Inside the imperial palace in the capital.
The palace had carved balustrades and jade masonry, with magnificent gilded furnishings. Even the washstand in a restroom looked extraordinarily luxurious.
To ordinary people, this was a symbol of unbridled extravagance. To Lin Feng, the construction of this palace in the middle of the slums seemed deeply ironic.
"The common people can barely afford their taxes, yet the palace was built this extravagantly..."
Lin Feng did not understand why such an enormous gap between rich and poor existed. He only knew that one day, he would change this corrupt nation.
"We're here."
Esdeath led Lin Feng to her private quarters and took a long, slender weapon out of a case.
"This is the Teigu awarded as the prize for this tournament-Two Cuts for All Things: Ecstasy. It can cut through anything in this world... as long as it belongs to this world."
What Esdeath took out was a long, slender weapon shaped like scissors.
The weapon was enormous, longer than an ordinary two-handed blade. Esdeath had prepared this particular Teigu so that she and her partner could hunt Danger Beasts together in the future.
Lin Feng ran his hand over the enormous Teigu, then swung it a few times. He felt that a weapon this large did not quite suit him.
It was not really that it did not suit him. Compared with these scissors, he was simply far more satisfied with Casull and Jackal.
"You're free to do whatever you want with this Teigu. You've earned it..."
Esdeath spoke with a smile.
Seeing Esdeath treat him so gently, Lin Feng suddenly felt somewhat guilty about using this girl to gather information on the imperial palace.
Yet he had no choice but to do these things.
Right now, perhaps the only way to minimize that guilt was to get straight to the point and tell her what he wanted.
"Esdeath, do you know someone called Dr. Stylish?"
"Hmm?"
Esdeath was very surprised that Lin Feng knew about Dr. Stylish, since he spent all day absorbed in experiments and almost never set foot outside his room.
"You know Dr. Stylish? Are you part of the Empire?"
"Yes. I'm currently the captain of the Imperial Guard, Captain Ogre's successor."
Esdeath found it somewhat unbelievable that Lin Feng was a member of the Imperial Guard.
"With strength like yours, you're only serving as a captain of the Imperial Guard? What a waste of talent..."
Then Esdeath explained to Lin Feng:
"Dr. Stylish is a member of the Jaegers. I was originally planning to assign you to that organization."
"The Jaegers are..."
"The Jaegers are a pursuit unit established specifically to target assassination organizations. I'm currently in charge, which means Dr. Stylish is also my subordinate."
"Your subordinate, Esdeath?"
Hearing Dr. Stylish's name, Lin Feng immediately clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.
"Esdeath, do you know what Dr. Stylish has been doing?"
"Dr. Stylish? You could call him the Empire's equipment inventor. He's provided us with all sorts of heavy firearms and smart devices..."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Anger was written across Lin Feng's face.
But then Lin Feng suppressed his anger.
"Esdeath, what do you think of the experiments conducted to make people compatible with biological Teigu? Do you consider those experiments inhumane?"
As far as Lin Feng knew, Dr. Stylish had treated human life like dirt in his search for people compatible with Teigu, killing countless innocent civilians.
He could hardly imagine how many inhumane experiments Seryu had undergone to become compatible with the Hundred-Armed Giant, Koro.
"You mean compatibility experiments? Heh, that's nothing more than a choice made to become stronger."
"What did you say?"
Once Esdeath began discussing strength and weakness, she seemed to shed her earlier sweetness and become a different person, cold-blooded and utilitarian.
"Isn't it? In this world, strength is everything. Is it really so difficult to understand taking the corresponding risks in exchange for a dramatic increase in strength?"
Hearing Esdeath's words, Lin Feng felt that persuading this woman would probably be very difficult.
He had to say that a general truly was a general. After all, Esdeath possessed such astonishing strength that she did not care about risks at all. To her, taking risks was the very essence of life.
It was difficult for someone this powerful to consider things from the common people's perspective. Lin Feng gradually came to realize this.
After explaining her belief in strength above all else, Esdeath returned to the gentleness she always showed Lin Feng.
"All right, let's stop talking about such heavy subjects. Why don't we relax?"
Esdeath wrapped her arms around Lin Feng's neck. The icy touch left him at a loss.
"Esdeath... please don't do this for now."
"What's wrong?"
Esdeath breathed coolly into Lin Feng's ear, but that tingling pleasure did nothing to improve his mood.
"Don't you think something is wrong? The Empire's officials are corrupt, and its people can barely survive. As a general of this nation, its highest military commander, can you really indulge yourself in peace while the country is in such dire straits?"
"Heh... I don't see anything wrong, because it's all a result of them being too weak."
Esdeath's icy fingertips pressed against Lin Feng's Adam's apple. Her hands had never stopped moving.
"The strong enjoy everything, while the weak bear everything. That's the law of the imperial capital. Am I wrong?"
After hearing this, Lin Feng completely gave up on persuading Esdeath.
Looks like cooperation is pretty much impossible... I'll probably have to do my best on my own.
He had originally thought that, since Esdeath had taken a liking to him, he could gain some direct benefits through this general and make her part of his own strength.
Now it seemed Lin Feng could only find a roundabout way to ask for Dr. Stylish's precise location, then act alone.
That night, Esdeath used Lin Feng as a body pillow the entire night, and the two slept in each other's arms.
To be honest, Lin Feng had never slept with a girl before. Even though he and Sheele were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together, their relationship had never gone beyond certain bounds.
With a girl like this beside him, what Lin Feng felt most was pressure.
Unlike Lin Feng, Esdeath slept exceptionally soundly.
The sun rose in the east, spilling spring sunshine down. Lin Feng woke in Esdeath's private room, only to discover that she had long since left.
"So this is a general's daily routine... She really is disciplined."
Only after reading the note Esdeath had left did Lin Feng learn how packed her daytime schedule was.
As an imperial general, she had endless meetings from morning to night, and she woke much earlier than Lin Feng.