Chapter 271 - 268: Not a Surprise (Part 2)

Chapter 271: Chapter 268: Not a Surprise (Part 2)

He left the small hut he’d been using as a temporary shelter and returned to the tavern next door. He found the bartender and asked him to find someone to guide him out of the area.

The bartender immediately arranged for a subordinate to lead the way. Before Lloyd could turn to leave, the bartender mustered his courage and said:

"Your Excellency, we will remember your help today. If you need anything in the future, please just give the word. My gang and I would be happy to be of service."

Lloyd was noncommittal, merely nodding in response.

’This is just a gray-area organization of ordinary people. They can’t really help me with much.’

’Perhaps someday, when I have the time and feel like investigating the secrets of the Wasteland District, I’ll consider looking him up?’

About half an hour after Lloyd had left, the few remaining patrons in the tavern began to discuss him in low voices:

"I don’t know, it feels like that guy... oh, no, the Gray Judge, seems to have gotten stronger again? Is it just me? I don’t know anything about the mystical or the extraordinary, but I’ve met a fair few Extraordinary Beings from the Underground City, and none of them gave me that same sense of awe."

"Yeah, I felt it too. When he came in just now, I barely dared to breathe. But he didn’t look any different, did he?"

"Same here. I felt like I had to keep my head down in his presence. It’s so strange, isn’t it? I didn’t feel this way when I saw him last night."

Only the bartender, with the air of someone who had seen it all, said:

"Now do you understand why I told you not to speak to him last night? With powerful people like him, it’s best we keep a respectful distance. Try not to get involved with him."

But two of his subordinates expressed a different opinion:

"But Boss... if our gang had an Extraordinary Being like him as our backer, we wouldn’t have to live this hard life up here, would we? We could be like the other gangs and fight for territory in the Underground City!"

"Yeah, yeah! If our gang had an Extraordinary Being, we wouldn’t have to hide up here at all. We could do much bigger business."

But the bartender chose to extinguish their hopes without hesitation:

"You’re thinking about Extraordinary Beings too simplistically, especially a powerhouse like him. We might be able to borrow his prestige now, but if he runs into some trouble later and we get caught up in it, can you even imagine what would happen to us?"

"Ah... I guess the boss has a point. It’s scary just thinking about it..."

"Besides, while the Underground City can offer shelter from the storm, it’s no paradise. The waters there run far too deep, and something very dangerous is hidden within..."

"Something very dangerous? Boss, are you talking about..."

Facing his subordinate’s curiosity, the bartender glanced around. After confirming there were no outsiders nearby, he lowered his voice and said:

"Actually, I found out a few days ago. Those unlucky bastards who were killed by the Ghost Soul had all made a trip to the Underground City not long before. The story is, they were hired by a generous gentleman who gave them a large sum of money to help find something...

I don’t know if they found it, or what exactly it was. Probably some kind of ancestral treasure, right?

Anyway, those poor fools thought they’d made a fortune. But not long after they came back, they were killed off one by one by that Ghost Soul. They all committed suicide. It even scared all our people away, and we spent days worrying about it...

I think those investigation teams from outside probably know about this situation, which is why they don’t dare to get involved, right?"

"What? So that’s what happened? Boss, why didn’t you tell us?"

"What good would telling you have done? What could you have done about it?"

"Well... I guess that’s true? But thank goodness the Gray Judge showed up when he did... Wait a minute, his timing is a little too perfect, isn’t it? Could it be that he came specifically for that generous gentleman and his treasure?"

"That’s it! No wonder I was curious why a big shot like him would come to a dump like ours. This explains everything... So that’s why you don’t want us getting too close to him, Boss?"

"So, do you still want him as your backer now?"

"No way, no way! I don’t want to see him again for the rest of my life!"

"Good... Now stop standing around. Go and find our people and bring them back."

The bartender gave the order, then added a very serious and earnest reminder:

"Remember, what happened last night must not get out. No matter who asks, you say you don’t know. If you want to live a long life, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

The subordinates fell utterly silent and nodded vigorously.

......

Meanwhile, Lloyd, led by one of the subordinates, had taken a surface path out of the Wasteland District and arrived in the suburbs to the west.

From here, he could see a long line of smokestacks in the distance and hear all sorts of CLANGING and BANGING. Beneath his feet were train tracks, stretching far into the mountains beyond.

Lloyd recalled the map of Radiant City and realized he was on the outskirts of the southwestern industrial district.

’So the location of this Wasteland District is actually quite advantageous. To the west is the New City District, where the financial center is. To the south is the southern part of the city where I operate. And it connects directly to the industrial district.’

’Most of the people there probably work here in the industrial district, having their surplus value extracted by capitalists.’

’Maybe the reason that area has been neglected for so long is because someone wants its residents to remain a source of cheap labor.’

’It’s like how capitalists on Earth treated workers in the early stages...’

Pondering these things, Lloyd walked along the tracks for a while. Before long, he spotted a rather large church, which had to be a stronghold established by the Holy Judgment Court in this area.

After revealing his identity, Lloyd was able to take the ’advanced subway’ and quickly arrived home.

It was half an hour later than when Evelor usually left for the day, so of course, no one was home.

’I wonder who combed my sister’s hair this morning?’

Lloyd went back to his room, re-equipped the Holy Artifact he had left at home last night to ensure the ritual wouldn’t be disturbed, and then hurried off to work in the Eighteenth District.

He didn’t expect that, even though he was so late today, Weiya would still be outside waiting for him.

She looked anxious, constantly checking the pocket watch in her hand.

Lloyd was deeply moved and rushed over to her.

But as soon as Weiya saw him, she asked irritably:

"Why are you so late today?"

But Lloyd just wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her delicate frame into his embrace, and said smugly:

"Hehe, Weiya, have you noticed that the me of today is different from the me of yesterday?"

"Hm?"

Weiya paused, reaching out to pinch his cheek and then pat his chest.

"You do seem... different... Did you... advance to Tier Three?"

"Hehe, what do you think? Surprised? The reason I didn’t tell you what I was doing yesterday was because I wanted to surprise you this morning."

Lloyd added with a sheepish grin.

But Weiya didn’t look very surprised. Her brow furrowed, and she pressed:

"Your [Transcendence] ritual... why was it so fast? You finished it in one night? Did you use that shortcut method?"

"Yeah, I specifically went and found a Bizarre Derivative..."

Lloyd proceeded to tell Weiya about what happened last night.

But before he could get more than a few sentences out, he noticed Weiya’s expression growing darker and darker, until her face was frozen like a block of ice.

Her large, gray eyes also grew misty, tears welling up on the verge of spilling.

"Uh... Weiya, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly upset?"

Lloyd asked cautiously.

"Do... do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Do you know how irresponsible that is to yourself?"

Weiya said, her voice choked with tears. Then she pushed him away forcefully, not letting him hold her anymore.

’Looks like she’s really angry...’