Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 103 The Inspector, Begging for Mercy in a Shameful Manner, Studies the Mysticism

He cleared his throat and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am here today to announce something important."

Lothar's voice wasn't loud, but it was deafening in the quiet office: "One of my most valued subordinates was officially entrusted with an important task by Lord Yuri this morning, and I personally awarded him a Class B medal, a symbol of class honor."

Lothas turned slightly to the side and pointed to Siron standing behind him.

On Xilun's faded old trench coat, the brass badge gleamed with a cold and noble light under the indoor lamp.

Hearing this, everyone felt a great weight lifted from their hearts.

They quickly bowed at a ninety-degree angle, bowing respectfully to Xilun in unison.

They secretly rejoiced: thankfully, the superior wasn't here to dig up old accounts or check the books; he was just here to introduce their new boss.

Since this poorly dressed newcomer was awarded a Class B medal, he must undoubtedly be a newly baptized person.

The only one standing on the left, the thin man with glasses, did not feel relieved at all. Instead, his face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down his face and dripped onto his collar.

Because he recognized Siron as the overseer who had been harassed and forced to pay twenty shillings a few months earlier.

Lothar looked at the skinny man and suddenly snorted coldly, his previously gentle tone turning icy as if it contained shards of ice.

"But—I heard Mr. Celen say today..."

Losas drawled, his gaze fixed on the thin man, "When he was handling his work handover here before, he was harassed and even extorted by some of the people here!"

Upon hearing this, the air in the office seemed to be instantly sucked out.

Everyone was stunned. Most of them did not recognize Xilun, who had been covered in dust and dirt just a few months ago. At this moment, they were so frightened that their legs went weak. They hurriedly bowed again and began to explain, all at once, for fear that the fire would spread to them.

One of the fat inspectors, trying to distance himself from the situation, immediately pointed at the thin man with glasses and shouted, "Dick! This—isn't this the group of new supervisors you were in charge of? You handled the paperwork back then!"

Dick was the inspector who had been bossing around Xilun and forcibly pumping water.

When his colleagues exposed him in public, Dick's last line of defense completely collapsed.

His knees buckled, and he fell heavily to his knees with a thud, his knees hitting the wooden floor with a dull thud.

"Lord Lothas! Lord Siron! Spare me!"

Dick was crying and snotting, his whole body trembling like a sieve. He scrambled forward two steps, saying, "I was blinded by greed!"

"I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I didn't know that Lord Siron was destined to be a baptized being of noble birth! Please, Your Excellency, just ignore me!"

Lothar looked down at him, snorted coldly, and his eyes were full of disgust as if he were trash.

That cold snort made Dick even more desperate and afraid.

He knew the temperament of the extraordinary; if he couldn't please Xilun today, he might become an unnamed floating corpse in the river tomorrow.

Dick didn't dare stop. He raised both hands and slapped himself hard across the face with both hands.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The crisp sound of slaps echoed in the room. In just a few moments, blood trickled from the corner of Dick's mouth, his gold-rimmed glasses were knocked off, and his cheek swelled up high.

Xilun looked down at this once unapproachable minor official who held the power of life and death over him, now wagging his tail and begging for mercy at his feet like a dog.

"Alright," Siren said calmly, interrupting Dick's self-harm. "I remember, not only did you deduct twenty shillings from me, but I also accidentally left my wallet with you in my haste."

Upon hearing the word "wallet," the intelligent people present immediately understood what it meant.

Dick was stunned for a moment, then as if he had grasped the last straw, he scrambled toward his desk.

"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Siren is right!"

Dick rummaged through the drawers haphazardly, pulling out an extremely thick alligator leather wallet from the deepest part. "I found this wallet and have been keeping it carefully, waiting for the day I could return it to you personally! I'm so sorry, I almost forgot about it!"

Dick knelt on the ground, holding the bulging wallet high in the air with both hands.

Lothas glanced at Siron, a hint of a smile in his eyes, then stepped forward and snatched the wallet from Dick's hand.

He handed the wallet to Xilen and said calmly, "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up and the lost item has been found, let's consider this matter closed. Dick, keep your eyes peeled in the future."

"Thank you, Lord Lothas! Thank you, Lord Siron, for sparing my life!" Dick felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and his head pounded on the ground repeatedly.

Only when the footsteps of Siron and Losas completely disappeared in the corridor did Dick collapse onto the cold floor like a lump of mud.

He was panting heavily, greedily inhaling the air; the back of his shirt was completely soaked with cold sweat.

He secretly rejoiced that this critical hurdle was finally over.

Losing money to avoid disaster is better than losing your life.

As he walked up the stairs, Xiren opened the crocodile leather wallet that smelled of leather and casually fiddled with the banknotes inside.

A hint of surprise flashed across his calm eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Losas, walking beside him, caught a glimpse of the thick wad of banknotes out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, "Dick may just be an inspector, but he's certainly made a lot of dirty money by skimming off the top in that position over the years. So, how much did you get?"

Xilun held up two fingers and pinched out several large-denomination bills, his tone tinged with emotion: "Quite a few, I glanced at it, it's about thirty pounds."

Siren was secretly astonished. Thirty pounds was an enormous sum of money in this era.

He fought tooth and nail to be baptized and became a chaplain, but his monthly salary was only twelve pounds.

And the wallet this guy keeps in his office drawer, ready to be used at any time, weighs thirty pounds.

Adding the money he's hiding at home and in the bank, it's likely he's been sucking the blood of the lower classes for years.

"You've really gotten a great deal," Lothar waved his hand dismissively. "Go buy some good medicine to nourish yourself. Alright, I have a meeting to attend. Now that you've chosen the position of escort, hurry up and meet with Lord Vol to finalize your appointment."

"Understood." Xiren stuffed his wallet into his inner pocket, bowed slightly to Lothas, and then turned and hurriedly left.

After completing the job duties and handover procedures, it was already afternoon.

A light drizzle began to fall from the gloomy sky, and the damp chill of the foggy city seeped in everywhere.

While taking shelter from the rain in the lobby, Xilun glanced up at the huge mechanical clock on the wall.

The clock had already struck 2:30 p.m.

He suddenly remembered something: to make up for his lack of knowledge about the occult, he had signed up for a basic class at the club's front desk and paid a two-pound deposit.

If I check the time, classes start this afternoon, so there's plenty of time to get there now.

Xiren immediately opened a black umbrella and stepped into the rain.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the first floor of the Iron Cross Fight Club.

Following the signs given to him by the front desk, he walked through the long corridor and arrived at the door of a small room located at the far end of the east side of the first floor.

The room's sign reads "Book Room," suggesting it's a small library.

Xilun pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a smell of old paper mixed with insect repellent wafted out.

The room was dimly lit, with only a few yellow gas lamps hissing on the walls, casting long shadows.

Rows of towering oak bookshelves that reach the ceiling make the space feel somewhat cramped.

Around the long tables in the center of the room, three or four people were already sitting sparsely.

Hearing the door open, the group looked up and glanced at Xilun.

Upon seeing a stranger dressed in an ordinary old trench coat, still exuding a chill, they quickly lost interest, each turning their gaze away and continuing to fiddle with their notebooks or pens.

Xilun placed the still-dripping black umbrella in the iron bucket by the door and glanced around the room.

Just to be on the safe side and to make sure he hadn't gone to the wrong place, he walked over to a chair on the outer side and sat down.

He turned to a young man sitting next to him, dressed in a sharp plaid suit with slicked-back hair, and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, is this the classroom for the introductory course in occultism?"

The young man was clearly taken aback when he was spoken to, and he looked Xilun up and down.

"This is the right place." The man nodded, then asked in a mocking tone, "But buddy, dressed like this, did you really pay to take a class to learn some kind of occultism?"

Xilun paused, his brows furrowing slightly.

He paid five pounds for the course; if he wasn't here to learn about the mysterious or common sense, what else could he be here for? Is there some hidden trickery in this course?

Just as he was lost in thought, a clear and familiar voice suddenly came from among the bookshelves deep inside the library.

"Is everyone here?"

Accompanied by the "thump-thump" of high heels on the wooden floor, a woman dressed in a well-fitting dark blue velvet dress...

A young woman wearing a white lace shawl, carrying several thick hardcover books, stepped out of the shadows and into the light, appearing before the crowd.

She had long, slightly wavy blonde hair that cascaded down her back, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll in a shop window, but her blue eyes revealed a coldness and arrogance that kept people at a distance.

When her gaze swept over the students and finally landed on Xilun, a very obvious look of surprise suddenly appeared on her usually indifferent face.

Xilun was also taken aback when he saw the face, and recognized the person at a glance.

Daisy!

Judging from her posture, she was holding a lesson plan and standing at the head of the long table, seemingly—she was the teacher of this basic course in occultism?

What the hell?

Xilun's mind raced, and a jumble of memories from what he had overheard at the docks came flooding back.

Indeed, there are rumors that this beautiful woman is not just a pretty face.

She only took martial arts classes to fill her spare time, while her true expertise and passionate interest lay in the hidden and obscure mystical knowledge.

However, Xiren now realized that this young lady's expertise in the occult seemed to be far more impressive than he had imagined, to the point that she was capable of teaching classes at the club.

Daisy seemed to realize that her outburst was somewhat inappropriate. She subconsciously withdrew her gaze from Xilen and reached out her fair fingers to tuck a strand of golden hair that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear.

"Now that everyone is here, let's not waste any more time and get started."

Daisy resumed her cool voice, walked to the table, and distributed the heavy books in her hands one by one to the students sitting on both sides.

When she walked up to Xiren and handed him the book bound in parchment, Xiren instinctively reached out his right hand to grab it.

Just as Xilen's fingers touched the edge of the book, Daisy suddenly froze.

Her gaze was fixed on the back of Xilun's hand.

There were several deep, gruesome tearing wounds on it, revealing the bone.

That was a bite wound inflicted a few days ago by the sharp teeth of that purplish-blue python-like alien creature in the Greywater River.

Although it had been cleansed by the powerful blood and qi of the extraordinary one, and a thick scab had formed, it still looked shocking and had not fully healed.

Daisy was used to seeing the delicate hands of nobles, but she had never seen such wild and violent wounds up close.

"You're injured." Daisy blurted out almost instinctively, her tone unusually tinged with emotion.

Xilun glanced at his right hand following her gaze, then casually withdrew it, shook his head, and spoke in a flat tone as if he were talking about someone else: "It's nothing, just a minor accident on the way out of the ship, nothing serious."

Daisy's beautiful brows furrowed tightly upon hearing this perfunctory reply.

She didn't say anything, but put down the book, turned around and walked back to her seat. She rummaged through her exquisite calfskin handbag for a while and pulled out a small crystal bottle about the size of a fingernail, engraved with silver patterns.

The bottle contained a viscous ointment that was translucent and bluish in color.

She walked back to Xiren, handed her the small crystal bottle, and explained softly, "This is an ointment my father bought at great expense from an alchemist. He specifically instructed me to carry it with me just in case. It's very effective for lacerations and preventing infection. You should try it."

The male trainees around stared wide-eyed at the sight, their eyes burning with jealousy.

However, faced with the young lady's kindness, Xiren shook his head without hesitation.

"Thank you for your kindness, but really, it's not necessary."

Xilun firmly refused, "My constitution is special, and this minor injury will heal quickly. It would be a waste to use such precious medicine."

The moment these words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze.

Daisy's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Her beautiful blue eyes stared intently at Xilen, her chest heaving slightly with anger.

"Why are you always so cold and unapproachable?" Daisy bit her lip, lowering her voice in annoyance. "It was the same at the birthday party last time, you were so aloof and unapproachable!"

Xilun's body stiffened slightly.

He thought to himself: What does this mean? Is she complaining that I didn't attend her birthday dinner?

But seeing Daisy's stubborn look, which made her somewhat embarrassed and her eyes slightly red, Xiren sighed.

He reached out his left hand, used his fingernail to pick out a smear of blue ointment from the crystal bottle, and applied it to the edge of the scab on the back of his right hand.

"It's very effective, thank you." Xilen nodded slightly, not as a formality, but because he quickly realized that the ointment was starting to work.

A tingling, numb sensation, as if the scars were beginning to peel away, giving way to new skin.

Daisy grabbed the crystal bottle, snorted, and turned to walk back to the podium in her high heels.