You'll have to pay extra!

Lei Si led Xia Xiu to a two-story house with a servile air, then gave him an awkward smile.

"Lord Stephen is right here. He's usually here during the day. I..."

Xia Xiu glanced at him. Naturally, he knew what Lei Si was embarrassed about. Lei Si knew he was a Thaumaturgist, and that only his bosses, who were also Thaumaturgists, could fight Xia Xiu. That was why he had led Xia Xiu here without hesitation.

If an ordinary person had beaten him up, he would have called his brothers over to gang up on them long ago.

Lei Si believed that his boss, a fellow Thaumaturgist, could certainly defeat this wet-behind-the-ears brat. Still, acting as a guide for the enemy was embarrassing.

"Thanks."

After thanking Lei Si, Xia Xiu walked straight to the door. He turned the handle. The door was unlocked, so he simply opened it and walked inside.

Standing outside, Lei Si was stunned by how direct Xia Xiu had been. He had just gone right in? Now Lei Si felt awkward whether he stayed or left, and was at a complete loss.

The house was unusually dim. All the curtains by the windows were drawn, and they blocked the light remarkably well. What daylight filtered through them was feeble.

Through the dim light, Xia Xiu looked at a painting hanging in the center of the room. It was a life-size portrait.

The portrait depicted a formally dressed man wearing a white wig. His right hand was tucked between the buttons of his coat, while his left held a ceremonial sword. His eyes were sharp, and at that moment, they were staring straight ahead.

Xia Xiu approached the portrait, politely lifted his hat, and gave the man a slight nod.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Stephen."

Not a sound.

The room remained perfectly quiet. Xia Xiu stood silently before the portrait, his eyes slightly narrowed.

One minute.

Two minutes.

After five minutes, Stephen spoke from within the portrait.

"Boy, what do you want with me?"

Stephen withdrew his hand from his coat, then reached toward the edge of the painting and pulled a chair out of thin air. Sitting down, he raised his head and questioned the blond, golden-eyed boy before him.

"Three Portlands will soon make landfall in Fog City."

"Oh."

"Deer College has begun another round of admissions."

"Mm."

"I'd like you to recommend me to Deer College."

"Well, well."

Stephen raised his eyebrows, then spoke in a flippant tone.

"I'm a gangster. What qualifications do I have to recommend students to Deer College? You look like a gifted young fellow. Surely those owls will come fluttering up to you with envelopes in their beaks, eager to invite you to join Deer College."

"Spirit Recognition won't deliver instructions to someone who already has a Lineage." Meeting Stephen's amused gaze, Xia Xiu continued.

"The municipal government of Three Portlands operates under a mayor-council system. The Three Portlands City Council exercises both legislative and law-enforcement powers, under the mayor's nominal supervision. The council is a unicameral body whose members are elected citywide, using a single transferable vote system to achieve proportional representation."

As Xia Xiu continued, the amusement in Stephen's eyes gradually darkened.

"What's more, Three Portlands is one of the few cities that allows ghosts to vote-"

Shing-

Steel slid free of its sheath. At some point, Stephen had stepped out of the painting. The rapier in his hand rested against Xia Xiu's Adam's apple. One thrust, and blood would gush out.

"Careful, Mr. Stephen."

Xia Xiu raised both hands and chuckled. Stephen stared coldly at him and said:

"You know I'm a ghost, and you know I'm from Three Portlands. It seems you know quite a bit more, too."

Xia Xiu knew Stephen because, in his previous life, Stephen had been the class-change NPC responsible for issuing quests to switch to Deer College's Lineage in the Fog City region. Stephen had originally been a ghost representative at Deer College. Later, after learning that Colin Creevey, the holder of the Clock Tower's sixth seat, had developed a unique Portrait Manifestation Thaumaturgy, he had left Deer College for Fog City to study it.

The portraits were brought to life through spells and potions.

Whether it was a photograph or a painting, the Clock Tower's Thaumaturgists could cast magic on it to make it move. Even photographs Colin Creevey took with his ordinary camera could be activated through Thaumaturgy—as long as he used the right potions on them.

The more they invested, the more lifelike the portrait became. Many families in the Clock Tower had begun deliberately producing these manifestation portraits, since they made it easier to pass down their legacies.

As research into this Thaumaturgy progressed, Thaumaturgists discovered that portrait technology could also preserve ghosts. Ghosts could move freely between portraits, and observing the Ether Sea was easier for them while inside one.

It was practically a perfect fit for the Three Laws of Thaumaturgy.

Stephen had left Deer College for Fog City precisely because of his interest in portrait Thaumaturgy. He should have been diligently studying the new technology at the Clock Tower.

Unfortunately, he was a ghost who could not stand boredom, and was always looking for amusement. So, in search of some fun, he had joined the Blanc Gang.

Now Stephen's rapier had slightly pierced the skin of Xia Xiu's throat, and tiny beads of blood gathered on its tip. Stephen watched him keenly. Unless Xia Xiu gave him a compelling reason not to kill him, the next scene would feature blood spraying everywhere.

"Mr. Stephen..."

Xia Xiu shrugged helplessly. Light welled up from his left hand, and the Red Book floated above it.

Stephen looked at Xia Xiu's left hand. Then, as though sensing something, he immediately withdrew his rapier and gave Xia Xiu a look of utter disgust. It was as if Xia Xiu were something filthy that anyone would recoil from.

"So you're one of Heaven's little bastards. Just my luck. You'd better not die here, boy. I don't want Heaven's think tank, Eden, marking me as a heretic and turning me into a Grey Knight's prey for no damn reason."

"I'm still a newcomer. I'm right at the bottom of the think tank's 'Book of Life' rankings." Xia Xiu smiled bashfully.

Who the fuck are you trying to fool with that innocent act? Not one of Heaven's little bastards is any good, especially the squinty-eyed ones. Stephen cast a contemptuous glance at the despicable, squinty-eyed brat.

"Heaven's Red Book. Shouldn't someone like you be with the Sanctum's Order of Knights, the Inquisition, or the Burial Agency? Why have you come scurrying over here to beg me to get you into Deer College?" Stephen sneered at Xia Xiu.

Because I'm playing both sides, and I'm afraid they'll tear me apart if they find out, Xia Xiu muttered inwardly. Outwardly, however, he wore an inscrutable expression as he said:

"Naturally, I have my reasons."

"Hah. Then why should I recommend someone with ulterior motives to my alma mater..."

"Thirty thousand Youyang Currency."

Stephen snapped, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do I look like someone who would sell out his alma mater for money?"

"Another ten thousand."

"Deer College was my youth! Everything I know, I learned from her. How can you belittle my feelings for my alma mater like this?"

"So-"

"You'll have to pay extra!"

(End of chapter)