Resources and Preparation

When Lin Jie left the magnificent Underground City and returned to the surface, the night in London was still deep, but his state of mind had changed completely.

He was no longer the vagrant struggling in the gutters, liable to be crushed at any moment.

Tucked into his coat were ten heavy gold sovereigns, a Hunter's Handbook symbolizing his brand-new identity, and a commission pointing toward the unknown and the dangerous.

It was a sense of stability that came from finally taking control of his own fate.

Marcus, who followed behind him, remained as silent as an iceberg, but Lin Jie could feel that the lingering sense of being watched had vanished.

"I need a place to spend the night, and... to make some preparations." Lin Jie broke the silence first. "I assume the Association has a more decent place to stay than the Rat's Nest in the Whitechapel District?"

Marcus snorted through his nose, seemingly uncomfortable that Lin Jie still remembered his previous unpleasant pursuit.

"Follow me," he said concisely, then led Lin Jie into another quiet street.

They eventually arrived in front of a small, respectable-looking inn located in the Bloomsbury District.

The inn's sign featured a fox reading a book, giving it a rather scholarly air.

This was one of the many peripheral safe houses of the I.A.R.C., a base specifically provided for investigators on missions to rest temporarily.

Marcus showed his badge to the innkeeper, who immediately understood and arranged a clean, tidy single room for Lin Jie without charging any fees.

The room contained a comfortable bed, a separate washbasin, and a small fireplace for boiling water.

As the warm bathwater washed away the grime and fatigue he had accumulated over the past few days, Lin Jie truly felt like he had come back to life.

After confirming that Lin Jie was settled, Marcus stood guard in the hallway outside his door like a dutiful bodyguard, clearly not intending to have any further interaction with him.

Lin Jie was happy to have the peace and quiet.

He locked the door, spread the case file regarding the West India Docks out under the kerosene lamp, and began his first real "work" since arriving in this world.

He first poured the ten gold sovereigns onto the table, the golden circular metal flashing with an alluring luster under the light.

He had to reasonably plan the use of this "startup capital."

For a hunter, good equipment was the fundamental guarantee of survival and victory.

He took out paper and a pen and began to list the items he needed to purchase in an orderly fashion.

The first item, and the most important one, was intelligence.

He needed the most detailed and accurate map of London possible, especially regarding the docklands and its sewer system.

In nineteenth-century London, the sewer network had already taken shape; it was the perfect breeding ground for crime and anomalies, and he had a premonition that it would be the key to this investigation.

The second was the reshaping of his personal image.

He could no longer wear those ragged vagrant clothes.

He needed a set of clothes that were decent enough, yet not overly conspicuous, and easy to move in.

A well-fitting coarse cotton shirt, a pair of durable work pants, high-top leather boots that were effectively waterproof and slip-resistant, and a multi-pocket hunting jacket that could hold various sundries—these were all essential.

The third was critical tools.

His mind conjured up the equipment used by countless modern detectives and explorers, but he had to consider the technological level of this era.

First was lighting equipment; kerosene lamps and torches were too dangerous and inconvenient to carry in narrow environments.

He immediately thought of a substitute—a portable carbide lamp.

This device, which used the reaction between calcium carbide and water to generate acetylene for illumination, had already appeared in this era. Although not yet widespread, it was already being used in some professional mining or caving circles.

It could provide a more stable and brighter light source than a kerosene lamp, making it an excellent tool for night investigations.

Secondly, he also needed some basic investigative tools: a retractable monocular for observing distant objects; a hardcover notebook and several high-quality pencils to record clues; and a leather waist bag that could carry various small tools.

Finally, the item that concerned his very life was the replenishment of weapons and ammunition.

His Heart of Serenity only had one alchemical bullet left after the previous battle.

He had to find a way to replenish his ammunition.

He thought of that neurotic craftsman, Arthur Conan.

Although Barton hadn't said it explicitly, Lin Jie guessed that the Association must have a dedicated "logistics supply department" for consumables like ammunition.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Lin Jie began his "big shopping spree" according to the list he had made.

With the backing of money, his movements in this world capital became smoother than ever before.

He first went to a professional map surveying shop and spent a large sum of money to buy a military-grade detailed map of London drawn by the Royal Engineers, the accuracy of which far exceeded that of ordinary maps circulating on the market.

Immediately after, he went to a clothing store on Regent Street and completely replaced his ragged attire.

When he walked out of the shop wearing a brand-new hunting outfit, he looked like a completely different person. His face was still young, but that calm and steady temperament already possessed the bearing of a professional investigator.

The process of finding a carbide lamp took him more time.

He ran to several hardware stores and mining equipment suppliers before finally finding what he wanted in a shop that specialized in providing equipment for overseas expeditions.

It was a portable carbide lamp made of brass and glass with a precise structure; it even came with a reflector that could focus the light.

Seeing that he had a sharp eye, the shopkeeper also pushed a Kukri onto him, which could be used to hack through vines or for close-quarters defense. Lin Jie bought it without hesitation and hung it on his belt.

Throughout the entire procurement process, Marcus followed behind him like a silent shadow, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

He watched as Lin Jie, with clear objectives, methodically purchased various pieces of equipment that seemed "eccentric" to him, yet appeared genuinely useful; the disdain and impatience in his eyes were gradually being replaced by curiosity.

He had never seen a newcomer who knew exactly what they needed so clearly before their first mission.

After finishing the procurement of external equipment, Lin Jie, led by Marcus, returned to the Underground City once again through the secret passage of the British Museum.

This time, his destination was the Logistics Supply Zone.

The person in charge here was a one-eyed veteran named Quartermaster Old Tom.

He sat behind mountains of weapon and ammunition crates like a dragon guarding its treasure.

Only after Lin Jie showed him his Hunter's Handbook and mission number did Old Tom retrieve the items he needed from rows of drawers.

"These are standard Anti-Spirit Alchemical Bullets, .455 caliber, suitable for the Webley series of revolvers." Old Tom pushed over a paper box containing twelve rounds; the bullet tips also displayed that dark silver color mixed with silver nitrate.

"You need to pay 5 Association points, or the equivalent of 5 pounds."

The exorbitant price made Lin Jie click his tongue, but he still bought the entire box without hesitation.

Money could be earned again, but in a critical moment, these were twelve lives.

"So, are there other types of ammunition?" Lin Jie asked, thinking of the Mauser that Barton used, which could fire "freezing bullets."

A hint of approval flashed in Old Tom's single eye.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. But you don't have the clearance yet for those 'Specialized Ammunition' types that require specific UMA materials to exchange. When you can hunt a Town Rank UMA on your own, come back and see me with its core material."

Lin Jie nodded and carefully tucked away the ammunition and the change in gold coins.

The day's preparations were finally complete.

When he returned to his hotel room and laid out all his "new equipment"—a detailed map, a portable carbide lamp, binoculars, a Kukri, and twelve brand-new alchemical bullets—one by one on the table, an unprecedented sense of ambition surged within his chest.

He was no longer that poor wretch who could only rely on a single gun and an incomprehensible diary to survive.

Lin Jie's gaze finally settled on the map marked with the West India Docks.

"It's time to act."