"Someone fell into the water!"
"Don't look too closely, it's a corpse that died on the street, thrown in by the corpse collection team, nothing to do with us."
In the dark, murky water, Gu Xi was carried by the river's current, the distant rustling of conversations reaching his ears.
The voices weren't loud, but Gu Xi heard them clearly, making him realize that he had escaped from that prison whose location he couldn't discern.
"Good thing they didn't send me back to the cell."
Gu Xi moved his body a little, lifted his head to gauge his direction, and began swimming toward the shore.
Along the way, Gu Xi discovered all sorts of things in the river.
There were already decayed corpses, sewer discharges, and various upstream factory wastes.
The entire Isis River was black with filth.
Gu Xi didn't want to linger in the river for even a moment longer and swam harder.
But before he could reach the shore, a few beams of light hit his face.
Gu Xi turned his head, covering the light with his hand to shield his eyes, and squinting, he finally saw the situation on the shore.
On the shore stood three patrol officers wearing black high-collared uniforms, black helmets edged with silver, holding small, human-head-sized searchlights, glaring at him.
Gu Xi noticed all three had their hands on their waists, ready to draw weapons at the slightest move.
Seeing Gu Xi had no intention of rushing ashore, the leader shouted loudly.
"Are you alive?"
Isn't that a redundant question?
Gu Xi rolled his eyes internally while raising his hands, "Alive, still alive."
In fact, Gu Xi didn't know that the Isis River occasionally held corpses thrown in, occupied by the strange and the undead, trying to infiltrate Victoria City disguised as humans.
The riverside patrol officers were arranged specifically to guard against these corpses possessed by the eerie or undead.
Usually, if the searchlight showed no response upon shining on someone, they were alive and generally released onto the shore.
Today, the leader was a bit idle and asked a few more questions.
"Brother, what happened? Did you have too much to drink and fell into the river without watching your step?"
While speaking, the leader instructed his subordinates to use a long stick to drag Gu Xi ashore.
When Gu Xi left Yalidu City, he had already concocted a backstory.
When he first entered Victoria City, the system had assigned him an identity.
Coupled with the land purchase order he got from Joseph, Gu Xi had a story ready.
"Don't mention it, I found a land purchase order left by some ancestor at home, which can be exchanged for a plot in the Camden District, and when I went to ask about it, someone knocked me out and threw me into the river."
While grasping the stick, Gu Xi crawled up the bank.
These patrol officers were quite the facade men, and upon hearing Gu Xi's explanation, they began imagining all sorts of conspiracies.
The leading officer even laughed, "Brother, it's life-saving that you're still alive. You dare take out something over a hundred years old, especially in the Camden District.
Don't you know it's now the Upper City District, a place where only the rich reside? Look at you, all skin and bones like the coal slag from a factory, even if you take the land, they'll find a way to reclaim it.
I'd advise you to find a broker and sell that land purchase order, you might exchange it for a plot in the Camley District."
"Yeah, Camden and Camley, they sound similar, just let it go, they're both in Victoria City anyway."
"No way, the original land purchase order was for a big farm near Camley, and now I can't even get as much land if I go there; I can't lose that stake."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi quickly acted out the role of someone who values money over life.
The three patrol officers quickly filled in the blanks in their minds and believed Gu Xi's identity, not mistaking him for a possessed weirdo to be killed.
With such imagination, the actions of the three patrol officers became swifter.
After pulling Gu Xi ashore, the three patrolmen checked his details briefly.
Since Gu Xi spoke fairly appropriately, they didn't make things difficult for him, only a rough inspection before waving him on his way.
"Alright, don't hang around the Isis River if you don't want to be grabbed and thrown into a black factory to become coal slag, and don't wander around the Lower City District at night; recently, many people have gone missing there.
As for the matter in the Camden District, I've said enough, it's up to you now."
Saying so, the patrol officer patted Gu Xi's shoulder and raised his eyebrows, giving him a look that said, "It's in your hands now."
Gu Xi thanked them, then quickly left the vicinity of the Isis River, uncaring about the filth and stench on him, walking onto the street.
Fortunately, Gu Xi was lucky this time; his appearance made it obvious he had just crawled out of the Isis River, so no one noticed the marks from being kept in the dungeon.
On the street, Gu Xi glanced around, only to find, somewhat helplessly, that there wasn't a large bathhouse or bathing facility in Victoria City.
And in his current state, he couldn't venture into the Upper City District or other relatively clean areas.
He could only follow the carriage, walking along the main road, and found an old-looking tavern tucked three blocks away from the Isis River in an alley.
Hanging in front of this tavern was a wooden sign with a large goblet painted on it.
Over the years, the wooden sign had changed color, but the owner kept it hanging.
The reason Gu Xi chose this place wasn't because the women in red at this location were more attractive than elsewhere, but because he had seen a similar sign in Yalidu City.
Gu Xi remembered clearly, underneath the goblet was a small, barely visible compass drawn in a hidden color.
This similar sign meant the shopfront was an old establishment dating back hundreds of years from the old city of Victoria.
Any business that has been around so long must hold some secrets.
The most crucial aspect of a hotel or tavern is safety. Finding a centuries-old establishment meant Gu Xi wouldn't risk a shady place.
Opening the tavern door, Gu Xi was greeted by a crisp voice.
"What may I get for you, guest?"
"A room, a bath, a change of clothes, and something to eat. My stomach isn't great, so nothing too hard."
Gu Xi spoke casually, tossing a shilling onto the tavern counter.
"Just that?"
Huh? Gu Xi glanced at the white cleavage peeking from the red dress and immediately caught on, "Sorry, not now, I just fell into the Isis River, all I want is a quick bath and change of clothes."
"Screw you, who said anything about that? I meant..."
"Shaya." At this moment, a waiter stepped in to prevent a possible confrontation, "Apologies, she's new and clueless. Let me show you upstairs now."