When he left the magnificent Underground City and returned to the surface, the night in London was still deep, but Lin Jie's state of mind had changed completely.
He was no longer the vagrant who had struggled in the gutters, always on the verge of being crushed to death.
He had ten heavy gold pounds in his arms, a Hunter's Handbook symbolizing his new identity, and a commission pointing toward the unknown and dangerous.
It gave him the reassuring feeling of having control over his own fate.
Marcus followed behind him, still as silent as an iceberg, but Lin Jie could feel that the ever-present sensation of being watched had disappeared.
"I need somewhere to spend the night, and... to make some preparations," Lin Jie said, breaking the silence first. "I assume the Association has accommodations a little more respectable than the Rat's Nest in Whitechapel District?"
Marcus gave a snort, seeming somewhat uncomfortable that Lin Jie still remembered his earlier, unpleasant pursuit.
"Come with me," he said tersely, then led Lin Jie down another quiet street.
They eventually stopped in front of a rather respectable-looking little inn in Bloomsbury District.
Its sign depicted a fox reading a book, giving it a scholarly air.
It was one of the many peripheral safe houses maintained by I.A.R.C., a place where investigators on assignment could rest temporarily.
Marcus showed the innkeeper his identification badge, and the man immediately understood. He arranged a clean, tidy single room for Lin Jie without charging him anything.
The room had a comfortable bed, a private washbasin, and a small fireplace where he could heat water.
Only when the warm bathwater washed away the grime and fatigue that had accumulated on his body over the past several days did Lin Jie truly feel alive again.
Once Lin Jie was settled, Marcus stationed himself in the corridor outside his door like a dutiful bodyguard, clearly uninterested in talking with him any more than necessary.
Lin Jie was perfectly happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
He locked the door, spread the case file on the West India Docks across the table beneath the lamplight, and began the first real "work" he had done since arriving in this world.
First, he poured the ten gold pounds onto the table. The round golden coins gleamed alluringly in the lamplight.
He needed to make sensible use of this "startup capital."
For a hunter, good equipment was fundamental to survival and victory.
He took out paper and pen and began methodically listing the supplies he needed.
The first item, and the most important, was information.
He needed the most detailed, accurate map of London he could find, especially one showing the docks and their underground sewer system.
Nineteenth-century London's sewer network was already fairly extensive. It was an ideal breeding ground for crime and the uncanny, and he had a feeling it would be key to this investigation.
The second item was a new look.
He couldn't keep wearing those ragged vagrant's clothes.
He needed something respectable but inconspicuous, and easy to move around in.
A well-fitting coarse cotton shirt, a pair of durable work trousers, a pair of high-top leather boots with good waterproofing and grip, and a multi-pocketed hunting jacket that could hold all kinds of odds and ends were all essential.
The third item was a set of crucial tools.
Countless pieces of equipment used by modern detectives and explorers came to mind, but he had to take the technology of this era into account.
First was a light source. Kerosene lamps and torches were too dangerous in confined spaces and inconvenient to carry.
He immediately thought of an alternative—a portable carbide lamp.
This device used the reaction between calcium carbide and water to produce acetylene for illumination. It had already appeared in this era, though it was not yet widespread. Some professional miners and cave explorers had started using it.
It could provide a steadier, brighter light than a kerosene lamp, making it an excellent tool for night investigations.
Next, he needed some basic investigative tools: a collapsible monocular telescope for observing distant objects; a hardbound notebook and a few good pencils for recording clues; and a leather belt pouch to carry various small tools.
Last, and most vital to his life, was a restock of weapons and ammunition.
After the previous battle, only one Alchemy Bullet remained for his [Heart of Serenity].
He had to find a way to replenish his ammunition.
He thought of Arthur Conan, the twitchy craftsman.
Barton hadn't said so outright, but Lin Jie guessed that the Association had a dedicated "logistics supply office" for consumables like ammunition.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Lin Jie began his "big shopping trip," following the list he had drawn up.
With money in hand, getting around the capital of this world became easier than ever.
He first visited a specialist mapmaking shop and paid a hefty sum for a military-grade topographic map of London, drawn by the Royal Engineers. It was far more accurate than the ordinary maps on the market.
Next, he went to a clothing shop on Regent Street and replaced his tattered outfit completely.
When he left the shop in his new hunting clothes, he looked like a different person. His face was still youthful, but his calm, composed demeanor had begun to give him the bearing of a professional investigator.
Finding a carbide lamp took him much longer.
He visited several hardware stores and mining equipment suppliers before finally finding what he wanted at a shop specializing in outfitting overseas expeditions.
It was a precisely constructed portable carbide lamp made of brass and glass. It even came with a reflector that could focus the beam.
The shopkeeper recognized his discerning eye and also tried to sell him a Kukri that could chop through vines and serve as a weapon in close combat. Lin Jie bought it without hesitation and fastened it to his belt.
Throughout the shopping trip, Marcus followed him like a silent shadow, keeping a little distance.
He watched as Lin Jie bought one item after another, all chosen with purpose and in an orderly fashion. They seemed "strange" to Marcus, but also genuinely useful. The contempt and impatience in his eyes gradually gave way to curiosity.
He had never seen a newcomer who knew so clearly what he needed before going on his first mission.
After finishing his shopping, Lin Jie followed Marcus back to the Underground City through the secret passage in the British Museum.
This time, his destination was the Logistics Supply Zone.
The person in charge was a one-eyed veteran who went by the name Quartermaster Old Tom.
He sat behind a mountain of weapons and ammunition crates like a dragon guarding its treasure.
After Lin Jie showed him his Hunter's Handbook and mission number, Old Tom retrieved what he needed from a row of drawers.
"These are standard Anti-Spirit Alchemical Bullets, .455 caliber, suitable for the Webley series of revolvers." Old Tom slid over a paper box containing twelve rounds. Their bullets were the same dark silver color, mixed with silver nitrate.
"You'll need to pay five Association points, or the equivalent of five gold pounds."
The steep price made Lin Jie wince, but he still bought the whole box without hesitation.
Money could be earned again, but at a critical moment, these would be twelve lives.
"Do you have any other types of bullets?" Lin Jie asked. He was thinking of Barton's Mauser, which could fire "freezing bullets."
A note of approval flashed in Old Tom's one eye.
"You've got some ideas, kid. But you don't have the clearance for the 'Specialized Ammunition' that requires UMA materials to redeem. Once you can hunt a Town Rank UMA on your own, bring me its core material."
Lin Jie nodded and carefully put away the ammunition and his change.
A full day of preparations was finally complete.
When he returned to his room at the inn and laid out all his "new equipment" on the table—the detailed map, portable carbide lamp, telescope, Kukri, and twelve brand-new Alchemy Bullets—a surge of ambition unlike anything he had felt before welled up inside him.
He was no longer the poor wretch who had to survive with nothing but a gun and a diary he couldn't understand.
Lin Jie's gaze finally settled on the map marked with the West India Docks.
"It's time to get moving."
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