Adventures in the Outer District

Unlike the Inner District, the Outer District of Havenlight remained quite lively even after nightfall.

Although this world lacked electric lights, the streets were still bustling with residents guided by the glow of oil lamps. Most shops remained open, with people coming and going, showing no signs of closing. This was to say nothing of the entertainment venues; even ordinary taverns could be heard from over ten meters away, filled with the roar of a crowd.

It made sense, really. The Church's curfew was only enforced in the Inner District. Because the Outer District was so vast, enforcing it there would require far too much manpower. The Church wasn't willing to spend the resources, so they simply let it develop on its own.

The Fool Family, for instance, relied on the entertainment industry in the Outer District for the bulk of their income. With such tangled ties, the nights in the Outer District could never be truly pious. Devout believers who preferred peace either became priests and entered the Inner District or gathered in the Divine Blessing District of the Outer District. That was a zone specifically designated by the Church; though it was packed with people, it was quieter than the Inner District itself.

Aside from the Divine Blessing District, the Outer District had no other deliberately planned functional zones. It was simply too large; if they had set up a dedicated entertainment district or residential district, it would take residents a long time to go out for leisure. For the sake of convenience, everything in the Outer District—except for religion—was mixed together.

At this moment, Benjamin was walking along the main road on the west side of the Outer District.

He observed the passing crowds, walking vigilantly toward the place Jeremy had mentioned.

The complex terrain and demographic composition naturally resulted in chaotic public security, especially in this western sector. The state had invested quite a bit of manpower and resources into security, but the final results were mediocre at best. People lived their lives well enough, though the local customs were rather "rugged."

Benjamin was carrying quite a few things on him: the pocket money he had saved for a long time, the cross the bishop had given him, and the gun he had stolen from Claude's study. If a pickpocket were to swipe his belongings, he wouldn't even know where to go to cry.

He had to be careful—very, very careful. You never knew when some inconspicuous brat might pop out from the side of the street and steal his belongings without him even noticing.

Just as this thought crossed Benjamin's mind, a timid-looking child approached him from not far away.

Oh?

He felt as though his predictions were godlike.

Look at that, here it comes.

Judging by the shifty, rat-like look on that little brat's face, he would definitely "accidentally" bump into him, take a tumble, and then scurry away. By the time Benjamin realized what happened and checked his pockets, his valuables would have long since vanished—that was how it always played out on TV.

Did they really think he was some easy-to-fool fat sheep? He had seen this routine plenty of times.

Come on then, let's see what you've got! I want to see if you actually dare to steal from me!

With that, Benjamin raised his vigilance to one hundred and twenty percent, watching the child slowly approach... and approach...

Was he about to make his move?

"Are you crazy?! Why do you keep staring at our child like that!"

Benjamin froze.

Standing next to the child was a burly middle-aged woman. She quickly pulled the child into her arms, looking at Benjamin with a wary expression, as if she were looking at a pervert who kidnapped children.

"..."

Awkward.

His focus had been too intense; he hadn't noticed anyone else nearby.

"Hahahaha—!" The system burst into laughter in Benjamin's mind.

"...I'm sorry."

Benjamin tried his best to keep his face expressionless as he spoke to the woman.

"Crazy," the middle-aged woman muttered, pulling the child away from Benjamin. Her words drifted back from a distance, "Good child, don't be afraid. That person has a mental problem, let's stay away..."

Benjamin felt like dying.

This was the consequence of having too wild an imagination.

Thinking too much was a disease that needed curing.

Just as Benjamin wished he could bang his head against a wall, a dirty-looking child suddenly rushed out from the side of the street. The moment the child appeared, he charged straight at Benjamin, slamming into him before Benjamin could react. By the time Benjamin realized what was happening, the child had already run off.

"..."

Benjamin checked his pocket. The money he had brought to buy the gun was gone.

Son of a bitch.

The sound of the system laughing even harder echoed in his mind.

Benjamin's temper flared instantly. He turned around in a rage and sprinted after the child. Passersby on the street were so shocked by this sudden turn of events that they dropped their snacks, looking up in a daze at the chase, causing a scene of utter chaos.

"You motherfucker, stop right there!" Benjamin roared.

That was his pocket money for the last half-year. Even if it was the previous Benjamin who had saved it, it was still his money! Coupled with the earlier incident, his mental state was truly exploding.

The child was clearly an old hand at this; ignoring Benjamin's shouts, he made a sharp turn and slipped into a small alley.

"Damn it, he's fast."

Benjamin followed immediately.

As he ran, he pulled out the gun tucked into the back of his waistband.

Anger didn't cloud his judgment; instead, it made his mind race faster. The brat was a veteran, running at top speed and knowing the terrain better than he did. Plus, after the morning's training, his legs were still aching. If he kept chasing like this, he would definitely lose him.

If he really lost him, where would he go to cry?

Thinking of this, Benjamin steeled himself.

Since it was a brat, he wouldn't blame himself for violating the minor protection laws!

After chasing around another alley corner, he didn't hesitate. He disengaged the safety, raised the gun while running, and the shooting interface appeared before his eyes once again.

He quickly aimed at the child's knee.

Shooting while moving, and shooting a moving target—in the Gunfire Camp's training, this would be considered the highest level of difficulty. But for Benjamin, he had the shooting system; he could do it with ease.

Bang!

He fired.

The child let out a miserable scream, collapsed to the ground, and struggled a few times, unable to stand up and run again.

Seeing this, Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief.

His money was finally saved.

However, he quickly entered a state of tension again.

Three strangely dressed people suddenly walked out from around the corner of the alley. They wore robes somewhat like Michelle's, but they didn't use hoods to cover their faces, allowing Benjamin to see them clearly. They were three adult males—one old, one tall, one short—all carrying an eerie aura.

They had clearly heard the gunshot. They glanced at the child on the ground with strange expressions, then looked at Benjamin not far away, and stopped in their tracks.

A sense of foreboding immediately welled up in Benjamin's heart.

If he remembered correctly, those robes looked very similar to the mage robes Michelle wore?

No way, could he run into mages in the Royal Capital just by running around? What kind of luck was this? Uncle Bishop, your anti-vice work is clearly not up to par!

Benjamin didn't feel lucky that they might be mages, nor did he think about exchanging magical insights. On the contrary, he didn't feel any goodwill from these three. His intuition told him these guys were no good.

Moreover, more importantly, in the process of the chase, he seemed to have arrived at an unknown location. He was in a dark, narrow alley, the dim moonlight making the place appear even more desolate, with not a single passerby around.

He had really screwed up this time...

"This has nothing to do with you. This kid is a thief; he stole my money. I just want my money back," he shouted at the three of them after a moment of thought.

He still didn't want to cause trouble.

The three exchanged glances, and suddenly, the one who looked the oldest spoke:

"He has seen our identities. We cannot let them interfere with our plans. Kill them both."

Benjamin's heart sank.

Just as he was thinking fast about how to handle this situation, a voice suddenly came from behind him:

"It's The Fallen! Attack! Don't let them get away!"

A couple dressed as commoners suddenly rushed out from the alley entrance behind Benjamin, heading straight for the three men. Their agility shocked everyone present.

Benjamin was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized:

These were the people the Church had sent to watch him, just disguised.

Right, why was he panicking? The Church's people had been there all along!

Looking closely, the "wife" among the couple was actually a man wearing a wig and a dress. He threw off his wig, and with one hand, pulled two long swords from beneath his puffed-up skirt. He tossed one long sword to his "husband," gripped the other in his own hand, and wearing high heels, charged toward the three men with a war cry.

Benjamin was dumbfounded.

Impressive, my sister—oh wait, my brother?

Two of the younger men among the three seemed to be stunned by this scene, their mouths hanging open, unable to react. Only the oldest one's expression changed, and he began chanting a spell without hesitation.

Benjamin suddenly felt a disturbance in the water elements.

A layer of pale blue water bubbles enveloped the three of them.

"Water Barrier!" Benjamin couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

The two disguised knights quickly rushed to the front of the three and swung their swords. As the blades made contact with the bubbles, a burst of Holy Light shone from the long swords, and the bubbles trembled violently. However, the bubbles ultimately blocked the strike without bursting.

Not only the two knights but even Benjamin was shocked.

Such a powerful Water Barrier?

If Benjamin wasn't mistaken, those two long swords had been blessed. Even if they had appeared in the form of lifting a skirt to reveal a sword, their sharpness wouldn't have been diminished in the slightest. Yet, this thin layer of water barrier could block the attacks of two swords simultaneously; it was truly astonishing.

He couldn't help but wonder when he would have such strength.

On the other side, the elderly mage saw the bubbles blocking the attack and let out a cold laugh.

"Just two Holy Knights. If you were wearing Holy Light armor, you might have been able to save your lives, but now..."

As he spoke, he patted the shoulders of the other two.

Reminded, the two men immediately snapped out of their daze and began chanting spells, preparing to launch magic.

A fireball and a wind blade formed in their hands and were launched toward the two knights respectively.

The knights, however, were not panicked. Facing the magical attacks, the two moved in perfect unison, each performing a backflip followed by a horizontal slash, their swords glowing with Holy Light as they shattered the fireball and wind blade.

Seeing this, the elderly mage, who had just been smug, saw his face turn black.

"Are you idiots? Why are you attacking separately? Focus on one person! It's impossible for them to slash away two spells with one blade! Where did you forget everything I taught you?" He didn't seem surprised by the knights' skills, but was so angered by the two idiots that he couldn't help but scold them.

While he was speaking, the knights rushed up, one sword each, and finally broke the water bubbles.

Unfortunately, the elderly mage hadn't let his guard down while scolding. Before the knights could land a second strike, he immediately replenished a Water Barrier, blocking the knights who were trying to continue their attack.

Benjamin was somewhat amazed. This person was strong; not only was his magic level high, but his combat experience was also very rich. Facing two Holy Knights, he still seemed to have plenty of room to spare. The timing of his Water Barrier release was simply seamless.

Where did such a powerful mage come from?

For some reason, Benjamin smelled a scent on them that ordinary wild mages didn't have—the scent of an organization.

While Benjamin was marveling, this time, the two young mages reacted much faster. They immediately began casting, and another fireball and wind blade formed.

Interestingly, they chose the "wife" as their focus of fire in unison.

Perhaps they both felt that this disguise was a bit of an eyesore and wanted to get rid of it quickly.

However, the "wife's" agility was extraordinary; another backflip followed by a horizontal slash, and the incoming fireball and wind blade were completely wiped out. The "husband" took this opportunity to launch a frantic offensive against the water bubbles.

"..."

The elderly mage's face turned even darker.

"I'm so pissed off! Who focuses fire like that? Can't you attack from two angles? If one of you is in front and one is behind, can he block both with one sword? Did I never teach you that? Are you idiots? Before their swords even touched me, I'd be pissed to death by you two!"

The two were a bit confused by the scolding. The shorter one hesitated and spoke weakly:

"But teacher, how do we control magic to attack from two angles? We don't know how."

"..."

Fortunately, the knights broke the water bubbles again, resolving the awkwardness in time.

The elderly mage didn't faint from anger only because he had to cast a spell to replenish the Water Barrier.

Even Benjamin, as a bystander, felt exhausted for them.

It was a perfectly good fight, a clash between a mage and Holy Knights, so why did it turn out like this?

It wasn't just the elderly mage who was suffering; clearly, the knights weren't in a great mood either. When the water bubbles appeared for the third time, a look of "life is meaningless" flashed in their eyes. Especially the one wearing the dress and high heels—Benjamin felt that beneath his thick eyeshadow, there seemed to be tears shimmering.

The world is a hard place...

To make a living these days, even Holy Knights have to work this hard.