Vale stood on the deck of the Airship as he looked at a strangely familiar city.
He had never been here before, but the previous Kyle's memories gave him some impression of this big and dusty city.
The Airship soon landed at the dockyard in the southern district of the city, and surprisingly, it wasn't only him who disembarked. There were a couple of higher-year students, but since they weren't wearing their uniforms, Vale can only guess that they were 5th-year or 6th-year students since they had 5 Spell Models recorded in bodies according to the feedback sent by his Divine Sense.
They also seemed surprised after seeing Vale disembarked, but they quickly recovered and smiled at him.
They didn't talk either, as they simply went on their way.
'It still looks the same.' Vale sighed inwardly as he looked at the thick smoke coming out of the nearby factories. He can also see the slums from where he landed as Vale couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
Almost nothing has changed, but it was reasonable since only two years passed.
After a while, Vale also left the dockyard and headed straight to Maybelle Street, where the previous Kyle grew up.
Right now, he's unafraid of the gangsters or the people who were previously chasing after him. Only over two years had passed, but he had completely changed. If they dared to come at him, he wouldn't mind extracting their living bodies or even their dead bodies.
He also hadn't tried Extracting the corpses of the people he Extracted when they were still alive. He would undoubtedly consider experimenting on them if given a chance.
Soon, Vale noticed a few people eyeing him. They appear to be thieves, and since Vale looked well-off, he certainly is a good target. From how he carries himself and his expensive clothes, some thieves can really be attracted to him.
The coat he's wearing is worth 500 zen, and the bag he's carrying is about 310 zen. There is also a bulge in his pocket where he's keeping his pocketwatch.
Nevertheless, Vale ignored them as he knew that they wouldn't pose any threat to him. If they dared to really come at him, they would be the first ones he'll Extract in the city.
It didn't take him long to find the small apartment he and his father previously rented. At this point, he entered his Phantasm State and scanned the place.
"So he already left. I wonder if he's still alive." Vale softly said after realizing a different family was now living in the small apartment. His previous neighbors were also no more, making him utterly unfamiliar with the nostalgic place he grew up in.
Anyway, he decided not to overthink it anymore. His main reason for coming here isn't for Kyle's father anyway.
He soon left the gloomy street and went to the central district. The thieves also seemed to have given up, so Vale felt it was a pity.
Nevertheless, he continued with his plan since there should be a decent apartment where he could stay for a few days, so he went to find one first.
"Whew~" Vale lay on his soft bed after having his meal.
It was already 5 in the afternoon when he found an inn. It is only worth 14 zen a week, and that already includes breakfast.
This amount is still quite acceptable, considering that factory workers earn around 30 zen per week.
Vale didn't overexert himself today as he rested the whole night.
On the morning of the next day, he returned to the area around Maybelle Street in the southern district. He didn't even eat his breakfast as he wasn't feeling hungry.
His reason for coming here was simple. He wanted to find those gangsters who chased after him for several days. Perhaps, they were simply following orders to chase after him to get the pocketwatch, but it doesn't change the fact that they killed the old watchmaker. They need to take responsibility.
Yesterday, he wasn't focused on searching for them when he entered his Phantasm State. This time, however, he would focus on searching for them.
Even if he had to search the whole city, he would certainly do so.
Vale walked past the early street vendors and continued on his way while his Phantasm State was active.
A few hawkers called him to purchase their items, but he simply ignored them and focused on his task.
Although he can observe everyone who has entered his Magic Zone, he has to concentrate on it since that is plenty of information coming right through his head.
"Hmm?" Vale raised his brows when some familiar people finally entered his Magic Zone.
There was no way he'd forget their faces since they were the ones who stabbed the old watchmaker.
There were four of them in total, and they were inside a stagecoach.
They seemed to be heading towards the slums, so Vale followed them on foot.
He wasn't afraid he'd lose them since his Phantasm State could already cover more than 150 meters.
After passing through the busy street, the stagecoach moved faster, and Vale had to hasten his footsteps. Of course, he didn't use his Mystical Artifact since his Agility could basically allow him to surpass their speed if he wanted to.
Instead, he simply used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to make himself untraceable to ordinary people.
That's right. This is the reason why he upgraded this spell to Level 6 or Intermediate Realm. Not only could it allow him to use Telepathy, but it could also help him hide the fluctuation of energy coming out of him.
It may not be enough to fool other Arcane Arts Practitioners, but it's more than enough for the ordinary humans around him.
Furthermore, with his Divine Sense, he already confirmed that aside from a few police officers patrolling the area, there weren't any Arcane Arts Practitioners in this district at all.
"So it's their stronghold?" Vale muttered after following these people for about half an hour in the slums area.
Well, he should've probably thought of this, considering that this place isn't really adequately regulated by the city.
He soon confirmed that the people who had chased after him before had similar tattoo marks on their skin between their thumb and index finger.
The tattoo was only small, but Vale could notice this similarity quite quickly since they were all gathered together.
Vale didn't immediately act and went to ask around.
After investigating for a little, he learned that this syndicate called themselves the Snake Brotherhood and was a huge headache to many businesses around the area.
Vale smiled at this discovery… Perhaps, his mind was already affected by several Dark Arts he learned since he didn't think there was something wrong with what he was about to do.
"It's time…"
He waited until it was night before he finally made his move.
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