Distribution of Forces

"Doctor Lu, I'm not asking you to support us for nothing."

Seeing Lu Yuan fall silent, Brent assumed he was hesitating and eagerly tried to prove his worth.

He spoke rapidly:

"I can work outside! I've been hanging around the docks and slums for years. I know a little about information from all sorts of places."

"Whether it's the church now, or... or that Ascension Society! As long as I hear anything unusual, I can tell you."

Lu Yuan's hand, which had been wiping a bottle, suddenly froze in midair.

He lowered his head and, for the first time, scrutinized the boy before him.

"You know about the Ascension Society?"

Lu Yuan's voice dropped a few degrees.

After all, although the Ascension Society was despised by many, it was still an organization under the Empire. The common folk at the bottom did not even know about Transcendence, let alone know the organization's name.

Brent shrank back under Lu Yuan's gaze, but still forced himself to say:

"I know... a little."

"Back when I was shining shoes, I accidentally overheard a few drunk gentlemen cursing them. They said, 'Those lunatics from the Ascension Society who turn their bodies into lumps of iron are doing experiments again...'"

Brent swallowed and cautiously watched Lu Yuan's expression.

"So I remembered the name. Doctor Lu, those gentlemen never bothered hiding what they said from people like us. They thought we couldn't understand, but I remembered it all!"

"My life isn't worth much, but these eyes and ears of mine will definitely be useful to you!"

Lu Yuan had no intention of making things difficult for Brent. As a decent young man of the new century, he could not bring himself to be a bloodsucker.

Besides, after taking Mina in, Lu Yuan had already considered doing this.

It would disgust the church while helping himself. Why not?

Most importantly, Brent seemed to know far more than Lu Yuan had imagined. This was a good chance to gain some points for [Grim Port Status].

"I don't lack ears."

Lu Yuan spoke blandly.

Brent's entire body trembled. His face instantly turned pale, and the light in his eyes dimmed as he thought he had still been rejected.

"However, I do happen to be short on an apprentice to clean up."

Lu Yuan looked at the utterly bewildered Brent and smiled.

"Mina can stay, but I don't need you to risk your life. Just keep doing what you normally do and pass along any information you think might be useful to me."

"Like the accident at the docks earlier."

At those words, Brent instantly went from despair to joy and began banging his head against the floor.

"I understand! I understand! Thank you, Doctor Lu! Thank you!"

"That's enough. Stop kowtowing. I just happen to have a few things I want to ask you."

"Sit down."

Lu Yuan casually pulled over a chair and poured Brent a cup of warm black tea.

The steam rising from the cup eased Brent's taut nerves slightly.

He held the cup in both hands and took a small sip. His rigid body visibly relaxed.

That allowed Lu Yuan to take a closer look at the boy before him.

The once shrewd and cheerful face was now filled with exhaustion. A large swelling covered his forehead; he had clearly put real force into those kowtows.

"All right, Brent. Tell me about every force in Grim Port that you know of, including the Ascension Society you overheard about by chance."

Holding his teacup, Brent thought for a moment before beginning.

"Doctor Lu, there actually aren't that many forces in Grim Port that I know about. I only overheard about several of them by accident, so I don't know many of the details."

Leaning against the counter, Lu Yuan lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers. "That's fine. Just tell me everything."

After all, [Grim Port Status] had him covered. Whether the information was useful or not, he would know as soon as he heard it.

"First, there's the inner city."

Brent pointed toward the mist-shrouded highlands outside the window. "That's the territory of the Viscount's estate and the Merchant Council."

"The Viscount is an Imperial noble and the nominal master of this city, but he rarely shows himself. The Merchant Council is the one that truly runs things."

"The members of the Merchant Council are all gentlemen, along with a few Barons. They control coal, food, and shipping."

Brent shrank his neck. "The Merchant Council people are the cruelest. They don't kill anyone directly, but if they raise coal prices even a little, hundreds of people in the Lower District will freeze to death in winter."

Lu Yuan nodded. A monopoly—just as expected.

Given this world's level of productivity, it would have been stranger if capitalism had not emerged.

That usually meant wealth and resources were concentrated in a few hands, which also made them potential customers for the "custom-made potions" he would sell in the future.

"Then there's the harbor."

"That place is the most chaotic. It belongs to the major gangs. But lately, I've heard some strange things have slipped in. Even the largest gang, the Blood Anchor Gang, doesn't dare go out at night."

"Then there are the Night Watchers."

Brent glanced at Lu Yuan, reverence in his eyes. "This neighborhood where you are is their territory. The Night Watchers are few in number, but no one in Grim Port dares provoke them. This is the only 'safe zone' in the Outer City."

Lu Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed.

Safety was built on the deterrence of force. Whether it was the other Night Watchers or Old Morgan's "chamber explosion" last night, either was enough to crush the vast majority of petty criminals.

"As for the church..."

Brent gritted his teeth, hatred flashing in his eyes. "Those people occupy the Cathedral District in the north of the city. On the surface, they care about us, but behind the scenes, there's nothing they won't do. They're more terrifying than gangs because they always say it's 'God's will.'"

"And then there's the Ascension Society."

Brent lowered his voice even further. "They aren't in the city. They're in the Black Forest to the west."

"I heard smoke of all different colors rises from there every day. Mangled corpses often drift down the river, and anyone who enters without permission disappears too."

Lu Yuan quickly sketched out a map in his mind.

The inner city, far from the harbor, belonged to the powerful and wealthy. Gangs covered the harbor. The church, that massive Colossus, entrenched itself in the north. The Ascension Society hid in the western forest, along with the Night Watchers where he was.

These five forces occupied Grim Port and controlled nearly all its resources.

"Other than those, are there any more?" Lu Yuan pressed.

He needed to know about more hidden forces.

"Yes."

Brent hesitated before speaking.

"There are two more places, Doctor Lu. You'd better not go there, but you should know about them, because a lot of shady things are found there."

"One is the [Dock Black Market]."

"It isn't aboveground. It's deep in the sewers beneath the slums, built by a group of criminals and smugglers."

"As long as you have money, they say you can buy anything there."

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

A source of materials.

What he lacked most right now were high-grade materials. Mutated Creatures, Eerie things—anything would do.

But the Night Watchers would never allow such things to circulate privately. Even as a consultant, the share he received was pitifully small.

Of course, there was nothing to be done about that. After all, a normal person's sanity could never reach his level.

Once they came into contact with those things, their sanity would plummet. At that point, they would mutate directly, and that would be quite a spectacle.

This black market might be the key to advancing his Forbidden Studies.

"What about the other one?"

"The other is called the Ferryman."

Brent showed little expression when he mentioned the name.

"They aren't a gang, and they don't do business."

"They're a group of strange people dressed in blue who stay around the most remote part of the docks, Dead Man's Cove, all year round."

"In Grim Port, if someone dies and doesn't want the church to drag them away for cremation or rot in the streets, they go to them. Not only can they handle the body, but they'll also give the family some Imperial Shields."

"They put the corpses into specially made iron coffins and sink them into the sea."

Brent swallowed.

"I once peeked at them... When they sank the bodies, they muttered words no one could understand toward the sea. And... I swear I saw it. A huge shadow rose from beneath the water and took the coffin away."

"But nobody really dislikes them. After all, as long as you contact them in advance, they'll come collect your body after you die."

Lu Yuan was intrigued instead.

Corpses, sea burials, and shadows? It sounded very much like some kind of cult.

However, Lu Yuan felt that this group's problems were relatively minor.

First, Brent had secretly watched them without losing sanity or being discovered. If it were a sacrifice, then their target was far too weak.

Second, the Night Watchers had not deliberately targeted this group.

Still, he would have to learn more about them when he had the chance.

As Brent finished speaking:

[Grim Port Status: +9, 41/50]

Looking at the grayish-white words before him, Lu Yuan knew Brent's information was accurate, or at least correct.

But there were still nine points left. It seemed Grim Port was hiding something unknown.

"You did very well, Brent."

Lu Yuan stood, patted his shoulder, and took out a Key.

"This is the key to my clinic. Your sister Mina will still need you to take care of her in the future."

"Of course, I'll also lend you the room next door for now. You and your sister can live there from now on."

"I have something to take care of, so I'll leave Mina in your care for the moment."

After speaking, Lu Yuan took the hat hanging on the wall, straightened his clothes, and headed for the tavern.

The tavern had already returned to its usual bustle.

Quite a few people were already drinking.

Passing through the crowd and entering the hidden door, Lu Yuan arrived at the base.

This time, Lu Yuan's goal was simple: thoroughly master Basic Structure of the Sanity Barrier as soon as possible, then construct his own Sanity Barrier.

After the setback at dawn, there were noticeably more guards in the Night Watchers' base.

Especially along the way to the Library and near the area where Mutated Creatures were held.

Lu Yuan sensed at least four guards hiding in the shadows.

As the Lion-Head Gate slowly opened, the white light remained unchanged.

He raised his head and looked toward the lamp overhead.

A pitch-black shadow hung upside down from it like a bat, gently swaying as it slept soundly.

"Mo Shui, stop sleeping."

Lu Yuan tapped the table, his voice echoing through the empty Library.

"Spit out those two books from last time. I want to keep reading."

The black shadow stiffened, then began to squirm with extreme reluctance.

"Yaaawn—"

Mo Shui let out a long yawn. Its beady eyes suddenly opened as it looked down at Lu Yuan.

"What do you take this place for? Who comes to the Library early in the morning just to read?"

"I don't recall the Night Watchers having any rule that says I can't come to the Library at this hour." Lu Yuan remained calm.

Mo Shui curled its lips. Though it looked thoroughly displeased, it still opened its mouth.

"Blegh—"

With a retch, two thick books, wrapped in a streak of black slime, fell from its mouth.

Thud.

They landed heavily on the table.

One was Basic Structure of the Sanity Barrier, while the other was Deep Sea Creature Guide: From Egg to Adult.