Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Old Profession
Two days quickly passed.
Soren was very busy during this time. That afternoon, he completed his analysis of the Invisibility Spell and finally constructed this most complex Second Circle Spell in his mind. With the completion of the spell model, Soren could hardly wait to memorize it. After more than two hours of meditation, he successfully completed the construction of two Invisibility Spell models. Since he did not have many spells to master, the time he spent memorizing spells was significantly reduced.
Four First Circle Arcane Missiles and two Second Circle Invisibility Spells.
Although he had recorded some Third Circle spells, Soren did not have the time to study them and could only wait to analyze them later when he had free time. After completing the construction of the spell models, Soren began to rest, both to regain his energy and to wait for nightfall. He was spending money like water; although his transcription skills had risen to 36 points, he had already spent three to four hundred Gind, and his gold coins were getting a bit tight.
Night fell.
Soren woke up around ten o’clock in the evening. He changed into his prepared gear and put on a mask. The gray area was never short of such props; as long as you could find them and understood how to deal with them, you could buy many strange things from them. White Horse City still had a curfew in place, and the number of patrolling guard squads on the streets had increased by half. Soren’s figure slipped into the shadows, cautiously making his way toward the noble district.
The hierarchical structure of this world was very strict, with the wealthy area separated from the slums, and the noble district was even more isolated.
The road to the noble district was guarded by specialized squads, and ordinary civilians were not allowed to approach. Anyone who drew close would be questioned and driven away; only those who appeared well-dressed and affluent would be allowed to pass through with a slight relaxation of scrutiny. In any case, the noble district absolutely could not have the presence of vagrants or poor people; otherwise, they would face punishment.
Compared to the filth and disorder of other places, the noble district appeared very tidy, with no animal or human waste, no sewage or muddy ditches. The ground was paved with smooth flagstones, and there were underground drainage channels on both sides. Along the road, there were flower beds and large trees, with neat independent villas lined up. Most of the windows were made of colored glass, which symbolized wealth; ordinary civilians typically used paper, as this expensive alchemical material was beyond their means.
There were patrolling squads at the intersections and everywhere; the security in the noble district was the best!
Because there was no shortage of people trying to make a fortune here, the guarding was very strict. However, if caught, one would be in serious trouble. Stealing from a noble was a heavier crime than stealing from a civilian, and one could risk having an arm broken or being sent to the mines as forced labor. With a murmured incantation, Soren used the Invisibility Spell in a dark alley, and his figure gradually disappeared; the moonlight shone directly onto the ground where he had been, as if he had completely vanished.
In his stealth state, Soren moved soundlessly, hardly disturbing any targets. He passed directly in front of two White Horse guards, within two or three meters of them. The guards had no awareness at all, continuing to talk about how charming a tavern maid was, punctuating their conversation with knowing chuckles. They noticed no anomalies; whether in light or shadow, they didn’t even hear the nearly imperceptible sound of his footsteps. If Soren had wanted to, he could have taken the lives of these two guards in an instant.
The villas were in utter darkness.
At this time, most people were asleep. Further back was the estate of the major noble, which was Soren’s forbidden zone.
Humans maintained a relatively orderly system and had not entirely fallen to a might-makes-right mentality. Many nobles were ordinary people or only slightly stronger than them. Only those in the aristocratic class who held more power demanded strict requirements concerning strength; otherwise, they would lack the ability to govern a city. Many nobles inherited their titles, some permanent, and some lasting only three generations; however, if no exceptional talent appeared, they would gradually lose their status, sinking to that of commoners.
Petty nobles possessed few valuables, while the estates of great nobles were heavily guarded.
Soren’s target was the middle-class nobles; most of these nobility had estates outside but maintained a villa within the city. They spent more than half the year in the city primarily to maintain connections with other nobles. From March to June was the season for noble socializing, during which they frequently held banquets, even inviting priests of the Goddess of Joy or the Goddess of Love and Beauty to attend. These banquets were rife with sordid transactions or became a complete revelry. Their lifestyle resembled that of the British gentry during its heyday.
Soren carefully observed his surroundings.
Soon he settled on a suitable target—a modest villa that clearly had no guard and featured a large garden. The lights in the servants’ quarters were out, while there was a faint light coming from the owner’s room on the second floor. Soren stepped out of the shadows, calculated the patrol timing of the guards, and leaped onto the balcony edge, then quietly climbed up to the second floor.
“Brad! Is that you?” A languid voice came from the room, followed by a stunning woman in a red nightgown, secured only by a ribbon, revealing her slightly abundant bosom, getting up from bed and softly beckoning from the balcony, “Don’t make a sound, come in quickly.”
The candlelight in the room was dim, and the air was fragrant, almost intoxicating.
The beautiful woman heard a slight noise but received no reply, her expression seemed a bit tense as she cautiously peeked outside. She wore black silk stockings on her legs, a costly alchemical fabric; it appeared the owner of this villa was quite wealthy. No one would wear stockings to sleep, and her attire clearly suggested another arrangement. Soren couldn’t help but smirk, having just completed a job in his old profession only to find this.
A clandestine meeting.
The woman was evidently waiting for her lover, and such secretive actions were quite popular among southern nobles, with everyone in the know. The noble circles have always been chaotic. These carefree individuals indulged in such pastimes to satisfy their empty souls; if even this couldn’t fulfill them, they might eventually succumb to the domains of certain evil gods. For example, one evil god thrived in the midst of taboo revelries.
There was a time when the Goddess of Joy herself fell into the allure of such forbidden pleasures. Had she not been pulled back by some benevolent deities, she might have strayed further from the chaotic good alignment. Among the gods, the most visibly fallen was the Goddess of Cats and Dance, now a chaotic neutral deity, reportedly nearing ruin at the hands of the Lady of the Night. Should she completely fall, the Lady of the Night would undoubtedly gain another deity for her faction.
A faint sound came from a distance.
Then a rather agile figure climbed over the wall, saying in a hushed voice, “Camilla. It’s me, darling, I’m coming up now.”
A nimble fellow.
Soren had excellent night vision and clearly saw a handsome young man stealthily approaching in the garden. He appeared to be in his early twenties, tall and well-built. On the other hand, the woman, while well-maintained, looked to be at least thirty, her alluring face unable to conceal her age or the slightly stout waist.
“Come up quickly, darling,” the woman urged in a suppressed voice, her breathing becoming rapid.
The young man below was clearly exhilarated, managing to leap up and climbed up to the balcony. As soon as he arrived, he pounced on the woman, passionately kissing her while fondling her ample br*asts. The two moved inside the room, lips never separating, appearing very eager.
Soren had no interest in watching a scene of intimacy. He quietly shifted his footing, and in the next moment, his figure abruptly appeared. With a swift move, he knocked the woman unconscious. Immediately, his hand shot out like lightning, grasping the young man’s neck. A swift kick struck him in the groin, leaving him unable to utter a cry as he rolled his eyes and fainted.
It was as if something had shattered!
Soren remained calm, laying the two unconscious individuals on the floor before searching them for valuables.
Rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets—all their valuables were stripped, and when he pinched the woman’s chest, he grimaced and remarked, “Too thick around the waist, too soft here; it’s already sagging somewhat, far inferior to a Drow.”
Among females, he was most familiar with Drow, likely due to spending too much time in the Underdark.
Oh?
Soren peeled a ring off the young man’s finger and held it up to the moonlight. At once, his body broke out in a cold sweat.
This was an energy ring!
Once activated, it could emit an energy ray of about 30 points of intensity, worth over two thousand Gind, capable of delivering a fatal blow to low-tier professionists. Fortunately, he had acted swiftly, leaving the two no time to react; otherwise, a careless hit could have fatally wounded him.
“Looks like he’s not just any noble son?” Soren examined the bloodstains on the young man’s pants; this kind of injury wouldn’t k*ll him, and the lad clearly looked like a professionist, with relatively strong vitality.
The invisibility effect had worn off.
Soren dragged the two unconscious figures into the room and began rummaging through the place for more loot.
“d*mn it!”
Soren cursed softly upon seeing a safe in a dark compartment; with his 45-point lockpicking skill, he was unable to open it, indicating it likely employed some special mechanism. Though he had a method for violently breaking the lock, the noise would be considerable. Reluctantly, he took out a dimensional bag and found it fit perfectly inside the safe. He removed items from the dimensional bag, placed them into another one, and then packed the safe into the dimensional bag as well.
Before leaving, he glanced at the two individuals on the floor and kindly covered them with a blanket.
Being knocked unconscious during an illicit rendezvous was already bad enough.
It would be even worse if they caught a cold. (To Be Continued…)
