Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Azalea's ruby eyes were looking intensely at Russell's deep blue eyes.

She composed herself the moment she heard Russell's words, at least that was what appeared superficially, but inwardly she was shaken by what she heard.

"Except that you do."

Russell responded to her intense gaze before he said casually while still standing with his back on the wall.

"Ha... a first-year student who I don't even know intrudes in my dorm using an unknown means... What do you think will happen if I somehow report it to the officials here?

"You'll be expelled and your sister... Freya, right? She'll bear the shame of what her brother did..."

Azalea — who somehow came to know about his relationship with one of the women who went with him to register in the Ranking of Exchange — spoke firmly or more like directly threatened Russell who is standing in front of her, but he just casually listened to her as if he finds the situation tiresome.

"You talk too much. I need something that you have access to... Miss Thorn.

Russell said monotonously, cutting Azalea's babbling, causing her to look at him as she becomes momentarily at a loss for words.

She didn't immediately reply as she start sizing up the man in front of her. Then, after some time, she leaned slightly, accentuating her voluptuous, fair-colored body. She's attempting to draw his attention somewhere else.

"Don't try anything funny."

Russell said as she looked at Azalea whose body was covered with a wet towel.

'I came here at the wrong time. Phew.'

He thought about the ridiculous situation he was in at this moment.

"I don't really know what you're talking about.

"Leave, and I'll let this go.

"Or I'll report you for attempting to **** me."

Azalea said with her composed tone as she started to tap unconsciously the table in front of her, a very different reaction that a woman must have when someone intrudes on her home.

"I see... So this is how it's going to be."

She slightly flinched at Russell's words. She has no idea if he noticed her action or not, but somehow, his words send her an ominous signal within her brain.

"What do you want?"

She asked, not waiting for his next words because she has this feeling that whatever words will come out of the man's mouth standing in front of her will make her feel completely bare... Not of her body, but her whole being.

"Ela's Needle."

Azalea's mind went into a blank for a moment when she heard what Russell wanted.

"Not for free, of course, Miss Thorn."

Then she was snapped out of her blank thoughts, sending her back to a sense of reality.

"I have no idea why you are calling me that."

'Why the hell are you so sure of it!?'

She said as various thoughts raced in her mind, she then keeps denying what he was saying from the moment he arrived.

"If I say first that it's not for free, that's how business works, I'll probably indirectly confirm that I am the owner of the Thorn of Rose Black Market even though that's not even a shred of evidence in itself, but considering the situation... Blah blah.

Russell said, his lips forming a grin as he looked at Azalea whose expression turned into a daze. He then continued to babble something.

"Even though you are strong... in your own league within the third years perhaps, you still let a man who you just met a few days ago stay longer in your dorm instead of doing an appropriate response.

"Isn't defending, screaming, or reporting the right way to do the moment you saw me? Or maybe send a message via telepathy in nearby dorm rooms?

"And yet, you're so composed as if you faced more intimidating people before.

"Sigh... As expected of the owner of the Black Market."

...

"You talk too much...

"Isn't that what you just said earlier to me? And now, you are babbling more than me."

Azalea chuckled, finding the situation amusing after she listened to whatever Russell just told her as she seemed to forget about Ela's Needle.

Russell looked at the gorgeous face of the President of the Disciplinary Committee as he responded with a smile.

"At least I don't talk to make an excuse to avoid something."

Her smiling lips vanished as if it wasn't there in the first place upon hearing his rebuttal.

"How did you know? No, more than that, how are you so certain that I am the owner of something called Thorn of Rose?"

She asked after reining in her thoughts before she stood up, and walked to a refrigerator to get some cold wine and two wine glasses.

Russell just looked at her actions before he asked a question.

"Is answering your questions the price I have to pay for Ela's Needle? You see, information is very valuable."

Pouring some Nereian wine, the glistening, purple liquid flowed inside the two wine glasses. Azalea took a sip while signaling Russell with her eyes to drink some of it.

"I'm a minor."

He said with a straight face, but within his mind, he thought that with the money he received from winning a bet against Riya from the Starlight Guild and winning against Bailey, he'll have some spare cash for a wine.

"Your mind might not be though."

Azalea said as she chuckled at his words, then after pondering a little, she talked about the purpose of the man.

"Ela's Needle... A Unique Artifact that costs half a billion, standard market price. Then you're saying, you will pay for it with information?

"Aside from you sneaking into my dorm undetected for some unknown means which I don't know if the information about how you did it will cost half a billion, what more can you offer then?"

After listening to Azalea's reasonable words, Russell responded with a question while avoiding looking at the Nereian wine meant for him at the round table to restrain himself from the unnecessary feeling of temptation.

"What do you want then? You might not know, maybe I'll be able to grant it."

"Bold words... but with no basis.

"Well, how about you give me information about how to acquire the Four Seeds of Direction, and a branch of the World Tree, 'Yggdrasil'?

"Its information value might be equal, if not higher than a Legendary-Grade Artifact which cost a billion and a half."

Azalea said sarcastically before gulping a mouthful of Nereian wine while her eyes focused on Russell, not expecting any proper response from him.

At that moment, Russell took something out from his Dimensional Inventory, walked towards the round table, and after writing something on it, he lay it down near the wine glass with Nereian wine that was meant for him.

It was a piece of paper.

...

"Did he just leave without saying another word?"

It was just a minute or two that had passed since Russell wrote something on a piece of paper, and quickly disappear without saying another word.

"But that simple-looking mask is something else..."

She muttered as she poured another glass of Nereian wine while thinking about how Russell disappeared in front of her which she didn't think makes any sense because blending in the shadows can easily be detected by security guards unless they were on his payroll.

'Which isn't likely the case.'

After Russell's incomprehensible action, Azalea didn't pick up and check quickly whatever was written on the piece of paper he left behind, rather, she finishes her second glass of wine before she grabbed the white paper and started to look at it.

"Four Seeds of Direction Location

"1. Alastor – Museum of Neo-Botany.

"2. Etheria — Forest of the True Green.

"3. Nereia — Sea People Kingdom.

"4. Arka — Strayed Dungeon: Ice Golem King Territory.

"Verify first whatever you think is the quickest to process, then contact me again."

...

Azalea didn't know whether to laugh or cry at what she just read, but soon after, she let out a chuckle.

'He wrote it in front of me, how did he come up with such names?'

Her expression turned into disbelief. She was starting to believe that Russell was a good charlatan, but for some reason, she felt like she needed to check it out because the Museum of Neo-Botany is one of the famous attractions in the Westernmost Orion, Alastor, and the Forest of the True Green in Etheria was where a band of adventurers stumbled into the races of Treants, Ents, and Fairies. It was a well-known story where the adventurers received recovery aid due to one of them having the Title: Slayer of Green after they were attacked by Strayed Monster Beasts.

Azalea also noticed the directions to the locations that Russell gave to her. It pointed to the four known directions — West, North, East, and South.

But the reason she found it hard to believe was because of Earth's diameter that became seven times larger after the Emergence, and even today that the technology became so advanced by hundreds, if not by thousands of years, humanity still hasn't been able to explore everything yet.

'How come the places he pointed out were specifically in the Orion Continent only?'

Because the Four Seeds of Direction might be hidden in the far, far side of the planet, that's why Azalea, although her instincts are telling her that what Russell wrote might be true, couldn't be fully certain yet.

After some time of processing everything in her head, she stood up from where she sat, walked to the closet, and picked up her underwear. Then after wearing them, she slumped down on her bed, recalling what just happened earlier, but this time, her thoughts were unrelated to the Artifact called Ela's Needle, the Four Seeds of Direction she greatly needed, or how Russell was certain about her identity as the Master of the Thorn of Rose Black Market that many conglomerates in the Player Industry have a connection with.

At this moment, she painted in her mind how Russell looked at her with his cold eyes even though she was only covered with a towel earlier.

"He didn't even bat an eye at my figure when most men gawked at me whenever their intrinsic nature kicks in even with my clothes on.

"How bold and mature..."

Azalea muttered as her lips turned into a sexy smile while turning her body to the side before she seductively and softly bit her right index finger as her ruby eyes seems to contain a luster as they reflected the illumination of the bluish moon.

Then, after thinking something inappropriate and feeling her emotions turn hot, one of her hands reached for something below her.

...

Arriving at his dorm room late at night, Russell heaved a sigh of relief as he reined in his thoughts.

'Too bad for her, I have a 33-year-old mentality and had plenty of experience in my previous life... before I became a shut-in.'

Russell thought, feeling somehow nostalgic. He knew very well about Azalea's true nature without even using the 'Eye of Night' skill as the owner or master of the Thorn of Rose Black Market. Although he arrived at an unwanted moment, he managed to compose himself as if he were a robot who couldn't feel a thing.

After a few seconds, he stopped his unnecessary thoughts before playing in his head about the plan to fish out the Student Council President in his lair.

"I'm sure he already planted a psychological cue within Bailey by now."

He muttered while he sat on his bed before slowly lying on it with his two hands on the back of his head, his eyes staring at the ceiling.

'He's easy to read just like a book... Or should I say, he's easy to read because he was from my book?'

Russell thought jokingly as he chuckled before closing his deep blue eyes.

...

The next day morning, the last day of the Emergence Event Remembrance.

A man with blonde hair and deep blue eyes was standing on one of the sides of the arena, and a few meters away from him was a man with short black hair and deep black eyes. Both were holding a sword, pointing against each other.

After an unknown period of time, the referee shouted what everyone in the Grand Obelisk Stadium wanted to hear.

"Begin!"