Chapter 87: Harrison
"I'm not trying to interfere, but next time you drink, can you at least take off the ring? A priest who serves the Sun Goddess shouldn't be drinking," came Molly's somewhat frustrated voice from the ring.
"My bad." Zhou Ning tilted his head back and downed the glass of beer, wiped the corner of his mouth, and smiled. "Next time, I promise."
Molly: …
She simply gave up trying to respond. Zhou Ning chuckled and shook his head, set down the glass, and slid the West family VIP card toward the bartender. He said softly, "I need some intel."
The bartender picked up the card calmly, examined it for a few seconds, then handed it back to Zhou Ning and pointed toward a hidden door in the rear right corner. "Go through there. Third room."
Behind the door was a staircase leading downward. At the bottom stood a guarded iron door. The burly doorman gave Zhou Ning a once-over but didn't stop him from pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Just like in the game, it was an underground fight club—once a hotspot for players when the game launched. You could duel here, or make money.
Since players couldn't truly die, fights between them were intense and brutally entertaining—each punch and kick felt real, and deaths were common. That made them a favorite of the fight club's audience.
But that didn't last long. Eventually, the club realized players were rigging fights—dying, respawning immediately, and then coming back to split the payout. Most players ended up blacklisted.
As Zhou Ning stepped into the arena, a deafening roar of sound crashed over him.
The match had already begun. A fighter from the Northlands was engaged in a brutal brawl with a burly werewolf on the platform.
Zhou Ning squinted slightly. With his current strength, he could easily sense that both fighters were quite powerful. The werewolf, in particular, had the advantage of being a supernatural race—probably around level 20.
"Kill that Northlander!"
"Ghost Wolf! You got this!"
"Don't lose, Northland scum—I bet seventy Roshens on you!"
…
The spectators surrounding the ring were shouting furiously, veins bulging with excitement, foul language flying everywhere. The atmosphere was far worse than the in-game version.
Zhou Ning felt like he had walked into a chaotic nightclub. The noise was so overwhelming it nearly made his heart seize. Skirting around the ring, he counted off the rooms until he reached the third. The door was slightly ajar. He knocked, and it creaked open.
Inside was an office noticeably cooler than outside. Behind the desk sat a well-fed businessman with gold-rimmed glasses and a completely bald head. A smile lingered on his lips, giving off an air of sharp intelligence.
Zhou Ning smiled and held up the West family VIP card. "I'd like to purchase some intel."
Hearing this, the businessman stood, took the card, glanced at it, and his expression immediately brightened. He extended a hand toward Zhou Ning. "Gino McCauley. Come in and have a seat, Mr. Wayne."
Through his connections with the West family, he had a vague understanding of who Zhou Ning was—and he held him in high regard.
After Gino closed the door, the noise from outside dropped significantly.
Once Zhou Ning sat down opposite him, Gino poured him a beer and asked, "What kind of intel are you looking for?"
"I need information on the Brystonian bloodline knight families. The more detailed, the better." Zhou Ning casually removed the ring and took another sip of beer.
"Thirty-five Vecktas." Gino gave him a meaningful look and quoted a price. "That's already the discounted rate. Gathering this information wasn't easy."
"Deal." Zhou Ning pulled four ten-Vecktas notes from his wallet and handed them over.
Gino took the money, counted it, and nodded. "Very straightforward. Give me a few minutes."
He rushed out, turning down another hallway.
It wasn't long before he returned, carrying a thick file folder and a 5-Vecktas bill. "As you'd expect, it doesn't include anything on the West family. But the others are all there."
Zhou Ning nodded, took the cash and folder, and flipped through it. It was indeed packed with detailed reports on the bloodline knight families. He stowed it away, looked up at Gino, and asked cautiously, "One more thing—do you know if there are any gatherings of supernatural individuals in Darkland? Or places that deal specifically in supernatural goods?"
It was something Zhou Ning had been thinking about for a while. In the previous life, such gatherings did exist, but they were rarely open to players. He had a few items that didn't belong to this world—like firearms and Devil Fruits—that would likely fetch a high price among supernatural circles. Especially the Devil Fruits—selling a few might lead to some unexpected surprises. He was also hoping to pick up a few good items himself.
"Supernatural Gatherings? I'll give you that one for free," Gino said with a grin. He had his own benefits from referring the right people to these events.
"You know the underground market in the old district? Every Saturday night at 8, there's a Supernatural Gathering there. After 7:30, go see Old Tyler, the market manager, and tell him I sent you."
"Much appreciated. Got it," Zhou Ning replied, curling his lips into a smile.
Today was Thursday—so there'd be a gathering in two days. He was definitely looking forward to it.
After leaving the Booze and Wolverines bar, Zhou Ning returned to the room he had previously rented. He lit the gas lamp and eagerly opened the file to start reading.
The intel on the bloodline knight families was twenty-five pages long. First up, with the most pages, was a family called the Mortons.
Family head: Isaac Morton, Speaker of the Upper Parliament of the Bryston Kingdom. Title: Count. Family motto currently unknown, but likely related to courage.
Doesn't seem to be him…
Zhou Ning turned the pages without hesitation.
Second was the Turner family from the northern frontier. Their motto was "Cold brings clarity, ice brings resolve." They had appeared during the Elemental Turmoil and were skilled in manipulating ice and snow.
Not them either.
He kept flipping until he neared the end—then his eyes narrowed slightly.
The Rivers Family: Family head Harrison Rivers. Family motto unknown, but likely tied to willpower.
That's the one!
Zhou Ning recalled the name on the painting. His spirits lifted, and he read carefully.
Harrison Rivers held the title of Viscount. He was close to the current king, Charles VII, and served as an Upper Parliament member. He also chaired the Kingdom of Bryston's Legislative Committee and was currently pushing for amendments to the Poor Relief Act.
On paper, Harrison Rivers seemed flawless—trusted by the king, a respected parliamentarian, a political star. No one would ever suspect he was a senior figure in the Curse God Cult.
Zhou Ning exhaled silently. If only there were players around—he could offload all the dirty work. For now, he had to focus on gathering more intel on Harrison Rivers. He had a nagging feeling the Curse God Cult was conspiring with the Life Alchemy Society on some grand scheme.
After a moment's hesitation, he penned an anonymous letter reporting Harrison Rivers and dropped it into the confessional box at the Ascetics' Church two blocks away.
No need to thank me, pal. Name's Lei Feng.
On Friday morning, Zhou Ning woke up early and rolled out of bed.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to face reality—he had to go to school.
Vick University operated on a credit system. Students needed 140 credits to graduate. Credits could also be used like currency within the university, primarily to access specialized knowledge beyond standard coursework.
As a top alchemy student with a weak constitution and unbalanced skillset, Zhou Ning's predecessor had unfortunately bombed all the physical-related subjects.
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