Collecting Grievances

Wilt didn't believe a single word Trissy said.

But he didn't want to keep dwelling on it. What Wilt had to consider now was how to deal with Trissy.

Sharon dumped Trissy on me, so she's free of trouble, but now I have plenty. Trissy isn't just a cultist; she's a bona fide wanted criminal. If I keep walking around with him, I might end up wanted myself one day.

Should I make up an excuse and send her away?

Wait, Trissy might still be of some use...

Wilt thought of what he was currently doing-digesting his Potions.

The plan for the Swindler Potion had progressed beyond his control, so he didn't need to intervene at all now. He could simply wait for things to unfold.

As for the Cryptologist Potion, he had just reached an agreement with Old Neil that day to study mysticism for half the day, so there was no need to rush.

Lastly, there was the Monster Potion. Wilt turned his attention to Tingen City's Factory District.

Trissy had wandered the streets as a child and been controlled by a gang. She was exceptionally familiar with the East Borough and the Factory District, making her just the person Wilt needed.

A smile appeared on Wilt's face. "Trissy, Madam Sharon told you to follow my orders, right?"

Seeing the smile on Wilt's face, Trissy suddenly felt a chill. She instinctively clutched her clothes and took a step back. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do? Put your talents to use, of course!"

Tingen City's port was in the southeast, so a great many factories stood to the east and south.

"This place belongs to Member of Parliament Maynard, the leader of Tingen City's New Party, and it's also the city's largest cargo packing plant."

"Every year... no, every month, someone dies here. Some die of exhaustion, some are crushed to death by cargo. There are all sorts of ways to die, anyway."

"If you want to collect grievances or find resentful spirits, this is where you have the best chance."

Wilt and Trissy appeared inside an enormous warehouse. Looking at the cargo stacked over ten meters high, Wilt was a little puzzled. "How did they stack it so high? Did they hire Beyonders?"

"Hmph!" Trissy smiled disdainfully. "Those capitalists can't just hire official Beyonders whenever they want."

"As for the cargo, the workers carried it up piece by piece. Of course, they also used some simple machinery, or they couldn't have done it even if they worked themselves to death!"

Wilt looked at the neatly arranged cargo inside the warehouse, which covered more than a thousand square meters. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

No wonder Trissy said this was the best place...

No wonder people die of exhaustion or get crushed to death. So that's why.

A curious look flashed across Wilt's eyes. "You know this place pretty well. Did you work here?"

"That's right." Trissy readily admitted it. "I'd just escaped the gang's control back then and wanted to find a job to make a living."

"But after working here for less than a week, I realized it was much easier to make money as a gangster extorting workers than to earn it as a worker, so I went back to the gang!"

Wilt: "..."

You really know how to make a living!

"So?" Trissy asked Wilt, who stood beside her. "What are you planning to do here?"

A faint smile appeared on Wilt's face. "Collect all the grievances here, then give Member of Parliament Maynard a surprise!"

Wilt set up a simple ritual on the ground and used his own blood as a medium to operate it. Then he began performing the Dance of Attraction over the ritual!

Trissy watched Wilt's strange movements in confusion. "What Pathway's ability is that? How come I've never seen it before?"

She instinctively activated her Spirit Vision. Her pupils contracted sharply as she saw a terrifying sight.

Countless wisps of black grievance appeared above the factory, with a resentful spirit or two occasionally visible among them. They all drifted toward Wilt.

Then they mixed and tangled together above the ritual, becoming masses of black fog, grotesque faces, and indescribable things.

Finally, all these things poured into Wilt's body.

"Gulp!" Trissy's throat moved nervously.

Has Vincent gone mad? Letting those mutated grievances enter his body-isn't he afraid of losing control?

Fifteen minutes later, the Dance of Attraction ended, and Wilt stopped.

Five seconds passed without any movement from Wilt. Trissy called out tentatively, "Vincent, are you all right?"

Then she saw Wilt turn around, and Trissy nearly screamed in fright.

Wilt's pupils were now scarlet as blood. More than a dozen pale eyes had appeared on his face, rolling about. A layer of black grievance covered his body, and twisted, anguished, and crazed faces appeared across it.

The next instant, Wilt reached his right hand toward Trissy.

"Boom!!!" Black grievance surged out like a tide, forming a mass of black fog behind and above Wilt.

"Ehehehehe!!!"

"Hahahaha!!!"

"Boo-hoo, waaah..."

Then came the sounds of wailing ghosts and howling spirits.

Pale, transparent arms, the hideous faces of monsters, tentacles covered in eyeballs...

Countless indescribable things poured out of the black fog, spreading in every direction with Wilt at their center.

When Wilt pointed his palm at Trissy, every eyeball turned to look at her; every arm reached out, trying to grab her; every monster's face showed hatred and hostility toward her, and every struggling monster tried to break free of the black fog and tear apart the prey before it.

Under their gaze, Trissy's scalp went numb, and boundless fear welled up inside her.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

"Crack! Crack!"

More than a dozen Black Flames appeared around Trissy, and a layer of white frost covered her body.

Then Trissy retreated rapidly while shouting at Wilt.

"Vincent, what are you doing?!"

"I'm Madam Sharon's person, a member of the Demoness Sect! You can't attack me!"

"Snap!" Wilt snapped his fingers, and all the grievances returned to his body. Wilt returned to normal as well.

Then he chuckled and said to the still-shaken Trissy:

"Sorry, this was my first time collecting so many grievances, so I couldn't help testing them on you."

"From the looks of it... the effect is pretty good. Tonight, I can find a few more factory owners and give them a surprise."

Trissy froze in place for a few seconds, then her furious voice rang through the factory:

"Vincent, I'm going to kill you!!!"

That night, at Member of Parliament Maynard's home.

"Woo, woo, woo-"

Maynard, who was fast asleep, suddenly heard the sound of a cold wind.

Wind?

Why is there wind in my room?

He blearily opened his eyes and saw that the room was covered in black grievance.

"Aaah!!!"