Chapter 12 Opportunity

　　It was within Soren’s expectations that the upper echelons of the Cross Society would actively recruit “Red Devil” Goron.

　　After all, such a powerful expert exiled from the Inner City would be a great asset to any gang in the Outer City.

　　Probably not just the Cross Society, but the Raven Gang and the Steam Party were likely making overtures as well. Otherwise, Chairman Chuck wouldn't have sent Qiandiao, a core member of the Cross Society, to visit in person.

　　Now Soren roughly understood the difference between Inner City and Outer City professionals.

　　Although Inner City professionals weren't necessarily stronger than those in the Outer City, the Inner City, concentrating ninety percent of Old Lingdun’s resources, undeniably had a higher average combat power for professionals of the same rank.

　　Rare Silver grade Plant Equipment blueprints and advancement materials in the Outer City often appeared at Inner City auctions, and even more rare ancient cursed objects.

　　After all, only the wealthy and powerful could afford the good prices for the treasures the Wasteland Stalkers brought back from the ruins.

　　Over time, the major consortiums had undoubtedly accumulated a lot of rare quality alchemical resources.

　　And the difference in resources was the fundamental reason for the difference in combat power between Inner and Outer City professionals.

　　Like the “Red Devil” Goron, a bodyguard could get top-tier resources, which was unimaginable in the Outer City.

　　...

　　Inside the Elephant Tavern, heavy metal music blared.

　　Soren followed Qiandiao and Kayi, finding a booth to sit down.

　　Qiandiao waved her hand generously, "Hey, bartender, three glasses of 'Golden Wheat'!"

　　The gambling-addicted woman who had won money spared no expense, ordering the most expensive Golden Wheat ale in the bar.

　　A large pitcher for each of them.

　　This "Golden Brand Dark Wheat Ale," being good stuff straight from the Inner City brewery, wasn't cheap. One pitcher cost about a thousand Lire, equivalent to half a month's wages for an average worker.

　　Soren didn't taste anything particularly special about the ale; the taste was similar to ordinary mixed whiskey from his previous life.

　　But looking at the ingredients, he understood that the price was largely due to the water used.

　　Old Lingdun didn't lack water sources, but it did lack clean water. The underground water was mixed with large amounts of dark energy substances, making it easy to cause mutations if drunk directly.

　　Removing these pollutants required large water filtration plants. It was said that the filtration costs were very high, or that it was due to consortium monopolies. In any case, only Inner City residents were entitled to truly pure drinking water.

　　In the Outer City, commoners could only enjoy second-rate drinking water, and the price wasn't cheap either. The cost of domestic water was a major expense for most ordinary people.

　　...

　　Soren had only just joined the gang. Although he thought Captain Kayi and Qiandiao were agreeable people, he wasn't very familiar with them.

　　After sitting down, he silently drank his ale and listened to them chat.

　　"Qiandiao-jie, you said that the escaped guy ran near Green Street and disappeared?"

　　"Yeah... the gang's tracking experts followed him to the next block, and then the trail disappeared. But neither that item nor the [Sealed Object] can be put into a storage ring, so it won't be easy for him to escape. We guess the most likely scenario is that he's hiding in a sewer, afraid to show his face..."

　　"Also, little Kayi, be careful with your brothers when you're on duty lately. Something seems to have happened in the Black Tower's upper echelons, and there's a lot of turmoil within the top Inner City consortiums. The Steam Party and the Raven Gang both have big financial groups supporting them, so there might be some action soon..."

　　"Got it, Qiandiao-jie."

　　"..."

　　Soren listened from the side, and the two of them talked for a long time without saying what "that item" was.

　　Perhaps it was tacit understanding, or perhaps they didn't even know what was lost.

　　But Soren understood that it should be that "manuscript."

　　As for the news about the turmoil in the Inner City, it seemed like another world, unrelated to him.

　　What Soren was more interested in was something else, those special items they called "Sealed Objects."

　　He also understood that the Sealed Object seemed to be a large black scythe about two meters long. And those intruders had used the scythe to cut open the gang's vault door.

　　Soren didn't ask what exactly a Sealed Object was, but it sounded roughly like the [Rune Golems], a cursed object with special effects.

　　Being something that the Cross Society, one of the three major Outer City gangs, was so anxious to find, Soren became increasingly curious about what was so magical about these so-called [Sealed Objects].

　　All he knew now was that the scythe was large and sharp, able to easily cut through metal doors. And the guy who escaped with the treasure was suspected of hiding in the sewers near Green Street...

　　While drinking, a thought suddenly flashed through Soren's mind, "Huh... the memories stripped from 'Shadow Scorpion' Aberke mentioned that there was a Sealed Object hidden in the 'Moonlight Inn'. I wonder what it is."

　　Thinking about it, he drifted off a little.

　　...

　　Because there was no room for him to interject, Soren was either drinking or playing with the coin in his hand out of boredom.

　　At this moment, the copper coin on the back of his hand was flipping nimbly between his fingers, from the web of his thumb to the gaps between his pinky finger, and then back from the end. No matter how much his hand shook, the coin didn't seem to fall.

　　This was a direct manifestation of the surge in skill after he advanced.

　　He could now precisely control almost every muscle in his fingers. The coin seemed to be glued to his skin, rolling nimbly without falling.

　　Of course, he wasn't just playing out of pure boredom.

　　Soren was actually practicing a basic skill that every Golem Master needed to master—the Ten-Finger Puppetry Technique.

　　The most basic operating skill for string puppets.

　　It required the operator's fingers to be flexible and versatile, using subtle tremors in the fingers to precisely control the puppet's limbs to perform certain actions.

　　Now he had the technique, but the muscle memory was still a bit rusty, requiring constant practice.

　　And just then, Qiandiao beside him seemed to notice that Soren was a bit bored. She raised her glass again and said generously, "Cheers!"

　　"Cheers."

　　Soren clinked glasses and gulped down a large mouthful of ale.

　　Qiandiao drank very boldly, gulping down ale with the stains running down her chin to her neck.

　　She naturally noticed Soren playing with the coin, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Are you on the Gunner career path?"

　　Soren nodded, "Yeah."

　　There was nothing to hide about this, and it was even deliberate on his part.

　　Although he had advanced, Soren didn't intend to reveal his special profession as a Golem Master.

　　Occasionally showing some of the special skills of a Gunner would lead people to assume that he was a Gunner.

　　The more he pretended to be mysterious, the more he would arouse people's curiosity.

　　Qiandiao became a little interested and asked casually, "Interested in learning the blade from me? Your hands are very nimble, so you should learn quickly."

　　Soren shook his head and politely declined, "Thank you, Qiandiao-jie... but my awakened talent is [Eagle Eye], so Gunner might be more suitable."

　　Before he had the ability to protect himself, he intended to continue being his little invisible self. Besides, "Bladesman" wasn't in his career plan.

　　"Oh, that's a pity..."

　　Qiandiao pouted and didn't say much more.

　　After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly said something that sounded slightly melancholic, "Kid, don't die so easily. You'll definitely have a place in the gang in the future."

　　This underworld boss seemed to be used to seeing life and death, using the most plain tone to express the most melancholic expectation.

　　Don't die...

　　In the underworld, that was the best expectation.

　　Soren listened and nodded with a smile, "Yeah."

　　He felt that this boss's temperament was very much to his liking, and his heart was slightly touched.

　　But sometimes, the plot twists unexpectedly.

　　Just as the serious atmosphere had been built up, Qiandiao suddenly put her arm on his shoulder and leaned over mysteriously, "There's one more thing..."

　　"???"

　　Soren straightened his expression, thinking it was something serious.

　　But in the next moment, the dignity of this boss's style suddenly collapsed.

　　Qiandiao's eyes suddenly flashed with the same green light she had shown at the casino, and she said excitedly, "Hahaha... it's rare to meet a guy with such good gambling luck like you. Let me tell you, this kind of good luck usually lasts for a few days. The arena tomorrow, we'll see you there!"

　　"..."

　　Soren's eyes twitched.

　　So, telling me not to die so easily wasn't because she valued my talent, but because she was afraid of losing her "lucky charm"?

　　"Pfft~"

　　Hearing this, Captain Kayi next to him couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of ale and then burst out laughing.