"Custom Clothing"
This was the final step before becoming a gentleman,
The Gentleman's Skin,
As an important medium connecting the growth system,
After an individual completed their career selection through the activation of the ritual,
It would be used once again, processed by the tailor into an indispensable outfit for every gentleman,
An outfit made primarily from the Gentleman's Skin,
Not only provided effective "pathogen isolation," allowing gentlemen to directly confront pathogens and travel into the mysterious and dangerous Gray Region to conduct investigations and purges.
It also offered a more direct display of the connection between the individual and the growth system, allowing them to inspect their own status.
Naturally, different skin materials corresponded to different clothing qualities...
Of course,
This was only the initial outfit, representing nothing more than a starting point.
Gentlemen who joined the organization could obtain more "skin" by carrying out various missions later on. If their performance was exceptionally outstanding, they could also meet the First Gentleman.
The skin obtained later
Could be used to complete, strengthen, or even remake the outfit.
However,
Although the Gentleman's Skin obtained through the assessment was merely a starting point, Yi Chen had taken a rather huge step this time.
Second floor
It was a spacious, open-plan floor with no obstructions to the view.
The walls and ceiling were covered with large mirrors,
Making it resemble a dance studio more than the first floor, which was crammed with humanoid sculptures.
The customer only needed to stand in the center,
And the shopkeeper could use the mirrors to see through the individual's bodily information, using it as the basic parameters for Full Customization.
This information also included their "inner heart."
After carefully observing Yi Chen through this method,
The shopkeeper completely lowered his guard and introduced himself:
"My name is Kolor Ivan, and I'm the shopkeeper of this Nameless Tailor Shop. I severed my cooperation with the organization long ago and won't handle tailoring work assigned by the organization.
I only help friends occasionally, when I'm in the mood.
I never expected that someone as rigid as Owl would have exceptions and privately refer you here... Still, obtaining such a large piece of initial skin is indeed worth taking seriously.
Before beginning Full Customization, I have a few questions to ask you.
Give me a simple introduction of yourself, including your background and important experiences, especially your Letter selection."
"William Berens..."
Yi Chen began describing his experiences in the Seven-Day Graveyard.
When Shopkeeper Ivan heard that this young man had entered the profession halfway through, killed a Sick One with an ordinary human body, and come out on top during the assessment, his eyes widened as he looked Yi Chen up and down again.
When he later heard that, despite having the excellent options of blue and black available,
Yi Chen had actually chosen the highly unpredictable Purple Letter, the shopkeeper became even more alert.
He did not ask why.
He merely took a deep breath,
As though he were about to undertake a major project.
"You... truly are different. I think I completely understand why Owl chose you now.
Because your circumstances are far too complicated, and the skin you brought is rather special,
Full Customization is expected to take twenty-four hours. During that time, you must come whenever I call... Until the work is complete, sleep here."
"Here?"
"Mm... Pick a place yourself.
You have already been labeled a 'guest,' so the stone sculptures downstairs won't attack you.
Finally,
You must maintain absolute silence in the Tailor Shop.
Unless you hear me calling, you are forbidden from going to the Tailoring Room and disturbing my work."
Shopkeeper Ivan took the heavy black box,
Then shuffled toward a large mirror and pushed open a hidden door behind it.
A pungent gas immediately drifted out, making Yi Chen feel slightly uncomfortable even from several meters away.
It was less a Tailoring Room than a special laboratory for storing dangerous reagents.
Yi Chen instinctively wanted to sneak a glance inside, but Ivan silenced him with a single look.
Click!
The hidden door was locked.
Yi Chen had no choice but to shrug and sit down against the wall.
"I haven't been officially assigned a residence yet anyway. Resting here for a day should be pretty nice."
The mental exhaustion brought on by the career ritual washed over his mind at that moment.
He curled up in the corner by the wall and soon fell asleep.
However,
He was woken several times during his sleep to undergo some extremely strange, even perverse measurements.
For example:
A fine needle was inserted into his finger joints to measure their internal diameter,
Or his clothes were lifted to record the number of wrinkles around his navel, along with the changes in its curvature while standing, sitting, and lying flat.
Even the more private "back door" had its various measurements taken.
Once, he happened to wake up and hazily discovered the shopkeeper crouching in front of him, recording something in a little notebook like a pervert.
Of course,
There were also times that seemed relatively normal.
He tried on roughly five sample outfits during the process, but the shopkeeper's expression was poor every time, even revealing a hint of murderous intent... It was not until the sixth try that he finally showed a slightly satisfied expression.
And so,
Amid extreme unease, feeling as though he was being perversely watched and touched every moment, he spent the entire day.
With only the final hour remaining of the expected customization time,
Although Yi Chen still leaned motionlessly against the wall, he gradually began to feel expectant inside, even imagining several different styles of Gentleman's Attire.
Just then,
A series of faint footsteps came from downstairs.
It seemed that another customer had arrived at the Tailor Shop.
Thinking that his outfit was in the final stage of production, Yi Chen hurried downstairs on feather-light steps, intending to remind the newcomer not to make any noise.
When he reached the bend in the staircase,
He happened to run straight into the mysterious customer.
The other person wore a closed mask covered in seven-colored patterns, without a single opening.
It was paired with an ostentatiously colorful suit, as though someone had accidentally knocked every color of paint over it.
However,
This unexpected proximity also allowed Yi Chen to catch a faint, elegant fragrance that seemed to originate from the other person's body.
"You are..."
Yi Chen immediately remembered.
This flamboyantly dressed young man had been an examinee in the same batch as him, ranked in the same scoring tier as Edmund and the others during the review.
However, with a score of 92, he had ranked second among the examinees, behind only Yi Chen.
Moreover, in his brief account of his assessment experience during the review,
He had independently killed the fully Scale-Shed Town Chief during the Green Lake Town assessment while also completely purging the town hall. Unfortunately, his investigation had gone in the wrong direction, and unlike Yi Chen, he had failed to reach and destroy the Giant Eye beneath the lake.
However,
Yi Chen's impression of "him" was limited to this. He had not noticed this person at all when entering the city earlier.
Suddenly, the Seven-Colored Mask moved right up to him,
Even pressing against Yi Chen's face and rubbing up and down.
The sound of breathing could vaguely be heard beneath the mask, as though he were sniffing Yi Chen's body odor.
This state lasted for a full minute.
The mask pulled away.
A voice blending masculine and feminine tones, though leaning more toward the latter, rang out:
"Hey~ man!
With a physique like yours, how did you kill the Watcher? And your 'emblem' isn't visibly displayed either. It seems to be hidden somewhere rather private.
Could you spare some time and let me thoroughly examine your body?
Of course..."
As he said this,
He straightened his patterned gloves slightly,
Then pressed both hands, fingers spread wide, against his slightly puffed-out chest.
"'Equivalent Exchange.' You can also inspect my body however you like.
Because my emblem is hidden in an equally mysterious place~ What do you say?"
Before you continue