War is expensive, but the spoils of war are tax-free.
The ravine between Sector 4 and Sector 5 had changed. The mud, once a battlefield, was now a construction site. The surviving twenty members of the Red Jackal Gang were stripped to their waists, hauling heavy baskets of ore alongside the slaves they had tried to kill an hour ago.
Ironhead stood guard, holding the Lieutenant's massive iron hammer. He looked uncomfortable with the authority, but his stance was firm.
Ren sat on a flat rock, overlooking the operation. He wasn't gloating. He was counting.
[System Audit: Post-Hostility Assets]
New Workforce: +20 Laborers (Grade D - Injured).
Weapons Acquired: 30 Iron Clubs, 1 Spirit-Iron Hammer, 12 Leather Armors (Damaged).
Territory: Sector 5 Mining Rights (De Facto Control).
"Efficiency," Ren whispered, watching a Red Jackal thug carry a load of rock while a Sector 4 slave directed him. "The merger is complete."
Liu approached, wiping soot from his face. He held a small, bloodstained pouch.
"Boss," Liu said. "We stripped the Lieutenant. Most of his gear was trash, but... he had this hidden in his boot."
Ren took the pouch. It was made of silk, not rough leather. It felt out of place in the slums.
"Good work, Liu. Go supervise the perimeter. If anyone from Sector 5 comes looking for their gang, tell them the Red Jackals have 'relocated to a new market opportunity.'"
Liu grinned—a rare sight—and jogged away.
Ren opened the pouch. He dumped the contents onto the rock.
Three items clattered out.
A handful of Spirit Stones (approx. 50 Karma).
A jagged, black key made of obsidian.
A crumpled letter sealed with green wax.
Ren picked up the Spirit Stones and pocketed them immediately. Liquidity is king.
He picked up the Obsidian Key.
[Item: Encrypted Access Key]
Origin: Middle Realm - Pale Fire Alchemy Hall.
Function: Opens a specific Deposit Box in the Sector 5 Warehouse.
Value: Unknown.
Ren's eyes narrowed. The Red Jackals were low-level thugs. Why did they have a key to a Middle Realm facility?
He picked up the Crumpled Letter. He broke the seal.
The handwriting was elegant, sharp, and hurried.
"To Unit 734 (Centipede), The disposal schedule has accelerated. The new batch of test subjects expired faster than anticipated. Dump the bodies in the Ravine Pit immediately. Do not harvest the bones this time—the toxicity levels are too high even for the black market. Payment will be left in Box 302. Fail to dispose of the evidence, and you will join the pile. — Alchemist Mo."
Ren lowered the letter. The puzzle pieces clicked into place.
The Corpse Pit wasn't just a trash heap. It was a crime scene.
The "Pale Fire Alchemy Hall" was likely conducting illegal experiments—probably trying to create artificial bloodlines or cheap super-soldiers—and dumping the failures down here. The Red Jackals weren't a gang; they were garbage men on a payroll.
[Mission Update: The Alchemist's Trash]
Clue Found: The Pale Fire Connection.
New Objective: Locate 'Box 302' in the Sector 5 Warehouse using the Obsidian Key.
Ren tapped the letter against his chin.
"Alchemist Mo..." Ren mused. "If you are dumping bodies, you are hiding a deficit. And if you are hiding a deficit, you are vulnerable to blackmail."
This was leverage. Dangerous leverage, but the most valuable kind.
Ren put the items away. He stood up and walked toward the center of the camp. He needed to prepare. If he was going to infiltrate Sector 5's warehouse to find that box, he needed to be stronger. Level 2 wasn't enough.
He walked past the cooking fires. The "Bone Soup" was bubbling again, but the smell had changed. It was richer, sharper.
Ren stopped. He looked into the pot.
"Ironhead," Ren called. "What did you add to the soup?"
Ironhead looked nervous. "Uh, Boss... we ran out of salt. So I threw in some of those glowing red mushrooms we found in the Jackal's packs. I figured... food is food?"
Ren looked at the mushrooms floating in the broth.
[Item: Blood-Cap Mushroom]
Grade: Mortal-Medium.
Effect: Blood stimulant. Increases heart rate and aggression.
Combine with Chimera Bone: Creates a crude "Berserker Stew."
Ren smiled. His employees were accidentally doing alchemy.
"Good initiative," Ren said. "But next time, ask before you spike the company water cooler."
He took a bowl for himself. He needed the energy.
He walked back to the Overseer's office and locked the door. He sat cross-legged on the floor.
He placed the Lieutenant's Spirit-Iron Hammer in front of him.
It was a crude weapon, heavy and unbalanced. But to Ren's eye, it was a block of solid capital.
[Item: Heavy Iron Hammer]
Material: 40% Spirit Iron / 60% Scrap.
Value: 300 Karma.
"I don't use hammers," Ren whispered. "I use liquid assets."
He placed both hands on the massive weapon.
[The Sovereign's Minting Art]
"Smelt."
The vortex in his dantian roared. It was louder now, like a factory shifting into high gear.
The hammer began to vibrate. The iron turned gray, then white, then disintegrated into dust. The heavy, metallic essence of the Spirit Iron was ripped out and sucked into Ren's palms.
Heat.
Agonizing, heavy heat filled his meridians. It felt like he had swallowed molten lead.
Ren gritted his teeth. His skin turned the color of bronze. The two coins in his dantian spun wildly, grinding against each other.
Clink. Clink. CLANK.
A third coin began to form.
This one wasn't blurry or faint. It was sharp. Defined.
Ren sweated black tar—the impurities of his malnutrition being purged by the influx of wealth.
[System Alert: Asset Capitalization Complete.] [Rank Up: Qi Condensation Level 3.]
Ren opened his eyes. A shockwave of heavy pressure blasted outward, knocking the papers off his desk.
He stood up. He felt... solid.
At Level 3, his skin had hardened. He picked up a jagged scrap of metal from the floor and pressed it against his forearm. He pushed hard. The metal bent; his skin didn't break.
"Iron Skin," Ren noted. "Standard Level 3 perk. But mine feels denser."
He checked the time.
[Time until Monthly Quota Inspection: 21 Days.]
He had three weeks.
He had a workforce. He had a secure base. And now, he had a key to a secret stash in Sector 5.
Ren walked to the map on the wall—a crude charcoal drawing of the lower floors. He drew a circle around the Sector 5 Warehouse.
"Time for a corporate audit," Ren whispered.
He grabbed a cloak from the rack. He wouldn't take Ironhead or Liu. This required stealth, not force.
He was going to Sector 5. Alone.