The Old Gun Tavern is a hunter's tavern. The entire three-story building is packed with treasure hunters looking for a good time.
Heavy metal music blares loudly like cannon fire, scantily clad women twist their bodies sensually on the stage, and the air is thick with the scent of hormones. Everywhere, restless men and women move about, with even the dim lights acting as a catalyst for their desires, illuminating faces filled with undisguised lust.
Ji Xun squeezed through the crowd and reached the bar.
He glanced at the price list and shouted to the bartender, "A pint of beer."
One pint of beer, eighty coins.
The lowest price on the menu.
He sat down on a high stool, took a sip of the foamy beer, which tasted slightly bitter but had a strong alcoholic kick.
As Ji Xun drank, he observed everything in the tavern. He tuned out the loud music and focused on the conversations of the patrons, separating useful information from idle chatter.
The hunters' topics weren't just about adventures in the caves anymore.
Mostly about women and dirty jokes.
And some other things.
Ji Xun was particularly interested in the new information about Sinless City.
His ears caught snippets of conversation:
"Lots of new faces in Sinless City lately…"
"No surprise, right? The Federation Council issued a development order. Thousands of people from various cities come down here every day. The elevators are almost smoking…"
"Heh, no wonder it's so lively even though I've only been gone a month."
"The situation's not looking good. Those big shots in the Federation Council have their eyes on the old continent's ruins, trying to forcibly bring it under their control. If those greedy nobles take over the port, they'll demand seventy percent tax. Us hunters won't have a good time."
"Screw the taxes! I'm exiled and they still want taxes? If any noble's lackey tries to collect, I'll chop off their hand!"
"The Cao family thinks that having a governor's title makes them the lords of Sinless City? Ha, they want to set up a security office in the lower city? Dream on!"
"Yeah, can't they just enjoy being nobles in the upper city? Those enforcers who came down recently ended up dead in the sewers. I bet that governor will die a violent death soon."
"Hahaha, exactly, screw the nobles!"
Most of the hunters were discussing the current situation in Sinless City.
The conflict between the nobility and the commoners was already evident in their words.
Ji Xun listened with interest.
Sinless City was harsher and more thrilling than he had imagined.
…
After piecing together bits of information, Ji Xun confirmed his earlier guess.
This was indeed a world of caverns.
No sky, no sun, no moon.
Humans lived like ants in these underground caves.
However, the thick rock layers were rich in resources and ancient ruins.
Mining, treasure hunting, and exploring unknown caves.
This was a world of treasure hunters!
The place was called "Sinless City" because it used to be the kingdom's place of exile.
The abyssal rift was once thought to be the "end of the world."
Like a dumping ground, the Federation exiled their most heinous criminals to this end of the world to fend for themselves.
For many years, the city was filled with various criminals, mercenaries, war criminals, gangsters, robbers, murderers, thieves, and conspirators.
There were no innocent people by law here; it was truly a city of sin.
Ji Xun now understood why all the hunters he saw had a ruthless air—they were all exiled criminals.
But a few years ago, adventurers exploring beyond the rift discovered an iron chain embedded in the wall, now the enchanted chain linking to Gold Diggers' Wharf.
They realized that the world's rift wasn't the end of the world.
Adventurers followed the chain to the other side of the world.
They discovered another continent.
Later, it was known to be the old continent mentioned in ancient texts before the great cataclysm!
A history shrouded in mystery for thousands of years was unveiled.
The old continent was filled with black fog, monsters, and hidden dangers.
But it also had countless ruins, ancient treasures, and rich mineral deposits!
The "Devil's Cross" was just one of those ruins.
This discovery sparked explosive growth in Sinless City.
Numerous treasures were unearthed, making even the nobility envious.
One day, word spread quickly.
Overnight, Sinless City, once a forgotten corner of the world, became a hot spot for treasure hunters.
Six months ago, the Federation Council issued a development order, establishing the Governor's Office in Sinless City, aiming to bring this treasure trove under their control.
Suddenly, Sinless City was flooded with newcomers.
Not just exiled criminals and refugees but also nobles, official military groups, smugglers, opportunists, and many treasure hunters.
New faces arrived daily.
…
"So that's how it is."
Piecing together the history of Sinless City, Ji Xun understood why the Cao family, who ran the Governor's Office, was so unpopular.
The Cao family was indeed powerful, with one of their patriarchs being a major member of the Federation Council.
Now they were parachuted into Sinless City without any foundation. Apart from their own guards and a few mercenary groups they had bought, the governor commanded no one.
Sinless City was full of exiled criminals who already harbored deep hatred for the Federation. No one cared about the "development order."
Sinless City had been a lawless place for years, running its own system.
At least hunters didn't have to pay taxes on treasures they risked their lives to find.
Now those nobles eyed the old continent greedily, wanting to turn Sinless City into their territory for more exploitation, which naturally wouldn't work.
The conflict was escalating.
…
As Ji Xun listened, he realized he had drunk more than half his beer.
The tavern was getting more crowded, the atmosphere reaching a peak. The thumping music assaulted his eardrums, and the scent of hallucinogenic drugs in the occasional bursts of white mist stimulated everyone's hormones.
Ji Xun sat alone at the bar, aware that someone had noticed him.
Suddenly, a delicate body bumped into him.
Ji Xun turned his head to see a charming bunny girl, attractive and with an alluring figure.
She cooed, "Oh, sorry. Hey there, handsome, are you alone?"
Ji Xun raised his eyebrow noncommittally.
Seeing this, the girl pressed her body against his arm and asked coquettishly, "My name is Sally. Can I join you for a drink?"
Ji Xun knew this wasn't a stroke of luck. This was a paid service, or perhaps someone had noticed him drinking alone.
The girl, seeing his silence, seemed to read his mind and called to the bartender, "One 'Matador'."
Ji Xun didn't say anything. He didn't intend to stand out. Having seen the price list earlier, he knew the drink was 399 coins, not too expensive.
He gentlemanly took out four bills. After all, in Sinless City, information could be bought, and these tavern girls, who frequently interacted with hunters, were likely informants.
Sally watched him pay and smiled warmly, sticking closer, "Just back from a hunt, handsome?"
"Yeah," Ji Xun replied, knowing the smell of the carriage lingered on him, denying it was pointless.
They started chatting as they drank, with Ji Xun subtly asking for information he wanted while the girl, thinking it was casual conversation, answered freely.
Half an hour passed pleasantly, and Ji Xun, thinking he should get his money's worth, asked, "By the way, Sally, I want to switch my breathing method. Any recommendations?"
The girl pouted, "Handsome, don't you want to talk about something else?"
She pressed herself closer, the suggestive hint obvious.
But to Ji Xun...
This? It was nothing compared to the allure of a fallen witch.
Ji Xun's demeanor showed no hint he was new to Innocent City, appearing as a seasoned hunter frequenting taverns.
He gently tested her arm, out of courtesy.
Smooth and warm, nice to the touch, but his body was still in a "weakened state." He had no time for distractions.
Most importantly, he urgently needed a breathing method.
...
His attribute panel now showed a negative status, "Slight Curse Power Out of Control."
It felt like having a stitch, with the curse power rampaging inside him.
Hunters in the carriage had said this was a precursor to out-of-control mutations.
Ji Xun knew why.
The little curse power he had was absorbed from corpses, and he had no idea how to control it.
Hunters often said that breathing methods were the most effective way to prevent mutations.
...
After many questions, the girl realized the man before her was purely after information.
Lecherous but not in a hurry, or perhaps uninterested in her looks?
But she was professional.
If a customer paid, she had to deliver value.
Sally, assuming he wanted a better breathing method, murmured, "Oh, the common breathing methods on the market can only train up to nine levels of curse power, with low efficiency. You should indeed switch to a better one."
She continued, "But high-quality breathing methods like Black Iron are hard to find. The Joint Guild Auction occasionally has some."
She watched Ji Xun's expression and added, "Large hunter groups and mercenaries like Battle Axe, Hydra, Golden Harp, and Storm might have them if you join an elite squad."
Ji Xun remained calm and silent, mentally noting the information.
He had heard hunters say joining a hunter or mercenary group required signing contracts, essentially selling oneself.
Receiving resources meant obligations to complete team tasks.
Ji Xun didn't plan to join any groups, so he dismissed this option.
Sally, noticing his disinterest, assumed he sought higher quality.
Her eyes sparkled, "Silver quality breathing methods are rare. The Hunter Guild has a few, and so do major factions, but…"
She trailed off, assuming he knew the challenges of obtaining such methods.
Ji Xun listened silently. Breathing methods had such quality differences?
Seeing no response, she continued, "The Governor's 'Enforcer Training Camp' publicly recruits and offers free breathing methods and a complete [Red Heart 6 - Enforcer] career path with promotion prospects. The Cao family, being high nobility, has no shortage of breathing methods and career cards."
She cautioned, "But you know, enforcers aren't welcome in Sinless City. Even with such good conditions, few join. You…"
Ji Xun interjected, "I'm not interested in becoming an enforcer."
By now, he understood the conflict between upper nobles and lower hunters. Expressing interest in being an enforcer could lead to a quick death in Sinless City.
Sally, thinking hard, finally said, "The Medical Association recruits doctor apprentices, but their breathing methods focus on healing, rarely chosen by hunters… The black market is another option, but without contacts, you might get scammed. Casinos sometimes offer career cards and breathing methods as prizes… I suggest checking the Hunter Guild Bazaar on South City Gro Street. It often has unexpected surprises…"
...
Ji Xun wasn't looking to switch breathing methods; he had none to begin with.
His needs weren't that high. Given his current situation, he was just looking for any suitable breathing method to get by for now.
After hearing what the girl had to say, Ji Xun had some ideas and planned to check out the Hunters' Market first.
Seeing that he had little reaction, the girl, acting as if the alcohol was getting to her, coyly said, "Oh~ Sorry, handsome. The alcohol's getting to me, and I might have said too much..."
Ji Xun smiled, "No, it's fine. That was helpful."
To others, this might seem like common knowledge. But for Ji Xun, it was valuable information, worth the price of the drinks.
Seeing the girl about to order another drink, Ji Xun quickly got up. He didn't have much money and didn't plan to spend it all here. Mechanics apprentices in the city earned less than 3,000 a month, and he'd just spent several days' wages on drinks, which wasn't cheap. Moreover, it's wise to gather information from different sources to avoid exposing oneself.
As he stood up, he naturally placed his hand on the girl's waist and said, "Thank you, Miss Sally. I'm a bit tired tonight, so I'll leave it at that."
There were hundreds of nightclubs on Downing Street, and he planned to explore another one.
The girl was taken aback as Ji Xun left, standing there confused. "Huh...?"
She thought there might be more to it. Before she could figure it out, Ji Xun had already disappeared into the crowd.
Left standing at the bar, the girl was puzzled. Just then, a man who looked like a pimp approached her and asked, "Sally, what's the deal with that newcomer?"
The girl shrugged, "Just a hunter back from exploring. He was asking about breathing methods. Nothing noteworthy."
The pimp replied, "Oh?"
"Ah... I thought I could get more out of him tonight, but he only had a couple of drinks," she complained, twirling her empty glass. Then, she smiled, "But he was quite handsome~"
The pimp gave her a helpless look, "Keep your eyes peeled. There's likely to be some big moves in the city these days. And there's word from the Devil's Cross. Information is valuable right now..."
The girl rolled her eyes, "Got it."
...
The city of Sinless was huge, and there was no rush to get familiar with it in one day.
Ji Xun left the Old Gun Tavern, planning to check out another bar for more information before heading to the market.
In the distance, the huge mechanical clock on the bell tower swung its pendulum, indicating midnight.
Though Downing Street was brightly lit, the undercurrent of chaos and disorder was evident. The streets were full of potholes and flowing sewage, rats rummaging through trash cans in the alleys, ragged beggars on the roadside, and punk gang members with unfriendly eyes.
The stark contrast between wealth and poverty was everywhere.
As Ji Xun walked down the street, he sensed something was off. "Is someone tailing me?"
He initially looked around to see if anyone was targeting him but ended up noticing something else.
A young man with green hair was squatting at the entrance of an alley between two buildings, his eyes fixed on the "Bull Tavern" across the street.
In the shadowy alley behind him, a few more figures lurked.
It was a poorly executed surveillance attempt.
At least it was far worse than the tracking skills of those from the Devil's Cross.
Seeing they weren't after him, Ji Xun didn't intend to get involved. He slowed his pace to avoid trouble.
Just as he stopped, the green-haired youth noticed some burly men in blue uniforms from the Gold Digging Dock exiting the Bull Tavern.
At the same time, the green-haired youth signaled to the figures in the alley, who quickly drew their weapons.
"An ambush?"
Ji Xun realized what was happening and quickly sought cover.
In an instant, the green-haired group opened fire, the street lighting up with the muzzle flashes of their guns.
Caught off guard, the burly men scrambled for cover and returned fire with their own weapons.
A fierce street battle erupted.
It lasted only a few minutes before a third group joined the fray.
Dozens of steam-powered motorcycles roared in, and a gang of obvious gang members disembarked, opening fire on the green-haired youth's group.
The skirmish ended quickly, with the green-haired group wiped out and casualties on both sides.
The gang members checked the bodies, retrieved equipment and items, and left the scene.
...
An unexpected gunfight erupted and ended just as suddenly.
Ji Xun watched, somewhat amused. "Is this the city's idea of hospitality?"
It made sense for fights to break out in ruins, but he hadn't expected such open gun battles in the city.
The strangest part was the pedestrians. Though startled, they seemed to take it in stride, as if this were just another impromptu street performance. The bustling nightlife resumed quickly, with people returning to their revelry, ignoring the bodies lying in pools of blood.
Ji Xun pondered this. He wanted to see what would happen next, so he stayed put.
Before long, a black steam truck arrived at the scene.
Four men in black uniforms and gas masks emerged with body bags, quickly wrapping up the bodies and loading them onto the truck.
As the truck drove away, Ji Xun noticed an advertisement on its side: "Golden Oak Security Company is hiring corpse collectors, ¥3500/week, address: 117 East Street..."
"Corpse collectors earn that much?"
Ji Xun was surprised by the high salary.
That pay was comparable to most hunters who ventured outside.
But he was more interested in something else...
Corpses?
The "Feast of the Devil" required corpses with extraordinary traits, and he had been wondering where to find a steady supply.
Seeing the advertisement, Ji Xun had already figured out his long-term plan for the foreseeable future.