Chamberson led the way.
They crossed the street's arched bridge and took the roadside elevator straight down to the lower street.
The streets were divided into three levels. The differences were not merely vertical; their styles, population density, and main businesses also varied greatly.
The farther down one went, the fewer "restrictions" there were.
As a result, the lower streets occasionally featured entertainment venues that did not quite fit the image of a "gentleman." The overall atmosphere also leaned toward relaxation and amusement, while legitimate establishments were relatively scarce.
Just then, Chamberson suddenly said:
"Most of Zion's tailor shops are located in the upper districts, especially those along Academy Street. Most of them have long histories and prestigious reputations.
"But... your skin is different.
"Even the tailor shops directly affiliated with the Academy may not be able to handle skin like this perfectly.
"I have an old friend I've known for many years. For certain reasons, he was forced to open his tailor shop deep in the lower streets... He had reached the level of an advanced tailor thirty years ago, so his craftsmanship will certainly make good use of this skin.
"Besides, he particularly enjoys highly challenging tasks."
Hearing this,
Yi Chen remembered that the ready-made clothing he was wearing had also come from a tailor shop under the organization.
The Boss's Wife had mentioned then that after he passed the assessment, he would receive a free Full Customization opportunity.
"Professor Chamberson, it seems there are many more tailor shops under the organization located outside its main grounds?"
"That's right.
"Tailor shops are one of the organization's important institutions.
"For gentlemen, they are indispensable and serve as important supply stations.
"Every tailor shop established outside receives financial support from the organization.
"Any gentleman carrying out missions outside may enjoy the tailor shop's basic services free of charge:
"Cleaning diseased flesh,
"Repairing damaged clothing,
"Accepting relevant local missions or collecting rewards,
"They also serve as Safe Houses and temporary shelters.
"We have always been selecting elite gentlemen with a talent for tailoring and establishing more external tailor shops. In this way, we can fight the spread of disease and reduce the mortality rate among gentlemen."
"Understood."
As they chatted,
the two squeezed through a gap between buildings just wide enough for their bodies,
officially reaching the depths of the lower district.
Chasm-Street, as its name suggested, was a street located between narrow crevices.
It was filled with even more leisure-oriented shops, and most of the storefronts even violated Zion's regulations on the surface.
The gentlemen walking here also appeared relatively lax. They wore masks to conceal their faces and hide their expressions.
Professor Chamberson, who seemed strict, accepted such a street and said softly:
"The spirit of the gentleman allows us to preserve our 'selves' in a diseased world, but even gentlemen inevitably grow tired at times.
"As long as they possess sufficient self-control and treat indulgence as a rational tool for temporary stress relief and restoring balance, it can actually be a good thing."
"Mm."
Just then,
a public telephone booth not far from the two of them suddenly rang urgently.
A fixed frequency within the ringing seemed to be conveying some kind of message.
Chamberson slipped into the cramped telephone booth in a flash and placed the old receiver against his ear.
He did not say a single word throughout.
He merely listened in silence to the voice coming through the receiver.
When the call ended,
Chamberson walked out of the telephone booth, took out a Business Card bearing an owl's head, and handed it to Yi Chen.
"I just received a temporary meeting notice, so you'll have to handle the Custom Clothing alone.
"The Tailor Shop is at the end of the street. Although it's rather remote, it still stands out in a place like this.
"When you arrive, give my card to that old fellow. He'll naturally make the most suitable clothing for you."
"Okay..."
Yi Chen bowed in thanks as he accepted the card.
By the time he looked up, Chamberson had already vanished.
"Come to think of it, my temporary lodging still hasn't been arranged, has it? Forget it... I'll get the Custom Clothing first, then worry about sleeping later. Worst case, sleeping on the street won't be a problem."
To reduce trouble,
Yi Chen pressed his ten fingers against his face.
Hiss~ He quickly constructed a green mask to conceal his features.
He also made an environmentally friendly plant-fiber handbag and hid the black box containing "Gentleman's Skin" inside it.
As he walked deep into the lower district, many strange shops stood on both sides of the street. They had no signs, and their doors were left half open.
Some gave off enticing aromas, while others carried the faint smell of blood.
In the end, Yi Chen suppressed his curiosity.
He could come back and investigate these places after becoming a gentleman.
Following Chamberson's directions, he finally reached an even narrower street corner.
A black building steeped in Gothic style seized Yi Chen's attention. It, too, had no sign.
He climbed the stone steps in front of the building.
Just as he was about to knock on the front door,
creak~
the front door, coated in pitch-black paint, opened by itself. The extremely dim interior contained no sign of any living person.
"Is anyone here?"
Yi Chen cautiously stepped inside.
Unlike the Clothing Store in Easton Town, this place had no light source at all, nor did it contain a single piece of clothing.
Instead,
over a hundred life-sized "human sculptures" carved from stone stood inside.
They filled every corner of the room, dividing the spacious open floor into winding paths and creating a sense of claustrophobia.
Even stranger,
perhaps because their facial features had not yet been carved, every human sculpture had its head covered with white cloth, making them eerie and sinister.
Besides that,
the corners of the room were piled with numerous easels, all covered in paintings related to the human body. Some were already covered in cobwebs.
"Did I come to the wrong place?"
Just as Yi Chen began to wonder whether he had accidentally entered a run-down art gallery,
swish~
a disturbance came from nearby.
A white cloth drifted down onto Yi Chen's shoulder.
At the same time, a faint nasal breath came from behind him.
He could also feel waves of cold air brushing against the back of his neck.
"Hmm!?"
Yi Chen reached for the hand axe at his waist with one hand and spun around sharply.
A sculpture whose facial features had not yet been carved stood behind him. Its stiff arm had been raised at some point and was pointing toward a certain direction.
Following the direction of its finger,
he could vaguely see a switchback staircase leading to the second floor.
At the same time,
tap~ tap~
the sound of leather shoes and a cane striking together drifted down from the stairwell.
Wearing a brown beret,
with half his face covered by a mask,
a middle-aged man in a sharply tailored suit slowly descended the stairs.
What drew attention was
that his suit was divided into two colors.
The left side was black.
The right side was red and patterned with flames, while the right side of his face was also concealed by the mask.
His right hand wore a rubber glove, and he needed the support of his cane to manage the descent.
"Who introduced a newcomer like you to this place?"
"Professor Chamberson was originally coming with me, but he received a meeting notice along the way... so I had to come alone."
Just as Yi Chen was about to step forward and present the Owl Business Card,
click~
the human sculptures around him suddenly began to move.
They mechanically raised their arms and blocked his path.
"Ahem... I can smell the owl on you. There's no need to show any proof.
"You only need to tell me why you've come here."
"Okay."
Yi Chen did not waste any words.
He directly took the 10×10-centimeter "Gentleman's Skin" out of the black box.
The instant the skin was revealed,
all the sculptures in the shop displayed "skin-shedding symptoms." Layer after layer of stone skin actively peeled away from their bodies, revealing the muscles and blood vessels within, all made of stone.
The shop owner standing in the stairwell also widened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise:
"Such a large piece of 'Origin Skin'? Put it away first. Something like this shouldn't be exposed for too long."
"Understood."
When Yi Chen put the skin back into the box,
the agitation of the human sculptures immediately ceased.
Yi Chen added, "Professor Chamberson specifically said that in Zion City, only you can handle and process skin like this perfectly."
"He was right. Most of those Tailor Shops on the surface merely keep a bunch of useless layabouts around. Giving skin like this to them would be a terrible waste.
"Come with me.
"The Full Customization process is quite complicated, so you'll need to have some patience."
Before you continue