“It seems you’ve noticed too,” Samuel casually leaned his cane against the headboard. “That’s good. If you still hadn’t figured it out by now, I’d have no choice but to throw you away.”
Falson was a bit flustered by such a blunt statent but still nodded in response.
“Yeah, the Ris was a currency system abandoned about a hundred years ago, and the group photo of the king on the back of the banknotes from this era is missing one person.”
Samuel picked up where Falson left off. “So now, you need to try to recall if there was ever a city similar to this one about a hundred years ago.”
“Maybe under a different na, but one that had a situation with expelling outsiders.”
Falson thought hard, but in the end, he could only shake his head. “I don’t have any related mories.”
Samuel didn’t show any sign of disappointnt; he simply shifted his gaze toward the window. The sky was gradually darkening, the streetlights hadn’t co on yet, and the light in the room was dim and heavy.
Then, he turned his head back to look at Falson again.
“Worried about being reported?” Samuel saw through Falson’s distracted state.
“Uh, a little,” Falson nodded.
“It won’t happen,” Samuel reassured him with a tone of certainty. “Trust , without solid evidence, the people of this city won’t wrong anyone.”
Falson looked at him, confusion in his eyes.
“That notice’s real purpose is to stir up infighting among us outsiders, getting us to report each other.”
“How did you figure that out?” Falson asked, puzzled.
After spending so ti together, his attitude toward Samuel had gradually beco more normal, no longer so respectful or distant.
“You probably didn’t notice, but the people in this city aren’t on good terms with the Enforcent Team. When that phone booth exploded earlier, the first thing they did was call the police, not the Enforcent Team.”
When the knight first arrived, both Samuel and Falson had noticed the phone booth’s top being blown off, and they had even watched the commotion for a while.
“But even if we only get reported to the police, that’s still bad for us, isn’t it?” Falson still didn’t understand.
“Why would they report us to the police?” Samuel leaned back on his hands, tilting his body slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on Falson’s face. “Because we’re passing outsiders? That’s not a cri. At least, not before the Enforcent Team gets involved.”
He paused, searching for his next words.
“That bulletin board… that condescending tone—the Enforcent Team wants the people in this city to bow their heads,” Samuel said. “But the citizens aren’t willing.”
Falson didn’t imdiately respond. He carefully recalled what he had seen and heard on the streets during the day.
But he felt like he hadn’t noticed anything at all.
He had only interacted with three people during the day: a bread seller, an old pawnshop owner, and a hotel landlady.
He hadn’t picked up on anything.
And now, in front of Samuel, he didn’t feel comfortable asking the System.
“You might not have sensed it, but the people in this city all carry a strange kind of pride.”
“Hmm… temperant is indeed sothing hard to pin down,” Samuel mused as he spoke.
“Anyway, all I can say is that with their pride, they won’t casually wrong anyone unless we show clear signs of a flaw.”
“But that’s just your speculation,” Falson frowned.
“Yeah, just my speculation. So, do you want to take a gamble with ?”
“Gamble on…”
“Whether we can survive here smoothly?”
Samuel grinned widely.
Falson’s mouth opened and then closed again.
He felt that staying here seed safer than leaving on his own.
He wasn’t good at thinking or making decisions. If he left alone, he might expose himself even faster.
“I understand. Thanks for sharing the intel,” Falson nodded in thanks, his voice dry.
“Why that face?” Samuel let out a couple of grunts. “You’re making it look like I’m bullying you.”
“No…” Falson shook his head quietly but didn’t know what else to say.
“Hmph.” Samuel let out a light snort, his gaze fixed on Falson’s face. “I hope that remarkable talent of yours doesn’t attract the Enforcent Team.”
Falson’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t expected to be exposed so quickly—just a few hours of interaction, and all his secrets had been laid bare.
“Ha! What kind of expression is that?” Samuel pressed his weight onto his hands. “Pretty cute, actually.”
“Just a bit lacking in looks.”
“Uh…” Falson’s expression stiffened.
“Well, it’s passable,” Samuel comnted casually, seemingly unconcerned with the other’s reaction. He pushed himself forward from a reclined position, then raised one hand.
“Actually, improving your appearance is pretty simple. Let’s just say, among Law Seekers, there are hardly any who look bad.”
Hearing this, Falson suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.
“What—”
Samuel raised one hand, and a book appeared in it. The pages rustled as it flipped to a certain one.
*Rip.*
Samuel tore out that page with a clean, crisp motion and handed it to Falson.
“Navigator. It ought to co with so kind of charisma boost.”
“Even if you’re not necessarily handso, you’ll at least co across as pleasant to look at.”
“Take it back with you. Trace the lines with your eyes. Look at it a lot, think about it a lot—ideally, morize this image.”
“This is…?” Falson took the paper.
The paper felt rough to the touch. On it, a complex geotric pattern was drawn in dark red ink—circles within circles, like layered doorways.
These patterns seed to shift constantly, making him dizzy just from looking at them. He quickly had to look away.
“This is sothing good that can turn you into a Law Seeker,” Samuel explained briefly.
Too lazy to deal with Falson’s shock or listen to his thanks, Samuel waved his hand.
“Alright, I don’t like pleasantries.”
“Go on back.”
Falson’s lips moved, but in the end, he only managed a quiet, “Thank you.”
He stood up, carefully folded the paper, and tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat. As he turned toward the door, he heard Samuel’s voice co from behind him, soft but clear: “Leave the door open.”
“Okay.” Falson nodded, pushed open the door, and left the room without closing it.
Watching Falson disappear into the distance, Samuel’s lips curled into a smile.
Ah… how nice.
His “Crazed-Person Cultivation Plan” had taken a small step forward.
What he had given away was a Law Mark for “Navigator,” drawn quite roughly and simply—in this world’s terms, it was at the clarity level of “One Mark.”
That was fairly decent for awakening a newcor.
As for why he chose “Navigator,” there was no special reason.
Simply put, he had no idea what this Law Mark was good for, and since he happened to have a suitable toy on hand, he could try it out.
Hmm…
Tomorrow, he’d throw Falson into the Enforcent Team.
Samuel leaned back and lay down on the bed.
“Hehe, he’ll even thank
for it…”
This was one small step in cultivation, and one giant leap toward Falson’s descent into madness.
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