Demikhov gently raised a finger to his lips. In an instant, the entire place fell silent — so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Renith landed lightly on the rooftop, taking in every single one of Demikhov’s swift, wind-like movements.
While everyone present was still steeped in that silence, the magical particles surging from within Renith rapidly enveloped the entire government hall.
However, those magical particles could not penetrate into Demikhov’s body.
“This guy…”
This guy had “Qi” inside him, and he was also a Baron.
The Baron part wasn’t particularly surprising.
To many, becoming a Baron was seen as a relatively easy path to transcendence.
If you gave a book outlining the way to become a Baron to an ordinary person with some talent and the perseverance to keep training, they could become a Baron in just three to five years.
But in reality, across the entire continent of the Empire, there have never been that many Barons — not in the past, and not now.
In the past, countless people threw themselves onto the demon clan battlefields. Barons died one after another at the hands of demonic creatures. Once those with real skill were all dead, those without would take their place. It was a very simple logic.
Now, due to the Empire’s strict control, there are very few detailed records for ordinary people to step onto the path of transcendence. Even if some nobles possess them, they would rarely take the time, effort, and expense to practice personally; instead, they distribute them to loyal servants.
Like the one Viscount and two Barons from the Martel gang — they were death warriors bred by nobles, elites created through the concentrated efforts of several generations of a noble family.
But I’m digressing.
Though being a Baron wasn’t surprising, the “Qi” within Demikhov genuinely astonished Renith.
“Qi” is a power that originates from the body’s center and spreads to the four limbs and all the bones in conjunction with breathing.
But Demikhov was different.
Unlike any other method of cultivating “Qi”, Demikhov’s Qi clung evenly to his flesh and blood. It didn’t flow or transmit along with his bloodstream.
While the quality of his “Qi” was quite poor, it made up for it in sheer terrifying quantity.
Thinking it over, this was precisely why Demikhov was somewhat stronger than an average Baron. Combined with his special ability to see through the human body, every strike of his blade landed precisely at the body’s weakest points.
If he had the blessing of that statue, there was no doubt: Demikhov might very well be the undisputed strongest in the Mobius City “Scholar” branch.
After frightening off all the members of the noble guard, Demikhov slowly walked over to Antina, his face seeming filled with apology.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said softly.
Antina had been truly terrified by that sudden group of noble guards. Before she could even think of putting up any resistance, they had already seized her firmly.
In a daze, Demikhov had arrived, dismembering one of the guards in an utterly brutal fashion.
“I…”
Antina opened her mouth, wanting very much to say some words of thanks.
But when her gaze fell on the scattered limbs on the ground, those words felt as if they were stuck in her throat, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
“It’s fine. As long as you’re safe. When necessary, the gun in your hand is your weapon. Please don’t forget that again.”
Demikhov pointed at the gun in Antina’s hand. Without lingering, he walked directly toward the remaining noble guards.
He merely raised his scalpel, still dripping with blood, and those cowardly wretches, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, scattered and fled in all directions.
Renith’s animosity towards Demikhov wasn’t that intense.
This person seemed to have intentionally helped Antina, but his exact purpose was unknown.
Renith landed softly in front of Demikhov. Seeing Renith arrive, Antina’s joy was written all over her face. Instantly, she felt every tense pore on her body relax, and the tension vanished without a trace.
“Anna!” Antina cried out in surprise.
“Antina, perhaps you should take shelter inside the government hall first. I have a few things I want to ask this Demikhov,” Renith said with a smile.
Antina did as Renith instructed. Now, only Renith and Demikhov remained, facing off on the spot.
“Why are you helping Antina and Vista?” Renith’s sharp gaze pierced into Demikhov’s eyes.
“I believe that everyone who wants to become a proletarian warrior needs guidance and help. Only then can they walk that path with greater determination,” Demikhov gave a very standard reply. His tone and manner were perfectly courteous, his gaze firm and sincere. Renith could see no flaws.
But he still clutched the blood-dripping scalpel tightly in his hand. The cold blade glinted chillingly in the sunlight, sending an involuntary shiver down one’s spine.
You can’t judge a person by their appearance. Renith firmly believed in this principle.
“Then what is your sin? And what is your talent?” Renith was very curious about his “divine gift.” To a large extent, knowing someone’s divine gift meant understanding what kind of person they really were.
Demikhov did not hide anything and stated frankly:
“I’ve never thought I had any sin. In my original world, many foreigners condemned my madness, said I cruelly harmed animals… but I didn’t care. I knew very clearly what I was doing, for my country. My sin is ‘Madness.'”
“As for my talent, it’s ‘Healing Bond.’ It can reattach any severed limb, even organs, restoring function for a period of time.”
Demikhov only then seemed to realize his scalpel was still exposed. He found a rag and meticulously wiped the bloodstains off it.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said apologetically.
Renith judged that this man was probably not lying. There was no trace of panic in his eyes, and his tone was utterly sincere.
But his talent…
Renith glanced again, meeting Demikhov’s fleshy, rugged face. She hoped he wasn’t involved in certain matters.
“Who taught you ‘Qi’?” Renith flicked her finger casually. Magic-formed needles pricked at Demikhov’s arm, but his “Qi” reflexively repelled them.
“‘Qi’, so that’s it… I think I came across that term in some book.”
“My apologies, I have no teacher. After I arrived in this world, I dissected the corpses of some creatures. I found a certain power generated within them as they breathed. At first, I thought it was some kind of chemical substance. After asking quite a few people, I learned it’s a natural ‘Law’ existing on this continent. Living beings can gain transcendent powers this way.”
“So I began researching this power. It took me seven years, but I figured it out.”
He figured it out himself?
And it was an unprecedented path at that. He truly was a genius.
“You are very impressive,” Renith did not hold back her praise. In the past hundred years, she had never encountered a genius like this.
“You flatter me. My research is still very immature. I believe this is only the beginning… This continent is very magical, completely different from our world.” Demikhov showed no pride; his expression remained remarkably calm.
“Well, it’s still very dangerous right now. If you want to help, I won’t stop you… If you die, I hope someone will erect a monument for you.”
“Oh, right, one last thing. Do you know She Quan’s sin?” Renith suddenly recalled something and asked.
Demikhov first looked surprised, then seemed to understand something. Still, he answered truthfully:
“Him… He was from a militaristic nation of utter bastards. He used to work at a telecommunications company, secretly copying many families’ phone numbers, addresses, and personal information. Then he ran phone scams, ultimately leading many families to ruin and their members to death.”
Although his answer was filled with many strange-sounding words, Renith roughly understood what Demikhov meant.
She Quan (alias) was a swindler who collected people’s detailed personal information and drove families to ruin for profit.
“Alright, thank you. Then I’ll go check on Antina now.” Renith didn’t plan on taking action against Demikhov. Up to this point, he had been beneficial to this world. Everything he did had breathed a certain vitality into what was otherwise a declining path.
Those who help us aren’t necessarily friends.
She always felt things would ultimately head towards the worst outcome, yet she also always hoped everything would develop in a good direction.
Demikhov didn’t linger either. He turned and walked towards the train station.
Renith entered the government hall, and Antina immediately brought people over to greet her. Antina’s face was still a little pale, seemingly not yet recovered from the earlier situation.
But upon seeing Renith, her complexion improved considerably.
“Miss Anna, you succeeded?!” Antina asked, delighted.
Renith nodded and said, “The statue at Brand University has been destroyed by me. The power that beguiled the students has been buried by my hand. Before long, those decadent tones will also fade away with it… but the influence it caused will be very hard to change.”
“What about here on your end?”
Antina related to Renith how they had captured the affairs hall that morning, then repeated the plan formulated by Vista and Renith.
Things had not gone smoothly on Vista’s end. That enormous monster had disrupted many of their plans. Without sufficient manpower, the gangs would likely find it difficult to spread throughout Mobius City in a short time.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Vista returned to the affairs hall with his group.
Vista’s expression was also grim, but seeing that the few people inside were in good condition, he let out a long sigh of relief.
“I saw… the corpse… outside and thought… a ‘Chosen One’ had come,” he said, panting heavily.
That statement wasn’t wrong, actually. A transmigrator had indeed come by.
“Take it slow…” Antina spoke up, trying to soothe him.
It took a long while before Vista finally calmed down and told everyone everything in detail, including the sudden appearance of the monster, the students parading through the streets, and the dark figure that descended from the sky.
Everyone in the affairs hall listening thought Vista was joking.
Only the faces of the gang members behind Vista looked grim. They had laughed and mocked Manville the same way before. Now, thinking back, it was truly ironic.
Renith also explained what had transpired. Now, everyone had no choice but to believe it.
