he can simply launch a mission with generous prizes and rules to follow. And then those will be the rules that apply to that service."

Vicente nodded, indicating that he understood how the group worked with Captain Thom's explanation.

Captain Thom continued. "Now that you know about the rules of the group and how difficult it is to eliminate it, because there are no fixed structures, let's talk about the location of the group.

Anyone interested in offering their services or hiring someone's services needs to follow a primer in order to connect to the group. There are several places around Light Cay where you can try your hand at natural challenges, expert heirlooms, and ruins.

Almost everywhere you'll find a mark left by the group. With it, you can use a communication device and then connect to their network.

From there, you can see service offers, launch missions or offer your skills. It's like a virtual environment that connects people with different interests. When you meet someone or someone sees your ad, you can arrange a meeting or start a virtual conversation. Through this, business happens." He finished his long explanation.

Vicente remembered Earth's dark web and understood exactly how things worked for Dark Hands.

Edric said. "Once a deal is done, a deposit amount must be made to Dark Hands, which is only passed on to the side that will do the job once there is proof of completion. Dark Hands ensures payments are made and there's no getting away from it, whether you're the one offering the prize or the service."

"I see..." Vicente didn't ask where to find one of these places, having already understood that he could get it himself.