Chapter 3

“I never expected that I, the second son of the distinguished Bartleyon Family, would end up as a pickpocket.”

While weighing the wallet in his hand, Lynn sighed deeply.

Actually, Carol wasn’t wrong in her judgment.

Lynn, or rather the original owner of this body, was indeed of noble blood and quite the prominent figure.

But unfortunately, for some reasons, that title not only brought him no benefit but repeatedly attracted death threats, forcing him to live a life of dejection.

Just how pitiful was he?

The original owner had made a grave mistake that earned him the title of “The Shame of Nobility,” and after that incident, he was despised by the entire Imperial Capital.

To quell the public’s rage, his family exiled him to the borders as a criminal.

That part was fine.

After all, the Bartleyon Family had countless assets in the Saint Roland Empire, and they owned a considerable amount even in Orlen City.

Even if he spent his whole life here, it would be enough for him to live without worry.

But because Orlen City was too far from the Imperial Capital, with inconvenient transportation and communication, along with lower living standards and constant war impact, the pampered family members simply refused to come and endure this hardship.

Thus, many local industries were left to the stewards and servants stationed here to manage.

Over time, issues began to arise.

Having been away from the family’s control for so long, they gradually grew accustomed to throwing their weight around.

There were even several underlings from the mansion who, under the name of the Bartleyon Family, seized properties and oppressed the common people.

What was even more ridiculous was that these damn guys either received orders from someone or got too carried away in Orlen City, completely forgetting their place.

They boldly dared to act like masters over their own lord! Ever since the original owner was dispatched here, even the stewards and lowest servants looked down on him.

On the surface, they called him “young master,” but behind his back, they condescended to him, paying him lip service while secretly undermining him.

For example, the maintenance funds sent monthly by the family to enable him to live decently were entirely intercepted by them, greedily devoured.

Or they found all sorts of reasons to confine him, not allowing him to go out.

The most outrageous incident was when someone handed him a servant’s outfit to wear, shamelessly saying the mansion was out of money and needed him to go make some.

It was an open suggestion for him to hurry up and leave, to fend for himself.

When the steward found out, he merely docked the offender’s pay for a day and let it go.

This was practically a public humiliation.

Furthermore, the original owner had even faced consecutive assassination attempts!

He had every reason to suspect that these brazen scoundrels had colluded with outside forces to pull off this nonsense.

It was precisely at that moment that Lynn happened to cross over and took control of this nearly dead body, giving him the chance to escape.

Moreover, according to memories, the scandal making waves in the Imperial Capital at that time was all part of a conspiracy against him.

Unfortunately, given Lynn’s current situation, he lacked the energy to think about revenge for the time being.

With that thought in mind, he let out a sigh.

The black cat nearby seemed to sense his low mood, letting out a “meow.”

The black cat was one he had picked up from the roadside.

When they first met half a month ago, it was all alone and seemed hungry, meowing at him.

Perhaps sensing intelligence in its eyes or feeling a sense of kinship, he casually took it in.

Lynn reached out to scratch its chin.

“Don’t worry, Little Black, maybe before long, we’ll be able to head back to the Imperial Capital and make a name for ourselves.”

He spoke to the cat as if he were talking to himself.

This could also help shake off those mysterious forces hunting him.

After all, who would expect “The Shame of Nobility,” who was kicked out of the Imperial Capital like a stray dog, would dare return to that place?

Lynn mused silently.

Then, the next second, a very abrupt voice suddenly rang out, causing him to feel a chill run down his spine.

“No, you can’t go anywhere.”

The voice belonged to a man, sounding so casually nonchalant.

But to Lynn’s ears, it was like thunderclaps.

Having had no incidents for the past week and feeling somewhat sluggish, he had let his guard down and was completely unprepared.

Why had someone appeared in the room without a sound?!

Was it another assassination attempt from those pursuing the original owner?!

In an instant, those questions flashed through his mind.

Lynn tensed up, gripping the revolver in his pocket.

Yet even so, he didn’t feel very secure.

After all, having read enough novels, he knew this was an era where steam machinery and Transcendents coexisted; even deities could be tracked. In the face of such powers, a revolver seemed absurdly weak.

To prevent being ambushed, Lynn pressed his back against the wall, scanning the surroundings cautiously.

He noticed that the room had become increasingly dark; even the gaslight’s glow had dimmed.

Shadows seemed to spill out like ink, with even the air rippling in strange patterns.

While keeping vigilant, Lynn watched as a shadowy human figure emerged silently from the pool of darkness on the floor.

As expected, this was the power of a Transcendent.

Lynn didn’t hesitate; the moment the shadow figure appeared, he pulled out his revolver and fired off three shots.

The bullets aimed for the head, heart, and groin.

“What a ruthless little brat!”

The shadow seemed somewhat surprised by Lynn’s fierce actions.

But it was merely surprise.

As the bullets struck the shadow’s body, not a single drop of blood erupted, as if they had collided with air, then disappeared into the wall.

No solid form?

The thought just arose, and an alarm went off in Lynn’s mind.

In the next second, the darkness surrounding the shadow figure suddenly boiled like ink.

Right after, from that shadow, countless writhing tentacles shot out toward Lynn like crashing waves!

Though he sensed the attack, his ordinary body couldn’t handle high-frequency evasive movements.

Besides, half a month of sleeplessness had weakened him to the extreme.

So in just a few seconds, Lynn felt his limbs and neck enveloped by the powerful shadow tentacles.

The tentacles gradually lifted him, until he was floating in mid-air.

At that moment, the figure shrouded in shadows walked slowly toward him.

His face was likewise obscured by shadows, making his features unclear.

“Don’t resist; this way you’ll suffer less,” the shadow’s voice sounded rather young, “Before meeting that lady, you mustn’t be harmed in the slightest.”

He seemed to have no intention of giving Lynn a chance to resist, slowly tightening the shadow tentacles that bound his limbs and neck.

The air grew thinner, making it hard for Lynn to breathe.

But his mind was still racing.

From the texture, it was clear the enemy wasn’t incorporeal; rather, their body was fused with the darkness, rendering physical attacks ineffective.

In other words, the enemy’s power came from the darkness.

Since that’s the case, light should be used to dispel the darkness.

With a sudden spark of inspiration, he generated a wild idea.

“How about we make a deal?” Lynn spoke in a halting manner, “No matter who you work for, just let me go once today. I’ll repay you.”

“My companions and I have been tailing you for nearly half a month; stopping now would be a waste of effort,” the Shadow Man sighed, “Besides, in my eyes, your gratitude isn’t worth much.”

“Moreover, that lady specifically wants to see you. As an ordinary person, do you really think you can go against her will?”

Going against her will? The implications of that statement were significant, causing Lynn to catch his breath.

While it proved the shadow man wasn’t there to kill him, it yet posed a more complicated problem.

But at the moment, he had no time to ponder the meaning behind it.

“Alright, just sleep for a bit, and you’ll wake up at the destination,” the Shadow Man said, controlling the power once more, allowing the thick shadows to flow over Lynn’s body.

“I refuse.”

Lynn didn’t want to entrust his fate to others; he squeezed his last ounce of strength to grip the revolver tightly.

What he needed to do was quite simple.

“Bang!”

With the trigger pulled, a small hole was punched in the iron pipe at the corner where the gas line ran.

“Hiss—hiss—”

The sound of air escaping and a strange odor wafted in, quickly filling the cramped room.

The Shadow Man’s expression froze.

A hint of disbelief flickered in his eyes as his body instinctively took a half-step back.

“What are you doing—”

Before he could finish the sentence, the trigger was pulled again.

“Boom!!!”