A Man with Two Personalities

Although Kavin standing before him was a little stronger than he had imagined, he really wasn't all that aggressive. He was even surprisingly "reasonable."

As for Lister's strength, it was indeed far beyond the fourth tier, but his other attributes hadn't even reached the third.

Now that they had met, Lister decided to try talking to him first.

"Regarding the intelligence, there's something I need to confirm with you first. Otherwise, I'll have my family compensate you in gold coins."

"Reasonable enough. Ask away."

Kavin was inexplicably easy to talk to, but they were still having this conversation in front of the ruins, which Lister found a little strange.

"Are you Carven Dill or Carven Lucian?"

"I'm Carven Dill. Carven Lucian could also be considered me."

"Which me are you looking for?"

Sure enough, it was much as Lister had expected.

The man before him really was the sixth prince he was looking for, most likely the powerhouse who would be famous throughout the universe by the eighth act.

"As for the intelligence, I'd like to speak to you in your capacity as a member of the royal family."

Even now, Lister had noticed nothing amiss. He simply assumed Carven Dill was an alias the sixth prince before him liked to use.

But Carven Dill suddenly spoke up, seemingly to himself.

"Someone's looking for you!"

As he spoke, his head suddenly jerked violently, his eyes rolled upward, and his whole body began to tremble.

An eerie sensation filled Lister's mind, and once again the sight before him sent a chill through him.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Kavin stopped convulsing.

When Lister looked at him again, Kavin's expression suddenly became animated.

The calm that had previously marked his face was gone. Instead, he studied Lister with a look of confusion and unease.

"I'm Carven Lucian. I don't think... I know you, do I?"

A bold guess filled Lister's mind—or rather, it hardly needed to be a guess. It was a fact.

Carven Lucian was mentally ill, or at the very least, he had a dual personality.

His primary personality was probably Carven Lucian, the somewhat timid and cowardly man before him. The secondary personality was the mechanical powerhouse, Carven Dill.

No wonder Carven Dill's expression had barely changed when he spoke, making him seem like a robot. It felt as though the secondary personality's emotions couldn't reach his face.

In the later stages of the game, the super mechanic Carven Dill had been known as the "Madman Mechanic." It now seemed that the "madman" part of the title wasn't baseless.

"We haven't met, but I have some very important intelligence for you. It concerns the future development of the Lucian Royal Family! I also hope you'll pass it on to the king!"

"The royal family's development? You... you should be looking for my eldest brother, shouldn't you?"

"I... I can't take responsibility for... things like that!"

"Ever since I was little... my father never favored me. I'm a disgrace to the royal family..."

"Something this important... I... I can't do it! I can't!!"

"Don't come looking for me anymore...! Don't!!"

Carven Lucian suddenly became agitated. Lister hadn't even told him anything yet, but his emotions had already erupted on their own.

Lister now understood something all too well: sometimes, even when you had something good in hand, it was hard to give it away.

Kavin convulsed violently again, though this time it was quick. In just a moment, he had calmed down completely.

The unease and intense agitation vanished from his eyes. His expression was utterly impassive, and that familiar, mechanical calm returned.

"Carven Dill? Can you arrange for me to meet your eldest brother or the king?"

It was clear that coming to see the sixth prince had been a mistake, but Lister still hoped Carven Dill could arrange a meeting with the eldest prince, Hughes.

"Tell me the intelligence first. If you want to meet them, I'll need additional payment."

Lister hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell him first.

At least Kavin really was a member of the royal family. Though he was a little strange, his strength was beyond question, and his methodical personality made it possible to negotiate with him.

"A massive turquoise vein has been discovered in the Rai Territory of the Duchy of Will. I believe it's of great importance to the Kingdom of Lucian."

"No wonder you chose to come to Lucian. A massive turquoise vein is indeed vital to the royal family's development."

"I can arrange a meeting for you about this."

Carven Dill nodded in agreement.

"That intelligence should be enough to cover the damage I caused, shouldn't it?"

Information like this was absolutely priceless to the Lucian Royal Family. Lister was fairly confident of that and wanted to be excused from paying compensation.

To his surprise, however, Kavin shook his head.

"The information is indeed worth a fortune, but that value is to the Lucian Royal Family. It means little to me. The compensation in gold coins remains as agreed."

"Don't you benefit from the royal family's gains?"

By now, Lister had realized that Carven really wasn't the bloodthirsty type. Despite his dual personality, he wasn't actively aggressive.

Seeing him draw such a clear line between himself and the royal family, Lister couldn't help arguing back.

Kavin's expression remained calm, and there was no sign of anger in his voice.

"I don't share in the royal family's gains. The same goes for Lucian himself. I've been self-sufficient since I was six."

"Six?"

The more Lister heard, the more absurd it seemed. But coming from the strange Kavin before him, he couldn't help believing it.

"I improved the kingdom's steam engines, and the steam trains are my business as well."

"Steam cars, alchemical equipment, and even the communication stones at the school were all my inventions."

Lister was genuinely dumbfounded.

No wonder the Kingdom of Lucian had developed so rapidly over the past twenty years. By the time the second act officially opened and the players entered, the entire kingdom would be even more modernized!

So it was all thanks to Carven Dill.

At that moment, Lister was completely convinced that the future mechanical powerhouse was definitely the man standing before him.

"Do you have any other intelligence? If not, please pay off your debt within a month. Otherwise, I'll kill you myself."

Though the words were delivered without a ripple of emotion, Lister didn't doubt his strength in the slightest.

Although Lister had never met the eldest prince or the old king, Kavin's combat power was such that he could act without restraint anywhere in the Kingdom of Lucian.

A new idea occurred to Lister, and he addressed Kavin with a serious expression.

"Actually, I have another piece of intelligence, about the ruins of the Alchemy Civilization."

"Where?"

Sure enough, at the mention of alchemical technology, even Kavin's cold, rigid face managed to show a trace of excitement.

"It was a civilization from the previous era, before the Empire of Aixisaiya—a true alchemical technology civilization!"

"I'd think it would be a priceless treasure to a true seeker of truth like you, wouldn't it?"

That was right. What Lister had in mind was the main storyline of the fourth act: the well-preserved ruins of the Alchemy Civilization's main city, deep beneath the Lost Land!

It was also the source of all the alchemical technology currently possessed by every nation.

It had all come from the foundations passed down from the previous era's civilization, with varying amounts preserved.

They developed it in combination with the current era's steam civilization, at least for the time being.

Lister refused to believe Carven wouldn't be interested!

After all, an intact main city of the Alchemy Civilization could offer far more applications and innovations for current alchemical technology. Add to that its many alchemical relics, and it would be a rare find for any faction!

For Lister, however, it was of limited use. The fourth-act ruins were extremely difficult for him to explore.

It was an exploration zone for players between levels 60 and 80. More importantly, passive skill books no longer appeared starting in the third act.

As a martial artist, the first act was still the most important one for Lister!

He might as well discuss this intelligence with Kavin first. He might get even more out of it!

"What do you need? Please, tell me!"