"I’m just a weak and pitiful Sequence 8, this matter definitely has nothing to do with me, high Sequences can be so strong—kinda awestruck now, how come so many popped up all at once..."


    After returning home, Tao Yu began to re-wrap the bloodstained bandages around himself.


    Since entering this world, he knew the waters ran deep, so he always kept a low profile, just barely integrating into the circle of the Extraordinary World.


    So far, he had only dealt with people at the kids’ table.


    Apart from approaching Mr. A’s territory to confirm the quality by touching the tiger’s whiskers, he had been quite honest and well-behaved.


    This time it was supposed to be just an arrest of Zilinges, well within his ability to handle.


    But who would have expected two extraordinarily powerful individuals to appear one after another?


    If it had been the latter, it wouldn’t have been too bad; although strong, he was confident he could make a full retreat by harnessing the power of the shadow side.


    But that man with a sense of vicissitude in his eyes—it felt like he was on another level entirely!


    Even without fighting, his presence was enough to send chills down his spine.


    "Wonder if that was Mr. Fool..."


    Although Tao Yu was somewhat confident in his Divinity-filled ability to shield against divination, he decided to slip out of Becland for a while just in case, to see if any pursuit would ensue.


    This place was a bit too overwhelming...


    "But it’s best not to flee in the middle of the night—it’s too obvious. Behave more normally. Got hurt anyway, might as well go back to my hometown to rest..."


    ...


    "Extra, extra, ’Hurricane General’ Zilinges has been killed..."


    Early the next morning, as Tao Yu was preparing to go out to find Eve and incidentally ’Incite’ her a bit more, he heard the day’s newspaper headlines.


    After casually buying a paper, he also saw the contents.


    "What Duke’s bodyguard? It was clearly me," Tao Yu couldn’t help but curl his lip as he read the paper depicting the kill attributed to a Duke’s bodyguard.


    But Tao Yu didn’t have the guts to claim any reward.


    His own pockets still contained over a million Gold Pounds...


    Yet, this also showed how high the official secrecy regarding extraordinaries was.


    At the very least, ordinary people would never catch wind of this.


    This wasn’t exactly a world where information spread like wildfire...


    ...


    Gentle Breeze Ballroom.


    "You’re still hurt, why come out?"


    Seeing Tao Yu, Eve stroked her hair and spoke somewhat irritably.


    "I’m planning to leave Becland for a while, return to my hometown to have a look."


    Tao Yu sighed, with a look as if he had seen through the mundanities of the world.


    Under the effect of ’Incite,’ Eve couldn’t help but fill in the blanks with numerous made-up details, sighing and showing indignation from time to time.


    Tao Yu had no idea what she was imagining.


    This ’Incite’ effect is quite strong...


    "Alright, there’s actually a task in Tingen that’s perfectly timed, just show your face there. You don’t even have to do much, I’ll record it as you going over to support us," said Eve as if something had just come to her mind.


    "Okay, what’s the task?"


    "A member is requesting assistance; nobody was available before, but a hint of your presence is enough. No need for real help," Eve said casually, seemingly just looking for an excuse for Tao Yu.


    "Seems like there’s been some trouble. This is the residence of Baron Hoy."


    Tao Yu nodded and did not inquire further, as if the question was just a casual remark about an unexpected event on the road.


    Eventually, he had the carriage drop him in front of a hotel, and he got out.


    "My contact was supposed to be Baron Hoy’s widow, Mrs. Sharron, but now it seems impossible to meet..."


    Tao Yu felt a headache coming on, unsure whether he would be able to acquire the materials of a Sequence 7 Witch...


    ...


    As evening fell, the docks district of Tingen, ’Dragon’s Breath Bar’.


    Tao Yu pushed open the doors of the bar to a loud cheer from inside.


    Amid the traditional smells of alcohol and sweat that hit him in the face, Tao Yu remained expressionless.


    This bar housed a semi-public supernatural market where one could find some simple extraordinary materials, and occasionally even stumble upon a bargain.


    It was a place Eve had told him about, supposedly quite safe.


    "This bar isn’t very respectable."


    Tao Yu noticed that instead of dancing women, there were two bare-chested strongmen fighting on the central stage while onlookers cheered them on.


    "The marketplace is in the pool room."


    Without lingering, Tao Yu headed straight for the pool room. Two guards were watching, but after Tao Yu stated his purpose, they let him through the secret door without hesitation.


    The room behind was the size of half a soccer field, resembling a warehouse.


    Unlike Mr. A’s extraordinary gathering, this place appeared to focus more on ’setting up shop’ with every trader responsible for their own profit or loss, relying on their discernment.


    "Feels like an antique market. There seem to be more ordinary people; it’s more like a collectors’ gathering. But that makes sense since there wouldn’t be many extraordinaries in this city," Tao Yu thought.


    "Haha, death! Destruction! Omen! Haha~"


    A sudden chilling voice beside him made Tao Yu’s hair stand on end. He then saw a pallid man with a vacant gaze staring blankly at him.


    That gave Tao Yu a sinking feeling in his heart. Damn, what is this thing?


    But he quickly noticed that the others around didn’t seem to react to the man, only he seemed to have overreacted.


    Feeling somewhat speechless for a moment.


    The nearest vendor chuckled. "First time here? He’s always been like that, babbling nonsense. You get used to it."


    "Yeah, you gave me quite the scare."


    Tao Yu pretended to be relieved but was internally puzzled.


    Despite the man seeming ordinary, his words had a different effect on Tao Yu.


    However, Tao Yu’s eyes soon brightened as he saw written on a sign a list of materials, including an auxiliary material for a Sequence 7 Magic Potion.


    Shadow Lizard Scales!


    Nice, very nice. What good luck.


    Even as just an auxiliary material, having these bits and pieces ready was not bad.


    All he had to do later was to find the main material at some legitimate extraordinary gathering.


    Having just purchased the scales and browsed around the market, Tao Yu’s eyes lit up again.


    "They even have Gold Mandala Juice. Luck is definitely on my side. Although these are just common materials with only a touch of the extraordinary, it would be hard to find such items elsewhere, at least for now. This trip to Tingen wasn’t wasted after all," he thought.


    But after Tao Yu paid for the juice, his brow furrowed slightly, suddenly feeling as though he was being watched.


    "Tsk, I wondered why it was so easy to get two auxiliary materials. Someone must be fishing...