We left the grand, imposing granite gates of the Caria Mastery Academy behind, stepping back onto the broad cobblestone avenue of the Academy District. Elicia kept her arm securely locked through mine, her steps light and graceful as she looked sideways at me. The gentle breeze rustled her fine silk dress, and her crimson eyes softened with an incredibly profound, emotional warmth.
"You know, little Ren, spending your entire Oksana bounty… four whole royal gold coins that you literally risked your life for in the desert caverns… just to give a scruffy slum boy a guaranteed future... that is a deeply human thing to do. Not just an ordinary human act, either. To that boy, you are a living miracle." Elicia murmured softly, her voice thick with genuine sisterly pride.
I adjusted the heavy woven basket on my forearm, ensuring the bottles of soy sauce and vinegar didn't clatter against the cans of beef. My massive crimson wings gave a small, quiet twitch in the warm sunlight, the protective barrier of Elicia's spell keeping my skin perfectly comfortable.
"Yes, I hope he will repay that kindness one day. No boy should be left behind in the dark if they have the drive to change their circumstances. He deserved a proper equation for his life." I replied, my quiet deadpan carrying a rare, sincere depth of emotion. "
We continued our trek through the capital, the academic stone structures gradually giving way to the massive, smoke-stacked silhouettes of the 1st District. The air began to vibrate with the heavy, rhythmic thuds of industrial machinery and the faint, sweet smell of coal and burning iron.
As we approached the heavily reinforced iron checkpoint leading into the industrial sector, my single jade-green eye locked onto the guard standing duty. He wore the standard, polished armor of a high-ranking city gatekeeper, but his facial structure was intimately familiar.
It was Carlos.
He was the very same professional, deferential gatekeeper who used to manage the Eastern District gates back in Town Allure. He had processed my status card dozens of times back when I was a heavily cloaked, mysterious hunter, and he had recently been transferred to the capital's busiest industrial gate.
The moment Carlos turned his head and took in the sight of us, he froze completely solid. His hand slipped off the hilt of his sword, his jaw dropping to maximum capacity. He stared at my uncovered face, my smooth pale skin, and the breathtaking, massive crimson blood wings fully extended in the open daylight. For months, he had only known me as a silent, imposing figure wrapped in heavy vanguard fabrics and a dark hood. Seeing me for the very first time completely unmasked, dressed in a normal townsperson's forest-green kirtle, left him utterly paralyzed.
"E-Eirene?! Is that really you?! What in the world happened to you?! I thought you were completely dead! Four months ago, word reached the outer gates that you were brutally killed by high-tier bandits in the town of Tata! I... I literally visited your designated grave back at Town Allure to pay my professional respects!" Carlos gasped, stumbling back a step as his eyes practically bulged out of his head.
He gestured wildly at my stunning appearance, completely overwhelmed by the sheer presence of my demonic bloodline. Yet, despite his shock, the dramatic irony was perfectly intact… he was looking right at the legendary "Hunter" he always greeted with immense deference, but he had absolutely no idea that the girl standing before him was also the feared Crimson Phantom whose 18 gold bounty had just been closed by the crown.
I looked at Carlos, a calm, thoroughly human smile breaking across my face as I tilted my head.
"See? I am completely alive and well, Carlos, The grave back there in Town Allure was just a logistical fluke. A minor error in the underworld's information network. It takes a lot more than a few bandits to permanently close my ledger." I said, a light, playful tone infusing my quiet voice.
Elicia blinked, looking back and forth between the flabbergasted guard and me, her crimson eyes twinkling with amusement. "You know this man, little Ren?"
"Yes, He was the Eastern District gatekeeper back at Town Allure. Back when I wasn't openly a vampire and was just registering as a standard adventurer. He was always highly efficient with his paperwork." I replied, my voice dropping into its familiar, comfortable deadpan as my crimson wings gave a relaxed flutter.
I tilted my head, looking at the stunned gatekeeper with a thoroughly human expression of curiosity.
"Hey, Carlos. What brings you all the way here to the capital's industrial gate?"
Carlos snapped out of his daze, rubbing the back of his neck as a sheepish smile broke through his professional armor.
"Oh, man... it's a long story, Eirene. After the security restructuring back in the outer territories, the Knights Bureau Association was looking for experienced gatekeepers to handle the heavy traffic in the capital's core districts. I put in for a transfer, and they stationed me right here at the 1st District gate last month. It's bustling, but man, seeing you walk up just now completely threw me for a loop!"
He took a breath, letting out a relieved sigh that I wasn't actually a ghost. Then, his eyes drifted down to the heavy woven market basket resting on my forearm. He caught sight of the large glass bottles of soy sauce, the fermented white vinegar, and the plump bulbs of garlic peaking out from beneath the cloth.
"Oh, What some ingredients you got there, Eirene? Planning a massive feast? Anyways..." He quickly cleared his throat, snapping back into his official guard posture with a polite smile. "Standard procedure dictates the regular transit toll and status identification cards, please." Carlos murmured, blinking at the contents.
"I am preparing a culinary masterpiece for the industrial workforce," I answered simply.
Without hesitation, I reached into the pocket of my forest-green kirtle and pulled out my updated status card along with the required silver coins for the toll. Elicia smoothly stepped up beside me, handing over her own identification and transit fees with her signature, elegant grace.
Carlos took our cards, his magical ledger flashing with a brief blue light as he verified our entry eligibility. He quickly stamped our logs, handed the cards back with a respectful bow, and signaled the other guards to crank open the heavy iron barricade.
"Everything is perfectly in order. Welcome to the 1st District, Ladies, It really is good to see you alive and well, Eirene. Good luck with your cooking!" Carlos said, offering me one last, genuinely happy look.
"Thank you, Carlos, It is good to see you surviving your transfer as well." I said, a soft, warm smile gracing my face.
With a final nod, Elicia and I made our way past the heavy iron gates, stepping directly into the roaring, smoke-filled heart of the 1st District. The smell of burning coal and the sound of heavy machinery echoed down the streets, and I clutched my basket of adobo ingredients tighter, ready to build our new future.
We walked side by side down the bustling, wide avenue of the 1st District. The atmosphere here was thick with energy… the ground vibrated faintly from the rhythmic thud of distant hydraulic presses, and columns of clean white steam rose gracefully against the blue sky from the surrounding workshops. Everywhere I looked, mechanics in soot-stained aprons, engineers clutching blueprints, and exhausted foundry laborers were beginning to trickle out of the massive iron gates for their afternoon breaks.
Looking at the sheer volume of potential customers, one very practical thought immediately came to my mind: how do we actually rent a physical storefront out here? I knew how to track a target through a swamp or claim a bounty from a guild desk, but the exact bureaucratic equations for commercial real estate were entirely outside my comfort zone.
I turned my single jade-green eye toward my big sister, a slight, sheepish smile softening my face.
"Elicia, I have the ingredients, and the target demographic is clearly abundant. But... how exactly do we acquire a building? Do I just find an empty storefront and hand someone a gold coin, or is there a more specific protocol?" I spoke up, my voice carrying a thoroughly human note of uncertainty as my crimson wings gave a small, nervous twitch.
Elicia let out a soft, melodious laugh, looping her arm playfully through mine as we navigated past a cart hauling copper pipes.
"Oh, little Ren, if only it were that simple, If you just handed a random landlord a gold coin, you'd probably end up owning a dilapidated broom closet. No, for a regulated commercial space in the industrial sector, we need to go to the District Commerce Guild." she teased, her crimson eyes dancing with sisterly amusement.
She adjusted the collar of her fine walking dress, her expression turning into that of a brilliant, confident strategist.
"Every vacant property, kitchen lease, and safety permit down here is managed directly through their central office. Since I already did some preliminary research on the property ledgers before we left House 132, I know exactly which clerk we need to speak with to get you a prime location near the main factories. Come on, let's head over there before the afternoon rush fills their lobby!"
As we deeper penetrated the industrial sector, I cast my single jade-green eye around the towering brick facades and iron fences. One distinct geographical metric stood out to me: there were barely any food stalls out here. Normally, street vendors and aromatic food carts clustered heavily in the densely populated areas like the Merchant District or the Entertainment District. But the 1st District was all work, raw labor, and heavy production. The workers here had to trudge all the way to the district borders just to find a decent midday meal.
Seeing this massive void in the market only solidified my business strategy. Adobo would absolutely dominate this place.
We soon arrived at a sturdy, brass-accented stone building bearing the emblem of the District Commerce Guild. Pushing the heavy glass doors open, Elicia and I stepped into the lobby, navigating past several soot-stained factory managers and blueprint-wielding engineers. I kept a firm, protective grip on my heavy woven basket, my massive crimson wings folding tightly against my forest-green kirtle to avoid brushing against anyone in the crowded room.
Elicia glided gracefully up to the polished mahogany reception desk.
"Good afternoon, I am Elicia Rynd, Principal of the Caria Mastery Academy's magic division. I have a preliminary appointment regarding a commercial property lease in the eastern sector." she said, her voice commanding immediate professional respect.
The receptionist's eyes darted from Elicia's high-class academic robes to my exposed, shimmering blood wings, swallowing hard.
"O-Oh! Yes, Lady Elicia. The supervisor has been expecting you. He handles all prime real estate allocations personally. Right this way, please."
She led us down a quiet, carpeted hallway away from the bustling lobby, stopping in front of a pair of double oak doors. The receptionist knocked twice, opened the door, and gestured for us to enter.
We stepped into the spacious, lavishly decorated office. Sitting behind a massive executive desk covered in tax ledgers, property deeds, and gold-trimmed inkwells was a plump man in an expensive, over-tailored velvet coat.
He looked up from his paperwork, his smug, bureaucratic smile instantly freezing into a mask of pure, unadulterated horror.
It was Harold Ford.
The very same corrupt, predatory tax collector from Town Allure who had spent months ruthlessly extorting my family, threatening property seizure, and making our lives a living hell before Elias finally broke his nose. It turned out his slimy political connections had managed to land him a high-paying supervisor position right here in the capital's wealthiest industrial guild.
Harold's face drained of all color, turning a pasty, sickly white as his eyes locked onto my uncovered face, my sharp fangs, and the powerful crimson wings twitching menacingly behind my back. He instinctively scrambled backward in his leather chair, nearly knocking over a stack of financial records.
"Y-You… Eirene?! The... the Crimson Phantom?!"