Wizard: Surviving in the Steam Age with Points for Demon Hunter

Chapter 90: Wealthy but Orphaned

drip.

Wayne opened the triangular box, took out three gold pounds and a six-barreled shotgun, looked up at the grandfather clock on the wall, and said, "Three minutes."

From the moment he put the potion and ten gold pounds into the triangular box...

Do not,

To be precise, it took him three minutes from handing it over to the nightmare worm that crawled out of the box until he received the item.

Franta, who purchases Enlightenment Elixir, is located in the central part of the Western Continent.

The person who sold the muskets to Wayne, though also from the Eastern Continent, was from the Kingdom of Prude, which was even farther away than the Republic of Drake—the easternmost part of the Eastern Continent.

Despite the vast distance, he received the traded items in just three minutes...

The Nightmare World was more powerful than he had imagined.

It is also worth mentioning that the Nightmare Worm is a unique magical insect of the Nightmare Cult.

It's the monster we saw in the Nightmare Realm before, with a spherical head that only has a mouth and eyes.

According to Franta, the Nightmare Worm has the ability to freely travel between the Nightmare World and reality. It usually feeds on nightmares and is a kind of demonic worm that is not strong but difficult to kill.

However, after being domesticated by the Nightmare Cult, the Nightmare Worm became the most useful medium of trade.

By using the coordinates of the triangular box for location, the items between the two parties in a transaction can be delivered quickly.

As a result, the Nightmare Cult made a lot of money from Nightmare Realm.

"This kind of transaction is feasible; it's safe and won't be discovered..."

Unless the Nightmare Cult self-destructs, no one can find the other's real-world identity and location through the Nightmare Realm.

However, Wayne was already very satisfied.

From now on, he only needs to buy more materials, make potions, and trade them through the Nightmare World to obtain the gold pounds needed for his upgrade...

And most importantly, in the real world he was just an ordinary investigator in the Secret Service, a low-level intelligence officer of the Ghost School.

However, in the Nightmare World, he became a figure feared by the stall owners in the initial area, and was a captain-level powerhouse who could freely enter and exit the third area.

This change not only brought him considerable convenience, but also made him feel respected for the first time.

Just like the wizard Franta, the politeness shown to him made him feel inexplicably flattered.

"Original Level..."

Wayne knew that all these changes were due to his origin, and that number 22 represented his origin level.

He had also subtly inquired about this with Franta.

From his simple words, it can be inferred that what enters the Nightmare World is not an individual's spirit or soul, but the origin itself.

Therefore, in the Nightmare World, everyone is a blurry black shadow.

Because this is the origin, spiritual power is transmitted through the soul, and form is shaped through flesh and blood.

This also made Wei En understand why the Origin had the effect of amplifying one's own strength.

The source is like a accelerant, igniting the spirit and flesh to unleash even greater power.

"It seems that people in this world have their own set of theories about the understanding of living things."

Thinking of this, Wayne gripped the shotgun that had cost him ten gold pounds.

Unlike the small and exquisite muskets issued by the logistics department, this shotgun was noticeably rougher.

If he wasn't mistaken, the barrel was secured by several pieces of sheet metal...

Fortunately, what Wayne valued was not the gun's appearance, but its construction and the dispersion of its six barrels.

This can greatly enhance his close-quarters combat capabilities.

Based on yesterday's combat experience at the Celes Manor, superhumans below the captain level can only stack a maximum of five layers of the Death trait.

In other words, if you're unlucky, an extraordinary person hit by this shotgun will immediately trigger the "Death Trait - Instant Death" effect!

Combined with Corpse Explosion...

Just thinking about that scene made Wayne feel much happier.

Whether he can reach the captain level is another matter, but his strength has indeed been greatly improved.

Wayne summoned the mechanical gate, took out his musket and tucked it into his waistband, before turning and going downstairs.

"Shava, I'm going to work."

Miss Zombie's room was right across from the studio. She was standing at the door, looking straight at him. "Goodbye."

Wei En paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Goodbye."

Miss Zombie watched him go downstairs before going inside to get a broom and rag and beginning her chores for the day. The patched-up dress barely covered the scars on her body…

[You have been subjected to a psycho-scan by Ognyan Sherman. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

Still there?

Wei En received this notification as soon as he stepped out of his residence.

The person watching him from the shadows is truly always there.

However, as he intently scanned everything and everyone within a kilometer radius, Wayne couldn't help but frown.

It's safe to say the opponent's strength is at least captain level, or even higher...

"Wein".

Good morning, Uncle Youan.

Wei En locked the door discreetly and greeted You An, "Are you going to the Secret Investigation Department?"

At this moment, Yu An was dressed in full regalia, wearing the green hat he had given her, and a crisp black suit with gold embellishments. She looked both glamorous and elegant.

"No, that's not it."

In his hand, Yuan held a short, entirely black staff, a type of cane that had recently become popular in Charlotten and signified a certain status.

"I need to travel to the city-state of Andrea. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could look after Carly for me."

"The city-state of Andrea? You're going there...?"

Wayne knew that Andrea was the closest city-state to Castel, and also a city-state near the coast, but he had heard that the security there was worse than in Castel.

"A batch of in-demand materials has arrived in Hong Kong, and I need to go there to receive them."

Yu'an explained briefly, then stared at him seriously, "You understand what 'taking care of' means, right?"

"Um, caregiving?"

"You absolutely cannot have even the slightest ulterior motive!"

Wayne rolled his eyes. "Um, could you ask someone else?"

"5 gold pounds."

"make a deal."

Without further ado, Yuan took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out 8 gold pounds in paper money, and handed him a piece of parchment along with it.

"This is a list of things Carly needs. The extra money isn't for you; it's for buying these things. Just do as I say."

Wayne took it and glanced at it: Cordoba abalone, snow mushrooms from Mount Simon, cheese from Crandland, and so on...

"These things are..."

"You only need to buy two days' worth of food; Carly can cook it herself. Of course, you can eat some too."

Yuan stretched out his thumb and forefinger to make a universal gesture—just a tiny bit.

"..."

Two days' worth of food, three gold pounds?

The nobles of the Natoli neighborhood are probably only at this level.

Wayne inwardly scoffed, but nodded stiffly, "Okay, Uncle Yu'an."

He endured it for the sake of five gold pounds.

This is enough money to make six perfect potions, which is worth more than 20 gold pounds to him.

"And that's it, I'm leaving."

Watching his departing figure, Wei En pursed his lips.

Is opening a clinic really that profitable?

This seems to be all the money they've put into supporting Carly...

……

……

Perhaps because of today's welcoming ceremony, as soon as Wayne left Golden Street, he saw crowds of people waiting on both sides of the road.

Most of them wore white robes representing the followers of the Church of Dawn, and some devout believers even held a holy covenant, their faces showing a hint of fanaticism, as if on a pilgrimage.

The horse-drawn carriages and mechanical vehicles that used to come and go frequently were nowhere to be seen, and city guards were maintaining order in front of the crowd.

At the end of this street called Suit Avenue, one can see the orderly ranks of the clergy of the Church of Dawn.

In front of them were several rows of guardians dressed in white armor with gold patterns, and behind them were pastors in white robes with gold trim, all staring solemnly ahead.

But on the other side of this splendor, several squads of city guards were carrying away some mutants, as well as ordinary people who had unfortunately died.

Their careful movements showed that they did not want to disturb the crowd watching the ceremony; they just wanted to carefully and quickly tidy up these poor people.

"Praise for Dawn, only two mutants appeared last night."

"Praise be to Dawn, but four people died, three were injured, and there's also one unfortunate soul who has been confirmed to be contaminated and is about to undergo a mutation."

"Could you please stop bringing up dawn all the time? If dawn were useful, would it still be here..."

"Hey, are you out of your mind? Shut up..."

Wayne walked calmly through. To his left were walls destroyed by the mutants and victims covered in white sheets. To his right was also a scene of pure white, but filled with a fanatical crowd...

It has to be said that this scene is full of irony!

Before long, Wayne bypassed the church area and arrived at the Dumitru district.

Here, the city-state residents, also waiting to witness the ceremony, were noticeably wealthier.

Not only did he hold the Holy Covenant in his hands, but he also wore an insignia representing the exclusive believers of the Dawn Church, as well as a luxurious necklace sold by the church.

This outfit alone would cost at least 10 gold pounds...

Further inside, near the Secret Investigation Division, there were already many people dressed in noble attire waiting there.

Unlike the fanatical church believers, these people were much more casual, chatting quietly among themselves while waiting.

"Your Excellency, have you not left the parliament hall yet?"

"Based on the timeline, Bishop Andrews has already met up with him and should appear at the end of the block in another ten minutes."

"The Ernst family has also arrived, given the old count's age..."

"Silence, Sir Yarrow."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Starnick..."

The biggest change that came with advancing to the rank of advanced wizard apprentice was that his senses became much more acute.

Although those people were talking in hushed tones, the sound that reached his ears was no less than that of someone broadcasting through a loudspeaker.

This forced Wayne to focus his attention elsewhere in order to reduce the impact of the noise on him.

"Have you heard? There were quite a few gunshots at the Ceres Manor yesterday..."

"Really? I didn't know that I spent the night in the City That Never Sleeps last night. Could you tell me more about it?"

"I heard that the extremely unreliable Rutger was assassinated by the pirates from the Black Pearl. When Sayyam rushed back early this morning, he was furious."

"Haha, I can picture it. That's just how their family is; they always manage to provoke those crazy guys from the sea..."

"But the Black Pearl, that's a remarkable fleet."

"What's there to be afraid of? If they dare to come, Governor Samir won't let them get away with it..."

Using his investigator uniform and identification documents, Wayne successfully entered the Secret Investigation Department.

Compared to the bustling scene outside, the Secret Investigation Division was extremely calm inside, or rather, no one dared to show the slightest excitement on their faces.

"We've been waiting for you."

In the office, Marco held a small mirror in his hand, fiddling with his red hair.

Wayne glanced around. "Where are Lacey and Tina?"

"They went to the administrative district; they said there was a task assigned by higher-ups."

"Hmm," Wayne put his things on the desk, "maybe Lacey will need to greet the new colleague later."

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.

On such occasions, Chief of Staff Ales would have a “friendly” exchange with Bishop Andrews.

So today's protagonist, Carly, as a candidate for sainthood in the Church of Dawn, will naturally be accompanied and received by a member of the Secret Investigation Department.

Clearly, from the logistics department's perspective, only Lacey is suitable.

"That's true. With Minister Yegor's rugged appearance and his languid demeanor, he shouldn't be standing next to that lady."

"So, you already know her identity?"

"Of course, I asked my father about it after I got back last night. The person who came to the Secret Investigation Department is no ordinary person, so it's no wonder that Director Ares agreed."

With that, Marco put down the small mirror, struck a cool pose, and said, "How about it? I don't think I'm embarrassing our logistics department, do I?"

"……Won't."

It must be said that Marco, dressed in an investigator's uniform, became less frivolous and more reliable.

Wayne took out his pocket watch and checked the time. There were less than twenty minutes left before the ceremony began. "How long will this welcoming ceremony last?"

"Based on past experience, celebrations attended by the governor will last at least two hours."

Marco walked to the window and looked outside. "This time, because of Chief Ares, many nobles of high status have come again. It will probably last until the afternoon."

Wei En frowned slightly. "This afternoon..."

"Can I skip the party tonight?"

"I don't think so?"

Marco turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "At the reception, we'll be representing the Secret Investigation Department, presenting a gift alongside that person."

"Okay, I was just saying."

To be honest, Wayne has already stopped looking forward to events like this.

Wouldn't it be better for him to use that time to study the blueprints for mechanical puppets?

"Relax a bit, buddy."

Marco came over and put his arm around his shoulder, whispering, "There will be quite a few noble ladies at the party tonight. I'll introduce you to a few..."

A noble lady?

Wei En blinked. Actually, it wouldn't matter if it took a few more hours for the blueprints. He could just stay up all night to study.

"Tell me more, are there any families with considerable wealth whose parents and relatives have all passed away...?"

Marco: "..."

Such a good thing, how could it possibly be your turn?

(End of this chapter)