abnormal mutation

Chapter 128 Clone
"Mr. Otto, good afternoon. I am your butler, Norman Parker. It is my pleasure to serve you." The elderly man in formal attire stepped forward and accurately identified who the master of the house was.

"Hello Norman, have someone bring the luggage in, assign rooms, and prepare some pastries; everyone's hungry." Roland nodded slightly, already accustomed to giving orders.

The food on the train was mediocre, and nobody ate much.

"Everything is ready. Why don't we have some afternoon tea first? Just hand the luggage over to the servants." Norman smiled slightly and directed the male and female servants to bring the luggage.

In addition to the butler, the villa also has several male and female servants, as well as a gardener, driver, and cook.

Passing through the gate, the white stone-paved road is flanked by gardens and artificial hills, all colorful and pleasing to the eye.

"So many flowers." Evan squatted by the flower bed, gently stroking the pale pink flowers with his palm, looking dazed.

Having lived in the North for over a decade, I've never seen anything so vibrant and colorful. Today, the world is suddenly different; this is... the breath of life and vitality.

Roland stood silently to the side, waiting for him without urging him. This was a touching moment, one that he might never forget even years later.

…………

The villa was luxurious, but it was rented, so Roland didn't feel a strong sense of belonging.

He summoned Ciel and Drake, introduced them to the butler, and found a box containing a considerable amount of money and potions. He was worried about having no one watching over him.

After having a quick bite to eat some pastries, he had Marta settle Silverwing Owl in, while he and Leongard headed straight for the Security Consultant's branch office.

This time it was my own car, and the driver was named Ankajon, an ethnic minority, with slightly dark skin, very handsome, but still single at thirty.

He grew up here and knew the city like the back of his hand. He enthusiastically introduced the city to his new boss along the way.

"Almosid has twelve districts, which is easy to remember. It's divided into seven districts along the coast from north to south. The northernmost one is the first district, and we're in the second district, Wanghai Street..."

All seven coastal districts are quite nice. The first district is a middle-class area, the second district is a typical wealthy area, and the third and fourth districts are the most prosperous, with numerous commercial complexes and entertainment venues.

The southernmost District 7 has the best environment, surrounded by forests and mountains, without choking factories. The truly powerful and influential people live there, and there are many manors and castles scattered around.

The two westernmost districts are Districts 11 and 12, and the middle districts are Districts 8, 9, and 10. These districts are relatively chaotic, especially Districts 8 and 11, where poor people live in large numbers and the situation is relatively disorderly.

The security consulting firm's branch is located in District 1, which has one of the city's three major ports and belongs to the Northern Union Chamber of Commerce, making it convenient to deploy personnel.

However, Roland had read the business report and knew that this was only the surface reason. The company had tried to enter more prosperous business districts, but the competition was too fierce. In addition, the Southern Chamber of Commerce suppressed them, and they could not even earn enough to cover the rent. They were forced to stay in the first district.

The second district is adjacent to the first district. The car quickly entered the first district, and looking along the winding coastline, a bustling port appeared in the distance.

The facilities looked a bit old, but they were well maintained and there were many cargo ships coming and going. However, there was a fine layer of coal dust in the air, and the seawater was dark and looked very dirty.

“That’s the first port area, but people usually call it Blackwater Port. This port mainly transports minerals…” Ankajong explained.

Roland nodded slightly. The Chamber of Commerce’s pillar industry is mineral trade. Many mineral resources in the south are controlled by the Chamber of Commerce, so it’s no wonder that the Southern Chamber of Commerce is very hostile.

After the steam revolution, the South used the steam engine to vigorously develop its industry, with industries such as sugar, textiles, and machinery flourishing. The Northern Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, continued to focus on mining and low-tech heavy industry, and its development was slow.

The car did not enter the port area, but stopped in front of a cluster of buildings built along the coast. On the tallest building, the sign of the Northern Union Chamber of Commerce shone brightly and was very eye-catching.

Roland and his companion had never been here before and were just about to go to headquarters to ask when a middle-aged man with a hooked nose wearing a black jacket quietly walked over.

He was an extraordinary being, and the spiritual fluctuations immediately alerted Roland.

“Mr. Otto?” The middle-aged man looked up, revealing a pair of scrutinizing eyes under his hat brim.

“You are… Wood?” Roland felt that the man looked familiar. After a moment’s thought, a page of the intelligence chief’s file came to mind.

“It’s me.” Wood’s face broke into a smile, the gloomy feeling vanished. “I guessed you might come, and since you weren’t familiar with the area, I came ahead of time to wait for you.”

"Thank you for your hard work. Please take me to the headquarters service department first."

"Okay." Wood didn't say anything more and silently led the way.

The service department is located in the headquarters building and is dedicated to providing services to members of the chamber of commerce. They can be reached for any needs, including purchasing potions or extraordinary materials, but only for personal use.

Fifteen minutes later, the group left the building, and Leongard carried a box. Roland smiled, in a good mood; all the extraordinary ingredients for brewing potions were there. Luckily, he had managed to obtain Dream Dust himself, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome.

"How about we go to the intelligence department for a visit?" Wood suggested with a smile.

"it is good."

The three of them wandered around until they arrived at a small, dilapidated four-story building far from the coast. The windows were narrow and the walls were covered with cracks.

"Is this the intelligence department?" Leongard asked in astonishment.

"The budget was limited, and the main purpose was to make it easier to hide," Wood explained, his expression somewhat unnatural.

“I think renting a commercial building would be less likely to arouse suspicion.” Roland shook his head slightly, apparently mainly due to limited funds.

“But this is company property, so there’s no rent to pay,” Wood replied abruptly, stopping at the narrow, dark stairwell.

The group went up to the top floor, where Wood took out a pile of documents and reported the recent situation to Roland.

It would be more appropriate to call it an intelligence station than an intelligence department. There are three such stations in Almosid, each with a dozen or so intelligence officers and hundreds of informants, more than in Sogatok.

Intelligence capabilities... well, slightly inferior to the Almosid Evening Post, after all, the newspaper provides more information!

Roland sighed inwardly, but didn't show too much disappointment: "I've applied for funding of twelve thousand German dollars. Write a development plan and give it to me tomorrow."

“Understood, Director Otto.” Wood’s smile immediately brightened, more radiant than a wild chrysanthemum.

Roland waved his hand and turned to leave.

He cannot use his own money to subsidize the company; an organization must have a healthy economic foundation to develop.

Right now, his mind is focused on advancing in the rankings; how to defeat his opponents and how to gather intelligence are secondary concerns.

…………

Back at the villa, it was still early.

It's already March, and Almosid is further south, so the days are longer.

The working class has a tougher time because they have to work longer hours.

Charles and Drake guarded the gate, while Roland placed the box on the bedside table, then flashed into the spirit world, bringing out the Paradox Worm and the Dream Dust.

Looking at the wriggling, ring-shaped worm, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Just in case, he secretly instructed the Rune Seed to immediately devour the Paradox Worm if it detected anything unusual. The Rune Seed's rhythm noticeably quickened, as if it were anticipating something, which made him both amused and exasperated.

"bring it on."

He gently touched the paradoxical worm with his hand. The worm paused for a moment, then silently seeped into his palm, gently swimming in the vast spirituality.

Roland's body stiffened. It was as if he had gained an extra clone. With a thought, he switched his perspective to the insect body.

It was a vast sea of ​​stars, spherical in shape, with spirituality surging like tides. The Paradoxical Worm could only swim in the inner and outer layers of the sphere. The astral layer was dominated by a crimson sphere, shrouded in mist, frequently intertwining with spirituality and soul.

The innermost layer is probably the soul layer, where the mind resides, giving him a sense of looking at it. The rune seed is like tree roots, entrenched inside, not allowing the Chaos Sphere to touch it.

He leaped away from the sea of ​​stars, and a familiar room came into view. His vision was like a supernatural vision; it was strange and complex, and the world had multiple layers.

It can see the spirit world directly, and it can enter and exit the spirit world more easily than Roland.

It moved as if flying, yet it moved forward with a flickering motion, eerie and swift, circling Blackwater Harbor in the blink of an eye.

"So capable, no wonder he can be a messenger."

(End of this chapter)