From Wave and Seryu, Lin Feng could tell that Ogre was fairly attentive to the members of the Imperial Guard under him.
During his days at the station, Lin Feng had also sensed that the Imperial Guard members generally trusted Captain Ogre.
Since it wasn't someone on the inside, could the scapegoat be...
As Lin Feng thought, the bandit he was dragging behind him wore an utterly terrified expression.
"You can take me anywhere, just don't take me to that Ogre... Please!"
Those words caught Lin Feng's attention.
"If you don't want to see Ogre, why do something like this?"
"Do you even have to ask... To make a living, of course!"
Half the bandit's expression was fear, while the other half turned to resentment.
"We worked hard every day, only to get mugged by robbers and have our wages stolen by bandits! We couldn't survive, so we had no choice but to scrape by like this! What did we do wrong?!"
Lin Feng could very much relate to those words.
Indeed, the restaurant where he had worked had also been extorted by those thugs from the Gathered Heroes Group.
If he hadn't wiped out the Gathered Heroes Group with his supernatural ability, his coworkers at the restaurant would probably have ended up displaced just like this man, taking a path that harmed both others and themselves!
Still, Lin Feng wanted to get more information out of this bandit.
"Why are you so afraid of Ogre? What did he do to you?"
"You don't even know Ogre? Ogre the Demon! The commander of District Thirteen who takes pleasure in torturing prisoners! I'd rather kill myself than get caught by him!"
"Abusing authority and inflicting unauthorized torture are serious crimes. You'd better think carefully before you speak."
"What would I gain by lying to you? You're in the Imperial Guard, and you don't even know about this?"
Lin Feng was about to say more, but when he saw the scar left by a brand on the bandit's head and the knife scar on his neck, he said nothing further.
He looked like he really had been through quite a lot.
"Did he give you those injuries?"
"If not him, then who? If he hadn't been transferred away afterward, I definitely would have killed myself back then!"
"I understand. You can go."
Since Lin Feng had already taught the bandit a lesson, he no longer wanted to pursue his offenses.
In this world, a crime like robbery was already something that could practically be done out in the open.
At least robbery still happened in broad daylight.
"You mean you're letting me go?"
"Yes. I'm off duty today. Besides, I'll remember what you said."
With that, Lin Feng walked off alone in the opposite direction from the station.
Corrupt officials roamed free without anyone dealing with them, while petty thieves suffered the harshest punishments for minor theft.
This wasn't the world Lin Feng hoped for. Rather than law enforcers prosecuting every offense, he hoped for punishments proportionate to the crime.
I never expected Ogre, who has such a good reputation in the Imperial Guard, to have this kind of reputation outside...
He had originally planned to go into the wilderness alone to hunt Danger Beasts, but now it seemed there was no time left.
Lin Feng had only taken a few steps before he ran into another familiar face.
It was Seryu, the lively, quick-witted girl with chestnut hair tied into a ponytail.
Holding a cute little creature, she waved at Lin Feng from far away.
Interestingly, the little thing in her arms, which looked like both a puppy and a stuffed doll, also waved its little hands at Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng! Why aren't you resting at home? What brings you to the station?"
"Seryu, what a coincidence... What's that?"
"This is Koro! Oh! Wait, you're just in time! Come with me!"
Before Seryu could explain, she remembered something important. Without giving him a chance to object, she grabbed Lin Feng's hand and dashed toward the station.
"Wait a second!"
Without understanding what was happening at all, Lin Feng was dragged into the station by Seryu.
This wild girl is completely different from Sheele. She's not shy around people at all...
The third room on the left down the second-floor corridor of the station had always been locked. As a newcomer, Lin Feng had no right to ask what it was used for.
It had always been a very mysterious area.
Today, however, Seryu showed Lin Feng what the place was for.
"This is the 'aptitude testing room.' It evaluates everyone's compatibility with Teigu..."
"Wait..."
Lin Feng was completely lost.
"What are Teigu?"
Customers who had come to eat at the restaurant had indeed mentioned Teigu before, but Lin Feng had been busy working then. How could he have listened closely?
"You don't even know what Teigu are! Then let me tell you!"
Seryu held her right hand in front of her chest and began explaining with a serious expression.
"A thousand years ago, the founding emperor of our empire spent a fortune hiring the world's finest craftsmen and finding mystic arts practitioners to cast spells, all to preserve his rule over the country..."
"They used body parts from Danger Beasts as materials to forge forty-eight incredibly powerful weapons. Those are Teigu!"
"In short, they're powerful weapons, right?"
"Of course it's not that simple! Teigu are crafted from Orichalcum. They're not just weapons; they also have all kinds of additional abilities!"
As she spoke, Seryu lifted the strange creature in her arms that looked like a puppy doll.
"Look, this is a Teigu too, you know?"
"This is a Teigu too?"
Lin Feng had thought Teigu were ancient divine weapons that shone with golden light and dazzling colors.
He hadn't expected that such an oddly shaped creature that could even move would also be a Teigu.
"Uh, can this puppy attack?"
"I don't know either. That's why I brought you here today-to the aptitude testing room!"
Seryu smiled as she spoke.
"Some Teigu are very special. They're only compatible with people they get along with. They choose their masters!"
"Koro is the name I gave it. Its real name is the Teigu: Hundred-Handed Giant!"
"Actually, I took a liking to this Teigu at first sight a long time ago, but I only got it recently. Instructor Ogre said my compatibility with it seemed very high, so he specifically had me come here to get tested!"
"Uh... Then why did I have to come..."
Lin Feng asked in confusion.
"If our compatibility isn't that high, you can get tested too! I don't want Koro falling into some bad person's hands!"
As Seryu spoke, she gestured for Lin Feng to hurry up and lie down for the test.
"Come on, give it a try! Let's see how compatible you are with this Teigu!"
"Ha..."
It wouldn't take too long anyway, so Lin Feng put on a specially made bracelet and lay beneath the specialized equipment, waiting for the test to finish.
Rays he couldn't understand passed through his body, yet he felt nothing at all. The bracelet on his wrist also began to tighten, seemingly testing his bodily functions.
However, without activating the Template System, all of Lin Feng's physical readings fell within the standard range for a normal teenage boy. Although they were somewhat better, they weren't exaggeratedly so.