A young man who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen sat calmly and naturally inside the carriage.
Though he was dressed rather plainly, it couldn't deceive Ansel's sharp eyes.
The young man was most likely the child of a wealthy family.
Ansel's gaze then fell upon the source of the carriage's contamination—the true Confused.
The Confused now looked as if it had been flayed alive.
Its muscles were exposed to the air.
It was half-lying in a corner of the carriage, its arms twisted like pretzels, and its legs seemed to be broken as well.
The large curtain of flesh and blood that had filled the carriage had been violently torn down.
It was clear that whatever had torn the flesh possessed terrifying strength.
But... there was no telling where the torn-off flesh had gone.
One had to understand, that flesh was a source of mutation and calamitous contamination.
Now, beaten beyond recognition, the Confused tried to shrink away from the light of the Silver Glow Lantern while simultaneously absorbing the scattered flesh and the blood pooling on the floor.
"Please step out of the carriage for an inspection, sir!"
Ansel said coldly, his gaze both detached and wary.
But his eyes were fixed not on the Confused, but on Zorn.
Zorn paused before asking in return.
"Officer, are you sure you're speaking to me, and not to this terrifying, contaminating 'Confused'?"
"Yes. Compared to the Confused, you are clearly the greater threat."
"Please cooperate with the investigation."
After glancing at the regenerating Confused and determining that it wouldn't recover much in a short time—and even if it did, it would pose no threat—
Zorn finally stood up and stepped out of the carriage.
Officer Ansel kept his guard up, watching Zorn the entire time.
Just as Ansel was about to drag the Confused out,
Zorn spoke slowly.
"The contaminating Spiritual nature of this creature's mutation is currently receding. It's best to let it recede completely."
"Otherwise, once it leaves this area, the contaminating Essence will permanently saturate the carriage and become impossible to expel."
"The coachman's carriage, his very livelihood, will be completely ruined."
"Even... the coachman and his horse will suffer varying degrees of contamination."
Zorn's words gave Officer Ansel pause.
Although he had received training in this area, this was the first time he had heard such detailed, practical information about mutation and contamination.
The young man's well-intentioned warning added a layer of curiosity to Ansel's vigilance.
"All this..."
Ansel gestured toward the carriage and the slowly regenerating "Confused" inside.
"Was this all your doing?"
Zorn nodded.
"This creature came looking for trouble. If I could have, I would have preferred not to let this terrifying mutant board the carriage."
"It's caused me quite a bit of trouble."
"My original plan was to subdue this Confused and then head to the nearest police station."
"Now that you're here, Officer, things are much simpler."
Ansel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"This isn't a matter of trouble or not, but a matter of life and death."
"You... seem to be a Transcendent."
Zorn nodded.
"The roar of the steam tide is echoing across the World."
"Mysterious Power is reawakening. For us nobles to protect our family estates, we must command a certain degree of power."
"My grandfather fought for the Republic, participating in many battles to earn his Merit and title. He came back with only one leg, having left the other on the battlefield forever."
"My father, amidst the roar of steamships, ventured into mysterious, unknown seas to find this mysterious Extraordinary Power for me."
"And I shall use this power to make the Coric Clan great once more!"
'A noble! A Transcendent!'
Ansel's heart stirred.
He had already suspected as much from the young man's expression and his attitude toward the police.
And seeing the Confused, which had been brutally suppressed from its mutated state, made it even clearer that this young noble possessed astonishing strength.
However, the fact that he was a noble was no excuse to evade questioning.
The proper interrogation procedure had to be followed, down to the last detail.
Fortunately, this young "noble" before him seemed rather easy to talk to.
As Ansel questioned him, Zorn cooperated fully.
After all, Zorn was a "victim" too.
Although the Holy See and the Republic did their best to regulate the emergence of Transcendents, and might even launch investigations,
nobles possessing Extraordinary Power was already a semi-public secret, something tacitly permitted.
In any case, the current Republic was ruled by nobles.
During their conversation, information about Officer Ansel surfaced in Zorn's mind, along with plans and information regarding "friends in the police department."
'The Law Enforcer Sequence is crucial for maintaining order and combating crime.'
'I need some friends in the police department. That way, when I'm fighting criminals from the Esoteric Sect and Evil God Organizations, I can complete my missions faster and more effectively.'
'It will help me solve problems and, at the same time, help my friends in the department climb the ladder.'
This kind of win-win scenario was something Zorn was very happy to see.
This officer named Ansel was dedicated to his duty and had a strong sense of responsibility.
Zorn remembered that he was involved in many affairs, a partner with a certain degree of Talent who was worth cooperating with.
If Ansel was willing to cooperate, Zorn wouldn't mind helping him climb to a higher position.
Soon, Officer Ansel had learned the full story of the incident from Zorn.
By this point, the Confused had finally, barely, returned to a humanoid form.
He looked at the "monster" guarding the door and the police officer from the department.
If the officer had arrived any later, that terrifying monster would have beaten him to death.
At that moment, Ansel glanced at Zorn.
His usual method of handling these situations was very direct: kill the Confused on the spot.
Then he would have a Law Enforcer team from the Church come and handle the aftermath.
But killing a Confused would inevitably cause the area to become contaminated.
This young noble named "Zorn Corick" seemed to possess a wealth of Extraordinary Knowledge regarding these terrifying, mutated, and contaminating grotesque creatures.
'He should have a better way to resolve this.'
'Time to show off my real skills!'
Zorn took a deep breath and looked at Officer Ansel.
"Could I borrow the Silver Glow Lantern for a moment?"
"Of course."
Officer Ansel handed the Lantern to Zorn.
Zorn placed the Lantern on the carriage's doorframe and glanced at the Confused.
The Confused didn't dare move a muscle.
The confusion was real, and so was the pain.
The Confused had not yet completely descended into mutated madness; it still retained a degree of reason and feared pain.
He infused a small amount of Star Trace Gang Qi into the silver flame.
SZZZ...
The silver light instantly flared.
Then, he clasped his hands, interlacing his fingers, held them before his chest, and began to slowly chant in the Saint Yama Ancient Language.
"By the will of the great Upper Ranker, the Seeker in the Endless Fog, Lord Philotheus Kevinde, I, in the name of the Fog's Guide, bestow upon you the true name—George."
"You will follow this officer to the Land of True Names and receive the grace of Lord Philotheus Kevinde."
The convergence of the secret words and the ritual lantern's flame caused the silver light to pierce through reason like a sharp blade, disrupting the confusion.
As Zorn finished his recitation, the small "ritual" concluded.
The surging silver light dimmed, returning to its original brightness.
The Confused, which had been thinking of escaping, became dazed and vacant in an instant. The restless power of its mutation was also suppressed to a certain extent.
"Now..."
Zorn looked at Officer Ansel.
"He will now obey your commands, Officer Ansel, and will follow you all the way. During this time, his mutative power will be suppressed. He won't create any contamination, nor will he unleash the power of a Confused."
"Not until you've brought him to where he needs to go."
Ansel, who had watched the entire process and listened to Zorn's explanation, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Is... is this real?"
"This is a Confused, a being with terrifying, calamitous, contaminating power... and it was suppressed just like that?"
A bit stunned and suspicious, Ansel issued a few commands to the Confused in the carriage.
Such as getting out of the carriage, squatting with its hands on its head, turning around, and so on.
The confused youth strictly followed all of the officer's instructions.
As he gave the commands, a wave of astonishment surged through Officer Ansel's heart.
The Ogrande City Police Department did provide training and education for Transcendents like him who had mastered Extraordinary Power, but most of the Extraordinary Knowledge they learned was superficial.
But this young nobleman before him, who seemed to have mastered some special secret language, had controlled this troublesome creature with just a small ritual.
He undoubtedly possessed profound Extraordinary Knowledge.
'If I had a friend, or rather a consultant, with such Mastery of Extraordinary Knowledge, the help he could provide would undoubtedly be immense.'
After all, Extraordinary Power was continuously emerging in Ogrande City now.
He needed a friend like that.
Even... their police station in the Fog Zone needed an Extraordinary-focused "Career Consultant" like him.
After some thought, Ansel quickly made his decision.
"Your Excellency, Zorn, thank you for suppressing the Confused and for your help."
"You may now continue on your journey by carriage."
"As for the coachman, I'm sure you know better than I do how to handle his situation."
The case of a mysterious Transcendent violently beating a Confused was enough to warrant taking Zorn to the police station, or even having him investigated by the Church.
But if he did that, he would lose an important friend.
By pretending not to see, however, he could gain a valuable friendship.
"Thank you very much, Officer."
Boarding the carriage, Zorn waved goodbye to Officer Ansel.
"If you ever need help with matters of Extraordinary Studies, or if you're looking for an Extraordinary Studies consultant, you can find me on Geluo Long Street. You wrote down the address in your notes just now."
As the carriage moved forward, the officer and his Lantern were soon swallowed by the dense fog.
"Ho... Honorable... gu... guest!"
Just then, the coachman's trembling voice rang out, slightly interrupting Zorn's thoughts.
Zorn, of course, knew what the coachman needed.
He spoke slowly.
"For the next three days, go to a nearby church every day for midday prayer. If you miss the midday prayer, the afternoon and evening prayers will also work."
"Doing so will completely cleanse you of the Confused's influence. Oh, and if possible, park the carriage near the church as well."
The contamination from a Confused can cause those affected to easily forget their own names and suffer from memory loss, among other issues.
And the Holy Fierce Sun Church is the best place for treatment.
"Also..."
He took out nine Silver Dragons and passed them to the coachman through the front window.
This was all the spare Silver Dragon Coins he had on him.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have run into these creatures you never should have met."
"You've earned this."
Receiving the Silver Dragon Coins, the coachman's anxious heart instantly settled.
"Thank you, generous guest."
The surprise in the coachman's voice was impossible to hide.
As the carriage continued on its way, Zorn fell into thought.
'A friend from the police department... perhaps I'll have use for him very soon.'
'If I can cooperate with some of the people in power at the police department, certain actions of mine can be better justified. I might even gain a degree of immunity from threats.'
None of the people who had reached the pinnacle of power in Ogrande City were pushovers. Many even had dark secrets they couldn't let see the light of day.
And as a [Player], Zorn naturally knew a great deal of their dirty laundry.
But before he was powerful enough,
Zorn would certainly not use these dark secrets to threaten those bigwigs. That would undoubtedly be suicide.
But as Zorn's strength grew and he made more friends...
...things would become much easier.