Chapter 37: The Mysterious Man

Pattering...

The rain pattered down.

In the air, the smell of burnt magic coal was washed away.

Replaced by a damp and cold breath.

Blacksoil District, Old Stone Street.

Gunie, wrapped tightly in his coat, held an umbrella and hurried forward along Old Stone Street.

"A spell of autumn rain brings a spell of cold."

"After this dreary rain, I'm afraid winter will bring snow!"

As he mused, Gunie had already reached No. 155.

Taking out his key, he opened the door and slipped inside.

Casually, Gunie caught sight of a very wide, black-dominated aristocratic carriage parked across Old Stone Street.

It was said that when Sogg Ruins City was first built, the city's designer was a staunch enthusiast of steam locomotives.

The streets were made wide to accommodate steam locomotives, hence their unusual breadth.

Nowadays, steam locomotives were very popular within the empire.

But in a borderland jewel like Sogg Ruins City, horse-drawn carriages remained the mainstream.

"The life of the rich is good."

"When will I be able to own a small mine of my own in the northern mineral belt?"

However, Gunie knew he was just daydreaming.

To own a mine in the northern mineral belt,

one needed not only noble status but also a mining permit.

Without a solid connection to great nobles like the "Magnolia Congress," getting a permit was a pipe dream.

Besides that, one needed steam mechanical technicians and enough private soldiers to protect the mine.

A noble without land simply couldn't afford it all.

When Gunie closed the door,

inside the very ornate, wide, dark-toned aristocratic carriage parked across the street,

a man of about thirty, with a rugged, chiseled face, watched through the glass window the entire process of Gunie entering No. 155 with his umbrella.

Then his gaze shifted to a small window on the second-floor side room.

After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

At that moment, a stunningly beautiful woman in sheer gauze clung to the man like boneless silk.

"What? Can't bear to strike?" the gauze-clad woman said softly, exuding boundless charm.

"Too late. Someone's already... come." The man's voice was hoarse yet magnetic.

"Oh? Who?"

"Via." The man uttered the name crisply.

"Via? That contract genius." The gauze-clad woman looked slightly surprised, peering through the carriage window at the rain-shrouded houses across the street, where few pedestrians passed.

"You know her?" The man turned his head slightly, his rough palm gently brushing the woman's jade-like cheek.

"Of course. Some time ago, this Via single-handedly raided a stronghold of the Shepherd Soul Church, reportedly killing at least twenty of their transcendents."

"Including some mid-rank transcendents."

"Via made a name for herself in that battle."

The man chuckled softly.

"Indeed."

"Via was born with the rare ability to communicate with the 'Spirit Artifact Realm,' an unsealer of ancient spirit artifacts."

"With some powerful contract rituals, she can easily sign contracts with strong spirit artifacts. Her future is limitless."

"Though she's only at the fourth rank of transcendence, ordinary high-rank transcendents may not be her match."

The woman just smiled charmingly: "But she's no match for you, is she?"

"If she were also at the sixth rank like me, perhaps we'd need a fierce battle to decide the outcome."

"But she's only at the fourth rank."

After searching outside in vain, the woman pressed herself against the man again and said softly.

"Old Cohen is nothing to worry about, and that genius pharmacist is just a pharmacist."

"And that fourth-rank Via is nothing to fear."

"Then why don't you act?"

The man pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

"That Via is Nigell's disciple."

"Nigell? That madman?"

"Who else could it be?"

"If it were just her alone, we could act. Kill Old Cohen and Via, then take the genius pharmacist."

"But you underestimate Nigell." The man sighed.

"Those who underestimated Nigell suffered greatly. Some even paid with their lives."

"Via's arrival is a warning."

"So we can't act. We just need to wait."

"Wait?" The woman was slightly surprised.

"Yes, wait!"

"Why? Part of our purpose here is that genius pharmacist. Waiting will let someone else get ahead."

"Don't worry."

The man's gaze swept over the second-floor side window.

"A seed has already sprouted."

"If I didn't know some inside secrets of the Human-Faced Flower Cult and didn't possess the 'Eye of Ill Omen,' I probably wouldn't have noticed."

The man murmured in a voice only he could hear.

"The Human-Faced Flower Cult, quite the bold move."

"On the day snow falls, the Human-Faced Flower King blooms."

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how formidable this long-planned Human-Faced Flower King of theirs is."

Then the man looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar No. 155 doorplate.

Seeming both nostalgic and forlorn.

"My old man Cohen, you probably don't know... you've already taken the bait!"

Then the man raised his head, his smile growing brighter.

In his pupils, blood pupils grew within.

His smile resembled that of an abyssal demon.

...

"A guest?"

As soon as he opened the door,

Gunie heard talking and laughter inside.

He swept his gaze across the living room.

Gunie was slightly taken aback.

In the living room, a young noblewoman in a black mage robe and hood, with golden curly hair, was enjoying the warmth of the fireplace with Old Cohen, chatting cheerfully.

And by her feet, near the blazing fireplace, a medium-sized demon hound was lying down, dozing.

This young noble lady was none other than the transcendent woman Gunie had seen at the station.

"Oh! You're back."

Seeing Gunie enter, Old Cohen stood up and smiled: "Come, let me introduce you."

"This is Miss Via."

"Good afternoon, Miss Via." Gunie stepped forward and performed a somewhat clumsy noble salute.

"And this is Gunie Lawrence, the genius pharmacist I mentioned."

Via slightly bent her knees while lifting the sides of her mage robe with both hands, nodding in acknowledgment, the whole movement smooth and natural.

"Good afternoon, Lord Gunie."

Via's voice carried that unique feminine melodious charm.

It had been several days since she arrived in Sogg Ruins City.

Via hadn't rashly approached Gunie.

Instead, she had secretly observed the pharmacist genius "Gunie Lawrence."

After all, her main purpose here was to protect this genius pharmacist.

Secret protection was far more suitable than close protection.

When she confirmed Gunie's identity,

Via was quite surprised; she had noticed Gunie at the train station.

But what astonished Via after several days of observation was

that his strong bloody aura had quickly disappeared.

If she hadn't known in advance that Gunie had become a transcendent, she might have thought he was just an ordinary pharmacist.

After all, she was already at the fourth rank of transcendence, and even if not a transcendent with strong perception, she was still a fourth-rank existence.

Yet he, only at the first rank, could fool her.

This secretly amazed her.