Black Smoke

In an instant, the other mutants all froze. Did this really have to be taken so far?

What audacity—to make the border between two nations the objective, all to verify a single matter.

But for something this major, was it really appropriate to call in small fry like them?

"Of course, before the preparations are complete, it wouldn't be wise for me to make a move, lest that old fellow Xia Ya discover me." Adam skillfully brought up the presbyter's name to set himself off.

If you merely said how powerful you were, others would have no clear concept of it, and thus would fail to grasp your strength. At times like that, you needed someone well known to highlight you.

In Adam's view, presbyter Xia Ya was the strongest person in the entire Southern District church.

So when Adam casually spoke the presbyter's name, the others lowered their stances even further.

"So I need you to help me with some preparatory work. Don't worry, they're all small matters, and I won't be stingy with the rewards."

"The first task is to acquire House Number Seventeen by the South River Channel." Adam turned his head slightly and looked at someone in the crowd. "Sir, are you willing to serve me?"

The person Adam had singled out was a thin man. He wore a masquerade mask, and his clothes did not fit him very well. Adam could easily tell that he was not particularly skilled at disguises and was unfamiliar with the slums.

"Masks like that are generally useless to ordinary commoners. Deliberately wearing one only exposes the fact that you have a somewhat well-to-do background." Adam was in no hurry to hear his answer.

After hesitating for a moment, the man bent at the waist and said respectfully, "I am Will, and I am willing to serve Mr. Riges!"

"Good. I'll go there the day after tomorrow and perform the ritual for you. Ask Adel about the materials you'll need. There, I'll issue the next task. Whoever completes it will be the next person to receive the ritual." Adam nodded in approval, then looked at the others.

"Of course, you may also contact more trustworthy people. The more people there are, the sooner it will be your turn to receive the ritual." Adam spoke earnestly. The larger the organization he had built became, the more it would need to be divided.

Once there were enough people who had received the ritual, Adam could unveil the second stage of the ritual, or hand the secret of the first-stage ritual to someone and have them continue squeezing the others dry.

That way, Adam could sit firmly at the very top and control the entire organization without personally stepping into the fray.

"Though an organization structured like this won't last long, my personal strength is too weak. I can only control it this way."

After handling the main matters, Adam did not rush to leave. Instead, he had the others depart and kept Adel behind.

"What's going on with Jin?" Adam asked directly.

Although the mutants he had seen today each possessed their own abilities, and their combat abilities might all surpass his, when they were placed beside Jin, they felt like entirely different species.

"Uh, Mr. Jin is the strongest mutant I've ever encountered. I met him in the forest, and it was under his guidance that I found Hoda," Adel said hurriedly after a slight start.

"Jin appeared in the forest?" Adam instantly understood. Though his mind was somewhat muddled by the effects of his bloodline awakening, he still quickly seized upon the key point.

Adel had fled back to Roa but had not dared enter the city, and could only hide in the forest. It was only after meeting Jin there that he entered the city and settled down.

"And Jin has ties to Baron Mansla. Perhaps he is involved in the smuggling business as well. Beyond the forest, Roa's garrison patrols the area. During the day, the slums are teeming with carts and horses. The goods appear to be supplies purchased from towns and villages everywhere, but smuggled goods are actually mixed in among them."

"Then there must be a smuggling route hidden in the forest. Jin's appearance may have been to ensure that this route remained unobstructed."

Thinking this through, Adam felt much more at ease. "Even if werewolf mutants and nobles truly cooperate, it is only cooperation. They cannot possibly be truly inseparable."

"There must be some discord between Jin and Baron Mansla. If I can use that as an opening, I may be able to directly get involved in the smuggling operation and then escape smoothly."

"Very good." After sorting through his thoughts, Adam clapped his hands and said to Adel, "He is more important than I imagined. Work hard, and you can gain even more."

Adam said no more. With unhurried steps, he took another route away.

Fortunately, Adam did not run into Jin this time. He truly could not understand how Jin had managed to intercept him before.

After making sure no one was following him, Adam buried his clothes, cleared away his scent, and only then chose to leave.

"Something still feels off." As Adam walked, the werewolf Jin remained on his mind.

Jin had blocked his path for no apparent reason, only to let him go for no apparent reason. What exactly had he wanted to do?

He looked up at the sky. The bright moon already hung high overhead, large as a round disk, though still slightly incomplete.

"Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night will be the full moon." Adam even felt a vague premonition that his bloodline would surely awaken tomorrow night.

When the time came, the power of his bloodline would trace back to his ancestors, trace back through the past, unearth his talents, and then form an ability unique to him alone.

"Tomorrow, I have to hide somewhere safe early. Otherwise, the agitation of my bloodline can't be concealed. Once I transform, any disguise will be useless."

Even without transforming, Adam felt a powerful urge to do so as he stood beneath the moonlight. The id within his body kept trying to seize control of it.

"The id is the collection of the body's instincts, the most primitive desires in a person, the desires that satisfy instinctive impulses. Once it emerges, it will only obey the agitation of the bloodline."

"The id won't do anything dangerous after transforming, but transforming now is itself dangerous."

Adam could only suppress the urge to transform again and again.

"I wonder how much of a commotion tomorrow's awakening will cause." Adam quickly climbed back into the attic. He did not conduct his usual post-event review and immediately closed his eyes to rest.

He needed to be in better spirits to face tomorrow's bloodline awakening.

Elsewhere, Jin tied up his brown curls and, as though following some trail, made his way to the riverbank.

Standing beneath a tree, he looked at the buried object. His body swiftly began to writhe and swell, transforming into a massive werewolf.

Brown-black fur fluttered in the night wind, while shadows born of the darkness drifted like smoke and gathered around him.

Thick black smoke floated around Jin. He closed his eyes and entered a state of perception. As if transcending time and space, he condensed a perceptual illusion.

Adam, already asleep in the attic, suddenly frowned, as though he had sensed something.

Within the illusion, Adam cautiously probed the sounds around him beneath the tree before removing his presbyter's robes and mask.

"So it really is that little fellow." Jin shook his head. Then his gaze suddenly sharpened as he came to Adam's side and stared at the scar on Adam's left cheek, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"This scar—there's no mistake. Only that sword could have left a scar like this." Jin's eyes flickered. He withdrew from his state of perception and stood where he was, raising his head to look at the moon in the sky, lost in thought.

Only after a long while did a low laugh ring out, growing louder and louder.

Entering the state of perception once again, Jin carefully examined every trace of information Adam had left behind.

"Tomorrow is the day of awakening?" Watching the occasional subtle changes in Adam's eyes within the illusion, Jin slowly deduced much about Adam.

"A purebred werewolf, exceptionally gifted. His perception collided with mine before, causing him to enter a state of perception ahead of time. Added to the fact that he has never undergone a moonlit ritual, the awakening's effect will remain unchanged, but the awakening process itself will be extremely violent."

"He is also far too cautious, too repressive of his own instincts. These are all strengths, but they are detrimental to bloodline awakening."

Jin clapped his hands, withdrew from his transformed state, and turned to leave.

Adam in the attic also relaxed his brow. He curled up in the corner of the bed against the wall, drawing himself into a ball as he slipped into sleep for once.

All manner of things filled his dreams: the knowledge of his ancestors, his own past, strange and indescribable transformations, even memories from a more distant previous life.

On his body, a wisp of shadow transformed into black smoke.