Lucian strolled down the bustling street, scanning faces before casually flagging someone down.
"Hey, you."
The man turned, and Lucian immediately recognized him—the blonde-haired merchant from the Dragon's Wager.
"Hm?" The merchant glanced over, annoyance already creeping into his expression.
"Who's bothering me now? My time's valuable."
His eyes narrowed as he registered Lucian's face. A sigh followed.
"Of course. The noble kid who got lucky. What do you want?"
He idly tossed a diamond coin into the air, flipping it like a toy. Rare and absurdly valuable, few of its kind even existed.
Lucian's gaze lingered on the coin for a moment before returning to the merchant.
"Since you're a merchant, I figured you'd know where the merchant guild is, yeah?"
The merchant caught the coin mid-air and pocketed it with a grunt.
"I was in a good mood yesterday. Now? Not so much."
He tilted his head, clearly unimpressed.
"Are you even a real noble? This city doesn't have a merchant guild branch. The Duke shut that down years ago."
Lucian raised a brow at the answer, then sighed. "Alright, plan B. What about the local newspaper? You know where they operate?"
He flicked a gold coin toward the merchant in passing—half-bribe, half-courtesy.
The merchant caught it, weighed it for a second, then tossed it back. "Couple streets ahead. But keep your coin—I don't need it."
He chuckled as he turned away, voice rich with arrogance, though there was a crack of frustration behind it.
Lucian watched him go with a shrug. "What's got him all twisted up?"
Lucian shook his head and followed the merchant's directions.
Eventually, he arrived at a massive concrete building—boxy, stark, and completely out of place among the city's usual ornate architecture. It looked more like a dungeon tower than anything remotely civic.
He stepped inside, immediately struck by the brutal design. The interior was just as bleak: smooth concrete walls, industrial lighting, and not a single brick or carved stone in sight.
"This place is… oddly intriguing," Lucian muttered, eyes scanning the minimalist furnishings and utilitarian layout.
Without warning, a blink of light flashed ahead—and a man appeared, as if conjured from thin air.
"Glad you think so," the man said with a light chuckle.
He wore a dark blue suit, tailored sharp. His black hair was slicked back, his frame lean but muscular. Narrow eyes studied Lucian with unnerving precision.
"I'm Jacob," he said, offering a hand. "Head of this informant guild branch."
Lucian extended his hand cautiously—and the moment they touched, every instinct in his body screamed. It was as if his mind was being prodded, his soul examined under a microscope.
He recoiled instantly, eyes narrowing.
"You're not… from around here, are you?" he asked, voice cool but alert.
Jacob grinned. Then, from beneath his shirt, he revealed a familiar object—a glowing necklace. The same design as Lucian's. The one that had bound him to the system.
"I didn't expect to meet another one of us," Jacob said, tone darkly amused. "You're a fellow transmigrator, right?"
Lucian's eyes locked onto him, now fully aware of the pressure radiating from Jacob's presence. He'd fought heroes, dueled monsters, faced the Dark Lord himself… but this man was different. Cunning. Controlled. And lethal.
"Uh… yeah. Small world," Lucian said, slipping his hands into his pockets to hide the subtle tension in his fingers.
Jacob's eyes flashed an eerie blue for just a second.
"I don't buy it," he said flatly, menace seeping into every syllable.
"Where do you come from?"
Around them, the room seemed to change. Workers and patrons who overheard that tone didn't need a second cue—they quickly found reasons to be elsewhere.
Lucian's thoughts raced. This guy's dangerous. Stronger than the Dark Lord. Smarter, maybe even than me…
"I'm from…" Lucian began, fumbling for something plausible. Then it hit him. Lu Bu. That ancient boss from the dungeon.
"Xiaopei," Lucian said, voice steady, playing it cool.
What the hell is this guy? Lucian thought, every cell screaming at him to leave. He's setting off every alarm in my head. Way worse than any hero.
Jacob raised a brow, suspicion etched across his face.
"Xiaopei…?" he echoed, confusion lacing his voice.
"You mean Pei County, right?" he added, trying to make sense of the slip.
Lucian's eyes darkened, his irises trembling with a flicker of fear.
"Yeah… might've, uh, slipped a bit."
Jacob chuckled, seemingly letting it go.
"Big Romance of the Three Kingdoms nerd, huh? We're the same."
He walked up to Lucian and gave him a friendly pat on the back.
"Don't see many transmigrators around these parts—other than that hero, of course."
Lucian's body tensed at the mention, his mind suddenly racing.
So that was it… No wonder each hero I fought had something oddly familiar about them. They were all from… other worlds.
"Haha… yeah," Lucian said, forcing a smile. "Nice to meet someone from the same place."
Jacob leaned in slightly, resting a hand on Lucian's shoulder.
"So then… what skill did the goddess give you? I got this thing called Mechanical Mind—SSS rank, apparently. Still can't believe those cliché isekai setups are real."
Mechanical mind? Goddess? Is that a skill? How many people has this goddess dragged here?!
Lucian instinctively stepped back, confusion flashing across his face.
He hadn't understood a single word the guy just said.
"I got something called…" Lucian paused, scrambling for anything that sounded remotely believable—maybe even suspicious enough to stop further questions.
"Dominion of Villainy...? It's, uh... SSSSS-rank?" he added, tossing in some extra S's for good measure. It sounded important.
Jacob's eyes widened, then burst into laughter.
"Holy crap! Are you serious? That's some serious kit, man—like straight-up overpowered protagonist stuff."
Lucian let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least the bluff landed.
"Hey, guess I'm just a lucky bastard."
He gave a half-hearted shrug, shaking his head.
Please let this end already. I can't keep bluffing my way through this, he thought, his mind spinning with exhaustion and mounting confusion.