Chapter 19 Outside the Tower?

"Outside the tower?"

Suren, upon hearing this vocabulary, paused to process what Number Nineteen had said.

Wait, everyone had told him that the Underground World consisted of only Old Downton. What did she mean by "outside the tower"?

As a transmigrator, Suren's mind hadn't yet formed certain fixed impressions, and he instantly considered something.

No wonder he'd asked around, collected countless memory fragments, yet no one had ever heard of the "Regati family" from Old Downton.

So, they weren't originally from here, but sent from outside?

...

"If you want to ask about your missing memories, I'm sorry, I don't know."

Number Nineteen continued, "I'm just one of the people responsible for escorting the 'exiles' sent from outside the Black Tower and banishing them from the inner city. Coincidentally, I was the one who escorted you down when you were sent here."

Those?

Suren keenly caught this quantifier, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked, "You mean, I'm not the only one who came from outside the Black Tower?"

"Yes. You are just one of them."

Number Nineteen confirmed, "This is the Black Tower's top secret."

She continued, "The Black Tower connects to the upper levels. Except for Grand Duke Raphael and a few high-ranking officials, no one knows what the situation is above the Black Tower. I don't know either. But there are definitely other humans living there. Because every so often, a batch of strangers is sent down from the Black Tower. Their memories of everything outside are erased, and then they are thrown into the outer city to fend for themselves..."

Speaking of this, Number Nineteen also explained another of Suren's doubts, saying, "That's also why I didn't make a move back at Black Duke. Because I knew you came from outside the tower, so it was impossible for you to have any connection with the Umbrella Organization."

"..."

Hearing this, Suren fell into thought.

It was as if the most important piece of the puzzle had been completed, and he suddenly felt enlightened.

Many of the problems that had troubled him before were suddenly explained by these words.

He muttered to himself, "I was wondering why there was only one underground city in such a world. So... the Black Tower is a passage connecting to the upper levels?"

The people in Old Downton had no concept of the "surface." Suren felt that even if it wasn't the surface, it was definitely a wider world.

Exile, escort, memory erasure...

The combination of these keywords gave Suren the feeling that Old Downton was like a... underground prison?

Criminals from outside the tower were exiled here to fend for themselves.

This situation was very familiar to Suren from his previous life... Sydney, where the British Empire exiled criminals in the nineteenth century?

Thinking of this, Suren was not surprised, but rather inexplicably expectant.

This world was becoming more and more fascinating...

He had thought that he had been transmigrated here for so long and had already unveiled the mysteries of this world.

But he didn't expect that he had only lifted a corner of the veil.

Suren finally understood the original owner's identity problem.

Although... he was still clueless about that Regati family.

However, he now knew the general situation of this world.

No wonder the Black Tower had absolute control over Old Downton, no wonder high-level alchemical knowledge was blocked, no wonder Grand Duke Raphael enjoyed everything...

Would a warden allow prisoners to have powerful force?

He remembered what Qian Tiao had said to him when he left Old Downton: "Become strong enough to see the scenery from above."

It turned out to be a double entendre.

Above?

It wasn't just referring to the high-level professional domain, but also the upper levels of the Black Tower!

He even guessed the meaning of Mr. Black's "third-party force."

Thinking of this, Suren didn't feel any despair as a "prisoner," but rather a desire to become stronger.

Tsk, tsk, so the world is so big...

Endless unknowns appeared before him, and a strong desire to explore flashed in Suren's eyes.

...

"I think you should understand something."

Number Nineteen, seeing Suren's runic pen pause for a moment, said, "There's another piece of information I can tell you. You probably won't have so many concerns after hearing it."

"Oh?"

Suren looked like he was all ears.

He also knew that what he thought of, this woman could also think of.

From the beginning, the bargaining chips were secondary.

The most important thing was trust.

Suren was unwilling to completely expose his safety to someone who might be a threat to him.

Even if Number Nineteen didn't show any malice now.

Now that her arms were broken, and her energy seemed to be almost exhausted.

But if her arms were reattached, Suren would be in a weak position.

Number Nineteen pondered for a moment, and then said something that made Suren look at her in surprise: "You should know that 'Rakshasa Woman', right?"

Suren looked up at her, but didn't respond.

Rakshasa Woman should be referring to Qian Tiao.

Number Nineteen didn't wait for Suren's answer, because she was sure of her judgment, and continued, "Because I used to be a high-ranking member of the Black Tower's confidential agency, I'm familiar with almost all of their intelligence systems. The Umbrella Organization's system is huge, and it's impossible to change it in a short time. Therefore, I've intercepted a lot of classified information during this time, including your information..."

Suren's runic pen didn't stop, but there was some curiosity in his eyes.

After a pause, she directly said the information, "I know that your name is Suren now, and you are a member of the Steel Cross Society. You caused a ruckus in the inner city and were chased out. I also know that you have two sealed items in your hand, the [Hypnos's Night Scythe] and the [Oz Ice Man's Shroud]. You also killed three second-tier professionals in the outer city before... and then you encountered the Umbrella Organization's mole in the Cross Society, 'Smoker' Sambu, who intercepted you, and the 'Rakshasa Woman' rescued you..."

"..."

Hearing this, Suren raised his eyebrows slightly. It turned out that Number Nineteen knew everything.

However, thinking that she was previously besieged by the Umbrella Organization, and the "third-party force" participated in the rescue operation.

Could this Number Nineteen also be a member of that organization?

"You guessed right."

Number Nineteen seemed to see that Suren had already guessed her hidden identity, and admitted it very decisively.

She said, "Rakshasa Woman took such a big risk to show up and save you. I think your relationship should be unusual. They helped me out of a difficult situation in the city before, and then I contacted Mr. Black and decided to join that organization. So, I don't think we have any hostile relationship, and to some extent, we should be allies."

After a pause, she looked at Suren, her tone finally not so cold, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you so much."

Death was not enough to make a warrior like her humble herself.

When Suren heard this, if Number Nineteen was really a member of Mr. Black's organization, then it was really "a friend, not an enemy."

Number Nineteen didn't beat around the bush, and directly stated her needs, and said, "I still have some things that need to be dealt with, there are a few people I haven't killed yet, so I can't die now, that's why I want to buy that mechanical limb."

After a pause, she said, "Moreover, my arms are broken now, and I need someone to help me connect the mechanical limb. If you don't mind, I would also like to ask you to help me with this."

Suren listened and confirmed again: "You joined Mr. Black's organization?"

Number Nineteen: "Yes. If you think you need some necessary proof, there is also the organization's token in my storage ring. You should recognize it when you see it."

Suren looked at the storage ring on his hand. He had just taken it as spoils of war and put it on, and hadn't had time to check what was inside.

Looking at it now, there was a cloak with a gold-patterned "§" symbol in the corner.

Although the pattern was slightly different, both the workmanship and the material and the feeling were exactly the same as Qian Tiao's.

Suren made a judgment: "Okay."