I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

"Mr. Spade, um... please take a seat."

Black Skull hummed thoughtfully and then raised his hand to indicate that Chen Lun could sit down on one of the empty chairs.

Chen Lun nodded, casually picked a chair, pulled it out, and sat down.

"Since we have a newcomer, why don't we all introduce ourselves first?"

Black Skull leaned back slightly, resting against the back of his chair.

The first to echo him was the rough woman who had competed with Chen Lun.

"You can call me 'Fin.' If there's any 'towing' business, you can find me."

The so-called "towing" is slang, similar in nature to pimping, but more straightforward. This involved directly kidnapping women and delivering them to clients, or kidnapping clients and forcing them to spend money.

Chen Lun could smell a hint of the sea and a fishy scent on her, indicating that this woman probably lived around Lona Port, and might even work at the port on a regular basis.

"Is she [Sequence Eight-Navigator]...?"

He silently guessed in his heart.

The other five individuals then introduced themselves one after another.

A short-haired woman wearing a white mask called herself "Spirit Cat," and Chen Lun could not feel any supernatural fluctuations from her.

The middle-aged man beside her, wearing a skeleton mask inscribed with ancient text, had a robust voice and calm demeanor, and called himself "Miser."

An elderly-looking man with a hunched back wore a gray hat that covered his face, showing only a few strands of gray beard, and he called himself "Knowledge."

The other two especially caught Chen Lun's attention.

A slovenly, bearded man, wearing no disguise, with an indifferent gaze and dressed in a linen robe typical of the lower class, stared straightforwardly as he simply stated two words:

"Iron Hammer."

The last one was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath, but oddly had a silver pot upside down on his head... it was unclear how he managed to see clearly.

He reluctantly spread his hands, and from the silver pot, a muffled male voice emerged:

"You can call me 'Gentleman,' newcomer."

Chen Lun nodded in acknowledgment but did not respond.

He was inwardly cautious.

The mysterious society hidden in the old site of Pompey Manor had gathered seven individuals from the mystic realm, six of whom, excluding "Spirit Cat," were Transcendents.

And their Sequences were not low.

At least, Chen Lun had not sensed the presence of any Sequence Nine.

"I wonder if 'Philip's Legacy' has been taken by them..."

Chen Lun felt a headache coming on.

"It seems that our 'Big Eater' Mr. might mostly have been killed by Mr. 'Spade'... Tsk, when did Amber City have such a strong figure."

Gentleman chuckled softly.

Spirit Cat glanced at him and countered:

"It's also possible that he picked up the token."

"Hehe..."

Gentleman shook his head, and the silver pot on his neck swayed slightly.

Miser spoke up from the side:

"That doesn't explain how he found this place."

"Could it be that 'Shelter' captured 'Big Eater' and exposed our meeting place?"

Knowledge speculated.

Upon hearing the word "Shelter," everyone fell silent and a chill fell over them.

"There's no need to be nervous, everyone..."

Black Skull spoke softly.

"Just a 'Shelter' alone can't harm us, perhaps Mr. Spade's information was given by Big Eater... Let's not speculate any further, it's pointless."

He tapped the table and continued:

"Let's start today's proceedings, beginning with the trading segment."

Chen Lun looked at Black Skull with surprise, wondering why he was giving him an alibi.

As the initiator of the secret society, Black Skull seemed to command considerable authority, and upon hearing his words, everyone stopped dwelling on how Chen Lun found the place.

"Two portions of [Low Sequence Moon Faction Mystic Substance] in exchange for supernatural items, who wants it?"

Fin took out two crumpled bits of paper, brutally unfolded them to reveal two black, glossy balls tinged with purple.

The group fell silent for a moment until Gentleman finally spoke up:

"Have you been hunting Moon Church monks again? Be careful, you might get caught one day..."

"Mind your own business, Urinal Head."

Fin scoffed.

Gentleman shrugged his shoulders and said no more.

"I'll take them,"

Iron Hammer said flatly.

"What will you exchange for them? Let me clarify, I don't need Mystic Substance."

"How about this?"

Iron Hammer took out a strangely shaped "umbrella," whose hooked end actually served as a stock and handle, equipped with a trigger, resembling more a two-handed flintlock gun.

"A man-made [Class D Mysterious Object]? How does it activate? What's the cost?"

Fin was intrigued and promptly inquired.

"Open the umbrella, pull the trigger, and it fires supernatural incendiary bombs... drawing body moisture as ammunition."

Iron Hammer was sparing with words, explaining briefly.

"Good! It's a deal!"

Fin pushed the two black purple pills forward and reached out for the umbrella flintlock gun.

But unexpectedly, Iron Hammer pressed down on the barrel of the gun.

"What do you mean?"

Fin furrowed her brow.

"Not enough."

Iron Hammer said, then quickly added:

"Add another 50 Gold Pounds."

Fin fell silent for a moment, nodded, and grudgingly took out another portion of the "Low Sequence Moon Faction Mysterious Substance."

"The market price of 'Low Sequence Moon Faction Mysterious Substance' is around 50 Gold Pounds, which is reasonable."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Black Skull reminded from the side.

Iron Hammer didn't respond verbally, just nodded slightly, accepted three Black Purple Pills, and handed the umbrella gun to Fin.

Following that, there were two more transactions, mostly barter, seldom involving currency.

At this stage of their transcendent journey, they rarely lacked money. Rather, their aim was to grow stronger in the Mystic Realm and progress further along their Sequence path.

"Mr. Spade, do you have any needs to voice?"

Black Skull asked.

Chen Lun noticed that everyone was looking at him and knew he had to do something to avoid suspicion.

So, he chuckled lightly, took out a portion of the "Low Sequence Conspiracy Faction Mysterious Substance," a small gray ball.

"I'm very interested in Sequence paths other than the Seven True Gods. If anyone has Supernatural Knowledge, here is a down payment… we can discuss the specifics in private, and you can set the price."

Chen Lun did indeed need ascension knowledge, but he couldn't be upfront about it.

"The hidden Sequences outside of the Seven True Gods… 'Destiny,' 'Conspiracy,' and 'Nature,' these three Sequences are very rare; I don't have them."

Black Skull shook his head.

After whispering among themselves briefly, everyone else also fell silent.

"Alright then, if anyone has relevant information, you can also sell it to me. I will pay with a low sequence Mysterious Substance."

Chen Lun feigned regret and said in a somber voice.

"Well, if no one else has transactions to make, then let's begin open discussion."

Black Skull chaired the meeting.

The atmosphere of the society was slightly relaxed and more at ease.

"I've heard that the recent turmoil in the council is intense. After the assassination of Mr. Daniel, Mr. Lawson is flourishing, as if he's found a powerful backer…"

The Gentleman joked.

"From what I know, it's a Mid Sequence transcendent, very powerful...and he possesses a Class A Mysterious Object."

The miser supplemented.

The others were all stunned.

"Are you sure it's a 'Class A Mysterious Object'?!"

Fin said in surprise.

Such a level of Mysterious Object, she had not only never seen, but had not even heard of, which was incredibly rare.

"That's not his property."

The miser said indifferently.

The others quietly speculated whether this powerful backer of Mr. Lawson had stolen something from a church or robbed some association's foundation.

After discussing this topic further, Spirit Cat spoke:

"…Count Bradley is truly a fool. His wife has long had a lover, and he has been kept in the dark."

"Perhaps he is not unaware, but pretends to be."

The Scholar coughed twice, chuckling he-he.

"If the Countess's new lover is a powerful transcendent, then Count Bradley would probably not dare to utter a word… That's reality."

Others nodded in agreement.

Between ordinary people and the Mystic Realm, there really is a deep chasm. No matter how distinguished your identity or how vast your wealth, before a powerful transcendent, you are just a fragile life that can be extinguished in a snap.

Even if there is a warrant from a Shelter, one could easily flee to another district.

Unless criminal charges are enormous, the Empire would not dispatch excessive forces to pursue.

Chen Lun remained silent, reducing his presence while quietly gathering intelligence.

Half an hour later.

Black Skull stood up to end the meeting.

"Old rules, everyone leave one by one in order. The next meeting is three days from now, if there's any unexpected event, a code will be published in the newspaper to reschedule."

Then, he motioned for Chen Lun to lead the way out, leading him to a side door inside the crypt.

Entering the side door, Chen Lun found another dozen branching passages that seemed to lead to different exits. He then realized that the old site of Pompey Manor was just one of the entrances.

Black Skull escorted Chen Lun to the exit, then nodded and turned back.

Chen Lun noticed that on the cuff of his sleeve hung a bell about the size of a fingertip.

He memorized this detail.

Exiting, Chen Lun found himself back at the drainage ditch in the Outer City District, a massive outflow of the drainage canal.

"Who designed this hideout…"

Chen Lun marveled inwardly.

Hidden and well-connected, it truly was the ideal choice for a Safe House.

Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.

"Could it be Philip…?"

The exact words in the diary were, "…I've hidden all my savings and collected transcendent items over the years in the underground of Viscount Pompey's backyard. There, I dug a—"

Dug a subterranean maze?!