Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Hevil took a beautiful booklet out of her bag and pushed it in front of Siren.

"This is a rented venue in cooperation with the Brotherhood."

"Internal members can enjoy a certain discount on rent."

Xilun opened the booklet.

The list includes a variety of properties, from detached houses to single apartments.

His gaze swept across the pages of pictures, finally settling on one in particular.

"Golden Rooster Hotel".

This is a three-story red brick building located on the edge of a slum.

Although it is still in the Lower City, the surrounding environment is relatively clean, and it is not far from the Iron Cross Club and White Crow Wharf.

Besides, Feslow lives here.

He said that the place offers 24-hour hot water and private bathrooms.

"How's it here?" Xilun asked, pointing to the picture.

"Good taste."

Hevi glanced at it and nodded approvingly.

"Golden Rooster Hotel is the best value-for-money option in this area."

"Single room with private bathroom, breakfast included."

"The original price was 18 shillings per month, but after the discount it's only 12 shillings."

"Moreover, many of the people living there are respectable individuals like yourself, or small-time gang leaders with some skills, so the area is very safe."

12 shillings.

For Xilun at present, it is entirely within their means.

"This will do," Xiren said, closing the booklet and making his decision.

"no problem."

Hevier stood up decisively.

"I'll go and book a room for you right now."

"You can go back and pack your things tonight, and move in tomorrow."

"in addition……"

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Our work hours are relatively early."

"The dockworkers start work at six in the morning, and as supervisors, we need to be there before that time."

There will be a roll call at 5 PM, please be sure to attend!

Xilun nodded.

Six o'clock is nothing to him.

He usually gets up even earlier than this to practice his breathing techniques.

"no problem."

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Mr. Celen."

Heviel extended her hand, a flawless professional smile on her face.

"I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

Xilun held her hand, feeling the rough texture of the thin callus.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

As I stepped out of the fraternity, it was already getting dark.

Xilun took a deep breath of the cold air and felt a refreshing coolness in his lungs.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

With breakthroughs in capabilities and successful implementation of projects, we are about to move into our new home.

......

The afterglow of dusk, like a pale golden veil, was cast onto the mottled wooden floor.

The dormitory was empty except for Xilun.

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding the book "Basic Grammar of Classical Literature" in his hands, by the light of the dying day.

The pages are yellowed and the paper is rough.

The language is obscure and difficult to understand, with a large number of phonetic loan characters and archaic sentence structures that resemble a tangled mess.

The same word can be a prayer praising the gods when placed at the beginning of a sentence, but a curse on the enemy when placed at the end.

Xilun's fingers gently caressed the pages, his lips moved slightly, and he read aloud in a low voice.

"...With the spirit as the guide, with blood as the medium, bear witness..."

Once, twice.

As the last, awkward syllable was uttered between his teeth, Xilun felt a sudden jolt in his mind, as if an invisible barrier had been pierced.

On my retina, that familiar deep red data stream flashed by like a waterfall.

[Skill: Classical Literature (Introduction)]

Xilun closed the book and let out a long breath.

The feeling was wonderful. The words that seemed like gibberish to me before suddenly became clear when I looked back on them.

Those obscure word meanings are like living tadpoles, automatically arranging and combining in my mind. Not only is the memory more profound, but even the muscle memory of the tongue seems to be reshaped, and the pronunciation becomes smooth and fluent.

"Finally, I've mastered it."

Xilun muttered to himself, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

In this mysterious world, many advanced occult knowledge, ritual incantations, and even potion recipes are recorded in this ancient language.

He carefully packed the books into his canvas bag, pondering his next move.

Biology and chemistry also need to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

"Squeak—"

The heavy warehouse door was pushed open, its rusty hinges groaning shrilly.

The previously silent space was instantly shattered.

The workers who had finished their shifts gradually poured in.

Kemi dragged her heavy steps to the bedside, plopped down, and her already sturdy face scrunched up like a dried orange peel.

"What's wrong?" Xilun glanced at him and asked casually.

"Old Harry is dead."

Kemi unbuttoned his stained work clothes, his voice muffled, carrying a sense of sorrow and loss. "During the lunch break, he was eating a dark bread when he suddenly collapsed to the ground and didn't move. In the afternoon, the foreman thought it was bad luck, so he had someone roll up a straw mat and take him away."

Xilun paused slightly, a face appearing in his mind.

Old Harry wasn't actually old, only in his early thirties, but excessive labor had hunched his back early on, and his face was covered with deep wrinkles, making him look like a fifty-year-old man.

He was the most hardworking person in the dormitory. He saved up money by living frugally to learn breathing techniques, but unfortunately, he not only failed to develop a sense of breath, but also completely ruined his body under the high-intensity pressure.

Kemi sighed, rubbing her aching lower back, a pained expression on her face. "Ugh, never mind him. Morgan didn't come today, but the acting foreman gave me a hard time, insisting I move that damn pile of steel ingots. If this keeps up, my back is definitely going to break."

He glanced at Celen, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of hesitation and pain in his eyes, "Celen, what do you think... should I send Morgan a gift? Buy him a bottle of good wine or something. Otherwise, if he targets me again tomorrow, I might not be able to make it through the rest of the week."

Upon hearing this, Xilun paused slightly.

Sending a gift to Morgan?

"No."

Xilun turned around, pulled the old wicker trunk out from under the bed, and said calmly, "Save your money. Even buying some meat to eat is better than giving it to him."

"Huh?" Kemi paused, clearly not understanding the deeper meaning in Xiren's words, and continued rambling, "But we can't not send him, that guy is ruthless and heartless..."

Xilun began packing his things.

A few changes of clothes, toiletries, that precious book, and a few silver coins hidden under the pillow.

This sudden action quickly attracted the attention of those around them.

The once noisy dormitory gradually quieted down, and all eyes turned to Xilun.

"Is that Xilun? He's packing his bags?"

"Are you moving out?"

Whispers buzzed like flies.

"I don't think he's going to make a living like this anymore," a pockmarked coworker said sneer, his voice sharp. "I heard he went to learn some kind of martial arts and spent all his savings. Old Harry is a prime example; he wasn't destined for it, but he insisted on dreaming about it."

"Maybe they're going back to the countryside to herd cattle?"

"Hey, I bet they've squandered all their money and can't afford the rent for their stall here anymore."