“I see. So there are three towns,” Ryuk said, seated in the same chair with one of the four men on the other side of the desk.
Another man stood beside him, pouring wine into his cup, while the remaining two collected donations from the people present inside the inn.
Of course, they had a super strong Senior brother who promised to help them if they acted as his goons in this lower town.
Now, they were collecting ransom from people who were once on the same team, now giving money to connect with that strong individual who seemed to be in the Nascent Soul Realm.
Indeed, because of them, most had seen a Golden Core formation Realm individual in their lifespan, with a pressure strong enough to make them seem like prey. They assumed the man in front of them was stronger than that level.
Unaware that the level differences had already crossed the threshold of even being considered near that level.
But Ryuk didn’t need to explain this to the people who had just informed him about the structure of this place.
Jade Dominion had two factions surrounding a Royal City of Monarchy in the middle, each sharing borders with the other.
Though not mentioning the name of the other division, right now he was in the Celestial Phoenix Order.
The Phoenix Order, one of the two divisions supporting the Monarchy of Jade Dominion, was divided into four parts.
– Lower Town: A refuge for outlaws, exiles, and a bustling slave market, with underground auction houses and safe hideouts for fugitives. Daily living costs are minimal, typically around 1 copper coin.
– Middle Town: Comprising several districts, Middle Town is home to common folk, merchants, traders, and retired or secluded artisans. It has a well-structured layout and a thriving market economy. Daily living costs here amount to about 1 silver coin.
– Upper Town: Reserved for masters, formidable individuals, and their personal disciples, Upper Town features pagodas and grand buildings. It accommodates high society members capable of affording its luxurious lifestyle. Daily living costs are substantial, approximately 1 gold coin.
– Main City: Deep within the mountain peaks lies the heart of Celestial Phoenix, a sprawling city with dormitories and training arenas. Here, disciples undergo rigorous training under Elders, striving to ascend the mountains and earn the coveted status of core disciple. Living expenses are covered by the Celestial Phoenix Order for those selected for training.
“Yes, yes, Senior brother, your insights are profound and enlightening,” nodded the man pouring wine into the small cup in front of Ryuk, his face all smiles as he added pleasantries.
[…]
“…stop speaking.” Ryuk had already heard enough of the dialogue and felt this was definitely not something he could entertain to speak, sensing discomfort while speaking those lines.
“Mmmhh, Mmmhh,” the man kept mumbling, his lips pursed tightly to silence the involuntary sounds from his vocal cords due to habit, but fear kept him from speaking further.
“And what is the condition of the slaves here?” Ryuk leaned back in his chair, a smile forming on his face as he fixed his eyes on the bald man, who found the smile unsettling.
“The slaves are mistreated and worked until death,” the bald man glanced at his comrade, stating the obvious and failing to grasp the young man’s intent in asking.
“Hm, and there will definitely be a savior for them here too, am I right?” Ryuk was aware of a familiar figure with a deep connection to slavery present, expecting her to try to play the hero, given her affiliation tending at empathy towards slaves.
“Huh? There are a few, but I don’t understand what Senior wants to ask,” the man felt confused but recalled some people from the middle town arriving, dressed as priests of Goddess Fela while claiming to protect the slaves and purchasing them last week.
“I mean—” Ryuk wanted to inquire about a single woman who had been traumatized from an early age.
She should have definitely become a savior for people suffering like her, given her status as a heroine, but he halted the moment his eyes fell on a man passing through the crowded pathway just outside the inn’s window.
‘…It seems it was the right choice to choose him,’ Ryuk ignored the four individuals standing nearby and looked at the man disappearing among the crowd. With a smile, he inwardly commanded, ‘System, you are slow.’
[Host, you already remembered that man. So, I thought there wasn’t any need, but if you say so.]
DING!
╔═══━━━──── • ─────━━━═══╗
Target influenced by Grimoire detected nearby.
Identity confirmed as Gardener of Baroness Carlien.
╚═══━━━──── • ─────━━━═══╝
‘….’ Ryuk had already felt that he had a problem with the system’s monotonous way of giving him kill points and hiding information about people protected by the world’s will. But now, after the system started to act more freely, he found the previous one was much better.
Now, the System was less motivated in doing work and engaged in casual conversation more.
“Senior, is something the matter?” Bone Breaker, seated just on the other side of the desk, inquired, looking towards the masked man. Yet, a frown on that masked man caused him to tense, interpreting it as a signal of his impending demise.
After all, crushing him would be like crushing an ant for Senior.
“No, just tell me, which palace’s symbol is a swan pierced by a sword?” Ryuk remained seated, not just going after the familiar man he saw, understanding how illogical it was to search for him among so many people in the crowd given that the man was mixed in people with a confusing energy signatures.
Indeed, Ryuk saw an unidentified aura around these people’s bodies, which he interpreted as Qi, since it was different with each person.
But due to his sharp senses, noticing the emblem on that man’s chest wasn’t a difficult task for him.
“Huh, it sounds similar to the slave auction house.” Two of the men who were collecting money from the people inside the inn arrived with three bags of silver coins, placing them on the table.
“….and who purchases most of those slaves?” Ryuk inquired, getting the gist of things and understanding that Jenny, once his slave, was active in the lower town purchasing slaves indirectly.
“It’s a man with a phobia of the color orange who seems to come from the middle town.” Bone Breaker informed Ryuk about this unique man who got sweaty and shivered every time he saw anything orange. It was noticed because their work was to keep an eye on rich people who appeared weak and easy to rob.
[Host, you gave that guy trauma with the orange color.]
‘…but didn’t you find this too much of a coincidence?’ Ryuk softened his eyes and his smile slowly vanished as he finally reached the conclusion that something was definitely amiss here.
Unlike Bella—who was with Jenny according to the information he had once gotten from the System while getting the details about Lin Feng—whom he had wanted to be close enough with Jenny, knowing how Jenny hated him and Bella trying to push him away will build a comradery leading to them both getting in Jade Dominion
But that gardener too?
Ryuk had indeed remembered that day’s event, but he was not going to trust that everything went as he thought it would, leading him to glance towards the direction of the window as he ordered those men, “Let’s purchase some slaves.”
