Putato remained silent, his expression a cold mask. In a situation like this, he couldn't afford to let her words goad him into a reactive slip-up.
To hell with it, strike first!
WHOOSH!
Mist billowed out. The razor-sharp Honesuki suddenly sliced through the white vapor, thrusting straight toward Kokochi's unprotected chest. Putato's eyes were filled with lethal intent.
CLANG!
The blade ground to a halt just as it was about to pierce the "cheongsam" skin. Putato shoved harder, only to realize that the space between him and Kokochi had been filled with countless resilient, hair-thin wires.
The hand gripping his hilt accidentally brushed against the dense web, and a layer of skin was instantly grated away. It was a stationary meat grinder.
Cold sweat drenched him. He didn't dare imagine what would have happened if he'd simply charged through. He stopped his reckless advance and fixed a predatory gaze on Kokochi.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Putato. We can strike a deal."
"Hold on. What was that Grey Haze crap about? What kind of boring game is The Ring playing now?"
"Look at this."
Kokochi opened her right palm to reveal a handful of multicolored beads. Putato recognized them instantly they were the same things Wym had thrown at him, the tools used to release that so-called Fear Gas.
"These are inferior imitations that Maestro Wym extracted from the corpses of the Howl incident. I happen to be the lead technician behind this technology. Unfortunately, those samples were far past their expiration date; no matter how I optimized them, I could only achieve this level of quality."
"Pain extracted by torturing living organisms simply cannot compare to the original. Because of that, the research into Fear Gas hit a massive bottleneck."
Putato grew more confused as he listened. He didn't see how this involved him, and with Wym dead, what was the point of talking about this?
"However, while I was recovering Maestro Wym's remains, I discovered something exhilarating. Before her death, she was experiencing terror."
"Well, obviously. Do you The Ring types usually die with a smile on your faces?"
"No, it was a systemic agony that transcended the physical body. The level of hormonal stimulation was so abnormal that, driven by curiosity, I used Maestro Wym's remains as material for an extraction experiment."
"Do you understand? That sensation... it was exactly the flavor of the Grey Haze. I almost couldn't handle it. Though the intensity was still much weaker than what was recorded during the Howl incident."
Dammit!
Putato had imagined many ways his identity could be exposed, but he never expected it to be through such a bizarre method.
Your mentor dies, and instead of giving her a proper burial, you immediately turn around and refine her corpse into material? Kokochi, are you even human?!
Furthermore, his regular Death Aura definitely couldn't match the explosive burst of Death Aura that triggered the suicide chain; that was a torment beyond the limits of the senses.
At the time, Putato was simply so enraged by Wym's atrocities that he wanted to ensure she didn't die peacefully. Who could have guessed The Ring had this kind of trick up their sleeve!
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"Violating Maestro Wym's remains was troublesome, but I have no regrets."
"However, having damaged a Maestro class work of art, I must present a new Maestro class work in its place."
Putato's lip twitched. So The Ring didn't actually care about the corpse; they literally just viewed the body as an art piece.
"Why don't you just use Maestro Wym's existing inventory? I'm sure she has some unreleased works lying around."
"I did find a human skin painting, but that carries Maestro Wym's signature style. A brute like you wouldn't understand the Maestros' styles are so distinct they're easily identified."
Wait, 'brute'? That wasn't how you spoke to the Grey Haze.
Putato's dark mood suddenly brightened as a glimmer of hope appeared. He ventured a probe.
"In that case, why don't we open the window and speak plainly?"
"Excellent. I want you to contact the Grey Haze. I am willing to pay a fortune for their artworks. All you need to do is deliver a head that died in agony, preserved inside one of these, and hand it over to me."
"The more, the better. I plan to perform a grand showcase while the other Maestros are paying their respects to the remains. I have a premonition that I will become a Maestro."
How is it that these guys have instincts sharp enough to sniff out the Grey Haze's trail, but they refuse to see me as a suspect?
"Don't you think I might be the Grey Haze? Maybe you should be calling me Maestro."
"You understand nothing! Do not defile the Maestro's reputation! That individual must be a world weary artist who has witnessed the despair and terror of every soul in The City with compassion and pity to create such a masterpiece of hopelessness!"
Wow. So their mental image their profile of the Grey Haze is some brooding, old lunatic. No wonder they haven't suspected me yet.
Putato was speechless but also felt incredibly lucky. The Work Card granted him a variety of powerful abilities that were highly deceptive to outsiders.
He caught the backpack Kokochi tossed to him with disdain. Inside, five Stasis Preservation Packaging units were neatly organized. Putato realized with a start was this the "free gift" from the City's help?
Scoring a bunch of expensive gear for free felt amazing!
Putato had checked the market price for these before; they were precious items that even a Grade 1 Fixer would find pricey.
Putato quickly and excitedly set a new Prescript.
[Successfully enter K Nest.]
"Since you and the Grey Haze both hail from District 23, you must still have a way to stay in touch. I will find a way to suppress The Ring's movements for now. However, if you don't settle this within a week, the consequences need no further explanation."
"I might be fond of the Grey Haze, but I am no obsessed fanboy. I care only for the artist's work."
"Also, I truly despise having to threaten others using things like orphanages and such. Can't you people just sacrifice yourselves willingly for the sake of art? Truly unrefined fools!"
Kokochi looked at Putato with utter contempt as he stood there, ecstatic over a bag of Stasis packs. She turned and left, not bothering to waste another word.
Retracting the backpack, Putato finally calmed down. This woman thought he was just a fellow countryman who knew the Grey Haze; she even believed he had hired the Grey Haze to kill Maestro Wym.
However, Kokochi's mention of the orphanage made his heart sink. He had zero expectations that The Ring would follow some "code of honor" about not targeting family. In fact, The City didn't have such a code.
Unfortunately, she was prepared. Forcing a fight now would only lead to more trouble.
"Hey, just how many girlfriends do you have?"
Putato turned, a bit dazed, to see Mo walking out from behind him. He didn't say anything, just prepared to head back and rest. Tomorrow was K Nest, it was going to be a tough battle.
As Putato brushed past her, Mo spoke again.
"You probably feel like I'm too low-level, like I don't matter to you."
"I don't. I've just had a lot on my plate lately."
"I'm not joking around, Putato. Isn't that just how Syndicates work? Even if you join early, the moment they think you're not strong enough, they kick you to the curb."
"If I thought like that, I wouldn't bother with those orphans, Mo. You know that's not what I mean."
"Then where are you going tomorrow?"
"Uh."
He was going to raise hell in K Nest, targeting a high-level executive of a Wing. It might very well turn into a second Howl incident; there was no way he could bring Mo along.
In fact, it was best if no one knew.
The circular emblem on Mo's face didn't change at all, making it impossible for Putato to read her expression. For a moment, he understood why some people in The City despised Prosthetics.
"I know you're busy. I'm not trying to be difficult. I just want to know if I... have the qualification."
"Of course you do."
"I transferred the money to you."
"What money?"
"For these Prosthetics."
Mo simply lowered her head to walk away, but Putato grabbed her and pulled her back.
"I reached a truce with The Ring. I have to go to K Nest for a bit. They only gave me a single visa; I can't bring you along."
"That's fine then."
"Uh, I said I can't bring you."
"It's okay. The fact that you told me is enough."
...
K Nest Immigration Checkpoint.
"Listen closely: a tourist visa does not include a weapons permit. Aside from integrated Prosthetics, no external Workshop weapons are allowed."
"If you require a weapons permit, please apply for a Commission Visa."
At the visa processing window, the clerk read the mandatory guidelines in a monotonous, practiced tone. Putato, meanwhile, was helplessly propping up an Olga who reeked of alcohol.
"So sorry... had a business meeting yesterday, drank a bit too much, but it's nothing serious!"
What could Putato even say? At least she'd come in person to help him handle his business. He carefully seated her in the waiting area to rest before returning to the window to fill out his personal information.
"By the way, if I purchase something inside the Nest, can I bring it out later?"
"Please retain all receipts to pay the transit tax at the exit."
Damn it.
Even though the Backstreets and the Nest were separated by only a single wall, they'd managed to set up a whole customs and tariff system.
After waiting for a while, Putato finally got his hands on his ID documents. He hailed a taxi, ushered Olga inside, and prepared to cross the border.
The expansive checkpoint was divided into various zones. The largest area was crammed with Backstreets residents of every description; their line crawled forward like a sluggish caterpillar.
The Fixer lane, however, was much more orderly. As long as you and your luggage cleared a full-body scan, you were permitted through.
Putato felt the Workshop Mindcord wrapped beneath his clothes and the mass of concealed weapons it held. He had a headache; he couldn't just go in and waste a fortune buying new gear. He wasn't about to become a "charity donor" for K Nest.
Besides, the checkpoint scanners could even detect Dimension Gloves. If he walked in, he'd be forced to strip off most of his equipment.
Wait... these machines don't seem to be calibrated for Distortions.
Before the release of L Corp's Seed of Light, the Distortion phenomenon in The City was incredibly rare. Only a tiny fraction of people knew about it, and the authorities certainly wouldn't spend extra money installing specialized detection sensors.
"Stop. Chin up. Turn around, please."
Putato tossed the backpack containing the Stasis Preservation Packaging onto the conveyor belt and stepped forward for the scan.
The staff member skillfully waved a blue-lit wand-shaped scanner around him twice. Suddenly, the device began to beep a shrill alarm.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!
"Please remove all metal objects."
In response to the officer's "just-doing-my-job" tone, Putato began pulling a heap of items from his person and piling them on the table. The Fixer behind him in line raised an eyebrow.
"Honestly, first time I've seen someone use so many concealed weapons. What's the plan? You're not some undercover assassin Fixer from the Shi Association, are you? Even they don't use this much junk."
"Carrying that much hardware on you... just finished a commission?"
Putato turned to see a woman watching his pile of gear with curiosity. She had teal short hair, one hand in her coat pocket and the other gripping the shoulder strap of a guitar case behind her back. She looked quite approachable.
"Correct. Finished a job and was too lazy to take it all off. Vanda, from the Molar Office."
"Yuna, from the Dawn Office."
"I've heard of you while turning in commissions. I heard Harold was the one who audited you. You really didn't use a back door? You look pretty young."
"Of course I didn't use a back door. All of this is the result of my own hard work."
"Is that so? Then I guess I'm being a bit too lazy remaining a Grade 4 Fixer. I heard you're a lone wolf, too, that must be a tough grind."
Putato soon turned back to the counter and, as expected, saw the staff member confiscating only the Workshop-grade concealed weapons, the Crusher, and the Dimension Gloves.
Is it because the materials used by the Workshops can be precisely detected?
Or perhaps the staff simply felt that knuckle and Honesuki didn't qualify as restricted weaponry.
"Do you require storage services? Or would you like someone to collect these Workshop weapons for you?"
Putato immediately signaled Mo to come and take his gear. While waiting, he watched Yuna present her visa and walk straight through, unable to help but marvel at the special treatment high-level Offices received.
Even more exaggerated was a group of guys dressed in medieval plate armor, carrying massive nails and hammers. They merely exchanged a word with the inspector and walked right through.
The class divide in The City was truly glaring.
After warning Mo to keep an eye out for The Ring, Putato finally stepped into the Nest with excitement. The morale and appearance of the people here were far better than those in the Backstreets, at least they weren't a sea of gloom and misery.
Putato was in a hurry to restock his Workshop concealed weapons. Without that buff, he felt naked, not to mention he couldn't afford to be without them in a fight.
"Concealed weapons? You mean like crossbows and bolts?"
"Uh, no need for anything that complicated. Just something simple."
"You looking for a fight? You expect me to craft junk like this for you? Get lost!"
Kicked out of the shop, Putato stood there in shock. He never expected to run into this kind of problem, his requirements were so low-tier that no one wanted to craft them. It was a complete reversal of common sense.
Refusing to believe it, he tried another Workshop.
"Haha, you're just here to entertain me, aren't you? If you cancel this order, I couldn't sell this crap to anyone else. Besides, making such ridiculous toys would just ruin our Workshop's reputation."
"Dammit! Is money now divided into high-class and low-class?"
"Look, go find a factory and have them stamp some scrap iron into toys for you. Just stop blocking my real customers."
The Nest really was different from the Backstreets, he couldn't even find a place to buy concealed weapons!
[Successfully purchased concealed weapons.]
Putato couldn't believe it. A Nest this massive and not a single soul wanted to make a quick buck? He spent nearly an hour wandering, yet failed to find a single shop willing to close a deal.
By the time his bandages were soaked with sweat, Putato stood amidst the bustling streets looking dazed and helpless, feeling every bit like a country bumpkin who had just stumbled out of the Backstreets.
"Oh, Vanda? Why the rush? You're supposed to be on vacation."
Yuna, sipping on a milk tea, looked at Putato standing in the middle of the road with surprise. She was quite interested in making connections with rising stars in the Fixer world.
After all, a young talent like Vanda was clearly on the fast track to becoming a Grade 4 Fixer. At that level, one could truly be called a powerhouse among Fixers, and even Offices within the Nest would start sending out formal invitations for cooperation.
"Senior Yuna, I wanted to ask... is there any Workshop in K Nest that takes orders for concealed weapons? You know, like throwing knives and the like."
"There's no technical depth to those, and the added value is low. Higher-end Workshops won't touch them. Even if there's a profit, using the same specialized alloys to forge custom weapons yields a much higher margin."
So that's how it is. Workshop manufacturing wasn't as simple as Putato had imagined.
"Ahem, well, I just like collecting that sort of thing. It's a small hobby of mine."
"Then you should head toward the border. There are plenty of unregistered artisans there, family-run workshops that provide services to local streets or nearby companys. They'd be happy to take an order like that."
"Senior Yuna, are you still thirsty? Let me get you another one."
Putato immediately placed an order at a nearby milk tea shop, picking the most expensive option. He handed it to the smiling Yuna, who accepted it without hesitation.
"You're much sharper than the juniors in our Office. Philip only knows how to brew that specific tea of his. I recall there's a place called Calw Town, it's famous for Prosthetics, so there's bound to be plenty of family Workshops there."
"Wait a sec, I'll send you the location."
"By the way, tonight is Christmas Eve. Interested in checking out the flower market nearby? Buying that stuff can wait a few hours."
Putato hesitated for a moment before agreeing. It would serve as a good alibi, with Yuna acting as a witness to Fixer Vanda's vacation.
Besides, forging the weapons would take time. It wouldn't be too late to track Obana tomorrow, by then, Fixer Vanda would be off the clock.
Now, he had to head to Calw Town.