Even though the Inner City was brightly lit all night long, the number of people on the streets significantly decreased after midnight.
The ones still wandering the streets at this late hour didn’t seem very decent.
With their hair dyed in all sorts of colors, distinctive clothes, and the strange appearances created by mechanical modifications and alien bio-implants, it was almost like a parade of ghosts and monsters.
Many were howling and wailing, their sanity also not seeming quite intact.
However, there were none sleeping on the streets.
Sleeping on the streets of the Inner City was not allowed, and anyone found doing so would be taken away immediately.
If you had money, you could bail yourself out; without money, you’d have to work off your debt through labor or even sell your organs. Either way, arresting people was always profitable.
Those who frequented the streets after midnight had grown accustomed to these rules and were careful not to slip up.
Nonetheless, Tao Yu still noticed individuals dressed like Court and his group, hauling off a blonde-haired man who was either drunk or "happy," heading in the same direction as them.
"My lord might rarely take on these nighttime tasks. Sometimes, when we can’t find a proper target, we do things like this to make up the numbers."
Court whispered from beside him.
They could detect Heretic God Followers!
This was a dignitary who had practiced the Meditation Technique!
"What about just grabbing someone randomly and knocking them out?"
"Not that it doesn’t happen, but the risk-to-benefit ratio is too low. If found out, it could lead to death, and if the person is only knocked out, they won’t be detained. They’ll just be tossed aside to wake and walk away on their own. If they died, there would be some investigation."
Court was well-seasoned in the ways of the Inner City, familiar with its darker aspects. Although crime was rampant, risks and returns were usually carefully weighed.
Some punishments were so severe, they hardly seemed worth the effort involved.
Following the street lamps, it wasn’t long before Tao Yu saw a brightly lit hall ahead.
This hall appeared somewhat more respectable from the outside, not featuring the usual peculiar architectural style of the Inner City. Through the glass doors, he could see many people queuing up inside, many of whom were accompanied by drunkards or appeared to be manhandling others.
People were also hastily leaving and quickly disappearing into the night.
Most of their attire was similar to Court’s, with a few wearing partner suits.
As the glass doors slid open automatically, several people entered.
Because of Tao Yu’s distinctive "clay monster" disposition,
it attracted a lot of attention.
"What’s this?"
"An alien bio-implant gone horribly wrong?"
"..."
Some people seemed unsure.
But when one person dressed in a partner suit saw Tao Yu, his expression turned somewhat solemn
This ’Crazy Mud Monster’ was surely stronger than Masu and the others combined, and it was captured alive; surely the reward would be even greater, right?
"You know the Meditation Technique?"
The staff member was surprised, and the nearby whispers also paused momentarily.
Meditation Techniques are quite rare among practitioners in the Inner City, often requiring high innate talent and personal branding of Visualization Diagrams by a Meditation Master, which is a burden for the master.
"Yes."
"If you can confirm a Heritic God Follower, you might get an additional one to two thousand in rewards for providing the clue, but since the capture expenses were already paid, I’m afraid we can’t add it on top."
Hearing this, Tao Yu felt that the little rich lady might have had her eye on him for a while, and what she gave might have already been the upper limit for rewards related to clues.
Although Tao Yu’s expenses for supplies might reach one or two thousand nowadays, he knew how difficult Yuan Force was to come by; usually, he had to cumulate several months of earnings, so an extra thousand or two for standing around a bit longer was certainly not too little for him.
"Let’s follow the procedure then."
"Alright, but since we have to ask a Meditation Master, please ensure that what you say is true, otherwise we could all get into trouble."
The staff member repeated the caution and then invited Tao Yu into their office.
Because Tao Yu had caught a suspected Heretic God Follower, they even specially brought in a large transparent container and had Tao Yu stuff the ’Crazy Mud Monster’ inside.
After Tao Yu and the staff left, the hall was abuzz with whispers.
"To be suspected as a Heretic God Follower..."
"Hope it’s not true."
"Crazy, who would risk so much for a mere thousand or two in rewards, given his status?"
"Troublesome times indeed."
"Better to be more cautious lately..."
The information about Heretic God Followers put pressure on this group of Night Watchers because if there were indeed Heretic God Followers, their jobs would be the most likely to come into contact with them.
You just have to look at Kort and the others to know—they almost got seriously harmed...
...
Meanwhile, Tao Yu didn’t have to wait long.
The matter of the Heretic God Follower was of great importance; right after Tao Yu had reported it, Sun Shiyu personally came to confirm.
The Inner City had a robust system, and indeed they were quick to act.
In about ten minutes, an energetic old man in a sleeping gown was brought in.
A staff member and a bodyguard-like dwarf escorted the old master in his gown.
This must be the elder who was woken up from his sleep and brought here directly. First, he casually glanced at the yet to recover ’Crazy Mud Monster’, and then his gaze shifted to Tao Yu.
Soon, Tao Yu felt a thick mental force enveloping him.
The mental energy was thicker than his own, but the quality was much lower...