The Deceitful One

The clouds in Damascus City were a shade of grayish black and the streets were wet and slightly muddy today. It had been raining continuously for the last two days and two nights. The turbid air that surrounded the city had been washed away clean, leaving behind a fresh atmosphere.

Although it was only 3 in the afternoon, it looked as if night had already fallen. Bryan was sitting in his living room looking out the window.

He had just finished a round of meditation and was looking at the slight drizzle outside in a daze. The arrival of June had brought with it heavy rainfall.

During the past month, Bryan's daily routine consisted of rigorous studying, meditation, and fooling around with Leah. He had completely discarded the Elementary Meditation Technique given to him by Detective Watson.

Instead, he wholeheartedly followed the meditation technique of the Medici Family. After all, this was a family inheritance that his mother had left for him. And he had to use this meditation technique now if he later wanted to embark on the Path that the Medici Family Ancestor had created. However, he didn't tell this to Detective Watson.

During this time, Detective Watson had also taught him noble etiquettes, which he had missed out on since he became an orphan. Bryan had also completely mastered Hymmnos and Ancient Hymmnos.

'I should be able to finish carving the 10th mind rune by tonight and advance to Rank 2 Apprentice.' Bryan thought in his heart.

After meditating for over a month now, he realized a few things. After having already carved 9 mind runes, Bryan felt his mind become calmer and clearer.

He was able to focus on things for a longer period of time as well as memorize more study materials which would otherwise have proven to be a very difficult endeavor.

Also, the thing he called intuition in the past, although not an incorrect term, to be more precise, was the result of him having way more spiritual force than what a normal person should have. This was the other thing Bryan realized.

Bryan reined in his thoughts and headed to the kitchen to make himself some lunch. With the influx of money that he received from Detective Watson for work, he started bringing home more groceries including meat. Earlier, Bryan could barely afford vegetables let alone something as expensive as meat.

Therefore, after changing to a healthier diet, Bryan's physique completely changed. He had put on some weight, although he was in no way fat or flabby.

Every time Leah would come over, she would compliment him and say stuff like how he had become even more handsome than the first time they had met.

Speaking of Leah, Bryan had slightly developed feelings for her in the beginning. After all, having made love to her so many times, he was bound to have some feelings of love and affection for her.

Moreover, she was the first girl he had ever been so close with. However, this one time Leah had told him that she just loved the sex and wasn't looking to get into a serious relationship.

From her, Bryan had come to learn that the people in the Belize Kingdom were very liberal and open-minded. Especially when it came to sex and relationships.

Although a little disheartened, Bryan didn't mind it. After all, this just meant that he wouldn't have to stick to just one girl. He wasn't planning to anyway.

After making himself a piece of grilled chicken breast and some boiled vegetables, Bryan silently had his lunch on the couch in the living room. After finishing his meal and having licked the plate clean, he got up and washed the plate in the sink.

He then headed to his bedroom and took out clothes to wear from his wardrobe. He still had to visit different parts of the city and report to Detective Watson about any strange things happening. He wore black trousers, a white shirt, and black shoes. Since it was slightly drizzling, he put on his black rain jacket and flat cap.

After dressing up, he left his apartment after locking the door. He was planning to go to the factory area before going to Ricky's bar to buy any relevant intel. Based on Bryan's experience, it was places like those that sold good local information.

The factory area was about thirty minutes from Robison Street. Bryan called for a public carriage and got on it. Now that he had money to spend and could afford a lot more things, he wouldn't be stingy with himself.

He never liked the idea of saving money. In his opinion, he worked hard every day to earn money. So when he receives his salary, why should he save it? Instead shouldn't he spend all of it on himself and enjoy it?

Another reason was, if he ran out of money before his next weekly salary, he could just steal it from some unlucky fellow on the street. So what was the point of saving? But Bryan subconsciously chose to ignore this reason.

On his way to the factory area, he looked out at the scenery through the carriage window. The slight drizzle had stopped at some point. Though the roads were still muddy and full of puddles. A pleasant earthy smell emanated from the surroundings after the rain had stopped.

Bryan could see the chimneys from the factory spewing out black smoke in the distance. At a glance, it looked very evil and menacing. It was difficult to believe that something that looked so evil had actually helped mankind advance.

The steam engine was invented and developed by Dicentra Research Institute five years ago. This was an organization funded and operated by a joint cooperation between the Royal Family of the Dicentra Empire, the Church of Wisdom, and the Church of Craftsmanship. This technology brought about the industrial revolution in the Western Continent.

Steam power made it easier and cheaper to produce commodities. Not only that, but it also created a lot more jobs for the poor working class. Owners of coal mines practically became rich overnight because the steam engine was mainly dependent on coal to operate.

Within five years, steam power was integrated into steam trains, steamships, and factories. Railway lines were built throughout the continent, and some new routes are even being built to this day, making all the major cities and towns in the continent more connected.

But there were also some drawbacks to this. The smoke produced by burning coal was harmful to the environment and the people.

Bryan was very much aware of this since he had worked as a coal miner as well as a factory worker for a very short period of time. He ultimately quit these jobs because he felt that stealing was much more lucrative.

The working conditions for miners and factory workers were really bad. He had also seen a few old men dying from inhaling too much smoke. However, the factory owners either covered this matter up or simply didn't care enough to even bother about it.

'Although the harmful effects on the environment aren't visible now, I have a feeling that it'll only get worse in the future.' Bryan sighed as the public carriage finally reached the factory area.

He got off the carriage and paid the driver 3 pence. Then he headed further inside the factory area hoping to find something worthwhile.

The factory area covered a large area of Damascus City. Over the last few years, at least a dozen factories had popped up. These factories were massive in size and they mostly produced textiles, machinery, or other raw materials.

Bryan walked around the various factories and saw the various workers, men and women alike, walk in and out of these factories. Some looked happy, some tired, and some looked as if they had lost all will to live.

After inspecting the various places in the factory area for about an hour, Bryan found nothing substantial. He headed for Ricky's bar near the slums. He boarded another public carriage and by the time he reached the bar, it was close to 6 pm.

He sat at the bar counter and ordered the usual pint of local ale. While he drank, he called for the bartender. "Any news?" Bryan asked in a low voice.

The bartender looked at him silently for a moment then stretched out his right hand. Bryan handed him a 1 pound note. Finally, there was a slight resemblance of a smile on the bartender's face.

He leaned in closer and said, "There haven't been any murders recently in the slums. However, people have found lots of bodies about an hour away from Damascus. These bodies had been drained of blood and there were bite marks and gashes on the victims' bodies. I'm not sure if these victims were from Damascus to begin with, but there have been people going missing in the slums lately."

The bartender paused for a bit and continued, "Looks like the wild beast that had been causing a ruckus in the city has become smart enough to drop the dead bodies outside the city."

Bryan simply nodded, finished his drink, and left the bar. He boarded another public carriage and headed towards Robinson Street. It was already night time so the gas light lamps on the side of the streets had been lit.

Inside the carriage, Bryan's eyebrows creased into a frown, 'It's definitely not a wild animal but a rogue Transcendent. Body drained of blood…and bite marks. Could these be people from the Holy Blood Sect?' As he thought about those Blood Path lunatics, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

'What if I'm caught by them one of these days? Will I be able to survive? Will I be able to escape?' The desire for strength in Bryan's heart grew stronger. He decided to report this to Detective Watson tomorrow morning.

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