Snow kept falling, piling up in a thick blanket over the rooftops and ground.
The northern district of Berely City was a jumble of docks, the most chaotic, savage, violent, and dangerous part of the city. By contrast, South City was a historic old commercial district. Eastern silk and tea, overseas tobacco and jewelry, dwarven weapons, elven artwork, all kinds of rare and curious goods—you could find them all here.
Unlike the docks' savage atmosphere, the South City Commercial District was thick with a slick, cunning air. The docks were full of tough men who would take a blade in the ribs for their brothers—or stick one in someone else's. The commercial district, on the other hand, was crawling with con men, swindlers, thieves, and the like.
Early in the morning, laborers dispatched by city hall and servants from the district's shops were working together to clear away the snow that had accumulated overnight. Vik, dressed in black, sat atop a tall building, concealed behind three massive chimneys, his eyes narrowed as he watched a distant street.
At Lin Qi's request, Vik had spent the last two days recruiting people to keep an eye on The Cripple's Shop and look for Jiang Yong and his fellow Orientals. Just as Vik was eating breakfast, word had arrived that Jiang Yong had appeared alone in the commercial district and was asking about the prices of various silks and satins in a silk shop.
From his vantage point, Vik had a clear view of The Hunchback's Shop, a century-old silk shop at the end of the street. The store was enormous—ten times the size of the other shops nearby—and its interior was filled with silk and other precious fabrics from the East.
The Hunchback's Shop in the commercial district was as famous as The Cripple's Shop down by the docks. One was a hunchback, the other a cripple; they were the two titans of Berely City's underworld, each with thousands of thugs and rogues at their beck and call. They competed with each other, yet cooperated; they undermined each other, yet joined forces to fend off outside threats. They had formed a strange symbiotic relationship.
For instance, when The Cripple's Shop bought stolen goods cheaply from pirates, any Eastern goods such as silk and tea would be handed over to The Hunchback's Shop to sell. The Hunchback's Shop, meanwhile, followed the rules of the underworld and never took goods directly from pirates. Both sides guarded their turf warily, and their men never set foot in the other's territory without good reason. But if the Security Office or an outside gang ever tried to make trouble for them, they would join forces at once.
The Cripple and the Hunchback were the two great names of Berely City's underworld, a pair of legends passed down for centuries.
Vik had enviable eyesight. He had been able to see in the dark since birth, and during the day his vision reached more than twice as far as an ordinary person's. His field of view also covered nearly one hundred and eighty degrees in front of him. All of this gave Vik the perfect talent to become a first-rate thief, a first-rate assassin.
The Hunchback's Shop was more than three hundred meters away, but Vik could clearly see everything that happened inside.
Jiang Yong, wrapped from head to toe in a black cloak with only his face showing, was asking about the prices of various silks and satins. From time to time, he stroked the smooth, precious fabrics, a strange sneer on his face.
Vik couldn't figure out why this strange Oriental had come to The Hunchback's Shop. He was from the East, and his clothes were made of the finest brocade. Why would he be interested in the shop's silk? Was he conducting market research?
Like Lin Qi, Vik was a student in the accounting department at Fifth University. The only way he could explain Jiang Yong's behavior was market research—perhaps this Oriental was investigating the profit made on a bolt of silk shipped from East to West?
Narrowing his eyes as he watched Jiang Yong, Vik's gaze swept over two shabby, scrawny men standing in front of The Hunchback's Shop.
Those two weren't members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood. They were local ruffians from the South City Commercial District, the sort of lowlifes who would do anything for money. This was the Hunchback's turf, and Vik didn't want to use his own men to watch Jiang Yong. So he had paid the two scoundrels a deposit of just ten copper coins to keep an eye on him.
The two thugs weren't much use; Vik himself was doing the real tailing. They were merely stones he had thrown out to test Jiang Yong, tools to see how he would react. If they caught Jiang Yong's attention, Vik could use that reaction to gauge his true strength.
Vik knew what sort of people these thugs were. Never mind that he'd paid them ten copper coins to watch Jiang Yong; even if they'd run into a fat lamb like him on their own, they certainly wouldn't let the opportunity pass. Vik looked forward to what would happen next. Was Jiang Yong a ferocious beast in sheep's clothing, or a genuine fat lamb?
Jiang Yong spent nearly an hour in The Hunchback's Shop. Vik's hands and feet grew numb with cold on the rooftop, and he was finally rewarded when Jiang Yong came out. With his hands behind his back, Jiang Yong strolled leisurely down a narrow alley. Vik wiped the snot freezing on his nose, silently cursed Jiang Yong's mother, and followed him from rooftop to rooftop along the street.
With his unnaturally keen eyesight, Vik kept Jiang Yong's every move under surveillance.
The two thugs did not disappoint Vik. Shivering, they followed Jiang Yong all the way into a deserted alley. To Vik's delight, the pair exchanged a look, drew their daggers, and crept toward Jiang Yong.
From more than three hundred meters away, Vik watched the two thugs closing in on Jiang Yong and grinned smugly. The alley was desolate and empty, the perfect place to kill and rob. If Jiang Yong proved too weak, Vik wouldn't mind putting a crossbow bolt in him himself.
With a strange laugh, Vik was just about to enter stealth mode when he suddenly shuddered all over. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. Goosebumps erupted across his body; terrified and trembling, he dared not move.
Hundreds of meters away, Jiang Yong let out a sinister laugh in the alley. A faint purple halo enveloped him as he shot backward like a maddened stallion, both elbows smashing into the chests of the two thugs.
The two thugs didn't even have time to scream. Their bodies exploded, bursting into countless tiny scraps of flesh that sprayed outward. The moment the flesh hit the air, it froze into shards of ice, spraying backward in a vast cloud of white frost.
Jiang Yong gave a mocking sneer, lightly clapped his hands, then continued on his way with his hands behind his back, as if nothing had happened.
Cold sweat streamed down Vik's forehead. His whole body went limp with fright, and he slumped down behind a chimney.
"Damn it, that Oriental—he's a Heavenly Knight!"
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