Fog City, Brent district.
In the early morning, a gauzy layer of mist hung over the streets of Brent.
"Ding-a-ling-"
The door to a café swung open, and two men in suits walked in. They placed a simple order with the server, then both turned their attention to the two-seater sofa by the window.
A handsome boy with blond hair and golden eyes was devouring a deluxe sandwich. Noticing their stares, he turned and gave them a huge smile.
"Evan, I take back my earlier grumbling. He probably didn't come here to mock us. This brother of ours is far too young. He doesn't even have a Class. Hmm, he must be someone of Heaven's bloodline living outside our ranks. Every year, a few lucky souls awaken unexpectedly thanks to their ancestors' glory," Ximen said to Evan beside him.
"You should look at it another way. A junior who doesn't even have a Class completed the directive before we did," Evan replied expressionlessly. Then he walked over to Xia Xiu first and sat on the sofa opposite him.
Ximen sighed and followed him over to sit down across from Xia Xiu.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Xiu Abraham." Xia Xiu picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, then gave them a radiant smile.
Evan Lowell and Ximen Fulica. Old acquaintances!
Facing Xia Xiu's radiant smile, Ximen fondly wondered how juniors these days could be so adorable, then introduced himself:
"Burial Agency-Ximen Fulica."
"Abraham... a blood relative of the Father of Many Nations' branch? That branch really has scattered far too many descendants beyond our ranks," Evan murmured to himself.
Seeing this, Ximen pointed at him and introduced him to Xia Xiu:
"This is my colleague, Evan Lowell."
"Got it." Xia Xiu nodded.
"Do you have any information on 4-331?"
Evan put the question directly to Xia Xiu. Beside him, Ximen gave him a speechless look. Couldn't you be a little more tactful? Would it kill you to get to know our junior before asking?
Xia Xiu opened a holographic projection displaying a map of Fog City downloaded from Deer College's think tank.
Ximen and Evan both frowned.
"Deer College's think tank. External equipment," Evan said in a low voice.
"Xiu, come back to the Sanctum with us once the mission is over. I'll recommend you to the Order of Monks for further training. What is someone of the Heaven Lineage doing in a place full of bookworms?" Ximen said seriously.
"Ahem. According to the Deer College Student Handbook, anyone from an outside Lineage who links to Deer College must graduate before they can leave of their own accord. That contract is backed by the [Ether Sea]," Xia Xiu said, putting on a pained expression.
"That's easy enough. We'll point a gun at Deer College's old fossil and make him let you graduate," Ximen declared.
Good grief. No wonder the people at Deer College call Heaven a bunch of barbarians. With seniors like you leading the way, you're the ones who ruined the culture!
Oh, I'm a barbarian now too. Never mind, then.
Xia Xiu gave an awkward laugh. "Please calm down, sir. I checked at Deer College. People from Heaven have studied there before."
"That was centuries ago. What brother of the Heaven Lineage would be left wandering outside our ranks nowadays?"
"Look at you. You're still Classless, aren't you? You must be having a rough time out there. Come back to the Sanctum. Our benefits are several times better than those of other Lineages. Deer College isn't even fit to carry our shoes," Ximen continued.
No, I'm doing quite well out here.
And don't assume I've never been in Heaven. I know Eden's midnight-to-midnight, seven-days-a-week work schedule better than anyone.
Just look at how travel-worn you two are. That tells me exactly what kind of corporate slaves the Heaven Lineage produces. Isn't being a student at Deer College better than being a wage slave like you?
"Take a look at this list first." Xia Xiu sent them the list he had obtained from Harry through the Lineage.
"What's this?" Ximen sipped the coffee the server had brought and swiped through the list.
"A list of Flesh-Eating Cult members in the Fog City area."
"Pfft-"
Ximen sprayed his coffee toward Evan's forehead. Prepared for this, Evan raised a menu to block the spray. Sometimes, he really wanted to crack Ximen's skull open the way he did heretics' skulls and drain some of the water from that soggy brain.
"Cough, cough, cough-what... did you just say?" Ximen asked again, unsure he had heard correctly.
"The names on that list belong to members of the Flesh-Eating Cult in the Fog City area. Only practitioners, of course, not Lineage holders," Xia Xiu replied.
"This is good stuff." Ximen eagerly saved the list. This was perfect for boosting his performance figures. Completing this job would let him exchange his rewards for plenty of good things from Eden.
"What do you want?" Evan asked calmly. He was embarrassed by the greedy look on Ximen's face. Is that all the dignity you can muster as a senior?
"Imprint Seals for these three Thaumaturgies: [Sine Wave Interference], [Laser Phase Positioning], and [Octant Light Wheel]," Xia Xiu said, demanding a hefty price.
"Well, uh..." Xia Xiu's appetite startled Ximen. Good grief, you really aren't afraid to ask. Not even the slightest attempt at being polite.
"Two of those Thaumaturgies can only be used by someone with the [Light Attendant] Class. You..." Evan had no objection. He was merely concerned that Xia Xiu couldn't use the latter two without a Class from Heaven.
"Here, take this." Xia Xiu took out the Experiment Diary and handed it to them.
"What's this?" Evan began leafing through it curiously, his expression growing uglier by the moment.
"What utter blasphemy..."
"What the hell? Let me see." Ximen took the notebook from Evan and read it. By the time he reached the later pages, his expression had also turned grim.
"Weaponizing anomalies. Who gave them the right?!" An icy glint flashed through Ximen's eyes, and a terrifying aura burst from him, instantly filling the entire café with an oppressive weight.
After a while, the aura dissipated, leaving the other patrons bewildered. Why had they suddenly started shivering?
"You must have captured 09. With this as well, your payment certainly won't be small. The reward for this job will be enough for you to exchange for an [Appointment Letter] outright." Ximen quickly reined in his terrifying aura and smiled at Xia Xiu.
"To earn such a generous reward at your age... damn it, I'm so jealous," Ximen said through gritted teeth, feigning envy.
"You know about the Flesh-Eating Cult's roster, and you captured 09. Then you should know where 4-331 is, too," Evan asked Xia Xiu in a low voice.
"I do."
"Good. We won't ask how you know all this. Questions like that don't matter to the people of Heaven. Our Heavenly Duty is simply to eliminate anything that threatens Terra. So tell us where it is, and we'll give you everything you asked for." A hint of a smile finally appeared on Evan's expressionless face.
Yes, Heaven never concerned itself with petty details.
Holders of the Heaven Lineage only needed to maintain absolute loyalty to Terra and humanity. That was also why Xia Xiu had joined them in his previous life-plenty of work, plenty of money, very little nonsense. They got things done without running their mouths.
"I actually have an even greater gift for the two of you." Xia Xiu's smile grew brighter, the soul of a turncoat burning fiercely within him.
"Oh?"
Ximen and Evan both perked up, deeply curious about the lavish gift Xia Xiu had mentioned.
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