I became the king of villains in the game

He quietly climbed the spiral staircase to the upper floor.

It was so cramped that he could not even stand upright and had to stoop.

A window had been set into the wall, so the light was not too dim.

The bookcases along the walls here were likewise packed with books. There were even books with nowhere to go, stacked together in a corner.

"I'll start reading up here, then."

Chen Lun nodded in satisfaction.

The more books there were, the better his chances of finding one containing "treasure."

Time always slipped by unnoticed when he was reading.

He had no idea how long had passed.

A familiar voice suddenly caught Chen Lun's attention.

"Mr. Taut, I'm here to return a few books."

"Oh, Miss Caroline, go right ahead... and might I add, you look positively lovely today."

Mrs. Caroline's soft laughter followed.

"You're as charming as ever, Mr. Taut."

"As the sun is my witness, I'm merely an honest old fellow."

Chen Lun put down his book and descended the spiral staircase.

Mrs. Caroline was holding two books, chatting with the bespectacled old man behind the counter.

"Hey, little Jack!"

Mrs. Caroline looked a little surprised to see Chen Lun, then greeted him.

"I went upstairs to look for you just now, but little Froy said you'd gone out. So you were here reading."

She walked over slowly and smiled kindly.

"There's a proverb in my hometown, Amethyst City: 'A man who loves to read is like the sun-even two hands cannot hide his radiance.'"

"Miss Caroline is saying you shine brilliantly, lad."

The old man chimed in from the side.

Mrs. Caroline rolled her eyes at him, which only made him chuckle.

"Reading is a good thing, but you mustn't miss your meals... we can still make it if we head back now."

Mrs. Caroline put down her books and gestured for Chen Lun to leave with her.

Chen Lun glanced at the sky outside. It was already evening.

"Sorry for the trouble, Mrs. Caroline."

"You're so polite, little Jack... by the way, little Froy learned one of my specialty dishes from me. It makes an excellent main course for dinner. You can give it a proper taste in a bit."

"I'm looking forward to it."

The two exchanged a few casual words.

He followed Mrs. Caroline out of the bookshop and into the stairwell.

Inwardly, however, he sighed.

Unfortunately, he had gone through every book in the bookshop's upstairs alcove without finding a single one containing supernatural knowledge.

Though that was only to be expected, coming away empty-handed today still left him a little annoyed.

"I'll come back tomorrow..."

Chapter 44: I'll just take a look

Knock, knock...

A knock sounded at the door.

"Mr. Jack."

Chen Lun opened the front door. Connie stood outside, her face full of excitement, holding the Mechanical Glove and the Blunderbuss.

"Mr. Jack, I think I have a few ideas, but I don't know whether they'll work..."

"Come in and tell me."

Chen Lun invited Connie inside.

They sat down in the living room. Chen Lun made her a cup of tea, leaving Connie a little embarrassed.

"Thank you, Mr. Jack."

"You're welcome."

Chen Lun glanced at the clock on the wall. It was half past eight in the morning.

Connie clearly found Mad Hands and Fierce Flame fascinating. She was so enthusiastic that she had come over this early to share her results.

Fortunately, it was the weekend, so Connie had no classes. Otherwise, the girl probably would have been unable to stop thinking about this even at school.

"...If I alter the internal structure as I've planned and reinforce the barrel, this firearm should become considerably more stable, with a lower risk of the barrel bursting..."

Connie took out a sheet of plans covered in structural diagrams and annotations.

Chen Lun gave it a quick look. He did not understand it, but it seemed impressive. All he could really tell was that Connie's handwriting was very neat.

"...Also, this weapon doesn't seem particularly demanding when it comes to ammunition, but personally, I still think steel balls would be the best choice. They'd reduce wear and extend its service life..."

"As for this Mechanical Glove, I keep feeling that something is missing, leaving some of its components as redundant, ineffective additions..."

Connie spoke confidently for more than ten minutes and still seemed reluctant to stop.

Throughout her explanations of things like "the function of a retaining pawl," "the fundamental law of gear-tooth meshing," "the number of instantaneous centers in a mechanism," and "the three-center theorem," Chen Lun merely nodded silently.

His expression said, Keep going. I know exactly what you mean.

She took a sip of tea, then looked up at Chen Lun with a hint of embarrassment.

"Connie, you really do seem to have a talent for this. If you think this approach is right, go ahead and try it."

Chen Lun offered her some praise, drinking his tea to conceal his utter ignorance.

In truth, he had given her Mad Hands and Fierce Flame to study not because he actually expected her to improve or optimize them, but simply because he wanted to see how talented she was in this field.

As it turned out, the girl was very likely a genius.

"Ah, thank you..."

Having her abilities recognized gave Connie a strong sense of accomplishment, and she felt delighted.

Then something else occurred to her, and her expression grew troubled.

"It's just that, Mr. Jack, modifying the firearm will require some tools and materials.

We don't have them at home, so I'll need to borrow them from a nearby workshop..."

Connie put it delicately, but Chen Lun knew she was short on money, so he generously gave her ten Gold Pounds.

"Mr. Jack, I don't need that much. I'm only buying a few materials and paying a small fee to use the equipment.

Besides, I know the people at that workshop. Hehe..."

Connie took only one gold coin and pushed the rest back.

Chen Lun smiled, took another coin, and placed it in Connie's hand.

"Consider the extra your payment."

"Thank you... Mr. Jack, you really are a generous gentleman. I-I even misjudged you before..."

Connie blushed, thoroughly embarrassed.

"It's all right."

Chen Lun shook his head, unbothered.

"Well then, Mr. Jack, I'll head back now."

Connie gave a final curtsy and left with her things.

After she left, Froy appeared behind Chen Lun.

"You seem to think highly of her?"

"Yes. She's very talented with machinery. I originally only meant to test her out, but it turns out I really did find a gem."

Froy nodded. Rather than continuing to discuss Connie, she asked:

"Are we going to Mrs. Caroline's for a meal?"

"Uh, no. You go without me today."

Chen Lun waved awkwardly.

He could not help remembering dinner at Mrs. Caroline's the previous evening.

Mrs. Caroline had first expressed her regret that Kent had left without saying goodbye. She seemed to know something, too. At the dinner table, she had harshly condemned the gang members in the Outer District, saying they had most likely driven Kent away.

Chen Lun had simply kept his head down and eaten.

He had already killed Kent, so there was little he could say. Wearing the Surging Badge gave him a huge appetite, so he had just focused on stuffing himself.

Besides that, Mrs. Caroline had kept asking whether he had found work, saying it was far too hard to make a living in the Outer District. She had also asked how things were going with the relatives he had come to stay with, and other such questions.

Chen Lun could not possibly tell her the truth, so he had fobbed her off with a few vague remarks.

Froy had sat nearby, enjoying the show.

Fortunately, she had eventually spoken up to ask Mrs. Caroline for cooking advice, finally diverting her attention.

Chen Lun could not help marveling.

She really was such a kind, considerate girl.