Chapter 7: A Transition

Aethelrin Kingdom, Radiant City, South Ming District, 37 Starfall Street, Li En's new home.

It was a three-story wooden house with a courtyard, located in the commercial area of South Ming District, with flowers and grass and a pleasant environment, except for its origin.

"Take this house beyond the fourth ring and leave my daughter!" That was probably how it came about.

A classic web novel trope; this domineering father-in-law used it to slap faces, which was rather subtle.

If he's using a house to slap faces, why not the first ring instead of the outer ring? No one in the first ring can afford it anyway, so that settles it.

Looking at the freshly renewed roof tiles, Li En satisfiedly put down the paint bucket.

As a person who just wants to live his days, owning a small home so quickly felt like a dream.

Although this house was a gift from the broken engagement and its origin was somewhat subtle, Li En was still quite satisfied with his new home. At least, he didn't have to worry about waking up to a firelock pressed against his forehead.

The security here was far better than the previous Dock District; not far away was a police station, and patrol officers could be seen patrolling from time to time.

South Ming District of Radiant City is also known as South Gate District; bordering the outer wall, it counts as part of the commoner district, right next to the Dock District with the highest crime rate, which was where Li En had settled before.

Li En's current identity still counts as nobility; his original family cast him out for a political marriage but did not completely expel him from the name.

In this great era, a ruined noble forcing his way into the wealthier commercial and political districts is normal. You received an education, can read and write, so you can find a decent job, and perhaps by drifting along, you'll rise again.

But now, the "fiancée" living in Radiant District (Central Administrative District) gave a house and dumped it in the commoner district far beyond the outer ring, carrying a hint of "don't come looking for me" and "don't run around recklessly."

"It's fine, I don't mind; please give me more, preferably using the deed to slap my face!"

Li En happily accepted this "broken engagement compensation" and even spent some time every day decorating his new home.

The house was eighty percent new, with a master bedroom on the third floor, and the materials were good, but living alone was a bit lonely, and maintenance was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Whether a house is expensive depends on location, and Li En's was probably in the cheapest tier.

Locals would probably find it hard to understand Li En's longing for his own "home," and the mindset of an Earthling who, despite being a noble, went crazy with joy just for getting a house for free.

These past few days, he had already repaired the lawn and the wall of the new house, painted the main gate, and spent an hour specifically making a house number plate for himself.

But in reality, while working and entertaining himself, he wasn't idle; his mind was constantly active.

He was pondering what to do next.

"It's time to organize the intelligence and determine the next priorities." While his hands were busy, various pieces of intelligence had already been integrated.

As a former overtime king of the office, Li En had a good habit: making long-term and short-term schedules.

Various tasks piled up together, some light and some heavy, some requiring immediate handling, and some that could be delayed.

Even among those that could be delayed, some must be treated seriously, while others can be dragged out until they seem like nothing happened.

Make a work schedule, adjust progress regularly, distinguish priorities, and avoid fighting a disorganized battle.

On the notepad, the short, medium, and long-term goals needing handling were very brief.

【1. Adapt to the local environment and integrate within the short term.】

【2. Obtain supernatural power and develop oneself within the medium term.】

【3. Handle the two bombs (the Heroine and the Underworld Evil God) properly in the long term and live well.】

"First and foremost, become a person of this world."

Li En never underestimated the rejection and hostility of intelligent beings toward outsiders; friendliness and care are often limited to one's own kind.

"Integrating is nothing more than identity, relationships and connections, and a residence."

Li En was very grateful for this gift; a residence is not merely a place to shelter from wind and rain, but also the basis that convinces the other party in communication that "I am not a passerby," and the prerequisite for integrating into local society.

A doghouse is easier to gain the trust of locals and job offers than a vagrant or a traveler.

Identity currently looks relatively stable; the title of "Classical Paladin" is truly useful.

It is said that a Paladin's morality is guaranteed by the gods, and while Classical Oath Paladins do not rely much on gods, their morality is guaranteed by their own hearts and actions, with standards and bottom lines that, in the eyes of most locals, are comparable to living saints.

Knowledge and common sense, however, progress is subtle; knowledge in this world is too expensive, and Li En has spent almost all his money and cannot invest in this bottomless pit anymore.

It's not that libraries don't exist, but they are often private property of some organization or noble, places he cannot enter.

"Perhaps I can find a job; it doesn't need to be full-time; holding a nominal title can also help establish new social connections." If it were a power of this world, these things should just be daily benefits, right?

In fact, that female police officer had approached Li En twice, inviting him to become a member of the police force.

Li En only responded that he would consider it and did not completely refuse; this was already a polite refusal.

He was not averse to becoming an enforcer; in fact, the Heroic Soul Su Er had always harbored this desire, but he had suppressed it.

"No way; even if I am willing to mix with the official side, the Dock District Police Station is simply too hopeless."

Su Er is an Oath Knight and a Judging Knight, a special advancement of a true Paladin under the God of Law.

Many prerequisites of his abilities rely on being an enforcer; if he puts on a uniform, his individual strength should receive a certain boost.

But the Dock District Police Station where the female officer worked was obviously a terrible starting point.

Li En also had to consider his life after the Heroic Soul Card expired.

This world possesses feudal nobility and kings, as well as godly churches and their armed forces; great nobles and transnational organizations are extremely powerful.

That means "enforcers of the Aethelrin Kingdom" are two different things from what Earthlings understand.

Often, they do not represent the "Kingdom," and they might not even represent "law enforcement."

The power and strength of enforcers are determined by the forces behind them, and the police station in the commoner district is probably just an honorary organization with an official title.

Li En had inquired; most officers were ordinary people born locally, and only a few were professionals who had undergone one evolution; that leopard woman who looked very strong was a returning adventurer born locally.

From a long-term development perspective, the Dock District Police Station is not a good choice either.

As a senior civil servant, he knew the importance of the starting point of a civil service position; even if you are strong in a remote suburb, it is hard to make a name for yourself, while doing a sinecure in a high-level provincial or ministerial unit, one easily drifts into a leadership position, whereas a township cadre might spend a lifetime just being a dispatcher within the township.

This is still under a system where the whole country is one chessboard and administrative levels are mutually recognized, whereas organizations in this world are scattered and uncoordinated.

And the "public office" you join in this world is a form of allegiance; once you join, you become their man, which can be viewed entirely as private soldiers of the new era.

Li En heard that the head of the Dock District police force was just a figurehead baron who had no say within the city.

"In a couple of days, I'll go check out the Church District in the city center; maybe a knight order is recruiting, and starting as a new recruit or clerical staff isn't bad."

Su Er is a Paladin of the Blind Lady, and the Scales are her holy symbol; generally, Paladins are lifelong appointments, so he could try to join an organization, but a small problem arose here.

"The God of Law is dead!" (trembling voice)

According to Li En's information channels, he didn't even know which year Lady Scales passed away, while the events in Su Er's memory fragments concern the year AD 317 (Storm Season), and the current year is HE 221 (Summer Fire Season); they simply do not match.

Li En doesn't even know how eras are calculated; checking history and timelines? Books involving astronomy and history are ridiculously expensive.

"I'm afraid Lady Scales has been gone for several hundred years."

This is the reason Li En was mistaken for a "Classical Oath Knight"; in the eyes of the locals, he truly seems to live somewhat like an ancient hero. The very fact that he could cultivate to this extent through self-discipline without borrowing the power of deities, but rather through oaths, is itself an outrageous feat.

With his strength destined to decline, using his identity as a former Paladin and his ability to read and write, he should have no trouble finding an office job at one of those divine churches as a devout believer.

"Let's take it step by step; having a medium-to-large organization will make it easier for me to develop."

Bound by deities and oaths, the character and identity of a Paladin are basically impossible to suspect; this is good news for Li En.

Acquiring supernatural power and resources will be much easier with a relatively high status starting point.

It's not that Li En doesn't want to be a slacker living a lazy life, but this is a world where the strong are revered; if Li En had any doubts or hesitation before, then rushing into the room with a dwarf blunderbuss pointed at his own forehead explains a lot.

"If you want to be a slacker, you must have the power to protect yourself."

And the snippets of information found in the records further confirmed the overly cruel reality of this world.

Top-tier individuals not only possess power rivaling nations but can even directly strike them down into hell.

This kingdom was destroyed in a single blow because it offended the "Great Red Dragon," going from a quasi-empire to the brink of collapse, and it hasn't recovered yet.

Fortunately, such existences should be extremely rare; even in Su Er's fragmented memories, there are no such monsters.

By this world's standards, it is less an attack by an evil dragon and more a divine punishment.

The reality is that the "divine punishment theory" not only exists widely within the kingdom but has severely undermined the royal authority in recent years; no one can guarantee whether the Great Red Dragon won't just take another bite out of spite when it feels like it.

This is also the main reason Li En does not plan to join the local police force; due to the chain reaction of that disaster, even within this city, the local city lord's official word does not hold sway.

"After suffering the Calamity of Dragon Blood, the kingdom fractured; at least three-quarters of the territory declared independence and became the current Pearl Seven Kingdoms. Those lords who still declare loyalty to the royal family only pay respect on the surface; the royal family can only control the Ruined Capital and the New Capital."

The Count of Glowing Light City is said to be a famous loyalist and traditionalist, but even within his own city, he is not the most powerful.

Transnational organizations like the True God Church, the Explorer's Association, and even the Physicians' Association and Alchemists' Association are more influential than him, a country noble.

Serving as a constable under his underlings, he would probably remain a constable for his entire life.

Originally, the kingdom had finally welcomed a second-generation Heroine, and there was hope that she would unite everyone and strive for success, but her sudden disappearance brought a new wave of panic and despair.

"The second-generation Heroine Laina... to be precise, the seventeenth-generation Heroine. It's just that the previous Heroine was too dominant, causing everyone to place too many expectations on the new Heroine. It is said her aptitude is no worse than that of the previous Heroines, and she was once regarded as the hope of a new era."

Li En glanced at the silver two-handed sword "Courage" in his hand and sighed.

The sword is a good sword, but it cannot see the light of day; fortunately, because the previous Heroine of this nation was so famous, many warriors on the streets carry various versions of the "Hero's Sword."

"In the long term, these two bombs must be resolved."

One is the Evil God who will break free in two years; this is the most fatal, but also the least urgent, because Li En currently has no qualification to deal with this.

Even if he wanted to "call the police," no one knows who to call in this era, and he cannot explain the source of the information.

Blockade and strictly investigate underground ruins? One word from you would kill our economic source?

"Let's focus on developing ourselves first; when the time comes, if we can save them, we save them; if not, we run."

The second unexploded bomb is the "Untamed Slave" in his book—Heroine Laina.

This is obviously a huge pit, but Li En truly has no way out now; if the mastermind behind all this, including the transmigration, is some great power, they are likely at least at the deity level.

"I can't even remove the shackles and throw her out."

Li En would stay away from that Heroine for his own safety, but how could "Su Er," who had just awakened that day, allow an innocent victim to remain bound!

That day, "Su Er" rushed in without hesitation, trying to personally remove the Heroine's shackles, but the result was useless; even in the possessed state, Su Er still could not open the imprisonment of that strange metal.

It was not entirely without gain; when "Su Er" tried to communicate with the Heroine, another fact was confirmed.

"... This Heroine is probably already mad."

As long as one gets close, she only murmurs "die"; "Su Er's" friendliness receives no normal response.

Li En sighed; he just hoped the Heroine wouldn't die in his book. She is already a mythical creature and seemingly won't starve to death in the short term, but life cannot go on bound like this forever; she will die when it is her time.

"It's three in the afternoon; time to clock in."

Li En, having no job, still found himself a shift to work.

The cost of normally acquiring supernatural power is something he currently cannot afford at all; with the time of the "Heroic Soul Card" constantly dwindling, his primary goal is naturally to make the most of it.

"Continue going to the Dock District to fight evil; at least I can earn a little." The Dock District, which ranks last in local security, does have some benefits.

(End of Chapter)