The Terrifying Easterners

Heavy snow continued to fall, blanketing the rooftops and ground in a thick layer.

The northern district of Berely City was the docklands, a chaotic, savage, violent, and dangerous area. In contrast, the southern district of Berely City was an old, historic commercial area. Here, one could find silks and teas from the East, tobacco and jewels from overseas, dwarven weaponry, elven artwork, and all sorts of peculiar items.

Unlike the savage spectacle of the docklands, the southern commercial district exuded an air of sly cunning. While the docklands were filled with heroes ready to risk life and limb for their brothers, or to stab them in the back, the commercial district teemed with kidnappers, swindlers, thieves, and the like.

Early in the morning, orderlies dispatched by the city hall and servants from the commercial district's shops were working together to clear the accumulated snow from the night. Clad in black, Vik sat atop a tall building, hidden behind three thick chimneys, squinting at a distant street.

As per Lin Qi's instructions, Vik had spent the past two days recruiting people to monitor The Cripple's Shop, hoping to find traces of Jiang Yong and his Easterners. Just as Vik was eating breakfast, a message arrived: Jiang Yong had appeared alone in the commercial district and was currently inside a silk shop, inquiring about the prices of various silks and satins.

Vik's vantage point offered a clear view of the street corner where the century-old silk shop, 'The Hunchback's Shop', was located. The shop's facade was enormous, ten times the size of its neighbors, and it was filled with silks and precious fabrics from the East.

The Hunchback's Shop in the commercial district was as renowned as The Cripple's Shop in the docklands. One was a hunchback, the other The Cripple. They were the two titans of Berely City's underworld, each commanding thousands of thugs and ruffians. While they competed fiercely, they also cooperated, undermining each other's efforts yet uniting against external threats, forming a peculiar symbiotic relationship.

For instance, The Cripple's Shop would purchase stolen goods from pirates at a low price. Silks and teas, among other Eastern goods, would then be handed over to The Hunchback's Shop for sale. The Hunchback's Shop, in turn, adhered to the unwritten rules of the underworld; they never dealt directly with pirates. They carefully guarded their respective territories, ensuring their subordinates never trespassed on the other's domain. However, if the constabulary or an outside gang made a move against them, they would immediately join forces.

The Cripple and the hunchback were the two major figures in Berely City's underworld, legends passed down through centuries.

Vik possessed enviable eyesight. He could naturally see in the dark, and during the day, his vision extended more than twice as far as an ordinary person's, covering a vast field of nearly 180 degrees in front of him. All of this gave Vik the perfect aptitude to become an exceptional thief or assassin.

From his position, over three hundred meters away from The Hunchback's Shop, Vik could clearly observe everything happening inside.

Jiang Yong, his entire body wrapped in a black cloak, revealing only his face, was inside The Hunchback's Shop, inquiring about the prices of various silks and satins. He would occasionally stroke the smooth, precious fabrics, a strange, cold smile on his face.

Vik couldn't fathom why this peculiar Easterner would visit The Hunchback's Shop. He was from the East, his clothes made of the finest brocade; why would he be interested in The Hunchback's Shop's silks? Was he conducting market research?

Like Lin Qi, Vik was a student of accounting at Fifth University. The only way he could describe Jiang Yong's actions was market research—perhaps this Easterner was investigating the profit margin of silk transported from the East to the West?

Squinting at Jiang Yong, Vik's gaze swept over two scrawny, ragged men standing in front of The Hunchback's Shop.

Those two were not members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood but local thugs from the southern commercial district, ruffians who would do anything for money. This was the hunchback's turf. Vik didn't want to deploy his own men to monitor Jiang Yong; he had paid a mere ten copper coins as a deposit to have these two scoundrels tail Jiang Yong.

These two thugs were not particularly useful. The main surveillance was handled by Vik himself. The two ruffians were merely stones Vik had tossed out, a tool to test Jiang Yong. He hoped they would attract Jiang Yong's attention, allowing Vik to gauge his true strength through his reaction.

Vik knew the nature of these thugs. It wasn't just that he had paid them ten copper coins to watch Jiang Yong; even if they encountered such a fat lamb on their own, they would never let him go. He anticipated what would happen next: was Jiang Yong a wolf in sheep's clothing, or a truly plump sheep?

Jiang Yong spent nearly an hour in The Hunchback's Shop. Vik's hands and feet grew numb with cold on the rooftop. Finally, he saw Jiang Yong emerge from the shop, hands behind his back, walking leisurely down a small alley. Vik wiped the snot from his nose, which had formed due to the cold, muttered a curse at Jiang Yong's mother, and followed him, moving across the rooftops of the buildings along the street.

With his naturally abnormal eyesight, every move Jiang Yong made was under Vik's surveillance.

The two thugs did not disappoint Vik's expectations. Shivering, they followed Jiang Yong into a secluded alley. To Vik's delight, the two thugs exchanged glances, drew their daggers, and stealthily advanced on Jiang Yong.

From over three hundred meters away, Vik watched the two thugs closing in on Jiang Yong and a smug smile spread across his face. The alley was deserted, a perfect spot for murder and robbery. If Jiang Yong's displayed strength wasn't formidable enough, Vik wouldn't hesitate to finish him off with a crossbow bolt.

Letting out a strange chuckle, Vik was about to enter stealth mode when he suddenly shuddered, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. Goosebumps erupted all over his body, and he froze, his limbs turning cold with fear, no longer daring to move.

Hundreds of meters away, Jiang Yong in the alley let out a sinister cold laugh. He was enveloped in a faint purple halo, his body surging backward like a maddened steed, his elbows slamming hard into the chests of the two ruffians.

The two ruffians couldn't even let out a scream before their bodies exploded, turning into countless tiny fragments of flesh and blood that sprayed outwards. Their blood and flesh quickly formed ice shards, spraying backward in large patches of frosty white.

Jiang Yong let out a mocking sneer, lightly clapped his hands, and continued walking forward with his hands behind his back, as if nothing had happened.

Cold sweat beaded on Vik's forehead. He was so terrified that his body went limp, and he slumped miserably behind a chimney.

"Damn it, this Easterner... he's a Heavenly Knight!"