Factions

Chapter 40: Factions

The conflicts between nations, the undercurrents hidden beneath peaceful lives, were unknown to ordinary people, who would only be swept along when great changes arrived.

The arrival of God's Birth Day made Signo City bloom.

The repeated clearing of "grafting rats" within the city, coupled with the intensive patrols of the Night Watchmen, had also significantly improved public order during this period.

Of course.

None of this concerned Karl.

He had been busy recently moving, settling into his new home, and accepting moving-in gifts. He rarely even visited Adolf's manor outside the city anymore.

Furthermore, there were Breathing Techniques, Martial Skills, Meditation Methods, Sorcery, and brewing potions...

None of it could be neglected.

His schedule was packed every day, and he had declined all invitations to the God's Birth Day gatherings with his colleagues.

Divine Domain Fragment.

Karl swallowed the Secret Potion, contorted his body into a strange posture, and began circulating the Poison Wolf Breathing Technique.

Before long.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on his skin, veins bulged on his forehead and neck, and his breathing grew rapid.

The blood within him seemed to boil, and his heart pounded as if it would break through his chest.

After a long while.

"Hoo..."

Karl stopped his movements, exhaled the stale air, and waved his hand to summon his status panel.

Name: Karl (Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment)
Physique: 0.82
Mental Power: 1.43
Origin Energy: 0
Profession: Knight Squire, Beginner Wizard Apprentice

His Mental Power was steadily increasing, inching closer to Intermediate Wizard Apprentice. Even his Physique, which was originally 0.79, had risen to 0.82 after this period of tempering.

The changes in his stats brought a smile to Karl's face.

"Exotic Beast Meat is indeed useful."

That's right.

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

They had even managed to acquire several portions of Exotic Beast Meat through connections.

For Karl, who had never consumed Exotic Beast Meat before, the effect of his first taste was comparable to his first taste of the Light of Wisdom, with his Physique increasing at a visible rate.

"If half of my Life Force wasn't being siphoned off by the Magic Seal, my Physique might be 0.84 right now."

Don't underestimate that 0.02 increase.

The Physique stat encompassed strength, explosiveness, speed, recovery, and more; it was an overall numerical value, and even the slightest difference could lead to significant external variations.

Moreover, it became increasingly difficult to increase it later on; some Knight Squires might not see any progress for months.

Grabbing the broadsword beside him, Karl stepped forward and swung it down forcefully.

Furious Strike!

The sword wind whistled.

His strength had clearly increased significantly.

Previously, when he used the combat skill Gale Slash, he would feel a distinct sense of exhaustion. Now, it was much better, and he didn't have to worry about being unable to fight after using a combat skill.

If his Physique exceeded 0.9, then as a male, his pure strength might even surpass Dina's.

"However, Old Lev was right. The existence of the Magic Seal severely hinders the cultivation of the Knight's path."

"Unless Exotic Beast Meat is continuously supplied, it's almost impossible for a Knight Squire with a Magic Seal to condense a Life Seed and advance to Knight."

He stopped his movements, lost in thought.

"Perhaps..."

"I should still construct the Spell Model for the Fire Seal within my Mental Sea and then temper my body after removing the Magic Seal."

This had two benefits.

Firstly, he could continue on the Knight's path, though this wasn't important as the Wizard path seemed to have a higher ceiling based on current observations.

Secondly, He wouldn't need to purchase Spell Models from Adolf, thus avoiding the exposure of his strength.

If he could obtain several more Magic Seals from other worlds, he wouldn't have to worry about a shortage of Sorcery in the future.

It's not impossible to secretly advance to Intermediate Wizard Apprentice and Senior Wizard Apprentice in the future.

"Forget it!"

Shaking his head, Karl stopped his wild thoughts:

"Thinking about this now is useless. The priority is to replicate the Spell Model of the Fire Seal."

*

*

*

Several days later.

Black City.

"Black City's largest force is the City Guard, a force of several hundred men personally managed by the City Lord."

"The ten captains of the City Guard are all Knights, and the overall captain, Hal, is a peak Knight with two Magic Seals, second only to the City Lord himself."

Aya explained:

"Some people have extraordinary talent and can possess two Magic Seals, but such people are extremely rare."

Karl nodded.

Based on his analysis, Magic Seals consume physique and Mental Power.

The people in this world haven't practiced Meditation Method, so their Mental Power is insufficient, and they can usually only possess one Magic Seal.

However, it's not impossible for someone with extraordinary talent to possess two Magic Seals.

After reviewing it, he found no errors.

As for the City Lord...

This person is very mysterious. No one knows his true strength, and very few have even seen his true face. However, everyone knows he is Black City's strongest expert.

He is very likely a Great Knight.

"The City Guard is strong, but they can't manage the entire Black City. Especially after so many years of excavation and mining, the underground passages are as intricate as a maze, and there are many Undead Creatures and strange beasts lurking. They don't have that much manpower."

Aya said:

"So, apart from a few major rich mines, other mine shafts are controlled by different factions. The City Guard will regularly, and in fixed quantities, demand Black Stones from them every month."

"As long as enough Black Stones are provided, the City Guard won't interfere with anything else. They might even offer rewards. If the Black Stones supplied are insufficient, severe punishment will be imposed."

"Besides the City Guard, there are four other factions in Black City that possess Knights: the Betty Family, the Whisperers of the Wind, the Brotherhood, and the Shadow Alliance. They also compete with each other for Black Stones."

"Mhm..."

"The group we encountered a few days ago was the Brotherhood chasing a big boss of the Scythe Gang. There is no Scythe Gang anymore."

Karl rubbed his chin and asked, "How many Knights are there in these four factions?"

"How many?" Aya shook her head. "The Betty Family has the most Knights, with only three. As far as I know, the others only have one each."

"Knights, there aren't that many, are there?"

Hearing this, Karl's heart relaxed.

As long as they weren't Knights, they wouldn't pose much pressure on him.

As for factions without Knights, there was no need to worry too much. Not to mention whether a peak Knight Squire could defeat him, he could always escape even if he couldn't win.

The group separated.

The Shattered Crimson Moon still hung in the sky.

The dark night enveloped the city, and the surroundings were silent.

Karl's figure reappeared in the ruins. Looking at the corner where the goods were originally placed, his expression shifted back and forth.

He bent down, picked up a handful of soil, examined it for a moment, and then let out a soft hum. He took out some white powder from his body and sprinkled it around.

Revealing Powder!

This was a powder commonly used by Wizard Apprentices, which could reveal traces left by living creatures in the past period.

As the powder was sprinkled, footprints that shouldn't have appeared there emerged.

"Investigating my identity?"

"Or trying to find out where I sent the goods from? Where I went during those few days I disappeared?"

"Was it Aya? Or someone else?"

Although Karl deliberately bought low-quality black bread, milk, and dried meat, the abundance of food was enough to arouse others' curiosity. Profit always drove people's hearts.

It wasn't strange for someone to investigate him secretly.

However, his transmigration was his greatest secret and his bottom line. He would never allow any outsider to know, not even to pry.

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

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

At the beginning of their transaction, Karl had explicitly warned Aya not to inquire about his secrets, or he wouldn't be polite.

(End of this chapter)