"Doctor Lu, I'm not asking you to support us for nothing."
Brent saw Lu Yuan's silence and thought he was hesitating, so he scrambled to prove his worth.
His words came out in a rush:
"I can work outside! I've been in the docks and the slums for so many years; I know a bit of information about everywhere."
"Whether it's the Church or... or that 'Ascension Society'! As long as I hear unusual news, I can tell you."
Lu Yuan's hand, which was wiping the flask, stopped abruptly in mid-air.
He looked down, scrutinizing the youth for the first time.
"You know of the 'Ascension Society'?"
Lu Yuan's voice lowered several degrees.
One had to know that although the Ascension Society was despised, it was still an organization under the Empire. Most people at the bottom didn't even know of the existence of the transcendent, let alone their names.
Brent shrank his neck back, intimidated by Lu Yuan's gaze, but he still braced himself and spoke:
"I know... a little."
"In the past, when I was shining shoes, I accidentally overheard a few drunk old gentlemen cursing. They said 'those madmen from the Ascension Society who turn their bodies into iron lumps are conducting experiments again'..."
Brent swallowed hard, carefully watching Lu Yuan's expression:
"I just remembered the name. Doctor Lu, those gentlemen never avoid people like us when they chat. They think we don't understand, but I remember everything!"
"My life isn't worth much, but these eyes and ears of mine will definitely be useful to you!"
Lu Yuan had no intention of making things difficult for Brent. As a decent youth from the new century, he wasn't one to exploit others like a juicer.
Besides, he already had plans to take in Mina.
It would annoy the Church and help himself, so why not?
Most importantly, the things Brent knew seemed to far exceed his expectations. He could use this chance to gain some more progress on 【Gelimu Port Status】.
"I am not lacking for ears."
Lu Yuan spoke indifferently.
Brent trembled all over, his face turning pale instantly. Thinking he had been rejected, the light in his eyes faded away.
"However, I am currently lacking a cleaning apprentice."
Lu Yuan looked at the bewildered Brent, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Mina can stay, but I don't need you to risk your life. You just need to do your work as usual and pass on any information you think is useful to me."
"Like that accident at the docks earlier, for example."
Hearing this, Brent's sorrow instantly turned to joy. He slammed his head against the floor in a series of thuds:
"I understand! I understand! Thank you, Doctor Lu! Thank you!"
"Alright, stop that. I happen to have a few things I want to ask you."
"Sit down and talk."
Lu Yuan pulled over a chair and poured Brent a cup of warm black tea.
The steam rising from the cup allowed Brent's tense nerves to relax slightly.
He held the cup and took a small sip, his stiff body visibly loosening.
This also allowed Lu Yuan to observe the youth more closely.
His once shrewd and cheerful face was now covered in exhaustion, and his forehead had a large bruise; those kowtows just now had been very forceful.
"Alright Brent, tell me about all the factions you know in Gelimu Port, including the Ascension Society you overheard."
Brent held the teacup and thought for a moment before speaking:
"Doctor Lu, there aren't actually many factions in Gelimu Port, but there are several I only heard about by chance. I'm not very clear on the specific details."
Lu Yuan leaned against the counter, his finger lightly tapping the tabletop. "It's fine, just tell me everything."
With 【Gelimu Port Status】 to back him up, he would know at once if the information was useful.
"First is the inner city."
Brent pointed out the window toward the mist-shrouded highlands. "That's the territory of the Viscount's manor and the Noble Chamber of Commerce."
"The Viscount is a noble of the Empire and the nominal master of this city, but he rarely shows his face. The ones truly in charge are the Noble Chamber of Commerce."
"The members of the chamber are all lords and some barons. They control coal, food, and shipping."
Brent shrank his neck. "The people in the chamber are the cruelest. They don't kill people directly, but as long as they raise the price of coal a little, hundreds of people in the lower city will freeze to death in the winter."
Lu Yuan nodded. A monopoly—just as expected.
Given the productivity of this world, it would be strange if capitalism hadn't appeared.
This usually meant a concentration of wealth and resources, which also represented a potential customer base for his future "customized potions."
"Then there's the harbor."
"That place is the most chaotic. It's the domain of various gangs, but I've heard recently that some strange things have mixed in. Even the largest 'Blood Anchor Gang' doesn't dare to go out at night."
"Then there are the Nightwatchers."
Brent glanced at Lu Yuan with awe in his eyes. "That is, the neighborhood where you are located. Although the Nightwatchers are few in number, no one dares to provoke them in Gelimu Port. This is the only 'safe zone' in the outer city."
Lu Yuan remained noncommittal.
Safety was built on the deterrence of force. Whether it was the other members of the Nightwatchers or Old Morgan's "backfire" trick last night, it was enough to crush most petty thugs.
"As for the Church..."
Brent grit his teeth, hatred flashing in his eyes. "Those guys have occupied the cathedral district in the north of the city. They pretend to care about us on the surface, but they're capable of doing anything behind our backs. They're more terrifying than the gangs because they always say it's 'God's will'."
"And that Ascension Society."
Brent's voice dropped even lower. "They aren't in the city; they're in that black forest to the west."
"I've heard that various colors of smoke billow out from there all day long. Often, mangled corpses float down the river, and anyone who enters without permission disappears."
Lu Yuan quickly sketched a map in his mind.
In Gelimu Port, the inner city far from the harbor was the domain of the powerful and wealthy, the harbor was crawling with gangs, the Holy Church sat as a behemoth in the north, the Ascension Society hid in the western forest, and there were the Nightwatchers where he was.
These five factions occupied Gelimu Port, controlling almost all the resources.
"Besides these, are there any more?" Lu Yuan pressed.
He needed to know more about the hidden powers.
"There are."
Brent hesitated for a moment before saying:
"There are two other places that are best for you not to visit, Doctor Lu, but you should know about them because many things that can't see the light of day are there."
"One is the Dock Black Market."
"It's not above ground; it's deep in the sewers of the slums. It was built by a group of criminals and smugglers."
"It's said that as long as you have money, you can buy anything there."
Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.
A source of materials.
What he lacked most right now were high-level materials, whether they were from mutated creatures or the Eerie.
But the Nightwatchers would not allow these things to circulate privately. Even as a consultant, the portion he obtained was pitifully small.
This was understandable, of course, as a normal person's Sanity could never reach his level.
Once they came into contact with these things, their Sanity would plummet, and they would mutate on the spot, which would be a disaster.
This black market might be the key to his advancement in Forbidden Lore.
"What about the other one?"
"The other is called the Ferrymen."
When mentioning this name, Brent had little expression on his face.
"They aren't a gang, and they don't do business."
"They are a group of eccentrics wearing blue clothes who are active year-round in the most remote 'Dead Man's Bay' at the docks."
"In Gelimu Port, if someone dies and doesn't want to be taken by the Church for cremation or left to rot in the street, they look for them. This is because they not only help you handle it but also give the family a sum of imperial shields."
"They put the bodies into special iron coffins and sink them into the sea."
Brent swallowed hard:
"I peeked once in the past... When they were sinking a corpse, they muttered some incomprehensible words toward the sea. And... I swear I saw it; a huge shadow surfaced from under the water and took the coffin away."
"However, people don't dislike them. After all, as long as you find them in advance, they'll come to collect your body after you die."
Lu Yuan actually became interested upon hearing this.
Corpses, sea burials, and shadows? It sounded very much like some kind of cult group.
However, Lu Yuan felt that this group's issues were actually relatively small.
First, Brent hadn't lost Sanity from peeking and hadn't been discovered. If it were a sacrifice, the target would be too weak.
Secondly, the Nightwatchers hadn't made a point of targeting this group.
But he would look into it if he had the chance.
As Brent finished speaking, a line appeared.
【Gelimu Port Status: +9, 41/50】
Lu Yuan looked at the gray and white text. He knew the information Brent gave was very accurate, or at least correct.
But there were still nine points remaining. It seemed Gelimu Port still hid some unknown secrets.
"You did well, Brent."
Lu Yuan stood up, patted his shoulder, and took out a key.
"This is the key to my clinic. You will still need to take care of your sister, Mina, in the future."
"Of course, the room next door is also lent to you for now. You and your sister will live there from now on."
"I have some business and need to head out, so I'll leave Mina in your care for the moment."
After saying this, Lu Yuan took his hat from the wall, straightened his clothes, and turned toward the tavern.
The tavern was back to its usual bustle.
Quite a few people were already drinking.
Crossing through the crowd and entering the hidden door, Lu Yuan arrived at the base.
Lu Yuan's goal this time was simple: to fully master the "Basic Structure of Sanity Barriers" as quickly as possible and then construct his own Sanity barrier.
After the failure early this morning, the guards in the Nightwatchers base were clearly more numerous.
On the way to the library, especially near the area where mutated creatures were imprisoned,
Lu Yuan sensed at least four guards hiding in the shadows.
As the lion-headed doors slowly opened, the white light remained the same.
He looked up at the lamp above his head.
A mass of pitch-black shadow was hanging upside down like a bat, swaying gently, sound asleep.
"Ink, stop sleeping."
Lu Yuan knocked on the table, his voice echoing in the empty hall:
"Spit out those two books from last time. I want to continue reading."
The black shadow stiffened, then began to wriggle with extreme reluctance.
"Yaa—wn—"
Ink let out a long yawn, those bead-like eyes snapping open to look down at Lu Yuan while still hanging upside down.
"What do you think this place is? And who comes to a library to read books so early in the morning?"
"I don't recall the Nightwatchers having a rule against coming to the library at this hour," Lu Yuan said calmly.
Ink curled its lip. Although its face was full of displeasure, it still opened its mouth.
"Blegh—"
With a dry heave, two heavy books, accompanied by a smear of black mucus, fell from its mouth.
"Thud."
The books slammed onto the table.
One was "Basic Structure of Sanity Barriers", and the other was "Illustrated Handbook of Deep Sea Creatures: From Eggs to Adults".
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