"Swear by the Earth"

"You seem pretty popular in Lungmen."

What an extravagant old immortal.

Sitting on the sofa, Chlorine Sodium glanced around.

The floor was covered with an expensive carpet, and there was even a fireplace. If she had not seen the building's exterior, it would have been hard to believe the interior could be so luxurious, almost like one of those elegant villas.

There were also men in suits standing by the entrance. They were probably Koschei's newly recruited subordinates.

"Welcome? I used to be the master here. It shouldn't be a welcome, but a reception."

Raising his wineglass, Koschei spoke with a subtle smile.

"A reception for their former master. It's as simple as that."

"The former gang leader here was you too?"

Ignoring the Ursus noble's greasy tone, Chlorine Sodium crossed her hands and rested them against her chin, staring coldly at Koschei.

"Of course not. I merely persuaded them a little and showed them the true rules of this world."

"And then you had them kill their boss and put you in his place?"

"I had no choice. Some people simply refuse to show proper respect, so I could only resort to such measures. It truly pains me."

He swirled his wineglass, as if it held the blood of the dead.

"Still, you just mentioned Chen Hui Jie?"

"The child of Wei Yanwu's younger sister. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out the exact identity of her biological mother. The Wei Mansion is difficult to enter, so I want all the information on her that you have. The more, the better."

"Of course, no problem. It'll just take some time, and... a little support~"

Support?

What a sly old fox. Koschei's figure was reflected in the girl's golden eyes.

This was how mutual exploitation worked: they traded riddles instead of speaking plainly.

"Let's end this tedious game of riddles, Black Snake. Tell me, what are your terms this time?"

Leaning back against the sofa in a more comfortable position, Chlorine Sodium closed her eyes and waited for the cunning Black Snake to state his conditions.

One condition in exchange for another.

Trading one thing for another had been a repeated feature of their cooperation.

"That really is your style. Still, this will be very easy for you."

As he spoke, Koschei pushed a business card over with his hand.

She did not pick it up, but the layer of illuminated effects on it—and the extravagant feature that replayed its logo whenever the observer changed—were clearly not something an ordinary company could afford.

They had put projection technology into a tiny business card. What an extravagant feature.

There was also a very conspicuous name beneath the logo.

"Taiko Group?"

Chlorine Sodium vaguely recognized the name. It was a super commercial group founded in 1816 with its headquarters in Britain, operating in industries such as shipping and real estate. It had even appeared on Forbes.

That was a memory from her world, though. Did this world have the Taiko Group too?

"Yes, the Taiko Group, a super commercial empire from Victoria. It owns quite a few businesses in Lungmen, and even controls the majority of the shares in many districts. It holds considerable influence here.

"Of course, it is also one of Wei Yanwu's partners."

Koschei elaborated. It seemed that this world's Taiko Group was not much different from the one she knew.

But what was this man planning by targeting the Taiko Group?

The Taiko Group was a super commercial empire headquartered in Victoria. Was an Ursus noble like him planning to seek a business partnership with it?

The image of Koschei forming a commercial alliance with them was absurd enough to make her laugh just imagining it.

Apparently sensing Chlorine Sodium's distrust, Koschei smiled and explained.

"It isn't a business proposal, merely... a little curiosity.

"You should know that, a few years ago, there were rumors in certain circles that the head of the Taiko Group had been blessed with a daughter. But Victorians, you know how they are. They don't like news about their underage children spreading outside, so information is very difficult to obtain.

"And now... there is an opportunity...

"An opportunity to meet her."

"You want me to meet her?"

The use of "her" clearly meant a girl. Was he referring to that child?

"The Taiko heiress is in Lungmen now?"

"Of course. As it happens, I have an opportunity to meet her, but my identity is unsuitable.

"The old noble is looking for a reliable doctor.

"A doctor specializing in mental health."

At that point, nothing more needed to be said. Chlorine Sodium already understood what the Black Snake before her was thinking.

If judging others with the greatest possible malice seemed overly harsh, then doing so with Koschei was absolutely justified.

A person wrapped in malice from head to toe—that was the undying Black Snake.

Of course, Chlorine Sodium did not mean to belittle him.

Because she was the same kind of thing.

There was not a trace of goodwill in her from head to toe. She was enveloped in malice, one of those people who could only live in the darkness.

"I'll pave the way for you. And you, my friend, only need to let me know exactly what this Taiko heiress looks like. Any method will do. Even memorizing her appearance and describing it afterward is fine. That old noble's ability to conceal information is truly giving me a headache."

With another subtle smile, Koschei waited for Chlorine Sodium's answer.

But her reply did not need to be guessed.

The silver-haired girl simply picked up the postcard on the table.

"Deal."

Perhaps this man had already aimed all the malice filling his body at an innocent girl.

And Chlorine Sodium was his accomplice.

But it did not matter.

Whether it was moral or not was meaningless.

Chlorine Sodium was simply that kind of person. Naturally, she had no moral standards; everything was measured against profit.

On this land, good people—

—did not live long.

················

P.S.: Ah, this is bad. I woke up late, sob sob. I was supposed to sleep a little longer at six this morning, but when they woke me up after twelve, I couldn't get up at all. I'm so sleepy. The chapter was posted late too. Well, I'll continue in a bit. Staying up late to write is really unpleasant, but the inspiration really does come pouring in.

So why does inspiration always come at night?

Section 53: Chapter Fifty-Two—Swearing by the Land

Former master—in other words, you're no longer in control here, are you?

The current person actually in control was Wei Yanwu. If we set aside the possibility of multiple parties competing, two tigers could not occupy one mountain, and there could only be one victor. Then the answer was obvious.

You lost, didn't you?

Though victory and defeat were common in war, this land was simply so harsh. It showed no tolerance whatsoever toward any outcome that could be forgiven.

But I am a magnanimous person. A single victory cannot prove anything, because I still have a chance to turn the tables.

That was what Koschei had said.

·······························

On the way back, Chlorine Sodium stored away the materials Koschei had given her concerning Chen Hui Jie, along with the plan for their next move.

Going after a real estate magnate's daughter would require some preparation.

Koschei had also confirmed that the invitation he had tampered with would take some time to arrive.

When the time came, she would naturally receive all of Chen's information, including, of course, an opportunity to meet Chen alone.

Koschei was going to unleash a disaster here, and Wei Yanwu would certainly be too busy to deal with anything else. He might be able to protect one person, but not necessarily two.

At that time, no one would specifically keep watch over an innocent psychiatrist.

Then everything would become simple.

"Chen Hui Jie..."

The girl murmured the name she had designated as that of her absolute enemy.

Suddenly, a shop by the roadside made the girl stop.

It was almost evening, and she still had to think about dinner before going home.

Although Chlorine Sodium could now go without eating and never feel hungry, there was no Honkai Energy here for her to absorb. Aside from killing people, eating was her only means of replenishing it.

Chlorine Sodium was temporarily unable to sustain herself through battle, so she had to carefully choose what to eat in order to restore as much Honkai Energy as possible.

Hamburgers?

After looking for a while, the girl lost interest.

This kind of food contained too many calories, but it did not do much to replenish Honkai Energy. Honkai Energy was not the same as thermal energy.

Only Yelena liked eating it. She would look somewhere else.

That was what the girl thought.

····················

On the way home, she crossed the shopping district and turned into an alley. After all, this was an area with cheap land, so the streets and alleys were rather cramped.

The advantage was that it was quiet.

Carrying a paper bag from the hamburger shop, the girl thought so.

In the end, she had still bought hamburgers. There really was not much else worth eating nearby.

Chlorine Sodium was not obsessive-compulsive, but she was still very picky about food, except when it came to this assortment of junk food packed with empty calories.

Of course, she had not bought it because Yelena liked it.

··· of which.

Why was I so concerned about her?

I shouldn't be like this.

When I saw that she almost got into trouble last time, I actually...

felt worried?

What a pointless display of empathy.

No, that wasn't it.

It was because of the investment.

Right!

It was because this little girl was an investment belonging to Chlorine Sodium—an investment in the future.

Now that she had confirmed the girl was not her lifelong enemy, she naturally had to exploit her as much as possible. Whether she became an elite fighter in the future or cannon fodder sent to her death, both were investments in the many possibilities of the future.

Chlorine Sodium never made a losing investment.

That was all it was.

If she did not invest emotionally, then her investment would fail.

Besides, her so-called emotions were merely various methods she had summarized from experience.