Chapter 19: The Various Families

The dream ended, and Li En could resume his morning exercise as usual, starting the rhythm of a new day.

The life trajectories of those candidates, however, had already been completely disrupted and reorganized.

"Heroic Soul Inheritance? I am qualified too."

"Broken Bone" Dimon woke from his dream, yet the arrogance from the dream was gone.

The former BOSS's room was luxurious and vast; he wasn't used to it and still lived in the kitchen where he had worked as a chef.

The wooden bed creaked under the weight, his massive body covered in cold sweat as memories of death surged to his mind, reminding him of the reality of it all.

"Is this a dream, or is it real?" Even though reason told him it was all real, he was still somewhat shocked and dared not believe it.

Heroic Souls, the crisis of the world, the future of the kingdom—these things were far too distant from him, who was rolling in the mud.

Don't be fooled by how effectively he stood up to the Holy Knight; as the only non-supernatural and gray-area individual, he had actually been hesitating and uneasy inside.

Having already stained himself with blood and filth, did he truly have the qualification to become the successor of that holy figure on the altar? Having heard many fairy tales and epics since childhood, he knew what it meant for an epic hero to emerge from ancient history, and what his inheritance would mean.

The beginning of too many epic stories is an ordinary person receiving this inheritance from history—but is he worthy? He was neither a prince or noble of high birth, nor a simple village youth, but a gangster covered in blood, the minor villain who appears at the start of most legendary tales.

"Boss?"

But from the moment he severed the former BOSS's head yesterday, he had no way back.

"Any news on the tail-cutting incident? Did anyone stop you from investigating?" This case was the beginning; the fate of his family made Dimon completely understand what it means to be bullied by the kind.

Being a cook cannot protect one's family; being a bastard can.

His first order upon becoming BOSS was to have Broken Bone's underlings investigate his younger brother's case.

"No, everyone was very cooperative. The bosses of all the gangs know that the increasingly mad killer remains a hidden threat."

Too smooth? "Broken Bone," rough in appearance but meticulous in heart, frowned; this was not what he had expected.

He hesitated, not because his men had failed to gather effective information.

"Did the people I sent out encounter any trouble either?" He hadn't expected to get information from the people he sent out in the first place.

Those idiots had the ability to extort and cause trouble; investigating cases and chasing killers? These guys were used to actively stirring up the snake, using the investigation to force the other party into making a mistake.

In his view, the fact that the killer could rampage here without ever being caught by the tail meant there must be a local power acting as an accomplice behind the scenes.

Therefore, the people he sent out should have been stopped by someone; as long as resistance appeared, he would at least know who was behind it.

But now, nothing had happened. The other gangs and organizations in the dock district were even quite cooperative. Could it be that they truly had nothing to do with it?

Then how did that murderer manage to come and go without a trace? Supernatural invisibility abilities not only have limits but also leave many traces.

He had even made plans: if anything happened on his side, an underling would deliver the intelligence to the young Holy Knight who came to mourn that day!

Probably, in the entire dock district police station, only that Holy Knight, who had already been treated as a madman, was trustworthy.

"Let them continue, make it more intense." Perhaps the force wasn't enough? Perhaps the stone thrown to test the water wasn't heavy enough, and he needed to get involved personally?

At the same time in the morning, in a much wealthier district, an extremely fierce family quarrel was taking place.

In a house countless times larger than Li En's, the quarrel between father and children was reaching a boiling point.

Outside the tightly closed door of the head of the household, fierce arguments continued to erupt, frightening the servants outside into silence.

Occasionally, the sound of things breaking could be heard; finally, with a boom, the main door was flung open, and the angry young Holy Knight left the house.

Inside the open door, left in the room, was only the Old Spider, full of anger and rage yet wearing a face of helplessness.

"Slap!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he threw all the ornaments on the table onto the floor.

"Investigate! How did she find out? Who told her!" This time, Baron Labore was completely furious.

In another corner, the little Dragon Girl was still sleeping.

Originally, she was the last to leave; as a Dragonkin, her sleep quality had always been quite good.

It was already past ten o'clock, and there was still no sign of her waking up.

Finally, the door was opened from the outside; when the maids slowly entered, she was still wrapped in her blanket, snoring loudly.

The black-haired head maid with glasses first pulled open the curtains, watching the sunlight fall on the bed, and also saw her rolling on the bed hugging a pillow.

She took out a pocket watch and waited patiently for a while; when there was still no reaction at all, she helplessly called out.

"Young Lady, Young Lady, wake up, the appointed time has arrived, Viscount Sudar is visiting."

—

For a professional warrior, one day without practice makes the hands rusty.

Morning exercise had become a habit; after finishing his sword practice, Li En did not rush out to patrol the streets.

Doing good deeds to increase satisfaction still needed to continue; Li En still had to strive for the higher-level "reward."

Especially regarding how much of the final Soul Ability could be retained, he himself couldn't be sure. Brother Su Er might no longer be able to be awakened, but the Heroic Soul was still watching him.

【Synchronization Rate 42.6%, Satisfaction 25.6%】

The synchronization rate had risen significantly again, and satisfaction had increased a bit, but it was still limited.

"Strive to push the synchronization rate over half and satisfaction over thirty percent before the end. Over half should yield a higher-tier reward, if I were designing it myself."

As the examiner, Li En was actually still Su Er's candidate; he needed to prove he was qualified to receive this inheritance.

However, as some secrets were revealed, some things could no longer be treated as non-existent, and some troubles could no longer be avoided.

"It's time to go see."

Walking back into the bathroom attached to his bedroom, Li En closed the door tightly and gave a bitter smile to his reflection in the mirror.

"I must admit, it is very likely that the previous Li Ensu was not a good person."

After obtaining new intelligence, some guesses were corroborated.

"The missing Heroine." Heroine Laina went missing two years ago, and now she is bound within his grimoire, half-mad.

Who did it? Why did they do it? If the grimoire is truly completely bound to Li Ensu, then the possibility that the previous Li Ensu did it is far too high.

"If it really was him, the activity cycle must be very close."

This is a huge trouble: a Li Ensu who is very likely from the evil camp was still causing chaos two years ago.

This is entirely possible; experience shapes character. If, like Su Er, one only fully recovers memories on the brink of death, taking a crooked path is entirely possible.

Now he can only hope the other person is accustomed to wearing a mask, or that their beast-like features are severe enough to obscure their face.

Touching the ancient grimoire, the rift in space opened once more.

Even if used merely as a spatial artifact, the value of this book remains high.

But now, Li En had no time to consider such troublesome maneuvers.

"Roar!!"

A sudden beastly roar emerged from within, resembling the bellow of an ancient giant beast.

She... has awakened?!

At this moment, Li En's expression grew even more tense, yet he had no reason to retreat.

He stepped into the spatial rift, slowly treading into the crimson corridor.

"Red... wait! It's so hot!!"

Upon touching the wall, the intensity was like molten lava; with merely a momentary touch, Li En felt the burn.

He gritted his teeth and continued stepping forward.

"... Hmm, it smells a bit foul. This... my hair is on fire?!"

Having taken only two steps, Li En turned and ran.

What lay ahead was no longer ordinary heat; his skin and clothes were actually burning, and the very air ahead was directly distorted by the extreme temperature.

The beastly roar still echoed through the corridor, but with a corridor like this, Li En clearly could not proceed.

At this moment, the corridor seemed to contain a living volcano, constantly emitting lethal high temperatures.

"... Wait until the Paladin set arrives, then I'll try again."

In the end, Li En could only give up for the time being.

Now things were fine; his body was drenched in sweat, and he had some minor burns.

Li En took another shower and applied medicine, while the guest originally scheduled to meet him was already waiting in the living room.

"For a three-story western-style building, activating the ground-floor hall, reception room, servant quarters, and kitchen at a minimum requires at least one chef and one maid. If you manage the garden yourself, you can save a bit. You need at least two maids for cleaning and daily care, one male servant for errands, a gardener, guards..."

The butler hired by the merchant guild for door-to-door service spoke on, and the more he spoke, the more Li En sweated.

This was one of the rules of this era: noble residences and large houses required hiring several servants to serve as a face.

This wasn't even calculated according to the standard for a count's heir; it was already a fallen noble. A slight calculation showed that at least a dozen servants needed to be hired.

The most expensive were technical talents like butlers and guards, especially the guard professionals recommended by the guild, who were paid monthly in gold coins.

Whereas Li En's own remuneration for that outsourced consultant work was calculated in silver coins on a weekly salary basis.

"Um, I don't think I can be considered a noble anymore; commoner standards..."

"Commoners cannot afford your house," the other party said with a very polite smile. This was a three-story building with a self-contained, well-maintained courtyard and over twenty rooms; commoners made do with a single-story house.

Li En pondered for a moment, suspecting whether the other party was treating him as a fool.

He had originally only intended to hire one or two "nannies" for periodic cleaning, which was why he had sought the local guild's intermediary service.

Since he was completely unable to get used to the local kitchenware and ingredients, he would hire at most one female cook.

"Don't merchants also use large houses?"

"They are far more luxurious than minor nobles; such a house can be filled to the brim, and they would also equip young maids and coachmen, with a dedicated stable and servant quarters built in the courtyard."

This era was quite unfair, and at this moment, Li En witnessed it once again.

Li En had merely entrusted the guild to inspect the house and determine how many people were needed to operate it, yet he hadn't expected them to so easily present a huge bill.

At this time, rather than puffing up his cheeks to appear fat, Li En directly stated his situation and requested minimum hiring.

A noble's face and such seemed completely unimportant.

"For the minimum... hire one female cook and maid, someone older with nimble hands, and bring along one cleaning maid. Actually, you could purchase our guild's regular cleaning service. In that case, hiring one or two maids to care for your daily needs would suffice."

The other party was very professional, stating directly that given his situation, he could abandon most rooms on the second and third floors and activate only a limited few on the first and second floors.

And if the servants were female, those middle-aged and above were both capable and cheap.

Reality was quite cruel; even after crossing into another world, there were no cute silver-haired, red-eyed cat maids. The only ones he could probably afford were bear-bodied aunts.

Li En asked a little; pretty young maids were far more expensive than middle-aged women, and those who could imply providing certain services were several times more expensive... Li En had absolutely no interest; he was just asking, asking out of curiosity.

"... Actually, you could try purchasing slaves. Although the initial investment is higher, soon..." The guild seemed to offer such services as well.

"No." Without a second thought, Li En directly refused.

"Regardless, for a house like yours, guards are still necessary; this era is not safe."

Li En could understand this statement.

If one did not want bandits sneaking in at midnight, such a "wealthy household" must equip at least some armed forces.

In an era not peaceful enough, "wealth" itself was also a sin.

He pondered for a moment and still intended to refuse, but the other party proposed a suggestion.

"Our guild actually provides some intermediary services. As you know, the most valuable industry in Glowing City is the underground exploration industry. Every year, countless outsiders come, and we also have dedicated training institutions."

Outsiders like Li En were quite numerous.

Living in an inn long-term was not a good thing; on one hand, it was relatively expensive, and on the other, it brought insecurity due to information leakage.

The guild Li En had contacted provided an intermediary service, offering long-term rental services to adventurers with good reputations.

"Since you are alone at home, you have at least six guest rooms empty. You could rent them out to seven or eight people long-term. The adventurers we trade with are honest and trustworthy; if they move in, they can provide a certain degree of security, saving the money for guards."

Li En's house could accommodate one or two adventurer parties; it was empty, dilapidated, and on the outskirts... This meant the rent was not high, very suitable for adventurers with empty pockets.

Li En thought for a moment and intended to refuse; he had many secrets and it was not suitable to share them.

Besides, he had quite a few messy matters on his hands...

"Rent must be four gold coins or more per month. You are a Paladin; many teams have high demands for the landlord's character. If it is you, it can be raised even higher."

"Limiting it to fewer than five tenants will not affect your daily life. You can also hire several more servants to keep the house running. At the very least, it will maintain your noble dignity; in this city, Paladins are also regarded as members of the nobility."

In this world, one Gold Pound equals sixteen Silver Glows, which equals over 1,600 Copper Coins, and Li En's weekly wage is five Silver Coins and fifty Copper, already considered a high income for the Outer Ring.

After a brief calculation, this rent was three or four times Li En's monthly salary.

"Just introduce some people to look; don't bring in any riffraff."

Indeed, in these times, even after crossing over to another world, being a landlord earns far more than working a job.

Li En could not refuse; after sending the pension to little Will's family, he truly had no money, and there was no visible way to earn income.

The need to spend money was considerable; equipment, a professional's cultivation, and the development of racial abilities all required massive investment.

And Li En also saw that the other party's appearance as a shrewd, successful merchant was not at all about selling servants for himself.

After deducting a commission of several dozen Silver Coins, how many Silver Coins were left? How much could he earn? He must be providing rental services to other wealthy adventurers.

With this amount, Li En simply could not refuse; he understood quite well that without money, one is utterly helpless.

On the other hand, Li En did have a bit of interest in those adventurers exploring the underground world; theoretically, as a Paladin, he was also a member of the extraordinary professionals, but he indeed lacked common sense in this area.

"Perhaps, it is an opportunity to make contact," Li En thought for a moment; taking this chance to let himself acquire the local atmosphere might not be a bad thing.

Alright, let's speak plainly; in the end, it is still a problem of money.

When your total savings are two thousand, your weekly wage is one thousand five, and you don't know how many weeks you can last, who can resist a monthly rental income of over ten thousand?

Even a Justice Superman needs to eat.

But even so, he still put forward some requirements, such as that they could not be villains.

"Rest assured, we also know the name of the Mad Knight of the Dock District; no one is foolish enough to come here to die. In fact, some people come specifically because of your character; they worry about their own safety even more than you do. A strong person can also die in their sleep; a morally reliable landlord is a super bonus."

Li En worried about the tenants having problems; the tenants equally worried about encountering a vicious landlord; in reality, the tenants were even more vulnerable.

After requesting the merchant guild to send a cook and a maid first to get the house running, this small incident passed in a flash, and Li En went to work.

This time, although very curious about that new Bone-Breaking Gang in the Dock District, he did not ask around recklessly; he simply followed his previous patrol route to further confirm the possible activity range of that criminal.

Considering the recent frequency of crimes and the reality that the other party needed Diego as a transporter, Li En estimated the murderer must also live in the Outer Ring area.

He already had a solution in mind; now he only needed to wait for the reinforcements to arrive.

He acted as usual, doing various "good deeds"; people who have won the lottery know that if you are in an unsafe environment and want to live well, besides claiming the prize anonymously, it is even more important to maintain your past living habits for a period of time.

He wanted to pretend everything was normal, but someone would not let him.

"Team Leader Li En, Team Leader Li En, something happened! Someone has come to seek revenge on you!" A team member suddenly rushed up.

"Yes, yes..."

"It's a Laborel, very strong, a very beautiful sword, a very beautiful person!"

"... Spider..."

Having just arrived at the special project team, Li En was left stunned by the two little ones.

What? Someone came to seek revenge? A Laborel came directly? Their craftsmanship isn't that crude, right? Even if an assassin came, they wouldn't come forward so openly.

But soon, he underestimated the simple-minded directness of the "Paladin."

That tall and handsome figure stood in the street, surrounded by locals pointing and whispering; the radiant silver armor clashed completely with the local style.

Her six arms all gripped the sword as she looked up to the sky and let out a long roar!

"Villains who hunt tails! I, Larry Laborel, swear I will surely punish you murderers!"

The voice echoed throughout the entire neighborhood; everyone was dumbfounded.

What? You aren't here to take revenge on the Mad Knight? You are here to investigate the case and find the true culprit?

"Villains who hunt tails!! If you are not cowards who only dare to bully the weak, then come find me directly! I am waiting for you here!" She continued.

Is this how you investigate a case? Directly cursing in the street, then mocking the entire district?

Alright, Li En truly underestimated the simple-minded recklessness of the Paladin.

【Moth No. 3 Satisfaction Increased, Compatibility: 31%, Satisfaction: 30%】

Wait, Brother Su Er, you want to scold her; this shouldn't be praised!

(End of this chapter)