Tick tick…
Rain trickled down, washing away the smell of burnt magic source coal and replacing it with a damp and cold air instead.
Black Map District, Old Rock Street.
Gurney who was covered in a thick coat carried an umbrella and moved rapidly along Old Rock Street.
An autumn rain leads to a cold day.
After this rain, I'm afraid we are going to enter winter, and it will start snowing!
While thinking, Gurney had already arrived at No. 155. Taking out his key and opening the door, Gurney went into the house.
Inadvertently, Gurney caught a glimpse of an aristocrat's horse carriage that was predominantly black parked across Old Rock Street.
When Sugar Ruins City was first built, the designer of the city was said to be a great fan of steam locomotive trains. Thus, the streets were unusually wide because they were meant to allow steam trains to travel through.
Today, steam trains had become very popular within the Empire. However, in such a peripheral but dazzling city like Sugar Ruins City, horse carriages were still the main form of transport.
The life of rich people is really great. When will I be able to own a personal mine in the northern ore vein area?
But Gurney knew this was merely a dream.
If one wanted to own their own ore mine in the northern mine area, not only did they have to be an aristocrat, they would also need to bid for excavation rights to create a mine. And if they did not have a firm relationship with a great noble, like one in the Jade Orchid Congress, it would simply be impossible to get the excavation rights. Other than that, they would also need skilled steam technicians and private guards to defend the mine.
Aristocrats without their own territory would not have the capital to fund all these.
Gurney shut his doors.
Within the dark-colored aristocrat horse carriage that was parked across the road, a man in his early thirties, with a ruggedly handsome face that seemed to be as tough as an ax, looked through the glass window at the entire process of Gurney entering No. 155 with an umbrella.
Next, he shifted his gaze to a small window on the second floor.
A long while later, he retracted his gaze.
At this time, a beautiful woman wearing a gauze dress leaned on the man like she was an eel without bones.
"What? You can't bear to take action?" the woman said seductively and alluringly.
"We were too late. Someone… came already." The man's voice was hoarse and manly.
"Oh? Who?"
"Viya." The man said a name.
"Viya? That genius Summoner?" The woman was slightly stunned. She looked towards the outside of the horse carriage, only seeing the opposite room that was distanced by the rain and several passersby.
"You know about her?" The man turned his head slightly, his rough hand touching her pristine jade-like face.
"Of course. Some time ago, this Viya fought her way into a gathering spot for the Soul Priest Cult. It seems that she killed at least twenty Transcendents of that cult. Among which were several mid-tier Transcendents."
"This Viya became famous from that one battle." The man smiled slightly.
"Indeed."
"That Viya was born with the ability to communicate with the 'Equipment Spirit Realm' and is the awakener of an ancient equipment spirit. Together with some powerful ritual contracts, she is able to easily sign an agreement with powerful equipment spirits. Her future prospects are limitless. Even though she is only a tier-four Transcendent, the average high-tier Transcendent might not be her match."
The woman heard this and smiled. "But she is still not your match, right?"
"If she was also a tier-six like me, then maybe we would need to undergo an intense battle to decide the victor. But she is only tier four."
After looking around for some time and finding nothing, the woman leaned on the man again and said in a soft voice, "Old Cohen is not a problem, while that genius Pharmacist is merely a Pharmacist."
"That tier-four Viya is not a concern either."
"So, why aren't you taking action?"
The man was silent for a while before he spoke slowly, "Viya is the disciple of Nigel."
"Nigel? That lunatic?"
"Who else could it be but him?"
"If she is alone, we can make our move. After killing Old Cohen and Viya, we can bring that genius Pharmacist away."
"You are underestimating Nigel." The man sighed. "All those who underestimated Nigel have paid a huge price. Some even lost their life in the process. Viya is here as a warning sign. Therefore, we cannot take action, we can only wait."
"Wait?" The woman was surprised.
"Yes, we wait!"
"Why? Part of our objective in coming here was to take away that genius Pharmacist. If we wait, others will succeed before us."
"No worries." The man's gaze swept towards the second-floor window. "A seed has already sprouted."
"If I did not know some secret information regarding the Human-Faced Flower Cult, I'm afraid that even with my 'Eyes of Demise', I would not have noticed it," the man spoke in a voice that only he could hear himself.
"Human-faced Flower Cult, this is a huge investment."
"When the snow starts, the human-faced flower king blooms. I am really looking forward to it. After the Human-Faced Flower Cult's preparation for so long, how strong will this human-faced flower king be?" Next, the man looked at the No. 155 house that was familiar yet foreign.
There were some reminiscence and loneliness in his eyes.
"Oh Father Cohen, you might not know yet, but you have already… taken the bait!" Next, the man raised his head with a dazzling smile. His double pupils had the color of blood, and his smile resembled a demon from the abyss.
…
"A guest?"
Opening the door, Gurney could hear the conversation and laughter in the room. His gaze swept around the living room.
Gurney could not help but feel stunned. He saw that in the living room, there was a blond female aristocrat who wore a black cloak. She was speaking happily with Old Cohen by the warm fireplace. At her feet, in the direction of the burning fireplace, there was a demon hound lying down on the ground.
This young aristocrat lady was the Transcendent that Gurney saw at the train station before.
"Oh! You're back." Seeing Gurney, Old Cohen stopped the conversation and smiled. "Let me introduce you. This is Lady Viya."
"Lady Viya, good afternoon." Gurney stepped forward and performed an aristocrat greeting, which he was not used to.
"This is Gurney Lawrence, the genius Pharmacist that I mentioned earlier."
Viya's legs were slightly bent in the same direction; her arms lifted her cloak slightly as she nodded to greet him. The entire action was fluid and smooth.
"Good afternoon, Sir Gurney." Viya's voice was feminine and melodic.
Days had passed since she arrived in Sugar Ruins City.
Viya did not go to find Gurney abruptly. Instead, she had started to observe the genius Pharmacist, Gurney Lawrence, in secret.
After all, her objective this time was to protect this genius Pharmacist. Protecting him in the dark was far more suitable than being a bodyguard.
After confirming Gurney's identity, even Viya had been shocked. Back then at the train station, she had also noticed him. But after a few days of observation, Viya had a shocking discovery. His dense aura of blood had vanished rapidly.
If she did not know that Gurney was a Transcendent already, she might have assumed that he was an ordinary Pharmacist. She was after all a tier-four Transcendent. Even though her observation abilities were not particularly strong, she was still a tier-four existence.
And the other party was just a tier-one Transcendent, yet he could deceive her perception.
This made her feel amazed internally.