Capital

Evening.

The fog had rolled into Grey Gull Port again.

Clammy, carrying the stench of the sea.

A black carriage stood at the entrance to Dark Alley.

It looked utterly out of place amid its surroundings.

Its carriage body gleamed with fresh varnish, and all four wheels were wrapped in shock-absorbing rubber.

The two horses pulling it had glossy coats and looked livelier than the gaunt beggars in the alley.

The coachman wore a crisp uniform and white gloves, a long whip in his hand.

He did not dare drive the carriage inside.

He was afraid of dirtying the wheels.

"Remember."

Old Jack stood in the shadows of the alley and straightened Su Li's collar.

"Talk less."

"Work more."

Old Jack's lone eye gleamed sharply in the darkness.

Like an old father sending his child into an examination hall.

Though this "examination hall" was a bed.

Su Li nodded.

The black cloak he wore was loose enough to conceal the white clothes beneath it, as well as his face.

"I'm going."

Su Li did not look back.

Wearing a pair of ill-fitting boots, he walked out of Dark Alley.

Every step was steady.

He had learned that at the docks.

Back then, he had carried two-hundred-pound sacks. If he had not walked steadily, he would have been crushed into pulp long ago.

But now, that steadiness looked like composure in the eyes of others.

Like nobility.

The coachman immediately jumped down when he saw Su Li emerge.

He bowed.

Then opened the carriage door.

He even thoughtfully placed the stepping stool in position.

Su Li stepped onto it and entered the carriage.

The carriage door shut.

Cutting off the damp cold and foul stench outside.

It was warm inside.

A thick long-pile carpet covered the floor, soft beneath his feet like clouds.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air.

It was not the cheap smell of scented powder, but an elegant woody aroma.

Su Li leaned against the cushions, the seat beneath him soft and plush.

It felt so comfortable that he wanted to curse.

Damn rich people.

He had slept on hard boards in that drafty shack for fifty years.

Yet these people turned even a carriage ride into something fit for a palace.

The carriage started moving.

It was very smooth. He could barely feel any jolting.

Su Li lifted a corner of the curtain.

The scenery outside slid backward.

The low shantytowns gradually vanished.

They were replaced by broad streets and bright gas lamps.

And detached houses with gardens.

About half an hour later.

The carriage stopped.

"Sir, we've arrived."

The coachman's voice sounded from outside.

The carriage door opened.

Su Li stepped out.

A huge wrought-iron gate filled his view.

Golden maple leaf decorations twined across it.

Red Maple Manor.

Lady Charlotte's territory.

The gates slowly opened.

The carriage drove in, following a path covered in white gravel.

Neatly trimmed hedges lined both sides.

There was also an enormous fountain pool.

A marble statue stood in the middle of it, a goddess holding a water jug.

Water poured from the jug's mouth with a rushing sound.

The carriage stopped before the main building.

A middle-aged woman in a black-and-white maid's uniform was already waiting there.

She looked severe.

Her hair was combed without a single strand out of place.

"Follow me."

The head maid wasted no words.

She did not even give Su Li a proper glance.

They were all just disposable goods.

Su Li said nothing either.

He tightened his cloak and followed her.

They passed through a long corridor.

Oil paintings hung on the corridor walls.

He could not understand what they depicted, but every frame was trimmed in gold.

The carpet beneath his feet was thick enough to swallow his shoes.

The head maid stopped before a pair of double doors.

"Go in."

"Wash yourself clean."

"Even though you washed outside, there are rules here."

The head maid coldly threw out those words.

Then pushed open the door.

Su Li walked in.

The door closed behind him.

The room was absurdly large.

Larger than the fifty-man dormitory from his previous life.

A massive round bed stood in the middle.

Pink gauze curtains hung around it.

An attached bathroom stood nearby.

The bathtub had been carved from a single block of white jade.

Steam rose from the water inside.

Red rose petals floated across the surface.

Su Li sighed.

Another bath.

He was about to scrub off a layer of skin.

But he still took off his clothes.

Since he had accepted the job, he had to be professional.

He soaked in the bathtub for a while.

Then put his white silk robe back on.

His wet hair hung loosely over his shoulders.

He walked to the huge bed.

And sat down.

The mattress was so soft it seemed to have no support at all, and half his body sank into it.

Su Li lowered his head slightly.

His eyes fixed on a spot on the floor.

Time passed second by second.

The room was quiet.

Only the faint crackling of burning wood came from the fireplace.

Snap.

Snap.

Su Li had maintained that pose for about half an hour.

His legs were starting to go numb.

And he was getting hungry.

Those two meat pies had long since been digested.

Why isn't she here yet?

Do rich people have no sense of time?

Su Li grumbled inwardly.

Drowsiness gradually washed over him.

The bed was too soft.

The room was too warm.

Compared to that drafty shack, this place was practically a haven for sleep.

Su Li's eyelids began to droop.

His head nodded bit by bit.

Just as he was about to fall asleep.

Click.

The sound of the doorknob turning.

Su Li jolted awake.

He quickly adjusted his posture.

And swallowed the drool that was about to spill out.

His gaze turned melancholy and profound again.

In truth, as long as he focused a little, that state seemed to activate on its own.

The door opened.

Su Li did not look up.

He had to keep up appearances.

Not until the sound of high heels stepping across the carpet reached him.

It was not the sound of one person's footsteps.

They were somewhat chaotic.

Su Li froze for a moment.

He raised his eyelids slightly.

The next second.

He was stunned to see three people standing at the door.

Lady Charlotte was in front.

She had changed clothes.

She wore a black lace nightgown, half-transparent.

She still held that glass of red wine.

To her left.

was the tall woman with glasses he had seen at the restaurant.

She wore a dark blue robe and held...

Su Li had never seen the one on the right.

She was a plump noblewoman, smiling warmly and looking rather kind.

"Is this that prince?"

The tall woman's voice was a little hoarse.

"He does look quite good."

The plump woman leaned closer as well.

"Oh my, that little face."

"It just makes your heart ache."

"Charlotte, where did you dig up such a treasure?"

Lady Charlotte smiled and took a sip of wine.

"A pearl from Dark Alley."

"Well?"

"Was putting this gathering together worth it tonight?"

Su Li listened to their conversation.

His mind buzzed.

A gathering?

Wasn't this a solo dungeon?

How had it turned into a team raid?

That old bastard Old Jack!

He only said he had to serve Lady Charlotte. He never mentioned a whole entourage of friends and family!

Su Li felt a chill run down his back.

These three women.

They looked like the sort of spider demons who could devour a person alive.

Especially the one holding...

Su Li really wanted to run, but it seemed he could not escape now.

Screw it.

Su Li took a deep breath.

He raised his head.

His eyes looked straight at Lady Charlotte.

There was no fear in them.

No panic.

Only a faint, helpless mockery of fate. Pretended, of course.

"Since I'm here."

Su Li spoke.

His voice was cool, with a trace of hoarseness from having just woken up.

"Then let's do it together."

The three women froze at the same time.

Then.

Lady Charlotte burst into laughter.

She laughed so hard her whole body trembled.

A few drops of red wine spilled from her glass.

"Good!"

"I like ones with spirit!"

The heavy mahogany door slowly closed.

The last sliver of light was shut out beyond the door.

The next day.

Morning sunlight pierced through the fog over Grey Gull Port.

Rarely, it was good weather.

The back gate of Red Maple Manor quietly opened.

An inconspicuous gray carriage rolled out.

Su Li sat inside.

His posture was a little strange.

He was half reclining.

Two thick cushions were propped behind his waist.

One hand supported his lower back.

His brows were tightly furrowed.

"Hiss..."

Whenever the carriage jolted even slightly.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

It hurt.

It really hurt.

It felt like his kidneys were about to run away from home.

Those three women were simply not human.

They were beasts.

The entire night.

They really had not treated him like a person at all.

He did not even get a moment to catch his breath.

"Is this the price of making money?"

Su Li looked out the window.

"Not just anyone can live off a woman."

"You need kidneys forged from iron."

The carriage swayed along the road.

And took him back to the lower district.

It stopped beside that familiar garbage disposal area.

Su Li painfully climbed down from the carriage.

Every movement made the bones throughout his body protest.

This time, the driver did not even put down a step stool for him.

He simply drove the carriage away.

As if throwing away a piece of used trash.

Su Li did not care.

As he passed that pile of garbage.

Even the stench felt strangely familiar.

At least those three crazy women were not here.

Back in that dim little room.

Old Jack was sitting by the table, counting money.

A pile of silver coins.

They clinked and rattled.

Hearing the door open, Old Jack looked up.

When he saw Su Li bracing himself against the wall, pale-faced.

Old Jack could not hold it in.

He burst out laughing.

"Yo."

"His Highness the Prince is back?"

"The battle must have been fierce."

"Looks like Lady Charlotte was very satisfied."

Su Li did not even have the strength to curse him.

He dragged himself to the bed.

And fell straight down onto it.

The bed was hard.

But right now, it felt like heaven.

"Where is it?"

Su Li buried his face in the blanket.

His voice was muffled.

Old Jack did not hesitate.

He pulled a small dark blue booklet from his coat.

And tossed it onto Su Li.

Smack.

"Take it."

"This is the lifeline you wanted."

Su Li abruptly rolled over and sat up, not caring whether his waist hurt.

He grabbed the little booklet.

A dark blue cover.

The double-headed eagle emblem of the Orenda Kingdom was printed on it.

Stamped in gold.

It had a raised texture beneath his fingers.

With trembling hands, Su Li opened to the first page.

A portrait was pasted inside.

It was him.

Though it was drawn a little abstractly, the eyes had been captured well.

A line of text was written beside it.

[Name: Su Li]

[Place of origin: Ancient Eastern Kingdom]

[Status: Free citizen (approved through special talent recruitment)]

[Residence: Thirteenth Street, Lower District, Grey Gull Port]

At the bottom.

There was a bright red seal.

City Hall's official stamp.

It was real.

This was a real Resident ID.

Su Li looked at that red seal.

His eyes grew a little hot.

Fifty years.

He had lived like a dog for fifty years for this thing.

Now.

He had finally gotten it.

Though the price he paid was a sore waist.

This deal.

Was worth it.

Su Li closed the booklet.

And carefully tucked it into his clothes.

Pressed against his skin.

"You old bastard."

Su Li lay back down on the bed.

He looked at the pitch-black ceiling.

At last, a sincere smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Thanks."

Old Jack curled his lip.

And continued counting his silver coins.

"Thank my ass."

"This is a transaction."

"Each of us gets what we needs."

"But..."

Old Jack stopped what he was doing.

His one eye fixed on Su Li.

"Now that you have this certificate..."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Are you really going to Golden Glow Avenue to find some rich woman to keep you?"

Su Li closed his eyes.

The [Sword Brows Starry Eyes] trait made him so handsome that even with his eyes closed, people wanted to look at him a little longer.

"Keep me?"

"Once is enough."

"I can't enjoy that kind of blessing."

Su Li's voice was soft.

It carried the grounded sense of relief of finally having landed.