Chapter 124: Chapter 77: Preparations (10)
I left the building, holding the pen in my hand, examining it as the moonlight pierced through the clouds above and illuminated the road ahead. This piece... a system piece. I don’t know exactly what type it is or what kind of authoritative power it contains, but from what I just witnessed, it’s capable of reanimating corpses. It might possess even more abilities.
I don’t yet know how I’ll make use of it, but keeping it seems like the smartest choice for now. I’ll definitely find a way to use it just like I did with the playing cards. I slipped it into my coat pocket beside the leather notebook and kept walking.
I placed my hand behind my head as I walked through the alleys of the district. The ground was wet, and the smell of mud mixed with the smoke rising from distant factories. Suddenly, in front of me, the spirit of an old man appeared. His features were calm, his face full of wrinkles. His soul no longer glowed red it had returned to its natural state. He looked almost human, only more transparent.
He said to me:
"Thank you."
I waved a hand dismissively.
"I was just fulfilling my part of the deal. But since you’ve shown up, I have a question for you."
He replied quietly:
"Ask."
"Why did you want me to get rid of those people?"
He fell silent for a moment. His expression softened, as if digging through old memories buried under years of time. Then he looked toward the distant factory and spoke in a deeply sorrowful tone:
"That factory used to be mine, before those thugs took it over under that arrogant bastard’s lead."
I asked, trying to hide the surprise in my voice:
"Did he kill you?"
"No, I didn’t die at their hands. Things would’ve been easier if that were the case. I died from illness."
"So you didn’t die because of them... did you die at the hands of Valentine Crow?"
He looked at me, puzzled.
"Valentine Crow? Why would I die at the hands of the doctor who tried to treat me for free?"
I stopped walking and lowered my hand from behind my head.
"Valentine Crow treated you for free? Old man, are you sure you weren’t senile before you died?"
He looked slightly annoyed but answered:
"You young people are more insolent than I imagined. But yes, I’m sure. This happened a long time ago. Valentine tried to heal me when he found me collapsed in the street. I was exhausted, starving, sleeping in the rain for days without food. For an old man like me, that was a slow death. He tried to help for several days, but my body was already finished it couldn’t keep living any longer. In the end, after days of fighting the sickness, I died on that bed while he was trying to save me."
"Then why are you still here?"
"What do you mean by here?"
"I mean the physical world."
The old man let out a deep sigh.
"I could never forget the humiliation and disgrace those bastards put me through, no matter how much I tried. That’s why my soul couldn’t leave this world."
I looked at him, touching my chin thoughtfully, then pointed to my eyes behind the mask.
"Are you sure you’re talking about Valentine Crow? The man with the half-burned face and the blind eye? Not someone else?"
He smiled weakly.
"Do you think I could ever forget the only man who tried to help me after I lost everything? Without asking for anything in return? Even when everyone else abandoned me? I might forget everything else, but I could never forget his kindness."
"It’s hard to believe what you’re saying, but anyway what do you plan to do now? I suppose your soul is finally free."
He smiled as his body began to fade away, speaking softly before vanishing completely:
"I’m going to see my mother."
His soul disappeared, leaving behind faint sparks of light that soon scattered and vanished into the wind.
I kept staring at the spot where he had vanished.
Honestly, it’s hard to believe what he said, but he didn’t seem like he was lying. Looks like this Valentine really does have some strange hobbies.
I lifted my gaze toward the sky.
When I think about it, I actually don’t know anything about him. My only encounter with him was when he killed Raven with that strange hand of his.
I turned to my side and found Ragu standing there. I had no idea when he showed up. He was staring at the spot where the old man’s soul had vanished, his eyes completely blank. I didn’t bother asking him anything. His sudden appearances weren’t surprising anymore.
I’m not interested in what that doctor-researcher is doing anyway... I don’t care about that. I’m not thinking about finding him and killing him... I’m not.
I kept walking until I heard footsteps approaching from afar. The sound was faint, but I caught it nonetheless. This time, I rushed toward the source, appearing behind the building where someone was trying to hide.
I grabbed him before he could escape, and to my surprise, I recognized his face it was the carriage driver who had brought me here.
I slammed him to the ground hard enough to send dust flying, then stood in front of him to block his escape. He tried to get up, but I shoved him down again.
I spoke in a low voice:
"What are you doing here?"
He stammered, glancing nervously from side to side:
"I was just walking around, that’s all."
"You’ve been following me too, ever since I arrived here, haven’t you?"
He shook his head rapidly.
"No, no! I wasn’t following you it’s just a coincidence, when you got out of the carriage..."
I said, watching every expression on his face:
"I never mentioned anything about the carriage."
His face went pale, panic spreading instantly.
Seeing his reaction, I raised my hand and muttered:
"The first rule lying is forbidden here."
In the next moment, transparent chains burst out from the glove I was wearing and wrapped tightly around his body.
"Now... tell me. Why were you following me?"
He struggled at first, his body twisting, but the Authority’s pressure began to crush him until he finally spoke:
"I was... just following orders..."
I leaned closer until our faces were inches apart and said:
"Whose orders?"
He tried to cover his mouth with both hands, but the words escaped his lips against his will:
"The boss, Verona."
Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel surprised.
"Verona? And why the hell would Verona want you to spy on me?"
"I don’t know. She told me to watch you and report all your movements."
"Since when have you been watching me?"
"Since you arrived at the shop where Adam lives..."
I nodded and raised my hand. Once I deactivated the Law’s Authority, the transparent chains vanished.
The moment the driver was freed, he collapsed to the ground, covering his mouth with both hands.
I stood over him and said:
"Next time, try hiding better."