Influence

The conflicts between nations and the undercurrents churning beneath peaceful lives were hidden from ordinary people. They knew nothing of them, and when upheaval finally came, they could only go with the flow.

The arrival of God's Birthday had filled Signo City with flowers.

After two successive crackdowns on the city's "rats," and with the Night Watchmen conducting their patrols at full tilt, public order had improved considerably over the past few days.

Of course,

none of that had anything to do with Karl.

Lately, he had been busy moving, settling into his new home, and thanking people for their housewarming gifts. He had barely visited Adolf's estate outside the city.

On top of that, he had his Breathing Technique, martial arts, Meditation Method, sorcery, and potion brewing...

He couldn't afford to neglect any of them.

His days were packed from morning to night, and he had turned down all invitations to celebrate God's Birthday with his colleagues.

Divine Domain Fragment.

Karl took the Secret Potion, twisted his body into an awkward pose, and began circulating the Poison Wolf Breathing Technique.

Before long,

a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his skin. The veins on his forehead and neck bulged, and his breathing grew rapid.

His blood seemed to boil, and his heart pounded as if it were trying to burst free of his chest.

After a long while,

"Haa..."

Karl stopped and exhaled, then waved his hand to summon the Data Panel.

Name: Karl (Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment)

Constitution: 0.82

Spiritual Power: 1.43

Source Quality: 0

Profession: Knight Squire, Junior Wizard Apprentice

His spiritual power had been steadily increasing, drawing closer to the level of an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice. Even his constitution, which had originally been 0.79, had risen to 0.82 after all the tempering he'd undergone lately.

The changes in the numbers brought a smile to Karl's face.

"Exotic Beast Meat really does work."

That was right.

Thanks to Karl's continuous financial support, Aya's team had now established a foothold in Black City.

They had even managed to use their connections to buy several portions of Exotic Beast Meat.

For Karl, who had never eaten Exotic Beast Meat before, his first serving was as effective as his first dose of Light of Wisdom. His constitution increased at a visible rate.

"If the Fire Seal weren't taking half my life force, my constitution might be 0.84 by now."

That 0.02 increase was not to be underestimated.

Constitution encompassed strength, explosive power, speed, recovery, and more. It was an overall value, and even a tiny difference could lead to a huge difference in outward performance.

Besides, it became harder to improve the higher it got. Some Knight Squires could train for months without making any progress.

Karl grabbed the greatsword beside him, stepped forward, and brought it down in a sudden slash.

Rage Strike!

The wind howled around the blade.

His strength had clearly increased by quite a bit.

In the past, using the martial technique Gale Slash left him feeling completely drained. Now he felt much better, and no longer had to worry about being unable to fight after using it.

If his constitution exceeded 0.9, then as a man, his raw strength might surpass Dina's.

"But Old Lev was right. The Fire Seal will seriously hinder my progress on the Knight's Path."

"Unless I can keep supplying myself with Exotic Beast Meat, a Knight Squire with a Fire Seal has almost no chance of forming a Life Seed and advancing to a Knight."

Karl stopped and pondered.

"Maybe..."

"I should still construct the Spell Model for the Fire Seal in my Mental Sea, then remove the seal before tempering my body."

That would have two benefits.

First, he could continue down the Knight's Path. That wasn't particularly important, though, since the Wizard's path seemed to have a higher ceiling.

Second,

he wouldn't need to buy the Spell Model from Adolf, which would keep his strength from being exposed.

If he could obtain a few more seals from other worlds, he wouldn't need to worry about running short on sorcery in the future.

One day, he might even secretly advance to Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, then Senior Wizard Apprentice.

"Forget it!"

Karl shook his head, putting a stop to his wild imaginings.

"There's no point thinking about that now. Copying the Spell Model for the Fire Seal comes first."

A few days later.

Black City.

"The City Guard is the most powerful force in Black City. This several-hundred-strong unit is personally controlled by the City Lord."

"All ten captains in the City Guard are Knights. Their commander, Hal, is a peak Knight with two Seals. His strength is second only to the City Lord's."

Aya explained:

"Some people are exceptionally gifted and can bear two Seals, but they're extremely rare."

Karl nodded.

Based on his analysis, the Seals consumed constitution and spiritual power.

People in this world had never practiced a Meditation Method, so their spiritual power was insufficient. They could usually bear only one Seal.

But he couldn't rule out the possibility that someone exceptionally gifted could bear two.

As for the City Lord...

The man was extremely mysterious. No one knew his true strength, and very few had even seen his face, but everyone knew he was the strongest person in Black City.

He was very likely a Great Knight.

"The City Guard is powerful, but it can't possibly govern all of Black City. Especially after all these years of mining, the underground tunnels have become a sprawling maze. There are also many Undead Creatures and Exotic Beasts lurking down there. The City Guard simply doesn't have the manpower to handle everything."

Aya continued:

"So aside from the largest mines, the other tunnels are controlled by different factions. The City Guard collects a set amount of Black Stone from them every month."

"As long as they pay enough Black Stone, the City Guard doesn't interfere in anything else. In fact, it even gives out rewards. But if they don't hand over enough Black Stone, they'll face severe punishment."

"Besides the City Guard, there are four factions in Black City with Knights: the Betty Family, the Whisperers of the Wind, the Brotherhood, and the Shadow Alliance. They compete with one another for Black Stone."

"Mm..."

"The group we ran into a few days ago was the Brotherhood hunting down a big shot from the Scythe Gang. The Scythe Gang is gone now."

Karl rubbed his chin and asked:

"How many Knights does each of those four factions have?"

"How many?" Aya shook her head.

"The Betty Family has the most Knights, and they only have three. As far as I know, the others seem to have just one each."

"Knights aren't that common, are they?"

At that, Karl felt a little relieved.

As long as they weren't Knights, he didn't feel much pressure.

As for factions without Knights, there was no need to worry too much about them. Even if their peak Knight Squires were a match for him, he could still run if he couldn't win.

The group parted ways.

The Shattered Crimson Moon still hung in the sky.

The dark night shrouded the city, and everything around him was silent.

Karl appeared once more among the ruins. He stared at the corner where the goods had been stored, his expression shifting back and forth.

He bent down, pinched up a little dirt, and examined it for a moment. Then he gave a quiet snort and took out some white powder, scattering it around.

Revealing Powder!

It was a powder commonly used by Wizard Apprentices, capable of revealing traces left behind by living creatures over a period of time.

As the powder settled, footprints appeared before him that shouldn't have been there.

"Are they investigating my identity?"

"Or do they want to know where I brought the goods from? Where I went during the days I disappeared?"

"Was it Aya? Or someone else?"

Though Karl had deliberately bought low-quality dark bread, milk, and meat strips, the abundance of food was enough to arouse people's curiosity. The promise of profit always drove people to action.

It wasn't surprising that someone had investigated him in secret.

But his transmigration was his greatest secret, his absolute red line. He would never allow any outsider to learn of it—not even to pry.

"I hope it wasn't Aya..."

"Otherwise, I'll have to find a new agent."

From the start of their business arrangement, Karl had warned Aya not to ask about his secrets. If she did, she couldn't blame him for being ruthless.

(end)