Chapter 1 When Leaving the Bathhouse

It was already late at night when Suren emerged from "A'kun's Soup Room."

He ran into the refreshed Cai on the street.

This guy had disappeared after entering, probably sneaking off to another bathhouse to enjoy the pleasure of soaking. He waited for Suren to come out, started his motorcycle, and asked, "How was it? Not bad, this bathhouse, right?"

Seeing his winking expression, Suren guessed that this guy wasn't really curious about the high-end services he'd enjoyed, but wanted to ask about the embarrassing situation he'd encountered.

After all, the last time he came, he was almost mortified by that group of capable women, whose eyes were too sharp and words too wicked... it still left him with psychological trauma.

Suren guessed what Cai was thinking and smiled, not explaining much: "Not bad."

As he spoke, a fleeting, alluring image flashed through his mind.

Well... that gambling addict's figure was indeed quite good.

Although Qian Tiao wasn't formal with the familiar gang members, and everyone was playful in their interactions, aside from her gambling habit, he hadn't heard of this big shot having any messy personal life.

Suren felt that she didn't seem interested in men at all.

"Oh~"

Cai assumed Suren was embarrassed to talk about his awkward experience and gave him an "I understand" smile.

The two rode their motorcycles back to Green Street.

...

The time wasn't too late when they got back. Suren went to the gambling den to catch the final professional Awakened gladiator match, conveniently harvesting some soul shards.

This evening wasn't wasted, all things considered.

Then he went to the "Three Flintlock Tavern" and, as expected, got the message from the apothecary stall owner.

"Tomorrow noon, twelve o'clock, Ginkgo Avenue back street warehouse."

The note left the address and time for the meeting. Suren looked at it and had a hunch: "I paid the deposit in the afternoon, and they're already arranging to meet tomorrow. They must be really short on cash."

Seeing that it was Ginkgo Avenue again, Suren guessed that the mysterious stall owner was probably active in this area. After all, such secret deals usually wouldn't take place in unfamiliar territory. Choosing Ginkgo Avenue for the deposit, and now for the meeting, suggested they were very familiar with the environment there.

Suren didn't overthink it. Anyway, it was all Cross Society territory, and many underground factions had connections, more or less. That mysterious stall owner might really be involved with the Cross Society.

It was already dawn when he left the tavern. Suren went to the hotel to meditate and rest, replenishing his energy.

But before noon, the real estate agent sent a message saying they had found a suitable property.

Big enough, cheap enough, quiet enough...

Thinking it wouldn't affect the noon transaction, Suren simply didn't rest and took the time to go to the agency.

He was fed up with the terrible accommodation in the cheap hotel.

He wanted to find a suitable residence, preferably spacious, with a shooting range, where he could practice his marksmanship, alchemy, and make grotesque puppets.

...

Suren didn't expect that the place the real estate agent arranged to meet him was also on Ginkgo Avenue.

Areas with a concentration of entertainment venues usually aren't too remote. Ginkgo Avenue, not far from Green Street, belonged to the "middle class district" of the outer city.

It had relatively complete social support resources, and many outer city residents with stable jobs lived in this area.

"This used to be a place a banker from the inner city planned to use as the address for a bank, and they even planned to build a vault underground... but later, because they dug too deep, they probably hit a ley line, and a thick dark spiritual force poured out. Ordinary people couldn't live there, so the bank plan was abandoned, and the house has been empty ever since..."

"I heard you're planning to advance as an Awakened, looking for a place with a dense dark spiritual energy. I don't think there's a property more suitable than this one. The underground vault is spacious enough, and the soundproofing is excellent. You can even use it as a shooting range. Even if you practice your marksmanship in the middle of the night, probably no one will complain about you disturbing the peace..."

"Moreover, two thousand lire to rent such a two-story building with a basement—I dare say there's no cheaper price in all of Old Lundon."

"..."

The landlord was named Grandet, a portly middle-aged man who looked very shrewd.

He followed Suren all the way, introducing the house at 88 Ginkgo Street.

It was a gray little building, inconspicuous in a slightly secluded back street corner. The house had simple furniture, basic decoration was basically completed, and gas and tap water pipes were installed, ready to move in...

Suren didn't expect such a pleasant surprise from this house viewing. The previous few times, various conditions hadn't been met.

But the property in front of him met his expectations in every way.

Inconspicuous, quiet enough... especially the solid and empty basement, which he found most satisfying.

The house itself was an ancient building, sturdy enough, and the thick concrete walls of the basement would prevent the sound of gunfire from spreading.

Here, Suren could already imagine having his own workshop in the future, making rune puppets, modifying machinery, and using it as a shooting range...

Moreover, the reason this house was so cheap was because of the thick "dark spiritual force" permeating from below.

For ordinary people, this was a deadly "radiation" that could lead to distortion.

The dark spiritual force in Old Lundon was much weaker than outside the city, and the cultivation of Awakened breathing techniques was correspondingly much slower, probably only one-fifth to one-tenth of that outside the city.

But that wasn't absolute. There were also some local "high distortion areas" in the city where the dark spiritual force was much denser.

For example, this small building.

However, ordinary Awakened people didn't like such places because, in high distortion environments, humans could unknowingly undergo distortion. Environmental factors were one of the most difficult distortion factors to control. The denser the dark spiritual force, the more violent and difficult to control it was.

But Suren didn't have this concern. He had the All-Knowing Eye, which could clearly see the changes in the values on his data panel. Once he detected signs of distortion, he could leave in time.

Moreover, he needed such a high concentration of dark spiritual force.

Suren was now employed as a Tier 1 Grotesque Puppet Master. The upper limit of his tier was open, and his body needed to absorb more dark spiritual force to lay the foundation for advancing to Tier 2 in the future.

Although most of the Cross Society members hadn't even thought about advancing to Tier 2 in their lifetime, Suren, as a transmigrator, didn't just want to be content with the scenery at the bottom.

Therefore, this small building was very suitable.

Signing the contract, paying the rent, spending several thousand lire.

Suren got the keys to the house.

The landlord Grandet also seemed very happy that such a troublesome property had finally been rented out.

...

Suren's efficiency had always been high. From viewing the house to signing the contract took less than an hour.

The landlord Grandet said that he would arrange for someone to come and clean it in the next two days, and the handover was scheduled for three days later.

Suren had no objection. He just so happened to need these two days to prepare for receiving that "Inner City Trial Group."

Walking out of the small building, it was not yet nine o'clock, and Ginkgo Avenue in the morning was already crowded with people.

Suren planned to find something for breakfast, and thought of the Bellman Bread at 14 Ginkgo Street, where he had paid the deposit earlier.

Because many middle-class people lived on this street, the bakery not only had hard black bread that could be used as baseball bats, but also some other styles to choose from.

Suren casually picked a few and put them in an oiled paper bag, ready to pay.

At this time, two youngsters wearing peaked caps and overalls followed behind him, seemingly making some small movements.

In fact, Suren had noticed them before entering, and knew that these children were the most common thieves in the outer city.

But they weren't after Suren's wallet, but the bread on the counter.

While Suren was picking and paying, the two boys had quietly swiped two loaves of black bread, with practiced skill.

Suren pretended not to see, but the bakery shopkeeper seemed to be very familiar with these habitual offenders' tricks.

As soon as the two children came in, the clerk's eyes became very wary. At this time, they had just succeeded and hadn't had a chance to slip out when the golden-mustached baker rushed out with a rolling pin, grabbing one of them by the collar.

With this pull, a foot-long piece of bread fell to the ground.

"Hey, you damn little bastards, you're here again!"

The baker roared angrily, lifting the thief into the air.

The peaked cap fell off, revealing a dirty little face, looking delicate and pretty, it turned out to be a short-haired "tomboy."

Suren originally didn't plan to meddle in other people's business. Such things were too normal in the outer city.

Most of the children in the slums lived by begging and stealing. Being beaten and starving were necessary paths for their growth. Whether they could survive in this cruel world depended on their own fate.

However, Suren looked at those frightened and helpless eyes, and suddenly saw his own shadow. At that time, he was also so helpless, as if the whole world had abandoned him.

The thief took a beating and was in so much pain that her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't cry.

Suren thought for a while, and pointed to the black bread that had fallen on the ground: "How much is that bread?"

The mustached baker guessed Suren's intentions and advised, "Oh, honorable guest, these thieves are not worth sympathy... You don't need to spend money on them."

He paused, about to beat the thief, and said fiercely, "If these guys don't get a painful lesson, they'll be back tomorrow!"

Suren didn't waste any more words, and handed over a banknote: "Here's fifty lire, that should be enough to buy the bread."

His face was expressionless. He paid the money and turned to leave the bakery.