"What you said, is it true?"
The man questioned. This person who appeared to have come from the slums actually said that there was a nurture genetic warrior there.
It made him very interested.
As for that hunchback saying that Emerson had killed the few local scums that he had raised to gather information, the man did not care at all.
They were just some normal people. If they died, so be it.
Using their lives to exchange for such information was a very good deal for that man.
"Is there any more specific information?" The man asked as his voice carrying a lofty and distant tone.
The hunchback's heart skipped a beat.
He was not a fool. The man was the Count who was very powerful in Iron City. If he revealed all the information that he knew, then he would have no value at all.
It was rumored that the Count was vicious and merciless. He would kill people to silence them at any time.
The Count was very likely to kill him because he was afraid that he would tell others the information he knew in exchange for money.
He would leave half of the information so that the Count could not control him.
Nobles cared a lot about their respect. They paid the most attention to their appearance. When doing anything, they paid attention to etiquette.
After the man left the Count's mansion, the Count could not possibly attack him in broad daylight, right?
The hunchback, who thought he had thought it through, rolled his eyes and then shook his head.
"No more, my Lord Count."
The man's expression did not change at all. He raised his hand, and someone handed him a bag of gold coins and threw it at the hunchback's feet.
"Take the money and leave quickly," The attendant said coldly.
"Ah, understood. Thank you for the reward, sir."
The hunchback was overjoyed. He took the money and left quickly.
"Wait a minute."
The man suddenly spoke and stopped him, "You should know how to deal with it, right? If I find out that you told others..."
"Yes! I understand!"
The hunchback quickly promised. "No one else will know about this!"
"Excellent."
The man waved his hand again and turned around to walk back into the mansion.
The attendant at the side immediately understood. Upon seeing that the hunchback had left, he quietly followed.
Not long after, the body of the hunchback appeared in a hidden alley.
After the attendant returned, he reported more information that he had forced out to that man.
"Emerson Cole?"
The man pondered for a moment. "It seems his surname has not appeared among the nobles."
As he spoke, he looked at the attendant.
The attendant immediately understood and hurriedly said, "Lord Count, there isn't any in the royal families of other countries."
"Is it possible that he is the descendant of the first generation genetic warrior that has not been registered?"
"The possibility is very small, Lord Count."
"Is that so..."
The man sat down elegantly and played with the ring on his finger. "Then it seems that what that hunchback said just now is true. Bring him here."
"Yes!"
The attendant received the order and left, closing the door for the Count.
The man suddenly chuckled and muttered to himself in a room where no one else was present. "Does a nurture genetic warrior really exist?"
No one responded.
That kind of thing did not seem to require any explanation.
Back when the mutation occurred on Blue Planet, those humans with mutated genes had long become genetic warriors. They had long been separated from those ordinary people who could not mutate, forming a hierarchy.
Only those who had inherited mutated genes would become genetic warriors. This was a consensus that had been formed over the years.
Could it be that normal people had the possibility of becoming genetic warriors?
The man was not certain. Humans could not fully and truly understand the world. The changes brought about by the fog were a mystery to everyone.
"However, if I can find the key to becoming a nurture genetic warrior from Emerson, perhaps I can use this to allow the Klingler family to enter the capital!"
...
Iron City's tavern.
Emerson walked out of the tavern. Looking at the bustling crowd outside, he tightened his cloak as he glanced left and right before returning home.
Maintaining absolute vigilance was a habit Emerson had learned in the dark forest.
He had just killed a few people. Although they were scums, it would not be easy for him to deal if he was found guilty.
After all, he did not have an identity card yet, so he could not prove that he was a genetic warrior.
He was not a noble as well. Thus, he did not have any right to judge or kill normal people.
If he was caught, he would probably spend a long time in prison.
Hence, what Emerson needed to do now was to go to the garrison to test his strength and obtain an identity card.
With an identity card, he could move more freely in Iron City.
He could receive rewards from the Bounty Association for missions issued by others.
He could receive resources from the Town Hall that belonged to genetic warriors.
Many more.
Obtaining an identity card was still a necessary thing.
Emerson then brought up his personal interface in the system.
[Name: Emerson Cole
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Height: 182
Strength Gene: 117
Agility Gene: 63
Physical Gene: 71
Elemental Gene: 0
Fire Elemental Fragment: 9]
...
After wasting nearly 3,000 gold coins in the tavern and feasting on delicious food, his attributes in all aspects had increased slightly.
Most importantly, he had also accumulated 9 Fire Elemental Fragments.
He was needed 1 fragment to obtain a skill.
With that, Emerson looked forward to it.
However, there was no meat related to the fire element in the tavern.
It seemed like he would have to make a trip to the dark forest in the near future to search for fire-type mutated creatures.
He was an all-rounded tier 9 genetic warrior, and his strength had reached tier 8.
With such strength, it was sufficient for him to venture to the outer regions of the dark forest.
After arriving at the garrison, Emerson discovered that there were quite a number of people participating in the test.
However, most of them were here to advance their status. He was the only 1 who had come to obtain an identity card.
The strength test was fairly simple. It was divided into strength test, agility test, physique test, and elemental ability test.
Each person only needed to undergo a test related to their genetic ability.
"You still don't have an identity card?"
The staff member stopped Emerson and looked at him strangely. "Take off your cloak. We want to imprint your appearance."
Upon hearing what the staff member said, many people nearby fixed their gazes at Emerson.
They wanted to see who was the old man applying for an identity card.
When Emerson took off his cloak and revealed his face, a sharp voice suddenly sounded.
"It's you, the pariah?"