The black market in every city was always nestled within or near the slums—chaotic, shadowy corners of society filled with all manner of people. Even the guards of Londinium rarely patrolled these parts, clearly valuing their personal safety more than their sense of duty.
Felix stepped onto the filthy ground, the mechanical soles of his shoes clanking with weight. He glanced behind him at the gang members who had been tailing him for a while. Did they think he was tired of living?
Seriously? You're trying to rob a Sankta? Do you think we can't shoot, or are you just itching for a beating?
At that moment, Felix found himself missing the security brought by Degenbrecher. Her mere presence—standing beside him, radiating threat with a single look—was enough to send enemies scattering. That feeling of safety... it made him sigh.
In most mobile cities—Laterano being the exception—firearms were banned. Battles here were usually settled with cold weapons, and only occasionally would a Caster enter the fray to tip the scales, for better or worse.
Having just left the arsenal, Felix naturally wasn't carrying any firearms. But even so, his individual combat capabilities were far superior to what they once were. These low-level thugs—none of them above level 30—were clearly no match for him. He glanced at them a few more times and inwardly judged their stats to be garbage—probably weaker than some players.
Felix had no interest in this kind of fight. Even if he beat them, the experience gain would be pitiful—ten or twenty points at best—not even close to what he could earn from opening a shop or setting up a stall.
As he approached the entrance of the black market, the expressions of the gang members behind him subtly shifted. The building ahead clearly made them uneasy. After all, the kind of people who entered the black market were not ones to trifle with. It was only then that they realized they might have picked a far more dangerous target than expected.
Just as they were about to retreat, Felix turned around and walked up to them.
He gave them a brilliant smile. The mechanical gloves on both hands crackled with a faint blue electric light.
"Lost, are we?"
"Run!"
In the narrow alley, one of the thugs lunged with a butterfly knife. Felix sidestepped with ease and charged forward. With one swift punch, he floored a man trying to flee. Before the others could react, he surged ahead like a streak of lightning, scaling the wall and dropping down to grab two of them by the collars—slamming both to the ground.
"Ugh!"
The three gangsters were knocked out cold. Clapping the dust from his hands, Felix looked pleased with himself. His gaze then settled on the last thug, whose legs were trembling uncontrollably.
"Who hired you, and why are you following me?"
"You... How could you..." The man froze for a second—then, as if realizing he might still live, immediately dropped to his knees and scrambled forward, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Master, sir, how could we possibly try to rob someone like you with our meager skills? A young butler hired us—just told us to track your movements, that's all!"
"A young butler?"
"Yeah, yeah! We were just paid a few Victorian gold coins, honest—we don't know anything else!"
Felix silenced the man with a sharp slap, knocking him out on the spot.
A butler...? That could belong to any noble household.
He had just made a very public appearance at Earl Bolton's dinner party—alongside the Black Knight, no less. If no one was taking an interest in him after that... he'd never believe it.
However, when it came to business, one had to act like a businessperson. Sending the invitation to the mansion was simply a matter of formality and stance. Felix had no intention of flattering these nobles or making it seem as if doing business with them was some kind of honor.
After entering the black market, Felix headed straight to the materials section. He had placed an order for a batch of supplies here through Earl Bolton—part of which was intended for mech production, the cost of which was naturally covered by the Earl. The other batch consisted of materials he had prepared for Feist and the Hart siblings to experiment with. Once refined and processed, they could be used in the forging of piledriver spears.
Once the piledriver spears was completed, it could be handed over to his three apprentices for practice. Although the level of craftsmanship required for the schematics was quite high and may prove challenging for them, that was precisely Felix's intention.
The Hart siblings were skilled in logistics. Having relied on each other for survival, it was unrealistic to expect them to remain separated or exposed to danger during logistics missions. As for Feist, Felix had other plans. The young man's love for machines and crafting had left an impression on him, and Felix believed he could eventually shoulder responsibility. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine him becoming a leader in the future.
In a relaxed mood, Felix left the black market and began walking toward the central area. After turning a block, he noticed that the street vendors nearby were hastily packing up their stalls, their faces showing signs of panic.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Hey! The gangs are about to start fighting. I suggest you get out of here while you still can!" someone replied kindly.
Several vendors offered similar warnings to Felix before quickly gathering their things and retreating into the nearby corridors. In their hurry, they didn't even have time to pull their wooden carts away.
Gangs, again? There were indeed gangs operating in the downtown area of Trimount, though they seemed more racist than truly organized. Felix recalled that the most notorious among them were the Perro and Lupo gangs. They frequently clashed in the vicinity of the black market, often over disputes about protection money... It reminded him of the realities of life in certain parts of the United States.
Just then, a group of gang members appeared ahead, armed with steel pipes and large wrenches. They wore dirty shorts and vests—clearly their usual attire for loitering and street brawling.
Felix glanced behind him and was surprised to see that only one person stood there.
A woman, calm and composed.
She looked a little older than him, though shorter in stature. Her slightly dull blond hair framed a pair of bright brown eyes that shone with clarity against her fair skin. She wore a black leather jacket over a cool, sleeveless vest, and her long legs were clad in fitted leather pants.
Her outfit gave off a very gangster-like vibe... or perhaps this was how gang members had originally looked—cool clothes, a striking presence, and an attitude that dared others to challenge them.
The woman had a lollipop in her mouth, her lips moving slightly.
"Leave, Sankta. This isn't a fight you want to get involved in."
Her right hand, which had been hanging behind her back, dropped to her side—and with it, a long crowbar scraped along the ground, making a sharp, grating sound.
Well… in terms of durability, a crowbar is indeed much sturdier than a water pipe. It's practically a sacred weapon when it comes to street brawls—useful in a variety of situations beyond combat. But it often requires a strength check, especially when prying open doors.
After hearing the woman's words, Felix paused for a moment, then stepped aside to make way.
The woman didn't spare him another glance. In her eyes, this Sankta clearly had no idea what was going on. Judging by his scholarly aura, he didn't seem like someone who belonged in this kind of place at all.
Felix moved off to the side and turned his attention to the unfolding one-against-many confrontation.
He didn't leave. That was because he recognized the woman—she looked familiar. He had encountered her several times in his previous life during missions at Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company. Sometimes in the cafeteria, sometimes in the logistics and maintenance center. She had been a few years older back then.
Her operator codename… seemed to be "Siege"? That was all Felix remembered. Other than the name, there hadn't been anything particularly notable in her file. She seemed like an ordinary field operator.
Then again, maybe it was because he didn't have the clearance. Even though he had worked at Rhodes Island for quite some time in his previous life, he had never reached the level of a senior operator, and thus couldn't access more confidential information.
As he watched, Siege swung her crowbar skillfully, knocking down gang members one after another. Just then, several of them pulled out throwing knives from their sleeves, trying to flank her and strike from behind.
Sensing the sudden gust behind her, Siege turned as she swung the crowbar—only to find that the gang members who had circled around her had already been kicked to the ground by Sankta, who had been quietly observing.
"…"
Their eyes met briefly. Without exchanging a word, Siege turned away and continued her charge, crowbar in hand.
Felix glanced at the time. Hmm… it was already nearing evening. But Mandragora was with Degenbrecher, so she should be fine. Still, he probably wouldn't make it back in time for dinner.
"All done?" he asked.
"Mm."
Felix walked over to Siege, hands in his pockets. He glanced at the bruised and groaning gang member on the ground and nudged the man's face upward with his foot. "Don't you want to know who they are?"
"In the Norport Borough, every gang except your own is a potential threat," the woman replied, pulling another lollipop from her jacket. "Territory fights happen all the time."
"Got one for me?"
"?"
"Lollipop."
Siege paused, then reached behind her and pulled a cigarette from her back pocket, handing it to Felix. "Thanks for the help earlier. But as a tourist, it's better not to wander into the Norport Borough. It's too chaotic."
Felix popped the lollipop into his mouth—strawberry flavored. He watched Siege as she adjusted her jacket and got ready to leave. He said nothing, just stood there like a devout priest watching a believer of his faith walk away, warmth quietly flickering in his gaze.
"Boss? Are you okay?"
Not far off, a man with long white hair—clearly a Feline—approached, trailed by over a dozen gang members. It seemed they had arrived a little too late.
"Yeah… I'm fine."
Siege simply nodded.
To Felix's surprise, he spotted several familiar usernames behind the white-haired Feline. Oh god—weren't those Dandao Dantart and Magic ZX?
Dandao Dantart and Magic ZX also caught sight of Sankta, standing nearby with his hands in his pockets, calmly sucking on a lollipop. He looked effortlessly cool and aloof. Their eyes lit up immediately, and they waved enthusiastically.
"Mr. Pioneer!"
"You know each other?" Indra glanced curiously between the players and Felix, clearly intrigued by their familiarity.
Siege turned to her. "Who are they?"
The two sides began explaining their respective identities. After the introductions, Indra looked at Felix with a glint of recognition. Siege, after taking it all in, said calmly, "Since you know each other, let's grab a drink together."
Felix agreed without hesitation. He nodded at Dandao Dantart and Magic ZX. What a coincidence indeed.
Who would've thought that players would encounter NPCs who might become influential in the future? Walking beside Siege, Felix felt the urge to establish his own faction growing stronger. In the future, regardless of what kind of NPCs the players came across or what strange singularities they explored, he could have them report everything to him—and then freely assign missions based on that intel.
As for the treasures and opportunities the players unearthed? Naturally, Felix wouldn't take them without fair compensation. It would be an equal exchange. If players weren't willing, then so be it. Felix had always been crystal clear about his position. He was simply a protagonist-type NPC—everything he did had a sense of justice to it. And he wanted the players to feel that.
But as he walked beside Siege, Felix couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him…
It was strange—there was no hostility, no killing intent. Just a faint gaze, as if observing from a distance.
His eyes flicked through the slums around them, scanning for the source of the stare. Yet whoever it was, they were hiding well. So well, in fact, that he briefly considered summoning the patrollers.
"What should I call you? Pioneer?"
"It's just a codename. And you?"
"I'm Siege, from the Glasgow Gang." She answered flatly, then added, "Your eyes keep wandering. Did you notice something?"
"There's a faint sense of being watched. Siege, don't you feel it?"
Siege shook her head. Her expression remained indifferent beneath her M-shaped bangs. Given her sharp combat instincts, she should've sensed it. Yet it didn't seem like she was trying to hide anything from Felix.
Felix let out a displeased murmur. Could it be that another noble's spy had set their sights on him?
Once everyone arrived at the tavern, that strange sensation of being watched finally faded.
The return of Siege brought cheers from the members of the Glasgow Gang. Some looked like laborers fresh off their shifts, others resembled local shop owners, but the majority were young men and women from the slums.
Meanwhile, Felix made his way over to where players like Dandao Dantart and Magic ZX had gathered. The moment they saw "Pioneer," their faces lit up in surprise and joy. They eagerly recounted their recent experiences to him.
After hearing the full story, Felix couldn't help but marvel at their luck. To accidentally earn the favor of the Glasgow Gang—it was no small feat. Such a rare opportunity.
"You don't look like a gang leader," Felix remarked casually.
After a few rounds of drinks, he had made his way over to Siege, sitting beside her with a glass of wine in hand. She was focused on the boxing ring ahead, where two of her men were brawling as a crowd of gang members shouted and placed bets.
"What do I look like, then?" Siege asked without looking at him.
"It has something to do with your aura," Felix replied with a soft smile, careful not to say anything that might offend her. "I've traveled across many lands as a messenger and a merchant. Met all kinds of people. You can tell a lot about someone's place in society just from their character and how they carry themselves."
"You have a kind of charisma that draws people in... but it doesn't quite match the image of a gang leader. Well—except when you're in a fight."
He added the last part with a knowing grin.
Siege drank in silence.
And then, just as suddenly, that unsettling feeling returned—someone watching him again.
Felix took a quiet sip of wine.